In exposure assessment, which term describes the amount of substance that enters the body?

In exposure assessment, which term describes the amount of substance that enters the body?

• A. Absorption
• B. Inhalation
• C. Ingestion
• D. Intake

Answer: (D)

In exposure assessment, the term intake describes the total quantity of a chemical that enters the body from all exposure routes. It brings together all ways a substance can get in—through inhalation of vapors, ingestion of contaminated material, and dermal absorption from skin contact—into one measure of what has entered the body. Absorption is the process by which some of what enters actually moves into the bloodstream, which is a subset of the overall entry. Inhalation and ingestion denote specific routes, not the total amount entering. Therefore, the best fit for “the amount of substance that enters the body” is intake. For example, a worker exposed to vapors and also touching contaminated surfaces has an intake that combines both inhaled and dermal/ingested amounts.

In exposure assessment, the term intake describes the total quantity of a chemical that enters the body from all exposure routes. It brings together all ways a substance can get in—through inhalation of vapors, ingestion of contaminated material, and dermal absorption from skin contact—into one measure of what has entered the body. Absorption is the process by which some of what enters actually moves into the bloodstream, which is a subset of the overall entry. Inhalation and ingestion denote specific routes, not the total amount entering. Therefore, the best fit for “the amount of substance that enters the body” is intake. For example, a worker exposed to vapors and also touching contaminated surfaces has an intake that combines both inhaled and dermal/ingested amounts.