Assessing Inhalation Exposures Associated with Contamination Events in Water Distribution Systems.

ABSTRACT: When a water distribution system (WDS) is contaminated, short-term inhalation exposures to airborne contaminants could occur as the result of domestic water use. The most important domestic sources of such exposures are likely to be showering and the use of aerosol-producing humidifiers, i.e., ultrasonic and impeller (cool-mist) units. A framework is presented for assessing the potential effects of short-term, system-wide inhalation exposures that could result from such activities during a contamination event. This framework utilizes available statistical models for showering frequency and duration, available exposure models for showering and humidifier use, and experimental results on both aerosol generation and the volatilization of chemicals during showering. New models for the times wh

SUBMITTER: Davis MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5145240 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature