Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2003-0074-0281
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2003-12-24T05:00Z

THERdbASE
March
3,
2003
THERdbASE
(
Total
Human
Exposure
Risk
database
and
Advanced
Simulation
Environment)
is
an
integrated
database
and
analytical/
modeling
software
system
for
use
in
human
exposure
assessment
calculations
and
studies.
This
software
system
combines
in
one
user­
friendly
platform
many
of
the
types
of
databases
and
models
needed
for
human
exposure
assessment.

Purpose:
THERdbASE
is
a
Windows
application
program
for
personal
computers
which
was
developed
in
a
Cooperative
Agreement
between
the
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
EPA)
and
the
University
of
Nevada­
Las
Vegas.
Developed
for
exposure
and
risk
assessors,
as
well
as
for
students
in
the
exposure
assessment
field
of
study,
the
databases,
analytical
tools,
and
models
are
integrated
into
a
user­
friendly
software
platform.
Models
are
conveniently
linked
to
databases,
or
queried
subsets
of
data,
on
human
activity
patterns,
U.
S.
Census
data,
and
related
human
exposure
databases
so
that
an
assessment
or
analysis
can
be
conveniently
run.
Funding
for
this
tool
was
discontinued
in
1998,
before
it
could
be
fully
developed.
Currently,
this
tool
can
support
assessments
of
inhalation
exposures,
and
is
particularly
well
suited
for
indoor
air
exposure
assessments.

Data:
THERdbASE
was
designed
to
contain
a
large
number
of
databases,
organized
into
ten
(
10)
categories
(
listed
below):
1.
Demographics;
2.
Human
Activity
Patterns;
3.
Food
Consumption
Patterns;
4.
Food
Contamination;
5.
Chemical
Properties;
6.
Pollutant
Source
Information;
7.
Environmental
Characteristics;
8.
Environmental
Contamination
Levels;
9.
Physiological
Parameters;
10.
User­
created
databases.
Data
that
had
been
included
before
development
ceased
includes
the
1990
Census
data
and
data
generated
by
the
air
monitoring
studies
performed
under
the
Total
Exposure
Assessment
Methodology
(
TEAM).
This
includes
human
activity
patterns.
Additional
data
resources
would
be
needed
to
expand
this
tool's
capabilities
to
include
exposure
assessments
to
exposures
through
the
oral
route
(
drinking
water
and
fish
ingestion).
For
example,
there
is
currently
no
data
in
category
3,
Food
Consumption
Patterns,
and
none
in
category
4,
Food
Contamination.
Note
that
these
data
are
mostly
designed
to
support
indoor
air
assessments,
have
not
been
updated
since
1998,
and
may
be
inappropriate
and
outdated
for
current
conditions.

Models:
THERdbASE
contains
eleven
(
11)
models
that
can
use
the
data
in
the
previous
databases
to
model
human
exposure.
They
fall
into
five
(
5)
categories
as
follows:
1.
Source;
2.
Fate
and
Transport;
3.
Human
Exposure;
4.
Dose;
5.
Risk
(
Health
Effects).
As
noted
above,
these
models
primarily
support
inhalation
exposure
assessments.
Additional
programming
would
be
needed
to
expand
this
tool's
capabilities
to
include
exposure
assessments
to
exposures
through
the
oral
route
(
drinking
water
and
fish
ingestion).
Note
that
these
models
are
predominantly
designed
to
support
indoor
air
assessments,
have
not
been
updated
since
1998,
and
may
be
inappropriate
and
outdated
for
current
conditions.

Contact:
Gary
Robertson
(
702)
798­
2215;
Jerry
Blancato
(
702)
798­
2356
Las
Vegas;
(
919)
541­
3288
while
on
detail
to
RTP.
Short­
term
Followup:
Evaluate
the
Multimedia,
Multipathway
and
Multireceptor
Risk
Assessment
(
3MRA)
Model,
and
the
Total
Exposure
Modeling
(
TEM)
tool,
which
may
be
better
matches
for
the
304(
m)
planning
process.

Long­
term
Followup:
Based
on
the
review
of
3MRA
and
TEM,
there
may
be
no
need
for
further
investigation
of
this
tool.