Exposure Pathways

An exposure pathway is the route a chemical hazard takes to reach (and potentially affect) a receptor (Environment Canada 2003, Health Canada 2004). Exposure pathways include:

• Physical Mechanisms – e.g. contaminated soil being washed into a nearby creek and potentially affecting sediment dwelling organisms.
• Human Behavior – e.g. contaminated material moved by people from one location to another; contaminated soil on a truck’s tires or people bring PCB containing oils home to be burned in cooking fires.
• Biological Mechanisms – e.g. dermal contact with contaminated soil, ingestion of contaminated food, inhalation of dust, etc.