Exposure Science and Occupational Health: Insights from ISES 2022

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Background

Modern exposure science is rooted in the industrial hygiene and radiation health physics practices of the last century, and exposure science continues to play an important role in occupational health. Today, an individual may encounter a wide range of agents that directly or indirectly result in some form of adverse effect or harm. Generally referred to as “stressors”, these agents can be chemical, physical, biological, or psychosocial, as well as mixtures thereof. Exposure science is the distinct discipline that encompasses the study of receptors and their behaviors related to contact with such stressors, the nature and extent of such contact, and the fate of these stressors over space and time.

In September 2022, the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) held its 32nd Annual Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal with a theme of “Exposure to Human Health: New Developments and Challenges in a Changing Environment”. Approximately 20% of conference presentations were directly related to occupational health and safety, which is a testament to the continuing relevance of exposure science to the field and the inspiration for this Research Topic. The conference included a wide range of studies in occupational cohorts, showcasing not only advancements in methods and tools available for exposure characterization and risk assessment but applications of existing approaches to emerging issues in the workplace, from new hazards like nanomaterials to exposures resulting from changes in the workplace environment as well as worker behavior. As workplaces, and what is considered to be a hazard in the workplace, have evolved, such innovations in exposure science are necessary to fully address issues of occupational health.

Therefore, the main goal of this Research Topic is to present the new and innovative knowledge shared during the conference in a deeper manner, providing interesting, important, and novel insights on Exposure Science and Occupational Health and Safety topics. Considering this goal, this Research Topic aims to collect original and review manuscripts which focus on:

1) Data on exposure from different occupational settings making use of different approaches and tools to collect and analyze exposure data;
2) New methods for evaluation of worker exposure with description of their value for exposure and risk assessment;
3) Occupational Exposure Modelling;
4) Biomonitoring approaches for occupational settings;
5) Exposure assessment in new and emerging technologies and industries.

Keywords: occupational exposure, workplace exposure, exposure science, modelling, biomonitoring, inhalation exposure, dermal exposure, occupational health and safety

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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