Exposure to Nanomaterials
The exposure paradigm accounts for a series of events beginning from when external mechanisms (e.g., releases or handling of chemicals) make a chemical available for absorption or other mode of entry at the outer body boundary to when the chemical or its metabolite is delivered to the target organ. Between outer body contact with the chemical and delivery to the target organ, a chemical is absorbed and distributed. Depending on the nature of the chemical and the route of exposure, the chemical may be metabolized. For the purposes of this section, we will limit the discussion to the types of resources that are needed (and available) to assess exposure up to the point where it is distributed to the target organ.