Environmental Health Criteria 214

HUMAN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT
reasonable in the context of assessing health effects that may be
caused by cumulative exposure, such as cancer, or reproductive and
developmental effects that may follow a threshold dose-response curve.
Some FFQs include questions on usual food preparation methods,
trimming of meats, use of dietary supplements and identification of
the most common type or brand consumed. FFQs can be used to rank
individuals by exposure to selected chemicals. Although FFQs are not
designed to measure absolute exposure, the method may be more accurate
than other methods for estimating average exposure to chemicals having
large day-to-day variability and for which there are relatively few
food sources. FFQs have several disadvantages too: specifically, they
are less reliable in estimating consumption of rarely consumed foods
and the food lists are often designed to assess nutrients and may
require substantial revision to assess chemical exposures.
7.4.3.4 Meal-based diet history
Meal-based diet history methods are designed to assess usual
individual food consumption. It consists of a detailed listing of the
types of foods and beverages commonly consumed at each meal over a
defined time period which is often a "typical week".
7.4.3.5 Food habit questionnaires
Food habit questionnaires are designed to collect either general
or specific types of information, such as food perception and belief,
food likes and dislikes, methods of preparing foods, use of dietary
supplements and social setting surrounding eating occasions. This type
of information is frequently considered with other methods but may be
used on its own.
Although the last two methods are seldom used in dietary exposure
assessments they can contribute very useful background information and
may be the only information for specific population group issues
(e.g., organic food consumption by vegetarians). They can be targeted
to answer specific questions or prioritize issues of concern and
provide a cost-effective tool for the risk assessor.
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Table 28. An example of food listing and frequency response options of an F
For each food listed, fill in the Average use of the last 3 months
circle indicating how often, on
average, you have used the amount Per month Per wee
specified, during the past 3 months
Never or 1-3 1 2-4
less than
once
DAIRY FOODS Skim or low-fat milk
(8 oz glass) 0 0 0 0
Whole milk (8 oz glass) 0 0 0 0
Sherbet or ice milk
(1/2 cup) 0 0 0 0
Ice cream (1/2 cup) 0 0 0 0
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6/1/2007