United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Health and
Environmental Assessment
Washington, DC 20460
Research and Development
EPA/600/SR-93/187
November 1994
Project Summary
Wildlife Exposure Factors
Handbook
Margaret McVey and Susan Braen Norton
The Wildlife Exposure Factors Hand-
book is a compendium of data and ref-
erences for conducting exposure and
risk assessments for wildlife species
exposed to toxic chemicals in their en-
vironment. We hope that this project
will (1) promote the application of risk
assessment methods to wildlife spe-
cies, (2) foster a consistent approach
to wildlife risk assessments, and (3)
increase the accessibility of the litera-
ture applicable to these assessments.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Office of Health and Environ-
mental Assessment, Washington, DC,
to announce key findings of the re-
search project that is fully documented
in a separate report of the same title
(see Project Report ordering informa-
tion at back).
Purpose
The purpose of the Handbook is to pro-
vide a convenient source of information
and an analytic framework to facilitate
screening-level risk assessments for com-
mon wildlife species. These screening-level
risk assessments may be used to support
site-specific decisions (e.g., for hazardous
waste sites), to support the development
of water quality or other media-specific
criteria for limiting environmental levels of
toxic substances to protect wildlife spe-
cies, or to focus research and monitoring
efforts.
Contents
The Handbook primarily summarizes
values for parameters useful for the expo-
sure assessment component of risk as-
sessment. In addition, data provided in
the Handbook on population parameters
(e.g., birth and death rates) may be useful
for placing estimates of risks in a broader
ecological context. Values and extrapola-
tion methods required for the toxicity as?
sessment component are not covered in
this Handbook. In addition no chemical-
specific parameters (e.g., bioavailability
factors) are provided.
Species
This Handbook focuses on a selected
group of mammals, birds, amphibians and
reptiles. Fish and aquatic or terrestrial in-
vertebrates were not included in the cur-
rent effort. We do not intend to imply that
risk assessments for wildlife should be
restricted to the species described here,
or should always be conducted for these
species. In addition, the species included
in the Handbook have broad geographic
ranges, and the parameter values pre-
sented may not be representative for all
parts of their ranges.
Organization
Section 1 provides an overview of the
Handbook. Section 2 presents values for
the exposure factors for the selected spe-
cies and brief descriptions of relevant as-
pects of their natural history.
Contents of Section 2: Species
Profiles
For 34 Selected Species (Table 1):
• Description of natural history
• List of similar species
• Exposure factor values (Table 2)
• Selected bibliography
The summary for each species includes
an introduction to the general taxonomic
group, a qualitative description of the spe-
cies, tabulated values for the exposure
factors, a list of similar species, and a
selected bibliography for that species.
Section 3 provides allometric models
that may be used to estimate various ex-
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posure factors on the basis of body size.
Section 3 also provides equations for esti-
mating food ingestion rates on the basis
of metabolic rate and diet.
Contents of Section 3:
Allometrlc Equations
• Food ingestion rates
• Water intake rates
• Inhalation rates
• Surface areas
• Metabolic rates
The Handbook includes an appendix
that presents all of the parameter values
identified in our literature survey, with more
details concerning sample size, methods
and qualifying information than listed in
the main Handbook.
Section 4 provides common equations
used to estimate exposure of wildlife spe-
cies. Section 4 also discusses available
information on soil and sediment inges-
tion by wildlife species.
Contents of Section 4:
Exposure Equations
• General exposure equations
• Drinking water
• Diet
• Soil and sediment ingestion
• Air
• Dermal exposure
• Caloric and water content of various
diets
• Analysis of uncertainty
Table 1. Species included in EPA's Wildlife Exposure Factors Handbook
Birds
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Lesser Scaup
Ospray
Red-tailed Hawk
Bald Eagle
American Kestrel
Northern Bobwhite
American Woodcock
Spotted Sandpiper
Herring Gull
Belted Kingfisher
Marsh Wren
American Robin
Mammals
Short-tailed Shrew
Red Fox
Raccoon
Mink
River Otter
Harbor Seal
Deer Mouse
Prairie Vole
Meadow Vole
Muskrat
Eastern Cottontail
Reptiles and Amphibians
Snapping Turtle
Painted Turtle
Eastern Box Turtle
Racer Snake
Water Snake
Eastern Newt
Green Frog
Bullfrog
Tables. Exposure Factors Included in the Handbook
Normalizing &
Contact Rate
Factors
Dietary
Composition
Population
Dynamics
Timing of
Seasonal
Activities
body weight
metabolic rate
surface area
water ingestion rate
inhalation rate
food ingestion rate
by season:
spring
summer
winter
fall
by habitat/
location
home range size
population
density
litter/clutch
per year
growth rates
annual mortality
rates
mating
nesting/egglaying
parturition/
hatching
hibernation
dispersal
migration
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Margaret McVey is with ICF, Inc., Fairfax, VA 22031
Susan Braen Norton is the EPA Project Manager (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Wildlife Exposure Factors Handbook,
Volume I: (Order No. PB94-174778; Cost: $61.00, subject to change);
Volume II: (Order No. PB94-177789; Cost $52.00, subject to change) will be
available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Manager can be contacted at:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (8603)
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
EPA/600/SR-93/187
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
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