Contaminants (Human Exposure)

Data on human-generated contamination sources, pathways of human exposure, and health impacts. Every sphere has its own contaminants subclass for pollutants within that medium — this twig specifically addresses the human side: where contamination originates from human activity and how it affects human populations.

Scope

• Industrial emission points: Factory stacks, discharge pipes, point-source pollution locations
• Hazardous waste sites: Contaminated land registries, brownfield databases
• Pollution regulations: Emission permits, discharge limits, compliance monitoring
• Human disease distribution: Spatial epidemiology, disease clusters, health exposure mapping
• Human exposure assessment: Dose-response models, proximity analysis to contamination sources

Distinction from Other Contaminant Subclasses

Each sphere has a _contaminants subclass — but they describe different things:

• Atmosphere contaminants: Pollutants in the air (NO₂, PM2.5)
• Hydrosphere contaminants: Pollutants in water (heavy metals, microplastics)
• Socio-Technical contaminants: The human source and human impact — where pollution comes from, and what it does to people

Classical Theme Mappings