Step 4.3 Work out your human health exposure band

Why you need to work out your introduction's exposure band?

It is part of the process to identify the indicative human health risk of your introduction. In step 5, you also have to work out your introduction's environment exposure band.

What does a human health exposure band identify about your introduction?

It identifies the likelihood and extent of human exposure to the chemical.  This likelihood and extent of exposure increases with each band. Exposure band 4 is the highest exposure band. Introductions in human health exposure band 4 will have the highest level of human exposure.

Information that's used to assign a chemical to its correct exposure band

Need to know your human health categorisation volume?

Follow our guidance on how to work this out

You can also get help to work this out using our online decision tool

The information you need to be able to work out your exposure band can be different depending on the exposure band criteria you will be using. Some of the exposure band criteria mainly depend on human health categorisation volume, while others mainly depend on the concentration of your chemical when it's introduced into Australia and during its end use. This is a full list of the information you might need to be able to work out your human health exposure band:

• Human health categorisation volume (needed for scenario 1 of Exposure Band 2, scenario 1 of Exposure Band 3 and Exposure Band 4)
• Concentration of your chemical at introduction (needed for Exposure Band 1, scenario 2 of Exposure Band 2 and scenario 2 of Exposure Band 3).
• Concentration of your chemical across all end uses (needed for Exposure Band 1, scenario 2 of Exposure Band 2 and scenario 2 of Exposure Band 3).
• If it has an end use in tattoo inks or personal vaporisers (which are always in human health exposure band 4)
• If there are any consumer end uses for the chemical introduction (needed for Exposure Band 1 and scenario 2 of Exposure Band 2 and).

We define 'consumer end use' (which we refer to throughout this page) to be where the chemical is made available to the general public, either on its own, with other chemicals or as part of an article.

What's your human health exposure band?

Start with Exposure Band 1 and work down the page.

Exposure band 1 criteria

To be in exposure band 1, your introduction must meet all of the criteria:

• The concentration of your chemical at introduction IS LESS than 0.1 % 
• The concentration IS LESS than 0.1 % across all your introduction’s end uses 
• The introduction is NOT for any consumer end use

If your introduction meets all criteria, go to Step 4.4 to work out the human health hazard characteristics of your introduction. 

If your introduction does not meet all criteria, go to Exposure band 2 criteria.

Exposure band 2 criteria

To be in exposure band 2, your introduction must be at least 1 of these scenarios:

Scenario 1

• The human health categorisation volume for your chemical does not exceed 25kg.

Scenario 2

• The concentration of your chemical at introduction is less than 0.1 % and
• The concentration is less than 0.1 % across all your introduction’s end uses and
• The introduction has at least 1 consumer end use

If your introduction meets the criteria, go to Step 4.4 to work out the human health hazard characteristics of your introduction.

If your introduction does not meet the criteria, go to Exposure Band 3 criteria.

Exposure band 3 criteria

To be in exposure band 3, your introduction must be at least 1 of these scenarios:

Scenario 1

• The human health categorisation volume for your chemical does not exceed 100kg.

Scenario 2

• The concentration of your chemical at introduction is less than or equal to 1% and
• The concentration is less than or equal to 1% across all your introduction’s end uses

If your introduction meets the criteria, go to Step 4.4 to work out the human health hazard characteristics of your introduction.

If your introduction does not meet the criteria, go to Exposure Band 4 criteria.

Exposure band 4 criteria

Tattoo inks or personal vaporisers: If you're introducing a chemical with an end use in tattoo inks or personal vaporisers you are automatically in Exposure Band 4 for human health. If this is your introduction type, go to Step 4.4: Work out your human health hazard characteristics.

If the human health categorisation volume of your introduction is greater than 100kg, your introduction is in exposure band 4. Next, go to Step 4.4: Work out your human health hazard characteristics.

Next: Step 4.4 Work out your human health hazard characteristics