Problem
800 kg of a new and potentially toxic chemical has been accidentally released into a confined environment composed of: 2.5 million liters of water, 5 million cubic meters of air, and 3.5 million kg of soil comprised of 10% organic matter. The partitioning coefficients for the chemical are still uncertain, but data suggest that log KH (L-atm/mol) is between 2.5 and 3.5, and log KOM (Lwater/kgOM) is between 1.5 and 2. None of the three compartments (air, water, or soil) is expected to be at or near the saturation concentration.
People living in this environment consume water as described by a normal distribution with a mean of 2 L and a standard deviation of 0.3 L. Air breathed per day is described by a normal distribution with a mean of 11,000 L and a standard deviation of 1,500 L. Soil consumption is described by a uniform distribution between a maximum of 200 mg/day and a minimum of 30 mg/day. Water and soil contact fractions should be assumed to be 100%, while the air contact fraction should be assumed to be 50%.
Describe and plot the distribution of human exposure (in micrograms of the chemical per kg of body mass) to this chemical by people living in this environment.