What is exposure duration?

• A. The duration of exposure per cycle
• B. The time between pulses
• C. The time exposed to a hazard
• D. The total exposure time

Answer: (C)

Exposure duration is the amount of time you are actually exposed to a hazard. It starts when contact begins and ends when contact stops, and it’s the length of the exposure itself that influences dose and risk. It differs from how long the overall exposure window lasts or how many times exposures occur. For example, breathing contaminated air for five minutes means a five-minute duration; if that exposure repeats three times, each event has its own five-minute duration, and the total exposure time would add up across events. Continuous exposure for a full shift means the duration equals the shift length.