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| What Is Risk Exposure? |  email this page |
| In addition to understanding the types of risk factors (see What Are Risk Factors?), it also is important to understand how the amount of contact you have with a factor, or your exposure, can also affect your risk. For some but not all cancers, the more risk you are exposed to, the greater your chances of getting the cancer. | |
| There are four dimensions of risk exposure that can affect risk: | |
| How long you have been exposed How much you have been exposed to |
How cumulative your exposure is How voluntary your exposure is |
Test your knowledge of risk exposure:
When thinking about exposure to a risk factor, what characteristics of the exposure should you consider? | |
| a. Try Again. The length of time is not the only element that is important in exposure to risk. b. Try Again. Although gender may be an important consideration in some cancers, it is not a characteristic of exposure. c. Correct. Two important characteristics of exposure to a risk factor are the cumulative effects of the exposure and how often it occurred. |
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Can you identify voluntary risk exposures? Voluntary exposures include: | |
| a. Try Again. Your family of origin and your gender are not voluntary exposures because you have no control over them. b. Try Again. You may not always be able to control your exposure to secondhand smoke. You may live in a household with smokers or work where smoking is permitted. Since most people cannot change these circumstances, secondhand smoke is usually considered an involuntary exposure. c. Correct. Voluntary exposures include those you can control or change. You could begin to use sunscreen when sunbathing. |
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