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DEVELOPMENT OF A REFINED DATABASE OF MAMMALIAN RELATIVE POTENCY ESTIMATES FOR DIOXIN-LIKE COMPOUNDS
Citation:
HAWS, L. C., S. H. SU, M. A. HARRIS, M. J. DEVITO, N. J. WALKER, W. H. FARLAND, B. FINLEY, AND L. S. BIRNBAUM. DEVELOPMENT OF A REFINED DATABASE OF MAMMALIAN RELATIVE POTENCY ESTIMATES FOR DIOXIN-LIKE COMPOUNDS. TOXICOLOGICAL SCIENCES. Society of Toxicology, RESTON, VA, 89(1):4-30, (2006).
Impact/Purpose:
To present a refined database of mammalian REPs that we believe will facilitate better characterization of the variability and uncertainty inherent in the data
Description:
The toxic equivalency factor (TEF) approach has been widely accepted as the most feasible method available at present for evaluating potential health risks associated with exposure to mixtures of dioxin-like compounds (DLCs). The current mammalian TEFs for the DLCs were established by the World Health Organization (WHO) following the meeting of an international expert panel in June of 1997. The TEFs recommended by WHO were determined based on a consensus of scientific judgment and are were presented as point estimates. However, the relative potency estimates (REPs) underlying the TEFs were derived from a heterogeneous data set and often span several orders of magnitude. In this paper, we present a refined database of mammalian REPs that we believe will facilitate better characterization of the variability and uncertainty inherent in the data. The initial step involved reviewing the REP database that was used by the WHO panel during their review in 1997. A set of criteria was developed to identify REPs that were unique and of adequate quality for use in quantitative analyses. REPs were determined to be inappropriate for use in quantitative analyses if any of the established exclusion criteria were met. Comparison of the data records to the established exclusion criteria resulted in the identification of a substantial number of REPs that are believed to be inappropriate for use in quantitative analyses. Next, studies published after 1997 were added to the database. The availability of such a refined database will improve risk assessment for this class of compounds by including new information and facilitating the use of quantitative approaches in the further development of TEFs.