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METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN HUMAN EXPOSURE STUDIES OF LOW LEVEL SOLVENT MIXTURES
Citation:
Otto, D., K. Hudnell, AND J. Prah. METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN HUMAN EXPOSURE STUDIES OF LOW LEVEL SOLVENT MIXTURES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-92/341 (NTIS PB92233030), 1992.
Description:
The design of appropriate studies to assess the sensory irritant and neurobehavioral-effects of exposure to complex VOC mixtures poses a variety of methodological challenges, particularly at the low levels found in new buildings. or instance, Otto et al (1989) exposed subjects to a 25 mg/m3 mixture of 22 VOCs representative of the highest concentration encountered in new homes (Molhave and Moller, 1979). his concentration is equivalent, in mass, to about 7 ppm toluene. s one might predict, this mixture produced no consistent effects on the performance of en extensive neurobehavioral test battery, but did elicit classical symptoms of eye and throat irritatIon, headache and fatigue. ailure to find functional deficits could be due to several factors. Perhaps the tests were not sensitive (or difficult) enough to detect effects. e used the neurobehavioral evaluation system (Baker et all 1985) which was designed for occupational field studies. urther study is needed to determine the optimal testing parameters for use in repeated-measure laboratory studies of university students Further study is also needed to determine which subsets of the population are most vulnerable to adverse effects of VOC exposure. inally, other physiological endpoints (e.g. measures of inflammation and pulmonary function) need to be explored.