Accurate extrapolation of animal toxicity data for human health risk assessment requires determination of the effective dose to the target tissue and the sensitivity of the target tissue to that dose. The methodology for deriving reference doses (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) benchmark values for gauging systemic toxicity) for oral exposures has not included dosimetry modeling. Dosimetry data facilitate evaluation of concentration-response data with respect to the dose-response relationships used in quantitative risk assessment. Extension of the methodology to derivation of inhalation reference doses (RfDi) should account for the dynamics of the respiratory system as the portal of entry. The paper presents a method for calculating a dosimetric adjustment factor based on the values for the initial deposited dose of insoluble particles in an animal species and in humans. The application for insoluble particles illustrates the feasibility of interspecies dosimetry calculations for extrapolating the toxicological results of inhaled agents to human exposure conditions for more accurate risk estimation. (Copyright (c) 1989 Health Physics Society.)