Could pesticide toxicology studies be more relevant to occupational risk assessment?
Ross JH; Driver JH; Cochran RC; Thongsinthusak T; Krieger RI Infoscientific.com, Inc., Carmichael, CA, USA. john@foscientific.com Pesticide toxicology study design has evolved from concern for oral exposure via food residues. The emphasis on the oral route does not generally apply to workers that are exposed primarily via the dermal route either handling pesticides or re-entering treated fields. As a result numerous assumptions about how oral toxicology results relate to dermal exposure must be made when conducting worker risk assessments. These assumptions introduce a high degree of uncertainty. Alternative toxicology study designs are suggested to reduce uncertainty when assessing risk. Because the dermal route is so important to characterizing occupational risk, methods to improve the accuracy of dermal absorption estimates are suggested, including the use of human subjects to study dermal absorption. Additional suggestions include tailoring dermal, oral and inhalation kinetic study
