The Difference between Animal Toxicity Studies and Human Epidemiology Studies: Impact on Chemical Regulation

Presenter: Giffe Johnson

Permit limits for discharges and emissions are often based on environmental criteria that are designed to protect human health. These criteria incorporate a toxicity value to ensure that resulting discharge or emission limits control exposures to levels that will not exceed a risk target. Toxicity values can be derived from epidemiology studies or toxicology studies. Due to the differences in study design, there can be substantial differences in the amount of uncertainty between these two types of studies. This presentation reviews these differences and discusses considerations for use of toxicology and epidemiology in developing toxicity values.