Review of Noncancer Risk Assessment: Application of Benchmark Dose Methods

The overall goal of this project is to evaluate risk assessment methods traditionally used for noncancer health risks and to compare them with new approaches. Initially this report gives a brief economic rationale for the impact of prevention of noncancer health effects. This is shown using figures for years of potential life lost which reveal that noncancer health effects, such as birth defects, are on the same national economic magnitude as cancer and heart disease. Traditional approaches for assessing these noncancer risks are discussed. These methods include identification of no observed adverse effect levels (NOAELs). Reference dose (RfD) calculation or setting of acceptable daily intake (ADI) values is achieved by dividing the NOAEL values by uncertainty and/or modifying factors. These factors represent a default approach to