Sciences Publishes Study on Benchmark Dose Analysis

Drs. Rick Reiss and David Gaylor of Sciences International published a study in the October 2005 issue of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology (Issue 43, pages 55-65) titled “Use of benchmark dose and meta-analysis to determine the most sensitive endpoint for risk assessment for dimethoate.” This study provides a meta-analysis of available toxicology studies for the widely used insecticide dimethoate to determine the most sensitive endpoint for use in risk assessment. The use of benchmark doses (BMDs) to compare the sensitivity of different endpoints proved to be a more accurate and scientifically valid method than the traditional comparison of No Observed Effect Levels (NOELs). The study found that cholinesterase inhibition is the most sensitive endpoint for dimethoate for both gavage and dietary exposures. The results of the study were presented to EPA’s FIFRA Science Advisory Panel (SAP) in November, 2004, and the SAP also reached the conclusion that the most sensitive endpoint for dimethoate is cholinesterase inhibition (see link, http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/sap/2004/index.htm). BMD analysis combined with meta-analysis could be more widely used to provide more accurate risk assessments for chemicals, particularly for chemicals with large databases.

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