Evaluating the human response to sensory irritation: implications for setting occupational exposure limits
1Mottell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104 3308, USA. pdalton@pobox.upenn.edu
AIHAJ : a Journal for the Science of Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety
|January 5, 2002
Summary
Human studies are crucial for understanding sensory irritation responses, complementing animal models. New safe human tests provide vital data for occupational exposure limits.
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Human Health Risk Assessment
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Animal models are used for evaluating chemical irritant potency.
- Human exposure studies are essential for understanding sensory irritation responses.
- Recent advancements include safe human testing methods for data generation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To delineate major issues in human sensory irritation evaluation.
- To discuss confounders influencing human sensory irritation tests.
- To highlight the importance of human studies for occupational exposure limits.
Main Methods:
- Review of key issues in human sensory irritation assessment.
- Description of psychophysiological and electrophysiological methods.
- Addressing confounders like odor vs. irritation, adaptation, and personal expectations.
Main Results:
- Identified critical distinctions: odor vs. irritation, irritation vs. slight toxicity.
- Highlighted the impact of adaptation, habituation, and personal expectations on reported irritation.
- Emphasized the value of human testing for establishing occupational exposure limits.
Conclusions:
- Human studies are indispensable for accurate sensory irritation assessment.
- Understanding psychological factors is key to interpreting human sensory irritation data.
- Developed human tests offer reliable data for setting safe occupational exposure limits.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Toxic Reactions: Overview
When toxic substances penetrate the human body, they disseminate to various tissues, undergoing metabolic changes. This process yields reactive metabolites that may covalently bind with specific target molecules, resulting in toxicity.
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
01:23Toxicity Testing in Animals
Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...