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Accuracy Evaluation of Three Modelling Tools for Occupational Exposure Assessment
Andrea Spinazzè1, Filippo Lunghini1, Davide Campagnolo2
1Dipartimento di Scienza e Alta Tecnologia, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Via Valleggio 11, 22100 Como, Italia.
Annals of Work Exposures and Health
|March 30, 2017
Summary
This study compared three occupational exposure models: Advanced REACH Tool (ART), STOFFENMANAGER®, and European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemical Target Risk Assessment (ECETOC TRA). ART was most accurate for solvents, while STOFFENMANAGER® offered the best robustness.
Area of Science:
- Occupational hygiene and exposure assessment.
- Environmental chemistry and toxicology.
- Risk assessment and regulatory science.
Background:
- Accurate exposure modeling is crucial for occupational risk assessment.
- Several tools exist for estimating chemical exposure in the workplace.
- Evaluating the performance of these tools against measured data is essential for reliable risk management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the accuracy and robustness of STOFFENMANAGER® v.6, ECETOC TRA v.3.1, and ART v.1.5.
- To compare model predictions with measured data for organic solvents and pesticides in occupational exposure scenarios.
- To determine the most suitable exposure modeling tool for specific workplace conditions.
Main Methods:
- Compared predicted exposure values (PRED) with measured values (EXP) using the PRED/EXP factor.
- Analyzed model robustness using an Uncertainty Factor (UF) based on input data.
- Utilized regression analysis to evaluate the correlation between estimated and measured data.
Main Results:
- Advanced REACH Tool (ART) demonstrated the highest accuracy for organic solvent exposure scenarios (median PRED/EXP = 1.3).
- ECETOC TRA v.3.1 showed the poorest accuracy, particularly for pesticides (median PRED/EXP = 3545).
- STOFFENMANAGER® exhibited the greatest robustness, indicated by a median UF of 2.0, suggesting reliable predictions even with input uncertainties.
Conclusions:
- ECETOC TRA is not suitable for evaluating pesticide exposure scenarios due to unacceptable accuracy.
- STOFFENMANAGER® is recommended as a robust and safe alternative, especially when input data uncertainty is high.
- ART provides accurate results for organic solvents and when well-documented exposure scenarios are available; it may underestimate pesticide exposure.