Biomonitoring Equivalents for ethylene thiourea

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Toxicology
• Biomonitoring

Background:

• Ethylene thiourea (ETU) is an industrial chemical and fungicide impurity with potential public exposure routes.
• Biomonitoring of ETU in urine integrates exposures from various sources and routes.
• Existing health-based risk assessments and toxicological reference values (TRVs) for ETU are available.

Purpose of the Study:

• To derive Biomonitoring Equivalent (BE) values for Ethylene thiourea (ETU).
• To provide guidance for interpreting population biomonitoring data of ETU in urine.
• To assess public health risks associated with ETU exposure.

Main Methods:

• Review of available health-based risk assessments and toxicological reference values (TRVs) for ETU.
• Derivation of Biomonitoring Equivalent (BE) values based on established TRVs.
• Consideration of an analytical method measuring 'total' ETU in urine, including conjugated forms.

Main Results:

• Biomonitoring Equivalent (BE) values for ETU in urine were derived.
• A BE of 27 μg/L total ETU in urine corresponds to the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI).
• A BE of 6.7 μg/L total ETU in urine corresponds to a 1e-6 cancer risk level.

Conclusions:

• Derived BE values provide a benchmark for interpreting population biomonitoring data for ETU.
• These BEs aid public health officials and regulators in assessing ETU exposure risks.
• The derived values facilitate a public health risk context for ETU biomonitoring data interpretation.