ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with the independent variables: environmental levels of chemical compounds and levels of bio logical indicators of exposure and absorption. Strategies for the analysis of human dose based on toxicokinesis and pharmacokinesis have already been applied and validated for other target systems, most notably the lung. For instance, there are several independent measures against which a new dose index for, for example, a fibrous element such as asbestos that ultimately alters pulmonary function can be compared. A great deal of sophistication has been achieved in the identification, measurement, and quantitative study of chemical compounds in the environment and the workplace that can be harmful to the nervous system. Epidemiological studies sometimes take advantage of natural experiments, environmental health problems existing in a community—to study dose-response relationships between environmental levels of chemical compounds and levels of biological indicators of absorption.