Contribution of Toxicokinetic Modeling to the Adjustment of Exposure Limits to Unusual Work Schedules

This study compared two toxicokinetic approaches for determining correction factors to be applied to occupational exposure limits (ELs) for unusual exposure scenarios: a classic one-compartment toxicokinetic approach and the physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) approach. The approaches were applied to three typical unusual exposure scenarios: four consecutive 10-hour workdays followed by 3 days of recovery; three consecutive 12-hour workdays followed by 4 days of recovery; and a 4/3 work schedule. Results indicate that use of an adjustment method for ELs based on contaminant toxicokinetics generates less protective correction factors (i.e., a smaller adjustment) than those obtained using the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration approach, which is based on Haber's law. Among all scenarios tested, the highest adjustment required, resulting from the use of a toxicokinetic approach (PBTK or one-compartment), was for the 4/3 work schedule and for a contaminant with a half-life equal to 18 hours. In that case the ELs would need to be reduced by 26%. Based on previous work, the authors believe an adjustment based on a toxicokinetic approach is more realistic from a toxicological standpoint. Given the value of a substance's half-life, the use of the graphs of Hickey and Reist (developed from a one-compartment toxicokinetic model) is a rapid and reliable means of establishing the correction factor. However, this approach is limited to simple and repetitive scenarios. For more complex exposure scenarios, such as that corresponding to a 4/3 work schedule, a one-compartment model also can be developed for each of the needs. Finally, the use of PBTK models allows greater flexibility for adjusting ELs for novel work schedules.