TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR CHROMIUM - Davidborowski.com

CHROMIUM 152. HEALTH EFFECTSconsiderable amount of judgment may be required in establishing whether an end point should beclassified as a NOAEL, "less serious" LOAEL, or "serious" LOAEL, and that in some cases, there will beinsufficient data to decide whether the effect is indicative of significant dysfunction. However, theAgency has established guidelines and policies that are used to classify these end points. ATSDRbelieves that there is sufficient merit in this approach to warrant an attempt at distinguishing between"less serious" and "serious" effects. The distinction between "less serious" effects and "serious" effects isconsidered to be important because it helps the users of the profiles to identify levels of exposure at whichmajor health effects start to appear. LOAELs or NOAELs should also help in determining whether or notthe effects vary with dose and/or duration, and place into perspective the possible significance of theseeffects to human health.The significance of the exposure levels shown in the Levels of Significant Exposure (LSE) tables andfigures may differ depending on the user's perspective. Public health officials and others concerned withappropriate actions to take at hazardous waste sites may want information on levels of exposureassociated with more subtle effects in humans or animals (LOAEL) or exposure levels below which noadverse effects (NOAELs) have been observed. Estimates of levels posing minimal risk to humans(Minimal Risk Levels or MRLs) may be of interest to health professionals and citizens alike.Levels of exposure associated with carcinogenic effects (Cancer Effect Levels, CELs) of chromium areindicated in Table 2-1 and Figure 2-1. Because cancer effects could occur at lower exposure levels,Figure 2-1 also shows a range for the upper bound of estimated excess risks, ranging from a risk of 1 in10,000 to 1 in 10,000,000 (10 -4 to 10 -7 ), as developed by EPA.Estimates of exposure levels posing minimal risk to humans (Minimal Risk Levels or MRLs) have beenmade for chromium. An MRL is defined as an estimate of daily human exposure to a substance that islikely to be without an appreciable risk of adverse effects (noncarcinogenic) over a specified duration ofexposure. MRLs are derived when reliable and sufficient data exist to identify the target organ(s) ofeffect or the most sensitive health effect(s) for a specific duration within a given route of exposure.MRLs are based on noncancerous health effects only and do not consider carcinogenic effects. MRLs canbe derived for acute, intermediate, and chronic duration exposures for inhalation and oral routes.Appropriate methodology does not exist to develop MRLs for dermal exposure.Although methods have been established to derive these levels (Barnes and Dourson 1988; EPA 1990a),uncertainties are associated with these techniques. Furthermore, ATSDR acknowledges additional