Examining the risks and benefits of replacing traditional dose-response with hormesis.
In responding to Drs Calabrese and Baldwin's question, 'At what point, if ever, should hormesis be employed as the principal dose response default assumption in risk assessment?', we examined the benefits of replacing traditional dose-response with hormesis. In general, hormesis provides more complete useful information for risk assessment than does traditional dose-response. A major limitation of using hormesis as a default assumption in risk estimation is the difficulty of differentiating complex low-level hormetic responses from the placebo effect. A second limitation is that hormesis merely further defines one response. Most toxicoses have many responses. The most complete information takes all responses and their connections into account.
Pickrell
John A
JA
Comparative Toxicology Laboratories, Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, 1800 N Denison Avenue, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-5705, USA. pickrell@ksu.edu
Oehme
Frederick W
FW
D000818:Animals; D002244:Carbon / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D002648:Child; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000633:toxicity; D007854:Lead / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019055:No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012862:Skatole / Q000378:metabolism
D007211:Indoles; D007854:Lead; C097745:3-methyleneindolenine; D002244:Carbon; D012862:Skatole