Development of a copper database for exposure-response analysis.
While its precise form has not yet been defined, it is assumed that the exposure-response curve for copper (Cu) is U-shaped, as both Cu deficiency and excess can produce adverse health effects. Exposure-response relationships provide the foundation for setting recommended levels of exposure to essential and nonessential substances. A group of toxicologists, biologists, and epidemiologists formed a working group in 2002 to review the literature on Cu excess and deficiency as well as possible exposure-response modeling strategies. It was decided that in order to conduct more complex modeling exercises with studies on Cu, the information had to be organized into a database for application of emerging analytical approaches in exposure-response assessment. The database would support both current as well as proposed methods for exposure-response assessment and accommodate a variety of reporting methods found in the literature. As there are multiple studies looking at a wide range of adverse health effects attributed to excess and deficiency, data were organized into ordered categories of severity to create a common measure of response. The present study (1) outlines the approach used to identify studies for the Cu database based on their quality and usefulness for exposure-response analyses; (2) provides an overview of the process used to define a common dose metric; and (3) describes the process used to categorize a diverse number of responses from Cu excess and deficiency to an ordinal severity score. Efforts are underway to use this database to define the exposure-response curve for Cu excess and deficiency; however, the comprehensive database can be used to carry out other in-depth analyses on Cu toxicity.
Krewski
Daniel
D
McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada. dkrewski@uottawa.ca
Chambers
Andrea
A
Stern
Bonnie Ransom
BR
Aggett
Peter J
PJ
Plunkett
Laura
L
Rudenko
Larisa
L
D000818:Animals; D003300:Copper / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*
D014131:Trace Elements; D003300:Copper