Health Risk Assessment of Ortho-Toluidine Utilising Human Biomonitoring Data of Workers and the General Population

Abstract

The aim of this work was to demonstrate how human biomonitoring (HBM) data can be used to assess cancer risks for workers and the general population. Ortho-toluidine, OT (CAS 95-53-4) is an aniline derivative which is an animal and human carcinogen and may cause methemoglobinemia. OT is used as a curing agent in epoxy resins and as intermediate in producing herbicides, dyes, and rubber chemicals. A risk assessment was performed for OT by using existing HBM studies. The urinary mass-balance methodology and generic exposure reconstruction PBPK modelling were both used for the estimation of the external intake levels corresponding to observed urinary levels. The external exposures were subsequently compared to cancer risk levels obtained from the evaluation by the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL). It was estimated that workers exposed to OT have a cancer risk of 60 to 90:106 in the worst-case scenario (0.9 mg/L in urine). The exposure levels and cancer risk of OT in the general population were orders of magnitude lower when compared to workers. The difference between the output of urinary mass-balance method and the general PBPK model was approximately 30%. The external exposure levels calculated based on HBM data were below the binding occupational exposure level (0.5 mg/m3) set under the EU Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive.