US EPA

Current methods for estimating human health risks from exposure to threshold-acting toxicants in water or food, such as those established by the U.S. EPA, the FDA, the NAS, the WHO and the FAO, consider only chronic or lifetime exposure to individual chemicals. These methods generally estimate a single, constant daily intake rate which is low enough to be considered safe or acceptable. his intake rate is termed the acceptable daily intake (ADI). wo problems with this approach have been recognized. he first problem is that this method does not readily account for the number of animals used to determine the appropriate "no-observed-effect level" (NOEL). he second problem with the current approach is that the slope of the dose-response curve of the critical toxic effect is generally ignored in estimating the ADI. he purpose of this text is to illustrate both a revised approach to estimate ADIs with all toxicity data which includes methods for partial lifetime assessment, and novel methods for ADI estimation with quantal or continuous toxicity data. he latter method addresses to a degree the common problems with the current approach.

Dourson, M. NEW APPROACHES IN THE DERIVATION OF ACCEPTABLE DAILY INTAKE (ADI). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-86/554 (NTIS PB91191379), 1986.

Comments Toxicology 1(1):35-48, 1986