Theoretical Maximum Residue Contribution

In the calculation of chronic risks from pesticides in foods, the EPA frequently uses a deterministic approach to yield the theoretical maximum residue contribution (TMRC) for a pesticide. This value represents the maximum legal exposure to a pesticide, and assumes that ... 

This maximum legal exposure, often referred to as the Theoretical Maximum Residue Contribution, or TMRC, is compared with established toxicological criteria such as the reference dose (RfD) or Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) which represent, after analysis of animal toxicology data and extrapolations to humans, the daily exposure that is not considered to present any appreciable level of risk. When it is determined that the TMRC exposure is below the RfD or ADI, the EPA usually considers the risks from the pesticide in question to be negligible and approves the manufacturer s petition to establish a tolerance at or slightly greater than the maximum levels identified from the manufacturer s controlled field trials (Winter, 1992a). 

When calculating chronic dietary exposure, the deterministic models use point values for both food consumption and residue concentration, thereby yielding a point estimate of dietary exposure. In the US, the initial chronic dietary exposure estimate is the Theoretical Maximum Residue Contribution (TMRC) and is analogous to the Theoretical Maximum Daily Intake (TMDI) used to estimate chronic dietary exposure in the EU. Both the TMRC and the TMDI are relatively conservative estimates of dietary expostire. The TMRC is calculated as the product of the mean consumption value and the US pesticide tolerance [6]. In the EU, the TMDI is calculated as the product of the mean consumption value and the Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) [7]. The objective of both calculations is essentially identical to calculate an estimate of the central tendency of the dietary exposure. Both calculated values use the central tendency dietary exposure estimate as the estimate of chronic (long-term) dietary exposure and calculate it using mean consumption data and the maximum residue permitted on the commodity. 

Ingestion of food is examined using Theoretical Maximum Residue Contribution (TMRC) approach. 

No allowable daily intake of atrazine in the human diet has been established, although 0.0375 mg/kg BW daily has been proposed -equivalent to 2.25 mg daily for a 60-kg adult, or 1.5 mg/kg diet, based on 1.5 kg food daily. In humans, the theoretical maximum residue contribution (TRMC) - a worst case estimate of dietary exposure - is 0.77 mg daily, assuming 1.5 kg of food eaten daily this is equivalent to 0.51 mg/kg diet, or 0.013 mg/kg BW daily for a 60-kg person. Another TRMC calculation is based on 0.233 mg daily per 1.5 kg diet, equivalent to 0.156 mg/kg diet, or 0.0039 mg/kg... 

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