Toxicity dioxin-like

These substances are defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), as amended, commonly known as Superfund. This policy guideline will provide a clear and consistent understanding of ATSDR s current approaches andjudgments regarding hazards posed by the presence of TCDD and its less toxic dioxin-like congeners, the CDDs and CDFs, in residential soils. Likely users of this policy guideline include... 

Eadon et al.14 devised the toxic equivalency approach. For this, specific dioxin-like compounds are assigned a potency or toxic equivalency factor (TEF) relative to TCDD, which usually has been found to be the most toxic dioxin-like compound and assigned a value of 1.0. The concentration of a specific compound in a sample can then be expressed as a toxic equivalent concentration or quotient (TEQ) by multiplying the concentration of the compound as determined by analytical chemistry techniques by its TEF. Next, the dioxin-like compounds in a sample are assumed to act in an additive manner. Therefore, the TEQ for the sample can be determined by adding together the TEQs for each dioxin-like compound in the sample and the final TEQ can be used in risk assessment. 

Dioxins are prominent members of the class of polychlorinated hydrocarbons that also includes diben-zofuran, biphenyls and others. Dioxins are highly toxic environmental contaminants. Like others small planar xenobiotics, some dioxins bind with high affinity to the arylhydrocarbon (Ah) receptor. Dioxins activate the receptor over a long time period, but are themselves poor substrates for the enzymes which are induced via the Ah-receptor. These properties of the dioxins and related xenobiotics may be important for the toxicity of these compounds. Dioxins like 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dibenzodioxin can cause persistent dermatosis, like chloracne and may have other neurotoxic, immunotoxic and carcinogenic effects. 

Toxic equivalency factors (TEFs) are estimated relative to 2,3,7,8-TCDD, which is assigned a value of 1. They are measures of the toxicity of individual compounds relative to that of 2,3,7,8-TCDD. A variety of toxic indices, measured in vivo or in vitro, have been used to estimate TEFs, including reproductive effects (e.g., embryo toxicity in birds), immunotoxicity, and effects on organ weights. The degree of induction of P450 lAl is another measure from which estimations of TEF values have been made. The usual approach is to compare a dose-response curve for a test compound with that of the reference compound, 2,3,7,8-TCDD, and thereby establish the concentrations (or doses) that are required to elicit a standard response. The ratio of concentration of 2,3,7,8-TCDD to concentration of test chemical when both compounds produce the same degree of response is the TEF. Once determined, a TEF can be used to convert a concentration of a dioxin-like chemical found in an environmental sample to a toxic equivalent (TEQ). 

Ahlborg, U.G., Becking, G.C., and Birnbaum, L.S. et al. (1994). Toxic equivalency factors for dioxin-like PCBs. Chemosphere 28, 1049-1067. 

The most toxic of the pesticides used in the USSR was the systemic insectoacaricide aldicarb (FD5o=0.93 mg/kg), which breaks down in the soil, forming the also highly toxic sulfoxide and sulfone. The herbicide propanile transforms in the soil into a dioxin-like substance [38]. 

The chlorinated chemicals assessed do not have the same risk profile. For the more volatile chemicals the safety margins between the actual exposure and the level at which no effect on the environment would be expected is quite high. For more persistent chemicals there is a need to look to the environmental compartment where they can be accumulated (mainly in sediments and biota). For some of these chemicals the safety margin is quite low and in worst-case situations serious effects may occur. For the very persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals (like dioxins, PCBs and DDT), acceptable environmental concentrations are so low and difficult to control that the industry is committed to reducing as far as possible releases to the environment through application of Best Available Techniques (BAT), mainly with respect to dioxins. For other chemicals (PCBs, DDT), production has already been halted for some years. 

The dioxin toxic equivalency factor (TEF) approach is currently used worldwide for assessing and managing the risks posed by exposure to mixtures of certain dioxin-like compounds (DLCs). World Health Organization-TEF (WHO-TEE) values have been established for humans and mammals, birds, and (For new, refined values, see Ref. 12g.) It should be mentioned that 16 PCBs, the coplanar isomers with nonortho, monoortho, and diortho substitution by chlorine (overall, there are 209 isomers for this class of compounds) show dioxin-like toxic behavior. I-TE values are smaller, in the range of 0.0001-0.1. The most toxic isomers is 3,3, 4,4, 5-pentachlorodiphenyl with I-TE of 0.1. Polybrominated dibenzodioxins and furans with the 2,3,7,8 pattern also show dioxin-like toxicity, but their I-TE values are lower compared to PCDD/F. 

This approach was initially developed to estimate the potential toxicity of mixtures of polychlorinated dibenzo- -dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and polychlorinated dioxin-like biphenyls (PCBs). Over the years, a number of different TEF systems for PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs have been used. A system was internationally agreed upon at a WHO Consultation in 1997 (WHO-TEF) as published by Van den Berg et al. (1998). A WHO update has been published recently (Van den Berg et al. 2006) (Table 10.3). 

Toxicity Equivalency Factors (WHO-TEFs) for Dioxins and Dioxin-Like PCBs... 

The WHO-TEF values are internationally accepted toxic equivalent factors for dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like PCBs, as stated by the WHO and derived from both in vivo and in vitro studies. The relative toxic potency of dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like PCBs, relative to... 

Aarts, J.M.M.J.G., Denison, M.S., de Haan, L.H.J., Schalk, J.A.C., Cox, M.A., Brouwer, A. (1993). Ah receptor-mediated luciferase expression A tool for monitoring dioxin-like toxicity. Organohalogen Corn-pounds 13 361-364. 

Hamm JI, Chen CY, Birnbaum LS A mixture of dioxin, furans, and non-ortho PCBs based upon consensus toxic equivalency factors produces dioxin-like reproductive effects. Toxicol Sci 2003 74 182. [PMID 12730615]... 

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