ABSTRACT
A carcinogenic risk assessment for acrylonitrile in consumer products was prepared as part of the Second Workshop on Pragmatics of Risk Assessment, Bethesda, MD. Data from one inhalation and two oral rat bioassays served as input into several high-to-low-dose mathematical risk extrapolation models. The final unit risk estimates for humans were based on maximum likelihood estimates from the Global83 implementation of the multistage model after adjustments for surface area differences, continuous versus intermittent exposures, and the proportion of lifetime exposed. The unit risk estimates for lifetime exposure to 1 mg kg-1 day-1 by inhalation and ingestion were 0.0531 and 0.2385, respectively. These risks are equivalent to risks of 3.3 x 10(-8) for inhalation of 1 ppt in air and 3.4 x 10(-9) for ingestion of 1 ng day.-1
Subject(s)
Acrylonitrile/toxicity , Carcinogens , Consumer Product Safety , Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology , Animals , Carcinogenicity Tests , Female , Government Agencies , Male , Neoplasms, Experimental/chemically induced , Rats , Risk Factors , United StatesABSTRACT
Accidental ingestion of oral prescription drugs by children under age five continues to be a public health problem. A telephone survey of 1,866 ingestion incidents reported to nine poison control centers was conducted in the spring of 1986. Accidental ingestion occurred most often with a two-year-old child (42 per cent) in their own home (82 per cent). Thirty-five per cent of the toxic drugs ingested at home belonged to someone other than the immediate family, most often a grandparent. Toxic drugs were more often out of their usual storage location and in non-child-resistant prescription packaging, a nonprescription container, or in no container. Twenty-two per cent of all child-resistant packages were non-functional. Overall, at least 61 per cent of all medications had no child-resistant barrier at the time of ingestion. Accessible storage locations such as the kitchen counter, table top, or top of a dresser or bedside table greatly increased the risk of accidental ingestion. These results suggest the need for effective child-resistant packaging that is easier for all adults to use.
