Benchmark Dose Technical Guidance Document

DRAFT EPA/630/R-00/001DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE October 2000External Review DraftBenchmark Dose Technical Guidance DocumentNOTICETHIS DOCUMENT IS A PRELIMINARY DRAFT. It has not been formally released by theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency and should not at this stage be construed to representAgency policy. It is being circulated for comment on its technical accuracy and policyimplications.Risk Assessment ForumU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWashington, DC 20460DISCLAIMERThis document is an external draft for review purposes only and does not constitute U.S.Environmental Protection Agency policy. Mention of trade names or commercial products doesnot constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................vI. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................1A. Purpose of This Guidance Document .....................................1B. Background .........................................................2C. A Brief Review of Literature Relating to Benchmark Dose ....................81. Earlier uses of benchmark modeling in dose-response assessment ..........82. Properties of the Benchmark Dose ...................................83. Approaches to BMD Computation .................................104. General Discussions of Standards for the Benchmark Dose ..............12II. BENCHMARK DOSE GUIDANCE ...........................................13A. Data ...