Two-generation reproduction study on commercial hexane solvent

Exploring the utility of the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) as a screening approach for complex substances

The Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) has been applied to assess chemical safety for use, particularly in the food safety area. Although the TTC was developed for application to an individual chemical structure, more recently this concept has been suggested for the assessment of combined exposures to multiple chemicals. This study evaluated the potential for applying the TTC to a specific type of co-exposure, that of a complex substance of variable composition which contains multiple constituents, following the World Health Organization/International Programme on Chemical Safety framework for risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals. The results indicated that the TTC threshold was lower (i.e., more conservative) than regulatory thresholds derived for the same substance or even its most toxic constituent, providing assurance that the TTC could meet the requirements for a conservative screening process. This case study indicates that the TTC concept can be a useful tool to screen for potential risks from complex substances, with the consideration of additional aspects such as variability in chemical constituents and their relative proportions within the substance.

Gestational N-hexane inhalation alters the expression of genes related to ovarian hormone production and DNA methylation states in adult female F1 rat offspring

Research has revealed that n-hexane can disrupt adult female endocrine functions; however, few reports have focused on endocrine changes in adult F1 females after maternal exposure during gestation. In this study, female Wistar rats inhaled 100, 500, 2500, or 12,500 ppm n-hexane for 4 h daily during their initial 20 gestational days. The F1 female offspring exhibited abnormal oestrus cycles. Compared with the controls, the in vitro-cultured ovarian granulosa cells of the 12,500 ppm group showed significantly reduced in vitro progesterone and oestradiol secretion. Elevated progesterone secretion was observed in the 500 ppm group, and decreased and significantly upregulated mRNA expression of the Star, Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1, and Hsd3b genes was observed in the 12,500 ppm and 500 ppm groups, respectively. The protein expression levels were consistent with the mRNA expression levels. Methylation screening of the promoter regions of these genes was performed using MeDIP-chip and confirmed by methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM), and the observed methylation state changes of the promoter regions were correlated with the gene expression levels. The results suggest that the hormone levels in the female offspring after gestational n-hexane inhalation correspond to the expression levels and DNA methylation states of the hormone production genes.

A proposed methodology for setting occupational exposure limits for hydrocarbon solvents

Occupational exposure limit (OEL) development for hydrocarbon solvents is complicated because most of these solvents have complex compositions and only a few representative constituents have been studied in detail. A proposed solution to this problem is to group constituents with similar physical, chemical, and toxicological properties and to assign "guidance values" to each group. A unique OEL can then be calculated for each solvent, using a reciprocal calculation procedure (RCP) based on the liquid composition. This procedure follows the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' (ACGIH) generic advice for complex mixtures and is recommended by the U.K. Health and Safety Executive for OEL calculations by hydrocarbon solvent manufacturers. The RCP is justified, as the toxicological properties of the constituents are additive and the differences between the vapor and liquid compositions do not substantially affect the calculated exposure limits. The guidance values are based principally on acute central nervous system depression and eye and respiratory tract irritation, effects that are the most sensitive indicators of hydrocarbon solvent exposure. One benefit of this procedure is that it is a relatively simple but practical procedure that requires limited compositional information. Further, it provides OEL recommendations that are consistent with occupational experience and current regulatory advice. Groupings and guidance values are proposed, and sample calculations are provided.

Development of toxicity criteria for petroleum hydrocarbon fractions in the Petroleum Hydrocarbon Criteria Working Group approach for risk-based management of total petroleum hydrocarbons in soil

The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Criteria Working Croup (TPHCWG) was formed in 1993 based on the observation that widely different clean-up requirements were being used by states at sites that were contaminated with hydrocarbon materials such as fuels, lubricating oils, and crude oils. These requirements were usually presented as concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), and ranged from 10 to over 10,000 mg TPH/kg soil. Members of this multi-disciplinary group, consisting of representatives from industry, government and academia, jointly recognized that the numerical standard was not based on a scientific assessment of human health risk and established the following goal for the effort: To develop scientifically defensible information for establishing soil cleanup levels that are protective of human health at hydrocarbon contaminated sites. The approach developed by the TPHCWG for TPH hazard assessment consisted of dividing the petroleum hydrocarbon material into multichemical-containing fractions with similar fate and transport characteristics. These fractions were then assigned fate and transport properties (volatilization factor, soil leaching factor, etc.) and toxicity values (RfDs/RfCs) representative of the fraction. The actual site specific hazard assessment and derivation of cleanup levels is accomplished by analyzing sites to determine which fraction(s) is present and applying the appropriate fate, transport and toxicity factors. The method used by this group to determine TPH Faction specific toxicity criteria is a surrogate approach intended to supplement the indicator approach. Indicators are single, carcinogenic hydrocarbon compounds which are evaluated/regulated individually at either the federal or state level. The TPHCWG surrogate approach utilized all appropriate fraction specific toxicity data (single compound and mixture/product), minus the carcinogenic indicator compounds, to derive the fraction specific RfDs and RfCs. This hazard assessment method for petroleum contaminated sites would be utilized where indicator compounds are not present or are below/remediated to regulatory action levels. Derivation of the RfD/RfC values for the n-hexane containing aliphatic C5-C8 fraction is examined in detail to illustrate the underlying assumptions and use of existing data employed by the TPHCWG to develop fraction specific toxicity criteria. Toxicity RfDs/RfCs for all of the model fate and transport based fractions are also presented.