USE OF EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES TO ASSESS HUMAN RISK FROM EXPOSURE TO 2,3,7,8-TETRACHLORODIBENZO-P-DIOXIN

Risk assessment for dioxin and other toxicants should be based on the best available scientific information. In the past, animal studies have provided the overwhelming majority of the scientific information used for risk assessment of organic compounds. During the past decade, a series of epidemiologic studies have been completed which provide useful human information which should decrease the uncertainty in dioxin risk assessment. In this article, we present the key trends and findings in epidemiologic studies of dioxin exposure and health effects that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has conducted or in which CDC collaborated.