Non-cancer endpoints in risk characterization.
NOTE: The links in the body of this page take you to previous pages in this course. For these you will need to use the browser's back button, not the link at the bottom of each page
In Module 7 we learned about risk characterization of exposures to carcinogens. In toxicology, the result or effect is often called the "endpoint." For the cancer endpoint we computed a slope factor (or had one computed for us). Then, for each receptor, we computed the risk of cancer via each exposure route, then summed the risks together, often in a summary table. For non-carcinogens a different process is used. This difference is based on an important assumption,
The "safe" dose of a non-carcinogen is called the reference dose, RfD. On the next page we will discuss characterization of exposures to non-carcinogens. FAQ: Can a chemical be both a carcinogen and a non-carcinogen? Answer: Yes, and many chemicals are both, some examples are lead, arsenic, many pesticides. If you are evaluating risks from such a chemical, you need to characterize both cancer and non-cancer risks separately. The risks cannot be added together.