CHEMICALS IN THE WORKPLACE - INCORPORATING HUMAN NEUROBEHAVIORAL TESTING INTO THE REGULATORY PROCESS

In February 1996, the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive spons ored a workshop on the role of human neurobehavioral tests in the regu lation of chemical exposures in the workplace. This paper presents the review of neurobehavioral testing that was initially prepared for the workshop but has been expanded and updated for publication. Informati on sources for the review were drawn from ''preamble to the regulation ,'' in the 1989 air contaminants project, an attempt by the Occupation al Safety and Health Administration to update the 1968 regulatory limi ts of workplace exposures. The scientific citations listed in the prea mble provide a chemical database to review for evidence of neurobehavi oral testing to support limit setting. Several conclusions emerged: 1) A wide range of nervous system effects were reported in the scientifi c citations for the 172 chemicals identified with effects on the nervo us system; 2) Citations of studies with human neurobehavioral test res ults are used to support limit setting, but many are old studies prima rily of acute effects; 3) There is frequently a delay of several years after publication before studies with neurobehavioral testing are cit ed in regulatory forms; 4) With the 1989 proposed regulatory limits ne ver legally adopted, there has not been an update for most of the subs tances affecting the nervous system since 1971; 5) Investigators shoul d be more aware of the regulatory process and submit studies reporting neurobehavioral test results to organizations that regulate and recom mend workplace exposure limits; 6) Issuances in the Federal Register b y the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provide a framework for ass essing neurotoxic risks that can be used by investigators to help iden tify and report nervous system effects using neurobehavioral testing i n a more uniform fashion. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.