CRITERIA FOR CONDUCTING QUANTITATIVE RISK ASSESSMENTS FOR SILICA

Should quantitative risk assessment using epidemiologic data be perfor med Sor a substance such as silica dust? The criteria for conducting t his step have been described by Hertz-Picciotto (1995) for individual epidemiology, studies, and this paper applies the criteria to a body o f cancer epidemiology research, indicating what the evidence is lackin g. Discussion focuses on the cancer risk assessment calculations curre ntly in the literature, the need for more research, and the relevance to decision making.