Toxicological Profile for Ethyl Benzene
Title: Toxicological Profile for Ethyl Benzene
Subject of planned Report: The ATSDR toxicological profile succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects for the substance being described.
Purpose of Planned Report: The purpose of the toxicological profile is to provide a source of toxicological and epidemiological data on hazardous substances most commonly found at hazardous waste sites and in support of public health assessments at these sites.
Type of Dissemination: ISI
Timing of Review (including deferrals): April 2010
Type of Review (panel, individual or alternative procedure): Individual
Opportunities for the Public to Comment (how and when): A draft of this profile was made available for a 90-day public comment period on October 23, 2007.
Peer Reviewers Provided with Public Comments before the Review: No
Anticipated Number of Reviewers: 3 or fewer
Primary Disciplines or Expertise: toxicology, environmental health, chemistry
Reviewers Selected by (agency or designated outside organization): CDC/ATSDR
Public Nominations Requested for Reviewers: No
Charge to Peer Reviewers: DTEM Charge to Peer Reviewers
Peer Reviewers:
1. John DeSesso
| Academic and Professional Credentials | A.B., Chemistry, Hamilton College Ph.D., Anatomy and Teratology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University Fellow, Academy of Toxicological Sciences (1999) Fellow, American College of Forensic Examiners (1998) Diplomate, American Board of Forensic Examiners (1995) |
|---|---|
| Current Position Title | Senior Fellow, Senior Principal Scientist for Health Science, Toxicology, and Risk Assessment, and Director of the Biomedical Research Institute, Mitretek Systems Center for Science and Technology |
| Organizational Affiliation(s) | Current and past member of: Academy of Toxicological Sciences, American Association of Anatomists, American College of Forensic Examiners, American Society for Cell Biology, American Society for Reproductive Medicine (formerly American Fertility Society), Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology, International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics, Microscopy Society of America, Mid Atlantic Reproduction and Teratology Association (MARTA), Sigma Xi Society for Risk Analysis |
| Areas of Expertise, Discipline, Relevant Experiences | Dr. DeSesso is a highly experienced toxicologist, teratologist, and expert in risk assessment and reproductive toxicology who, in addition to his extensive work for private industry, has served on numerous government scientific panels and peer review committees, particularly for EPA, FDA, and the US Air Force. Among his projects as Senior Scientist at Mitretek, Dr. DeSesso has headed the assessment of the state of the science regarding interpretation of neural tube defects observed in safety tests; preparation of a new risk assessment concerning the developmental toxicity potential of environmental exposure to inorganic arsenic; and the assessment of the use of bioavailability data in non-cancer risk assessment. He has peer reviewed for the EPA Office of Toxic Substances (OTS) and prepared and supervised Health Hazard Assessments (HHA) for EPA. For the National Research Council, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, he was an external reviewer of Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment. In addition to this work for government and private sector clients, Dr. DeSesso has published numerous scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and presentations to scientific meetings. He also currently holds faculty appointments at three medical colleges and universities. He has served as a committee member or committee chairman in the Society of Toxicology, the American Society of Testing Materials, and the Teratology Society; and as an officer of both the Teratology Society (including treasurer, vice-president, president) and the Mid Atlantic Reproduction and Teratology Association (MARTA; president). He has been the Chairman of the scientific program committees for two national meetings of the Teratology Society including, one meeting with the International Federation of Teratology Societies. Dr. DeSesso has also reviewed manuscripts for nine major journals. He has reviewed grant proposals for the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency’s Cooperative Agreements Program, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, National Institute of Alcoholism & Alcohol Abuse, National Foundation/March of Dimes, National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. He has served as an ad hoc reviewer for several National Institutes of Health Study Sections including Pharmacology; Human Embryology and Development 2; Safety and Occupational Health, and Neuroscience and Behavior. In addition, he has served as a referee for the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Health Sciences Prize (Canada) and as a reviewer for grant applications for Pomona College Irvine Grants and Air Force Broad Agency Announcements. |
| Recommended by Scientific/Professional Society or General Public |
No |
2. James McDougal
| Academic and Professional Credentials | Ph.D., Pharmacology/Toxicology, University of Arizona |
|---|---|
| Current Position Title | Professor and Director of Toxicology research, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University |
| Organizational Affiliation(s) | Member, TLV® Chemical Substances Committee of the American Congress of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (2005) Member, Committee on Toxicology of the National Research Council Fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences |
| Areas of Expertise, Discipline, Relevant Experiences | Professor McDougal is a highly experienced research toxicologist expert in inhalation toxicology and dermal absorption of toxic substances. Prior to his tenure as professor at Wright State University, he held positions as Senior Scientist and Department Manager of the Operational Toxicology Branch at Ge0-Centers (Wright-Patterson AFB); Director of Research and Deputy Director of the Toxicology Division at Armstrong Laboratory (Wright-Patterson AFB); and Chief of Life Sciences and Human Systems at the European Office of Aerospace Research & Development under the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, in New York. He has authored and coauthored over 45 peer-reviewed professional journal articles on his research into dermal exposures and inhalation toxicology, and in 1985 was cited for the Paper of the Year by the Inhalation Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology. In addition, Professor McDougal has authored and co-authored numerous book chapters and contributions to professional society proceedings. He was the senior author, for example, of Biologically Based Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Models of the Skin, in Dermal Absorption Models in Toxicology and Pharmacology, J.E. Riviere (ed., 2005), pp 89-112. |
| Recommended by Scientific/Professional Society or General Public |
No |
3. Andrew Salmon
| Academic and Professional Credentials | D. Phil, M.A., B.A. (Biochemistry), Oxford University, U.K. (St. John’s College) |
|---|---|
| Current Position Title | Senior Toxicologist and Chief, Air Toxicology and Risk Assessment Section, Air Toxicology and Epidemiology Branch |
| Organizational Affiliation(s) | Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland |
| Areas of Expertise, Discipline, Relevant Experiences | Dr. Salmon leads the group of toxicologists in OEHHA responsible for public health risk assessments of Toxic Air Contaminants (TACs) under the State of California’s Air Toxics programs. This includes development of risk assessments for the TACs, which are used by the California Air Resources Board for their Air Toxics Control Measures. The group also provides the methodological guidelines and health protective standards for the Hot Spots program, which are used by local Air Quality Management Districts in regulating stationary sources of TACs and other air pollutants. Dr. Salmon’s group is currently evaluating all of the Air Toxics public health standards to determine whether these are protective of the health of children and other potentially sensitive sub-populations, in response to California’s recent Children’s Environmental Health Protection legislation (“SB25”). Dr. Salmon was editor and contributing author of the health effects section of the report “Health and Environmental Assessment of the Use of Ethanol as a Fuel Oxygenate” delivered to the California Environmental Policy Council in December 1999. He has been principal or contributing author of a number of health risk assessments of potentially carcinogenic chemicals in drinking water, including Public Health Goal documents on MTBE, DEHP, and perchloroethylene. He also worked for a number of years for the program that supplies technical support for the Proposition 65 program, and prepared several documents providing prioritization, hazard identification and dose-response assessments of carcinogenic chemicals. Earlier research activities included a range of biochemical and toxicological studies (including inhalation exposure studies) undertaken at academic and commercial laboratories. Interests included chemical carcinogenesis, pharmacokinetics and metabolism (including biophysical and cell culture studies of cytochrome P-450, and metabolism studies in vivo and in vitro of pesticides and volatile halocarbons), and neurobehavioral studies of hydrocarbon solvents. He also studied toxic effects of methyl isocyanate, working with epidemiologists who were examining the after-effects of the Bhopal disaster. In addition to the 89 items articles in scientific journals and books, and conference presentations with peer-reviewed and published abstracts, he has contributed to numerous internal technical reports and State of California regulatory or guidance documents. |
| Recommended by Scientific/Professional Society or General Public |
No |
Peer Reviewers’ Comments: Ethylbenzene Summary Report pdf icon[PDF – 5 MB]
CDC/ATSDR’s Response to Reviewers’ Comments: Ethylbenzene Formal Disposition pdf icon[PDF – 48 KB]
Page last reviewed: August 18, 2015
Content source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry