Haber's Rule: The Search for Quantitative Relationships in Toxicology

Author: Bunce Nigel J.   Remillard Rene B. J.  

Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

ISSN: 1080-7039

Source: Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, Vol.9, Iss.6, 2003-11, pp. : 1547-1559

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Abstract

Dose (or concentration) and time of exposure are both important in determining the intensity of response to a toxic agent. For a given response intensity, Haber's Rule (c×t=K) has been proposed as a law of toxicology, but this rule is just one special case of a more general relationship c×tm=K, where the exponent m is quite variable. For inhaled toxicants m generally has a value between 0 and 1, whereas for carcinogens, m is usually between 1 and 5. The absence of a universal value for m, or one that is generally applicable to different classes of toxicants, makes it not yet possible to develop a Haber-type rule with which to extrapolate successfully between exposure scenarios