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A multivariate statistical method for the establishment of maximum allowable exposure to toxic materials in the workplace
Author(s) -
Goldstein Richard B.,
Silverberg Joel S.,
Martin Horace F.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.4700060609
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational exposure , multivariate statistics , environmental health , multivariate analysis , maximum allowable concentration , occupational medicine , statistics , toxicology , biology , mathematics
A model has been developed for setting standard limiting concentrations for toxic substances in the body fluid or tissues of industrial workers. The method is very flexible, and allows the use of either univariate or multivariate data, and of classification schemes, which are either supervised, unsupervised, or partially supervised. An index of subclinical biological damage is derived which is used to determine an optimal limiting exposure level. The model is applied to the particular case of selecting a maximum allowable concentration of blood lead in workers in industrial settings where lead toxicity is a danger.