The EPA Cancer Risk Assessment Default Model Proposal: Moving Away From the LNT

• Published in: Dose-response Vol. 16; no. 3; p. 1559325818789840
• Main Authors: Calabrese, Edward J., Hanekamp, Jaap C., Shamoun, Dima Yazji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-07-2018; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Cancer; Health risk assessment; Hormesis; model uncertainty; dose–response; LNT; cancer risk assessment; US EPA; threshold; hormesis
• ISSN: 1559-3258; 1559-3258
• DOI: 10.1177/1559325818789840

This article strongly supports the Environmental Protection Agency proposal to make significant changes in their cancer risk assessment principles and practices by moving away from the use of the linear nonthreshold (LNT) dose–response as the default model. An alternate approach is proposed based on model uncertainty which integrates the most scientifically supportable features of the threshold, hormesis, and LNT models to identify the doses that optimize population-based responses (ie, maximize health benefits/minimize health harm). This novel approach for cancer risk assessment represents a significant improvement to the current LNT default method from scientific and public health perspectives.