Application of the Margin of Exposure (MoE) approach to substances in food that are genotoxic and carcinogenic: Example: Benzene, CAS: 71–43-2

The role of genotoxic events in the aetiology of benzene induced tumours cannot be ruled out. Dose response modelling of the data for benzene gave a BMDL10 for female Zymbal gland carcinoma of 17.6 mg/kg-bw/d following adjustment to daily average doses. The MOEs ranged from 2 x 106 to 0.4 x 106 depending on the assumptions used in the exposure estimation.