Use of a statistical model to predict the potential for repeated dose and developmental toxicity of dermally administered crude oil and relation to reproductive toxicity.

Petroleum (commonly called crude oil) is a complex substance primarily composed of hydrocarbon constituents. Based on the results of previous toxicological studies as well as occupational experience, the principal acute toxicological hazards are those associated with exposure by inhalation to volatile hydrocarbon constituents and hydrogen sulfide, and chronic hazards are associated with inhalation exposure to benzene and dermal exposure to polycyclic aromatic compounds. The current assessment was an attempt to characterize the potential for repeated dose and/or developmental effects of crude oils following dermal exposures and to generalize the conclusions across a broad range of crude oils from different sources. Statistical models were used to predict the potential for repeated dose and developmental toxicity from compositional information. The model predictions indicated that the empirical data from previously tested crude oils approximated a "worst case" situation, and that the data from previously tested crude oils could be used as a reasonable basis for characterizing the repeated dose and developmental toxicological hazards of crude oils in general.