A multivariate statistical method for the establishment of maximum allowable exposure to toxic materials in the workplace.

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.