Uncertainty in the estimation of benzene risks: application of an uncertainty taxonomy to risk assessments based on an epidemiology study of rubber hydrochloride workers.

This paper reviews 14 risk assessments that use the data from descriptions by Rinsky, Young, and co-workers of benzene-associated leukemias among a group of rubber hydrochloride workers in Ohio. The leukemogenic risks of benzene estimated in these assessments differ. The assessors use different assumptions (parameters, confounding factors, or formulas), which account for the differences in risk. The purpose of the review is to determine whether the major source of uncertainty in assessments of benzene risk arises from data, method, or concept. The results show that methodological differences dominate the other two potential sources with respect to impact on risk magnitude.