Pharmacokinetics of halogenated hydrocarbons.

Pharmacokinetic modeling is being applied to chemicals posing health hazards because of their presence as contaminants in our environment. This paper presents a rationale for constructing mathematical models based on anatomic and physiological principles. Pharmacokinetic investigations incorporating such models are illustrated for two halogenated hydrocarbons that exhibit different patterns of disposition in the rat: 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl and Kepone. The models permit interspecies comparison and prediction of normal pharmacokinetic behavior and alterations induced by intervention measures. As an example a theoretical limit is predicted in the case of a treatment for Kepone poisoning involving oral administration of adsorbents.