Toxicological Profile for Styrene

B.A., Chemistry, The King’s College, Briarcliff Manor, NY
Ph.D., Biochemistry, Purdue University, Lafayette, IN
Diplomate, American Board of Toxicology (DABT), certified 1980-2010

Current Position Title

Principal, ToxWorks, Bridgeton, NJ

Organizational Affiliation(s)

Current member: Society of Toxicology

Areas of Expertise, Discipline, Relevant Experiences

As the principal officer of ToxWorks, Dr. Cruzan provides business unit interactions, literature reviews, toxicological evaluations, analysis of regulatory interactions, litigation support, and study design and monitoring to trade associations and individual companies on a consulting basis. Prior to establishing his own toxicology consultancy, Dr. Cruzan worked for Rohm and Haas and Mobil Oil Company for over 30 years. He is a well-known expert in the toxicity and oncogenicity of styrene, having authored and co-authored numerous research papers on styrene inhalation, toxicity, metabolism, ecotoxicology, and the pharmacokinetic modeling of styrene and styrene oxide respiratory-tract dosimetry. He has published over 25 such articles in peer-reviewed journals, including the review article “Styrene Metabolism and Toxicokinetics in the SIRC Review” (1994), and, more recently, “Two Generation Reproduction Study of Styrene by Inhalation in Crl-CD Rats”. (Birth Defects Research Part B: Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity, 2005).

Recommended by Scientific/Professional Society or General Public

No

B.S., Magna Cum Laude, Chemical Engineering with Bioscience option, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Ph.D., Curriculum in Toxicology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Current Position Title

Research Investigator, The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences (formerly CIIT Centers for Health Research), Biological Sciences Division

Organizational Affiliation(s)

Full Member Society of Toxicology (2005-present)
Councilor of SOT Risk Assessment Specialty Section (2005-2007)
Student Member in Society of Toxicology (1992-2002)
North Carolina Society of Toxicology (1991-present)
International Society for Study of Xenobiotics (1994-1996)

Areas of Expertise, Discipline, Relevant Experiences

Dr. Leavens has authored and coauthored 12 articles and 20 abstracts in peer-reviewed journals on physiology and pharmacokinetics, including articles on the interaction of butadiene and styrene in rats. She is also the author of Pharmacokinetics of 1,3-butadiene for EPA’s Health Assessment of 1,3-butadiene and received the Level III EPA Scientific and Technology Achievement Award in 2004. Dr. Leavens main research interests center on kinetic modeling, particularly physiologically based modeling of volatile and nonvolatile compounds; controlled clinical studies with humans via oral and dermal exposure; and in vivo metabolism studies with rats and mice with volatile and nonvolatile compounds. Dr. Leavens’ doctoral research involved physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of the metabolic interactions of 1,3-butadiene and styrene, and assessment of alterations in genotoxic response of male mice following inhalation exposure to mixtures of both compounds. She designed a whole-body, dynamic inhalation system to expose individual mice to gases and vapors, measured changes in uptake of styrene and butadiene and blood concentrations of reactive metabolites in mice exposed to mixtures of both chemicals, and measured changes in the genotoxicity of butadiene in mice exposed to mixtures of butadiene and styrene compared with mice exposed to butadiene alone.

Recommended by Scientific/Professional Society or General Public

No

B.S., Chemistry, University of Maryland
Ph.D., Biochemistry, Brandeis University

Current Position Title

Staff Toxicologist, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, 1989-2002 (retired)

Organizational Affiliation(s)

Current member: American Chemical Society

Areas of Expertise, Discipline, Relevant Experiences

Dr. Rabovsky is a public health scientist with a strong background in occupational and environmental health, xenobiotic metabolism, and public health policy. In her 14 years with the California EPA, she participated in development of non-cancer chronic inhalation reference exposure levels (REL); prepared and contributed to chapters in numerous state documents, such as Public Health Goal, Cancer Hazard Identification, in such topics as cancer bioassays, genotoxicity, metabolism and toxicokinetics, and non-cancer toxicity. She often presented her findings at scientific meetings and in peer reviewed publications, publishing numerous articles, including Risk assessment approaches to developing proposed non-cancer chronic ambient inhalation reference exposure levels (RELs) for styrene (STY) and styrene oxide (SO) (The Toxicologist. 30:148 1996).

Recommended by Scientific/Professional Society or General Public

No