What Are the Limitations of the Safety Margin Concept?
While the safety margin is a valuable tool in toxicology, it has limitations. It often does not account for idiosyncratic reactions, where specific individuals may have unexpected adverse reactions despite a wide safety margin. Additionally, the therapeutic index does not always reflect the complexity of real-world exposures, where multiple factors and chemical mixtures can influence toxicity. Moreover, animal data used to calculate safety margins may not always accurately predict human responses.
