Recent Additions for 2003

On December 30, 2003, EPA released for public review and comment revised draft Chapters 7 and 8 of the Fourth External Review Draft of EPA's document, Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter. These chapters incorporate revisions made in response to earlier external review of those chapters, including comments received at the August 25 and 26, 2003, review meeting of the EPA Science Advisory Board's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). At that meeting, CASAC reached closure on all chapters except Chapter 7 (toxicology), Chapter 8 (human health), and 9 (integrative synthesis). EPA is now making revised drafts of Chapters 7 and 8 available for CASAC and public review.

Today NCEA is posting the charge which will be discussed at the expert panel meeting on neurotoxicity issues associated with exposure to tetrachlroroethylene. This charge is to be the main agenda topic for the meeting. The time and place of the meeting will be announced in a future Federal Register Notice. In addressing this charge, the panel of neurotoxicity experts will use the discussion paper, announced in the Federal Register on December 30, 2003 and posted at that time on this web site, as background material.

EPA is hereby providing for public information a draft Toxicological Review, draft IRIS Summary, and charge to external peer reviewers for EPA's health assessment of zince and compounds. These documents are provided for public viewing during an external scientific peer review period. While EPA is not soliciting public comments by this action, any scientific views received on the content of the Toxicological Review or IRIS Summary prior to December 22, 2004 will be considered in subsequent drafts.

EPA is hereby providing for public information a draft Toxicological Review, draft IRIS Summary, and charge to external peer reviewers for EPA's health assessment of mirex. These documents are provided for public viewing during an external scientific peer review period. While EPA is not soliciting public comments by this action, any scientific views received on the content of the Toxicological Review or IRIS Summary prior to January 15, 2004 will be considered in subsequent drafts.

EPA's 2002 draft risk assessment document, "Perchlorate Environmental Contamination: Toxicological Review and Risk Characterization (External Review Draft, January 16, 2002)" is undergoing review by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The first meeting of the NAS perchlorate review panel was held on October 27, 2003, in Washington, DC. Several pieces of information were provided to the NAS by EPA prior to the October 27th meeting and an EPA presentation was made at the meeting. This information is being made available to the public.

Some information items on the NCEA's dioxin website have been updated. The Frequently Asked Question and Information Sheet sections have been revised. Specifically, Information Sheet 3 has been revised to include the announcement that the National Academy of Sciences has been officially requested to review the EPA's Draft Dioxin Reassessment, and Information Sheet 4 and 5 have been combined and updated

EPA announces a Peer-Consultation Workshop to review and further develop draft chapters for the revised document, Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants. The last air quality criteria document (AQCD) on ozone was published in 1996. Summaries of the previous AQCD were prepared by EPA as a basis for revision and updating with relevant information on ozone that has become available in the published literature since approximately 1995. The EPA will consider comments and advice provided at the workshop in preparing the chapters for external release to the public in the Spring of 2004 and eventual publication as a final document by December 20, 2004.

• Chemistry and Physics of Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants (Chapter 2)
• Environmental Concentrations, Patterns, and Exposure Estimates (Chapter 3)
• Toxicological Effects of Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants in Laboratory Animals and In Vitro Test Systems (Chapter 5)
• Controlled Human Exposure Studies of Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants (Chapter 6)

This document is intended to provide guidance to EPA scientists on the appropriate age groups to consider when assessing childhood exposure and potential dose to environmental contaminants.

Five draft scientific white papers, the development of which was lead by external experts, are available for review and comment. EPA commissioned the papers to support an ongoing effort to address metals assessment issues. Topics addressed include environmental chemistry, exposure, ecological effects, human health effects, and bioavailability and bioaccumulation. The draft papers are being made available for public comment consistent with EPA's commitment to provide opportunities for external input. Science-based comments received on these papers will be made available to authors for final disposition.

EPA announces the availability of the CSFII Analysis of Food Intake Distributions. This report presents the results of NCEA's analysis of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) conducted in 1994 through 1996. This analysis provides distributions of food consumption by individuals for a variety of food items, including individual fruits, individual vegetables, dairy products, meats, as well as aggregated categories such as total fruits, total vegetables, total dairy, total meats, and total grains. Results are presented in terms of grams consumed per kilogram of body weight per day. Data are also broken out by region, urbanization, age groups, and gender. This report updates chapters 9, 11, and 12 of the 1997 Exposure Factors Handbook

This framework is intended to assist EPA scientists in assessing ecological risks from mixtures of polychlorinated dioxins (PCDDs), furans (PCDFs), and biphenyls (PCBs). EPA is accepting public comments on the draft until September 29, 2003.

The Efficient Hydrologic Tracer-test Design (EHTD) Package is a user-friendly computer tool which allows an individual to quickly and easily design a tracer test for a variety of hydrologic systems. The package includes both the user's manual and the program package which runs under Microsoft Windows. The user need only enter a relatively short input file using a minimum of measured (or estimated) field parameters and EHTD then solves for the appropriate tracer mass to release, determines when tracer breakthrough is likely to occur, and suggests a reasonable sampling frequency so that the tracer-breakthrough curve may be adequately defined

EPA is now issuing a fourth external review draft of Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter for a 60-day public comment period and for review before the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). This draft contains revisions in response to public and CASAC review comments on the April 2002 external review draft.

EPA announces the availability of the Draft Report on the Environment and the Draft Report on the Environment Technical Document. The Technical Document provides the scientific foundation for the Draft Report on the Environment and discusses in detail the indicators and data that are currently available, as well as their limitations. The Technical Document presents technical data that supplements the information in the Draft Report on the Environment. In addition, the reports highlight the information gaps and challenges that must be addressed in order to better answer the key questions in the future.

On [Federal Register Jun 18, 2003] was published announcing that on July 14 and 15, 2003, EPA will hold a peer review in New York City of the draft report, "Exposure and Human Health Evaluation of Airborne Pollution from the World Trade Center Disaster." This draft report evaluates environmental levels of various air pollutants to which the general public could potentially be exposed as a result of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. The public is invited to observe the peer review conducted by an independent panel of scientific experts.

Online training is now available for users of the EPA's Benchmark Dose Software (BMDS) (see BMDS Training)! The course covers benchmark dose (BMD) methods, use of the BMDS software and contains quiz sections and problems. Check it out, and see if you can earn all three certificates of achievement!

The Framework for Cumulative Risk Assessment is the first step in a long-term effort to develop cumulative risk assessment guidance. Building on EPA's growing experience with cumulative risk assessment, the Framework is intended to foster consistent approaches to cumulative risk assessment in EPA.

Version 1.3.2 of BMDS is now available (see BMDS Download Page)! Version 1.3.2 contains revised polynomial (poly.exe) and nested logistic (nlogist.exe) models that are compatible with Windows 2000.

This Handbook provides descriptive background information and general guidance on how to access and use data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). This is an enormous human database that can be used to develop information suitable for use in risk assessments, and to support regulatory and policy needs of EPA.

In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, EPA researchers report that higher blood lead concentrations are associated with delayed puberty in girls and are different among race-ethnic groups. Researchers from EPA's Office of Research and Development, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Westat Inc., analyzed data collected from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) from 1988 to 1994. Although these findings do not prove a causal relationship between elevated lead levels and delayed puberty, they suggest that even relatively low level lead exposure may influence growth and development in girls.

The U.S. EPA is hereby providing for public information a draft Toxicological Review, draft IRIS Summary, and charge to external peer reviewers for EPA's health assessment of 2-methylnaphthalene. These documents are provided for public viewing during an external scientific peer review period. While EPA is not soliciting public comments by this action, any scientific views received on the content of the Toxicological Review or IRIS Summary prior to May 19, 2003 will be considered in subsequent drafts.

EPA is hereby providing for public information a draft Toxicological Review, draft IRIS Summary, and charge to external peer reviewers for EPA's health assessment of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). These documents are provided for public viewing during an external scientific peer review period. While EPA is not soliciting public comments by this action, any scientific views received on the content of the Toxicological Review or IRIS Summary prior to May 9, 2003 will be considered in subsequent drafts.

EPA has released the Toxicological Review of Benzene (Noncancer Effects), a report that describes the potential noncancer health hazards associated with environmental exposures to benzene. This document supplements two previously released human health assessments of benzene, and will be used to inform the Agency's future risk assessments and regulation of benzene sources. Benzene is an industrial solvent and a component of gasoline, and is also used in the manufacture of plastics, detergents and pesticides. The National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) in EPA's Office of Research and Development's (ORD) completed this report which will serve as a source document for inclusion of a noncancer health effects summary on benzene in EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).

Inhalation and oral cancer risk assessments of benzene are already available on IRIS.

This database was developed by assembling and evaluating the literature relevant to human biomarkers. It catalogues and evaluates the usefulness of biomarkers of exposure, susceptibility and effect which may be relevant for a longitudinal cohort study. In addition to describing currently available, reliable human biomarkers, the report also reviews up-and-coming techniques and biomarkers in animal models that could be tested for application in human studies.

This document reviews and evaluates the current RfD/RfC process and makes recommendations for improvements in deriving reference values, including setting less than lifetime as well as chronic reference values. The Review evaluates the current state-of-the-art for hazard characterization with a focus on protection of potentially sensitive subpopulations.

By helping investigators identify the stressors responsible for effects, the Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS) will provide a critical step toward identifying sources, taking appropriate actions and improving the nation's environmental quality. At a workshop in Mt. Sterling, OH, August 26-28, 2002, representatives from the Office of Research and Development, Office of Water, EPA Regions, and States came together to conceptualize CADDIS and to identify critical research needs for system implementation and population. The CADDIS Workshop Report, which summarizes the workshop proceedings and participant recommendations for the system's design, platform and architecture, is now available.

EPA issued a Federal Register notice which extended the period for acceptance of public comment to the report titled, Exposure and Human Health Evaluation of Airborne Pollution from the World Trade Center Disaster (http://www.epa.gov/ncea/wtc.htm). The original 60-day comment period ended on February 25, and this extension allows acceptance of comments postmarked no later than April 7, 2003.

The EPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) will be conducting external peer reviews of the Toxicological Reviews of Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, and Vinyl Acetate. The overview describes the scope of the required evaluation that participants may be expected to provide as ad hoc members of the SAB. Formaldehyde, vinyl acetate, and acetaldehyde are all listed as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, and each is associated with significant ambient exposures.

Today EPA issued a Federal Register notice announcing the public availability of the Draft Final Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment and the start of 60-day public comment period.

Today EPA issued a Federal Register notice announcing the public availability of the Supplemental Guidance for Assessing Cancer Susceptibility from Early-Life Exposure to Carcinogens and the start of 60-day public comment period.

An interagency conference sponsored by Tri-Service (Air Force, Army, Navy) Toxicology; the U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment; Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, the Division of Toxicology; the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; and the Food and Drug Administration. The conference is held with the cooperation of the National Research Council/ National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data base that contains EPA scientific consensus positions on human health effects that may result from chronic exposure to chemical substances in the environment. EPA is adding some additional health assessments to the IRIS agenda. This notice describes the Agency's plans and solicits scientific data and evaluations for consideration in EPA's new assessments (Federal Register Notice).

A watershed ecological risk assessment of Waquoit Bay, located on the south coast of Cape Cod, MA, was performed for managers to better understand the environmental impacts of human activities. The workgroup used an ecological risk assessment process to (1) decide to focus the analysis on impacts of nutrient enrichment on percent of eelgrass cover and scallop abundance and (2) use a nitrogen loading model to predict nitrogen input to the Bay and resulting changes.

The Washington, DC Division of the National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) is recruiting a Supervisory GS 15 scientist (biologist, environmental scientist, or general engineer) to head the Exposure Assessment and Risk Characterization Group (EARCG). EARCG is one of three risk assessment based science groups within the Washington Division. The supervisory position leads a group about 20 risk assessment oriented ecologists, exposure assessors and support staff. The closing date for submitting an application is February 18, 2003. For further information, please go to the NCEA Employment Opportunities web page.

The EPA is announcing the availability of full-time epidemiologist positions at the GS-14 level with the Agency's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program. The closing date for submitting an application is February 11, 2003. For further information, please go to the NCEA Employment Opportunities web page or the IRIS What's New web page.

The National Center for Environmental Assessment prepared this handbook to address factors commonly used in exposure assessments for children. The Child-Specific Exposure Factors Handbook focuses on various factors used in assessing exposure, specifically for children ages 1-19 years.

EPA announces the availability of the CASAC Review Draft of a document, Project

Work Plan for Revised Air Quality Criteria for Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants,

NCEA-R-1068 (November 2002), prepared by The National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development. This document is a revised version of the External Review Draft released in December 2001 and provides managerial procedures for revising the 1996 Ozone Air Quality Criteria Document. The draft document will be reviewed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) of EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) in a public teleconference meeting that will take place Thursday, February 6, 2003 in Room 6013, U.S. EPA, Ariel Rios Federal Building North, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004.

This report summarizes technical peer review workshop discussions on the "Draft Framework for Cumulative Risk Assessment". The purpose of the meeting was to provide comments on the April 2002 draft of the Framework, both generally and in response to a series of charge questions

This report summarizes discussions at the peer review workshop held on the draft document entitled "A Review of the Reference Dose and Reference Concentration Processes. The workshop was held June 19, 2002, to provide comments on the document, both generally and in response to a series of charge questions.