Recent Additions for 2010

EPA is announcing a 2-day public dialogue conference to engage, inform, and encourage feedback as part of the "Advancing the Next Generation of Risk Assessment" (NexGen) program. The conference will take place in Washington, DC and is open to all on a first-come, first-serve basis up to the limits of available space. [Federal Register Dec 30, 2010]

EPA Announces the availability of three new post-doctoral position descriptions, see downloads for details and duty station information. Application period closes on or about January 7, 2011.

EPA is announcing a public meeting to review and discuss the EPA Nanomaterial Case Studies (Nanomaterial Case Study: Nanoscale Silver in Disinfectant Spray (External Review Draft) and Nanomaterial Case Studies: Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide in Water Treatment and in Topical Sunscreen (Final 2010)). The Jan 4th meeting will also afford EPA an opportunity to highlight the Nanomaterial Case Studies and how they are being used as part of an ongoing process to refine a long-term research strategy to support the comprehensive environmental assessment of nanomaterials. [Federal Register Dec 13, 2010]

EPA is announcing the availability of literature searches for four IRIS assessments and is requesting scientific information on health effects that may result from exposure to these chemical substances. [Federal Register Dec 10, 2010]

On September 21, 2010, an external peer review panel workshop was hosted by an independent contractor on the Toxicological Review of Hexachloroethane (HCE): In Support of the Summary Information in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Completing this review, a final report of the comments from the workshop were collected and is now available.

EPA is announcing the release of the draft report, Lymphohematopoietic Cancers Induced by Chemicals and Other Agents: Overview and Implications for Risk Assessment, for a 45-day public comment period. Public comments received after the release of the FRN will be provided to the external peer reviewers for their consideration. The deadline for comments is January 24, 2011. [Federal Register Dec 8, 2010]

EPA announces the release of the final report, Nanomaterial Case Studies: Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide in Water Treatment and in Topical Sunscreen. This report is intended to be used in developing the scientific and technical information needed for future nanoscale titanium dioxide assessment efforts.

EPA is announcing an independent external scientific peer workshop to: (1) Review the recommendations for evaluation of the cumulative mixtures risk of phthalates as set forth in the National Academies of Science (NAS) report "Phthalates and Cumulative Risk Assessment: The Tasks Ahead" (2008); and (2) propose additional methods and approaches, not already captured in the 2008 NAS report, that may facilitate the assessment of risk(s) associated with exposure to cumulative mixtures of the six selected phthalates. [ Federal Register Nov 15, 2010]

EPA is announcing an extension of the public comment period for the IRIS Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium (External Review Draft) for an additional 30 days. The new deadline for comments is December 29, 2010. [Federal Register Nov 10, 2010]

EPA announces an external peer review meeting for the review of the draft report, IRIS Toxicological Review of Urea (External Review Draft) to be hosted on December 13, 2010 via teleconference. [Federal Register Nov 10, 2010]

EPA is announcing a workshop to evaluate initial draft materials for the Lead (Pb) Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) as part of the review of the air quality criteria and National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Lead (Pb). The workshop will be held December 2-3, 2010 in Research Triangle Park, NC. [Federal Register Nov 10, 2010]

On September 23, 2010, an external peer review panel workshop was hosted by an independent contractor on the Toxicological Review of Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride): In Support of the Summary Information in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Completing this review, a final report of the comments from the workshop were collected and is now available.

EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announced a public teleconference to conduct a quality review of the draft Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) (External Review Draft, February 2010). The meeting will be held on November 22, 2010. [Federal Register Oct 25, 2010]

EPA is soliciting public nominations for chemical substances for its 2011 agenda for the IRIS Program. EPA invites the public to submit nominations for substances to be considered for an assessment or reassessment in its IRIS Program, the deadline is December 17, 2010. Details are provided in the federal register notice. [Federal Register Oct 18, 2010]

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of Chloroprene: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for Chloroprene and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency Science Discussion Draft of the Chloroprene IRIS assessment have also been released.

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of Pentachlorophenol: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for Pentachlorophenol and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency Science Discussion Draft of the Pentachlorophenol IRIS assessment have also been released.

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency science discussion draft of the 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane IRIS assessment have also been released.

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of Cis-1,2- & Trans-1,2- dichloroethylene : In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for Cis-1,2-dichloroethylene and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency science discussion draft of the Cis-1,2- & Trans-1,2-dichloroethylene IRIS assessment have also been released.

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of Cis-1,2- & Trans-1,2-dichloroethylene : In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for Trans-1,2-dichloroethylene and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency science discussion draft of the Cis-1,2- & Trans-1,2-dichloroethylene IRIS assessment have also been released.

EPA announces the release of the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Hexavalent Chromium (External Review Draft) for a 60-day public review and comment period. Additionally, as per the IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, the interagency draft of the Hexavalent Chromium IRIS assessment and interagency comments have also been released. Following the review period, EPA has announced that a public listening session for this draft report will be held on Nov 18, 2010. [Federal Register Sep 30, 2010]

EPA is releasing the draft report, Lymphohematopoietic Cancers Induced by Chemicals and Other Agents: Overview and Implications for Risk Assessment for an upcoming public review and comment period. This draft report provides an overview of the types of mechanisms underlying the lymphohematopoietic cancers induced by chemical agents and radiation in humans, with a primary emphasis on leukemia and leukemia-inducing agents. It focuses on how mechanistic information on human leukemia-inducing agents can inform risk assessment.

EPA is announcing the release of a project summary called, Perspectives on the Application of Mechanistic Information in Chemical Hazard and Dose-Response Assessments. This summary lists several EPA articles reviewing approaches for applying mechanistic information in human health risk assessment and exploring opportunities for progress in this area.

EPA is announcing the release of a project summary called, Potential for Incorporation of Genetic Polymorphism Data in Human Health Risk Assessment. This summary lists several EPA articles that evaluated the potential impact of genetic polymorphisms in ten metabolizing enzymes on the variability in enzyme function across ethnically diverse populations.

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of Hydrogen Cyanide and Cyanide Salts: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for Hydrogen Cyanide and Cyanide Salts and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency discussion draft of the Hydrogen Cyanide and Cyanide Salts documents have also been released.

EPA announces the release of the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Urea (External Review Draft) for a 60-day public review and comment period. Additionally, as per the IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, the interagency draft of the Urea IRIS assessment and interagency comments have also been released. Following the review period, EPA has announced that a public listening session for this draft report will be held on Nov 16, 2010. [Federal Register September 28, 2010]

EPA is announcing the refresh of the new and improved Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS) Web site. CADDIS helps scientists find, develop, organize, and use environmental information to improve causal assessments of biological impairments. This latest release contains new content in each part of the site, and has been reorganized into five volumes for easier access. [Federal Register Sep 24, 2010]

EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announced a public meeting of the SAB Dioxin Review Panel to continue its review of EPA's Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to Dioxin Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments, External Review Draft. The meeting will be held in Washington, DC from October 27 - 29, 2010. [Federal Register Sep 22, 2010]

EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office announced two public teleconferences of the SAB Mountaintop Mining Panel to discuss the Panel's draft reports: EPA's The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields and Field-Based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central Appalachian Streams draft reports. The teleconference call dates are October 20 and 26th, 2010. [Federal Register Sep 15, 2010]

EPA is announcing the release of the ICLUS v1.3 User's Manual and the ICLUS Geographic Information System (GIS) tool. The ICLUS GIS tool can be used to generate scenarios of housing-density changes and calculate impervious surface cover for the conterminous United States. This product distributes the population projections and creates land use data described in the 2009 EPA report "Land-Use Scenarios: National-Scale Housing-Density Scenarios Consistent with Climate Change Storylines". [Federal Register Sep 8, 2010]

EPA announces the release of the draft report, A Method to Assess Climate-Relevant Decisions: Application in the Chesapeake Bay (External Review Draft) for public review and comment. Comments received within the next 60 days will be considered by EPA in their revisions. [Federal Register Aug 31, 2010 ]

EPA is announcing a 45-day public comment period for the draft report, Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments: Four Case Studies of Water Utility Practices (External Review Draft) . This report presents a series of case studies describing the approaches currently being taken by four water utilities in the U.S. to assess their vulnerability to climate change. [Federal Register Aug 23, 2010]

EPA is announcing an extension of the public comment period for two related draft documents: (1) "The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields" and (2) "A Field-based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central Appalachian Streams." We are specifically extending the comment period on these two documents to give the public additional time to evaluate the data used to derive a benchmark for conductivity. The new deadline is Sep 3, 2010 [Federal Register Aug 18, 2010]

EPA announces an external peer review meeting for the review of the draft report, IRIS Toxicological Review of Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride) (External Review Draft) to be hosted on September 23, 2010 in Bethesda, MD. [Federal Register Aug 17, 2010]

EPA is announcing a 45-day public comment period for the draft document, Nanomaterial Case Study: Nanoscale Silver in Disinfectant Spray (External Review Draft), as announced in the August 13, 2010 Federal Register Notice. The deadline for comments is September 27, 2010.

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of 1,4-Dioxane: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for 1,4-Dioxane and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency discussion draft of the draft 1,4-dioxane assessment have also been released.

EPA announces an external peer review meeting for the review of the draft report, IRIS Toxicological Review of Hexachloroethane (External Review Draft) to be hosted on September 21, 2010 in Arlington, VA. [Federal Register Aug 2, 2010]

EPA is announcing that a workshop to evaluate initial draft materials for the health effects sections of the Ozone Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) as part of the review of the air quality criteria and National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The workshop will be held in Research Triangle Park, NC on August 6, 2010. [Federal Register Jul 20, 2010]

EPA is extending the public comment period until Aug 13, 2010 for the report, "Field-based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central Appalachian Streams" (EPA/600/R-10/023A). The document will be reviewed by an independent review panel convened by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB). Technical comments should be in writing and must be received by EPA by August 13, 2010. [Federal Register Jul 13, 2010]

EPA is extending the public comment period until Aug 13, 2010 for the report,"The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields" (EPA/600/R-09/138A). The document will be reviewed by an independent review panel convened by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB). Technical comments should be in writing and must be received by EPA by Aug 13, 2010. [Federal Register Jul 13, 2010]

EPA has released 5 new case studies utilizing the steps provided in the EPA Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS) on-line Web site (epa.gov/caddis). These reports provide examples of how some assessors have developed, organized, and interpreted data to determine the causes of biological impairments and in some cases have improved the quality of these rivers. Additionally, the rivers studied came from five different states across the U.S. to give a more general spectrum of examples.

Since the release of this draft report, EPA has received several requests for additional time to submit comments. In response to these requests, EPA is extending the public comment period until September 20, 2010 ( making this a 120-day public comment period). This draft report responds to the key recommendations and comments included in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) 2006 report. In addition, it includes new analyses on potential human effects that may result from exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). [ Federal Register Jun 23, 2010]

EPA has announced a 30-day public review and comment period for the 2010 Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS) Web site redesign and update. These latest improvements are available on a development site at http://caddis-review.tetratech-ffx.com/index.html. Please submit all comments to the Regulations.gov Web site, under EPA-HQ-ORD-2010-0534 by the deadline date of July 22, 2010. [Federal Register Jun 22, 2010]

EPA is announcing a listening session to be held on July 9, 2010. This draft assessment, EPA's Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to Dioxin Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments in Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) was previously provided for public viewing and comment. [Federal Register Jun 14, 2010]

EPA announces the release of the draft Toxicological Review of Formaldehyde-Inhalation Assessment for a 90-day public review and comment period. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, the interagency draft of the Formaldehyde IRIS assessment and interagency comments have also been released. Following the review period, EPA has announced that a public listening session for this draft report will be held on July 27, 2010. [Federal Register Jun 2, 2010]

EPA is extending the public comment period until July 13, 2010 for the report," Field-based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central Appalachian Streams" (EPA/600/R-10/023A). The document will be reviewed by an independent review panel convened by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB's peer review meeting, will be scheduled at a later date, and announced in the Federal Register. Technical comments should be in writing and must be received by EPA by July 13, 2010. [Federal Register Jun 1, 2010]

EPA is extending the public comment period until July 13, 2010 for the report,"The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields" (EPA/600/R-09/138A). The document will be reviewed by an independent review panel convened by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB's peer review meeting, will be scheduled at a later date, and announced in the Federal Register. Technical comments should be in writing and must be received by EPA by July 13, 2010. [Federal Register Jun 1, 2010]

On April 1, 2003, the Toxicological Review of Mirex and supporting documents were released for external review. Comments from the public review and external peer review meeting of this report were consolidated and the report is now available.

EPA's SAB announces a public meeting to review the draft document, A Field-based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central Appalachian Streams from July 20-22, 2010 in Washington, DC. [Federal Register May 25, 2010]

EPA's SAB announces a public meeting to review the draft document, The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields from July 20-22, 2010 in Washington, DC. [Federal Register May 25, 2010]

EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Staff is announcing a teleconference (6/24) and a face-to-face meeting (7/13-15) of the SAB Dioxin Review Panel to review the draft report, EPA's Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to Dioxin Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments, released late last week. [Federal Register May 24, 2010]

EPA announces the release of the final report, An Exposure Assessment of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs). The report provides a comprehensive assessment of exposure to this class of persistent organic pollutants for people living in the United States. Individual chapters address: the production, use, and lifecycle of PBDEs; environmental fate; environmental levels; and human exposure. [Federal Register May 24, 2010]

EPA announces the release of the draft EPA's Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to Dioxin Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments (EPA/600/R-10/038A) for a 90-day public review and comment period. This draft report responds to the key recommendations and comments included in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) 2006 report. In addition, it includes new analyses on potential human effects that may result from exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). These analyses have not been in previous versions of draft reports related to EPA's dioxin reassessment activity. This draft report is now considered to be under EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program, and thus, the new IRIS process announced in May 2009 (http://www.epa.gov/iris/process.htm) is being followed. As such, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency draft of the dioxin reanalysis have also been released. [Federal Register Mar 31, 2010]

EPA announces the release of the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Hexachloroethane for a 60-day public review and comment period. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency draft of the Hexachloroethane IRIS assessment have also been released. Following the review period, EPA has also announced that a public listening session will be held on June 16, 2010. [Federal Register May 13, 2010]

EPA is announcing the availability of literature searches for four IRIS assessments and is requesting scientific information on health effects that may result from exposure to these chemical substances. [Federal Register May 7, 2010]

EPA is announcing a 60-day public comment period for the report,"A Field-based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central Appalachian Streams" (EPA/600/R-10/023A). The document will be reviewed by an independent review panel convened by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB).The SAB's peer review meeting, which the public will be able to attend as observers, will be scheduled at a later date, and announced in the Federal Register. Technical comments should be in writing and must be received by EPA by June 11, 2010. [Federal Register Apr 12, 2010]

EPA is announcing a 60-day public comment period for the report,"The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields" (EPA/600/R-09/138A). The document will be reviewed by an independent review panel convened by EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB's peer review meeting, which the public will be able to attend as observers, will be scheduled at a later date, and announced in the Federal Register. Technical comments should be in writing and must be received by EPA by June 11, 2010. [Federal Register Apr 12, 2010]

EPA is announcing the release of the report,The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the Central Appalachian Coalfields (External Review Draft), for public review and comment. [Press Release Apr 1, 2010]

EPA is announcing the release of the report,A Field-Based Aquatic Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central Appalachian Streams (External Review Draft), for public review and comment. [Press Release Apr 1, 2010]

EPA's SAB announces two public meetings of the SAB Trichloroethylene (TCE) Review Panel: a teleconference (4/20/10) and a face-to-face meeting (5/10-12) to review EPA's Toxicological Review of Trichloroethylene (External Review Draft). [March 31, 2010 Federal Register Notice]

EPA announces the release of the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Dichloromethane for a 60-day public review and comment period. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency draft of the Methanol IRIS assessment have also been released. Following the review period, EPA has also announced that a public listening session will be held on May 11, 2010. [Federal Register Mar 31, 2010]

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of Carbon Tetrachloride: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for Carbon Tetrachloride and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency discussion draft of the draft carbon tetrachloride assessment have also been released.

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether (EGBE): In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for EGBE and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency discussion draft of the draft EGBE assessment have also been released.

EPA is announcing the release of the Health and Environmental Research Online (HERO) database of scientific studies and references that were used to develop EPA's Integrated Science Assessments (ISA) and IRIS assessment (epa.gov/iris) reports. HERO was recently cited in the ISA for Carbon Monoxide (2010), the ISA for Particulate Matter (2009), the ISA for Oxides of Nitrogen and Sulfur - Ecological Criteria (2008), as well as in several recent IRIS assessments. [Press Release: Mar 24, 2010]

EPA is announcing the release of the final report, Toxicological Review of Acrylamide: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). This includes an updated Summary for Acrylamide and an accompanying toxicological review. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency discussion draft of the draft acrylamide assessment have also been released.

On January 26, 2010, an external peer review panel workshop was hosted by an independent contractor on the Toxicological Review of Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (External Review Draft). Completing this review, a final report of the comments from the workshop were collected and is now available.

The 2010 Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference will be a 4-day meeting focusing on the applications of computational toxicology (COMPTOX) for improving risk assessment practice (including QSAR, PBPK, Molecular Docking, High Throughput Screening, Metabolomics, Data Mining, Bioinformatics, Dermal Toxicology and the toxicology/risk assessment of biofuels. The conference should provide attendees with a solid overview of how COMPTOX techniques may be used to help address common risk assessment problems encountered by various Federal agencies.
If you are interested in attending register at 2010 Toxicology and Risk Assessment Conference.

On January 27, 2010, an external peer review panel workshop was hosted by an independent contractor on the Toxicological Review of 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane (External Review Draft). Completing this review, a final report of the comments from the workshop were collected and is now available.

EPA is preparing an Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) as part of the review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Lead (Pb). This is intended to update and revise, where appropriate, the scientific assessment presented in the Air Quality Criteria for Lead (EPA/600/R-05/144aF-bF), published in October 2006. Interested parties are invited to assist the EPA in developing and refining the scientific information base for the review of the Pb NAAQS by submitting research studies that have been published, accepted for publication, or presented at a public scientific meeting. [Federal Register Feb 26, 2010].

EPA announces the release of the draft Development of a Relative Potency Factor (RPF) Approach for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Mixtures (External Review Draft) for a 60-day public review and comment period. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency draft of the PAH draft report have also been released. Following the review period, EPA has also announced that a public listening session will be held on April 7, 2010. [Federal Register Feb 26, 2010]

EPA is announcing a 30-day extension of the public comment period for the A Framework for Categorizing the Relative Vulnerability of Threatened and Endangered Species to Climate Change(EPA/600/R-09/011) - originally cited in a November 25, 2009 Federal Register Notice. Comments should be in writing and must be received by EPA by March 25, 2010. [Federal Register Feb 23, 2010]

EPA has released the draft documents and comments from the Interagency Science Discussion of the Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic. As per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency draft of the Inorganic Arsenic IRIS assessment have now been posted on this site.

EPA announces the release of the draft document,Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic (Cancer): In Support of the Summary Information in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), for a 60 day public review and comment period. The Interagency Science Consultation Draft of the arsenic IRIS assessment has also been released. [Federal Register Feb 19, 2010]

EPA links the IRIS Toxicological Review of Tetrachloroethylene to the recently released National Research Council's Review of the Environmental Protection Agency's Draft IRIS Assessment of Tetrachloroethylene. [Press Release Feb 9, 2010]

On January 6, 2010, an external peer review panel workshop was hosted by an independent contractor on the Toxicological Review of Chloroprene (External Review Draft). Completing this review, a final report of the comments from the workshop were collected and is now available.

EPA is requesting that any speaker or observer who registered by e-mail before January 25, 2010, for the February 23, 2010, listening session on methanol, to please send in another registration request to IRISListeningSession, IRISListeningSession@epa.gov to ensure you are on the list.

EPA announces the details of an external peer review meeting to be held on March 3-4, 2010. This draft document, Exposure Factors Handbook 2009 Update (External Review Draft) was previously provided for public viewing and comment. [Federal Register Feb 2, 2010 ]

The IRIS Program is looking for post-doctoral candidate(s) to support their program's mission. A more detailed postion discription and the steps for applying can be found on the NCEA post-doc website.

EPA is announcing the Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Carbon Monoxide (CO) Final Report. This is EPA's latest evaluation of the scientific literature on the potential human health and welfare effects associated with ambient exposures to CO. The development of this document is part of the Agency's periodic review of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) and will provide the scientific basis to inform EPA decisions related to the review of the current CO standards. [Federal Register Jan 29, 2010]

On December 17, 2009, an external peer review panel workshop was hosted by an independent contractor on the Toxicological Review of cis- and trans-1,2-dichloroethylene (External Review Draft). Completing this review, a final report of the comments from the workshop were collected and is now available.

On December 14, 2009, an external peer review panel workshop was hosted by an independent contractor on the Toxicological Review of Hydrogen Cyanide and Cyanide Salts (External Review Draft). Completing this review, a final report of the comments from the workshop were collected and is now available.

On December 10, 2009, an external peer review panel workshop was hosted by an independent contractor on the Toxicological Review of Trichloroacetic Acid (External Review Draft). Completing this review, a final report of the comments from the workshop were collected and is now available.

EPA is announcing the availability of a final report titled, An Approach to Using Toxicogenomic Data in U.S. EPA Human Health Risk Assessments: A Dibutyl Phthalate Case Study'' (EPA/600/R-09/028F). This report is about the application of genomic technologies (e.g., transcriptomics, genome sequence analysis) to study effects of environmental chemicals on human health and the environment. Currently, EPA provides no guidance for evaluating and incorporating genomic data into risk assessment. This report describes an approach to evaluate toxicogenomic data for use in risk assessment and a case study for dibutyl phthalate (DBP). [Federal Register Jan 13, 2010]

EPA announces the release of the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Methanol for a 60-day public review and comment period. Additionally, as per the new IRIS process, all comments received from federal agencies and White House offices on draft IRIS assessments will be made publicly available. Accordingly, interagency comments and the interagency draft of the Methanol IRIS assessment have also been released. Following the review period, EPA has also announced that a public listening session will be held on February 23, 2010. [Federal Register Jan 12, 2010]

NCEA announces three new science vacancy positions open to the public or career employees for merit promotion. Find out more at http://epa.gov/ncea/jobs.