US EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized the need to develop a framework for human health risk assessment that puts a perspective on the approaches in practice throughout the Agency. The framework will be a communication piece that will lay out the scientific basis, principles, and policy choices underlying past and current risk assessment approaches and will provide recommendations for integrating/harmonizing risk assessment methodologies for all human health endpoints. As an initial step in this process, the Agency's Risk Assessment Forum organized a colloquium series, consisting of two internal colloquia. The colloquia brought together EPA scientists for a dialogue on various scientific and policy issues pertaining to EPA's cancer and noncancer risk assessment approaches.

The second colloquium, held on June 2 and 3, 1998 in Bethesda, Maryland, explored the more quantitative aspects of mode of action, including dosimetry, dose-response relationships, and low-dose extrapolation methods. The present document summarizes discussions held during this colloquium. (See "Related Entries" for a summary report of the first colloquium held in 1997.)

U.S. EPA. Summary Of The U.S. EPA Colloquium On A Framework For Human Health Risk Assessment (Volume 2, 1998). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Risk Assessment Forum, Washington, DC, 1998.

The summary report of this colloquium is available only in electronic form. For more information, contact the Technical Information Staff, 202-564-3261; facsimile: 202-565-0050.