IRIS Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic (Cancer) (Interagency Science Consultation Draft, 2009)
Notice - This site contains archived material(s)
Archive disclaimer
Archive
disclaimer
Archived files are provided for reference
purposes only. These files are no longer maintained by the Agency and may be outdated. For
current EPA information, go to www.epa.gov. It is EPA's policy to
support reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities, pursuant to the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 791. If you need assistance with accessing archived files, contact
EPA's Reasonable Accommodations
or submit a request using the Contact Us form.
Abstract
Inorganic arsenic is used for hardening copper and lead alloys. It also is used in glass manufacturing as a decolorizing and refining agent, as a component of electrical devices, in the semiconductor industry, and as a catalyst in the production of ethylene oxide. Arsenic compounds are used as a mordant in the textile industry, for preserving hides, as medicinals, pesticides, pigments, and wood preservatives. Approximately 90% of the domestic consumption of arsenic is currently used with production of chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a wood preservative, the production of which is currently being phased out. Arsenic is also found naturally in the environment and is typically present in soil and water at detectable levels. Sources of human exposure to inorganic arsenic include drinking water, diet, air, and soils (which can contain naturally occurring arsenic or contamination from anthropogenic sources). This draft IRIS health assessment addresses only cancer human health effects that may result from chronic exposure to this chemical. An assessment of noncancer health effects of inorganic arsenic will be released for external peer review and public comment at a later date.
Impact/Purpose
Status
History/Chronology
Date | Description |
---|---|
1988 | EPA published the IRIS Health Hazard Assessment for Inorganic Arsenic. |
1999 | NRC reviewed the 1988 IRIS assessment and the available health data for inorganic arsenic and made recommendations for updating the cancer assessment in Arsenic in Drinking Water. |
2001 | NRC updated the NRC (1999) report and evaluated the toxicological risk and health effects of arsenic as relevant to the 2001 Arsenic Rule in Arsenic in Drinking Water – 2001 Update. |
2001 | NRC reviewed the 2001 Primary Drinking Water Standard for inorganic Arsenic and made recommendations for applying epidemiologic data in the cancer health assessment. |
2003 | EPA started a reassessment of the IRIS assessment for inorganic arsenic. |
Jul 2005 | EPA submitted the 2005 EPA reassessment of cancer assessment for inorganic arsenic to EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) for review. |
Jun 2007 | SAB posted the 2007 SAB Response to the 2005 EPA reassessment of inorganic arsenic (cancer). [Link to the SAB Report and Review Panel Meetings] |
Oct 2008 | The draft IRIS Toxicological Review for Inorganic Arsenic (cancer) was submitted to OMB for interagency review. |
Jun 2009 | EPA hosted an interagency science consultation on the draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic. |
Feb 2010 | EPA released the draft IRIS Toxicological Review for Inorganic Arsenic (cancer) to SAB and simultaneously to the public for review and comment, focusing on EPA's responses to the SAB (2007) report. |
This download(s) is distributed solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. It has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency determination or policy.
- IRIS Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic (Interagency Science Consultation Draft) (PDF) (429 pp, 3 MB, about PDF)
- OMB comments on the IRIS Tox Review of Inorganic Arsenic (Cancer) (PDF) (5 pp, 79 KB, about PDF)
- DOD comments on the IRIS Tox Review of Inorganic Arsenic (Cancer) (PDF) (4 pp, 30 KB, about PDF)