"March 2008." "GAO-08-440." Paper version available from: U.S. Govt. Accountability Office, 441 G St., NW, Rm. LM, Washington, D.C. 20548. Includes bibliographical references.

Letter (Results in brief ; Background ; EPA's efforts to improve the IRIS Assessment Program have not produced the desired results ; While appropriate coordination with federal agencies could help EPA resolve IRIS assessment controversies more efficiently, EPA's proposed expansion of agencies' roles in IRIS assessments would cause further delays and limit their credibility ; Conclusions ; Recommendations for executive action ; Agency comments and our evaluation) -- Appendix I. Objectives, scope, and methodology -- Appendix II. Broad outline of EPA's current IRIS assessment process -- Appendix III. Information on OMB/interagency reviews of IRIS assessments -- Appendix IV. Comments from the Environmental Protection Agency -- Appendix V. Comments from the Office of Management and Budget -- Appendix VI. GAO contact and staff acknowledgments. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) contains EPA's scientific position on the potential human health effects of exposure to more than 540 chemicals. IRIS is a critical component of EPA's capacity to support scientifically sound environmental decisions, policies, and regulations. GAO was asked to examine (1) the outcome of steps EPA has taken to ensure that IRIS contains current, credible chemical risk information, to address the backlog of ongoing assessments, and to respond to new requirements from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB); and (2) the potential effects of planned changes to the IRIS assessment process on EPA's ability to ensure that IRIS provides current, credible risk information. To do this work, GAO reviewed and analyzed EPA data and interviewed officials at relevant agencies....