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Scientific Issues in the U.S. EPA Framework for Metals Risk Assessment
Citation:
BRADHAM, K. D. AND R. WENTSEL. Scientific Issues in the U.S. EPA Framework for Metals Risk Assessment. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH - PART A: CURRENT ISSUES. Taylor & Francis, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, 73(2):108-113, (2010).
Impact/Purpose:
The National Exposure Research Laboratory′s (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA′s mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD′s research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA′s strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.
Description:
This article on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency document, "Framework for Metals Risk Assessment" (U.S. EPA 2007a) was presented at the "Health Risk Assessment of Essential Metals" Workshop held at the University of Ottawa in May 2008. This article discusses the basic principles included in the Framework for Metals Risk Assessment and outlines how these principles should be considered in human health and ecological risk assessment practices. Recognizing that metals present unique risk assessment issues, the article includes discussion of the various scientific issues related to metals assessments, such as environmental chemistry, bioavailability, bioaccumulation, and essentiality.
