You are here:
From conceptual diagram to regulatory model. Is the science the easy part?
Citation:
Etterson, M., K. Garber, AND Sandy Raimondo. From conceptual diagram to regulatory model. Is the science the easy part? SETAC North America, Minneapolis, MN, November 12 - 16, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
This presentation will discuss the process of taking basic research into model development for chemical risk assessment and use it to develop stand-alone tools for use in USEPA risk assessments. The target audience is recipients of USEPA STAR grants.
Description:
Many, if not most, ecological models developed for chemical risk assessment have not been (and will never be?) adopted for routine use by public agencies. There may be many valid reasons for this: 1) models are often published as “case studies” giving little insight into how they could be routinely applied under varying conditions, 2) model complexity is not commensurate with either the objectives of a specific regulatory risk assessment or available data, 3) lack of guidance about uncertainties associated with decisions made using the proposed model, 4) model output is not provided in a format that is useful for risk assessment, 5) time and expertise required for adoption and use of the model by a regulatory agency is greater than the perceived value added through model use. Nevertheless, calls for the adoption and use of population models in ecological risk assessment have been ongoing for many decades. We will explore some of the reasons why population models have been rarely used in ecological risk assessment at USEPA. Using the MCnest model as an example, we will also explore the factors that led to its formal adoption as a tool for avian population-level ecological risk assessment by the Office of Pesticide Programs at USEPA, a process that took at least 12 years from inception to adoption. Our goal is to initiate an ongoing discussion about the types of collaboration that lead to successful adoption of models as tools for regulatory risk assessment.