TOXICS

EPA Issues "Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment" and Supplemental
Guidance on Risks From Early-Life Exposure

Two documents released on March 29, 2005 provide principles and procedures to guide EPA scientists assessing cancer risk from exposures to environmental pollutants.  The documents, "Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (Cancer Guidelines)," and "Supplemental Guidance for Assessing Susceptibility from Early-Life Exposure to Carcinogens (Supplemental Guidance)" reflect EPA's evolving approach to cancer risk assessment.  The guidelines are prospective only and will apply to the agency's current and future risk assessments of environmental pollutants.

These guidelines apply the most up-to-date science and incorporates new science as it becomes available in assessing the risks associated with environmental exposures to carcinogens. The new cancer guidelines result from significant strides in scientific knowledge, and in EPA's 20-plus years of experience in applying risk assessment principles and practices.  The cancer guidelines were last revised in 1986.  The cancer guidelines issued today set forth a revised set of recommended principles and procedures to guide EPA scientists and others in assessing the cancer risks resulting from exposure to chemicals or other agents in the environment.  The guidelines are also used to inform agency decision makers and the public about risk assessment procedures.

The additional Supplemental Guidance describes possible approaches that EPA could use in assessing cancer risks exposures to children from 0 to 16 years of age.  This marks the first time that Supplemental Guidance specifically related to children has been issued.  It includes a review of existing scientific literature on chemical effects in animals and humans.  The Supplemental Guidance also summarizes the results of the cancer studies that investigated early-life exposure, EPA's analysis of those studies, and analysis to strengthen the scientific basis for adjusting from studies conducted in adults to children. This document is consistent with the National Research Council's 1994 recommendation that "EPA assess risks to infants and children whenever it appears that their risks might be greater than those of adults."

The draft cancer guidelines and draft Supplemental Guidance were announced in the Federal Register on March 3, 2003.  Both documents issued as final today have undergone extensive public comment and independent scientific peer review.  Both documents and additional information are available at:  http://www.epa.gov/cancerguidelines  Contacts:  Cynthia Bergman, 202-564-9828; bergman.cynthia@epa.gov   Rich Hood, 202-564-4355; hood.rich@epa.gov

When the first risk assessments were adopted in 1986, they generally reflected research on laboratory animals, leading to uncontroversial assumptions by agency scientists that if a substance caused cancer in an animal, it would also cause cancer in a human. The assessments influence new regulations on chemicals found in air, water, pesticides, waste and former Superfund sites.

The new guidelines also reflect how more recent studies show the differences between cancer-causing chemicals in adults and young children, recognizing the possibility that children younger than 2 might be 10 times more at risk and children from 2 to 16 might be 3 times more at risk.

2003 Toxics Release Inventory 

EPA's 2003 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) was issued on May 11, 2005 and shows that the amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment by reporting facilities continues to decline, with total reductions of 42 percent since 1998 and a six percent decrease from 2002 to 2003.

TRI provides the American public with vital information on chemical releases including disposal for their communities, and is an important instrument for industries to gauge their progress in reducing pollution.  Over 23,000 facilities reported on approximately 650 chemicals for calendar year 2003.  TRI reporting includes toxics managed in landfills and underground injection wells as well as those released into water and the air.  Eighty-six percent of reports were submitted electronically.

TRI tracks the chemicals and industrial sectors specified by the Emergency Community Right to Know Act of 1986 and its amendments.  The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) of 1990 also mandates that TRI collect data on toxic chemicals treated on-site, recycled, and burned for energy recovery.  Together, these laws require facilities in certain industries to report annually on releases, disposal and other waste management activities related to these chemicals.

There are certain increases in mercury, PCBs and dioxin in the 2003 TRI data.  According to EPA, some of these increases are due to reporting anomalies.  The TRI data and background information are available to the public at :http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri03/index.htm . Communities can also quickly and easily identify local facilities and chemical releases by using the TRI explorer mapping tool, available at:http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer   Contact:  Eryn Witcher 202-564-4355.

New Web Site Pinpoints Harmful Chemicals In Communities

Bethesda, Maryland — The National Library of Medicine (NLM), a part of the National Institutes of Health, announces an interactive Web site that shows — on maps — the amount and location of certain toxic chemicals released into the environment in the United States. The site, called TOXMAP, is free and no registration is required. The Web address is http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov.

TOXMAP focuses on the geographic distribution of chemical releases, their relative amounts, and their trends over time. This release data comes from industrial facilities around the United States, as reported annually to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). TOXMAP also links to NLM's extensive collection of toxicology and environmental health references, as well as to a rich resource of data on hazardous chemical substances in its TOXNET databases (http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/). There are also fact sheets and summaries about the various chemicals, written by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

For example, a family moving to a new city can locate facilities releasing toxic chemicals by entering the city's name and state, generating a map of facilities in that area. For each facility, information, including location and chemicals released, is provided. Information about the health effects of the specific chemicals identified is also provided.

The National Library of Medicine has a special mission to address toxicology and environmental health needs. TOXMAP is part of this mission, and allows us to serve the public and professionals in a unique way. This Web site allows users to explore maps of what and where chemicals are released and by whom.

In the last several years, the Library has created a number of Web sites with the consumer in mind. TOXMAP is a prime example. It joins Web resources for consumer health information broadly (MedlinePlus.gov), research studies (ClinicalTrials.gov), and older Americans (NIHSeniorHealth.gov).

Bhopal -- 20 Years Later

On Decembeer 3, 1984, 27 tons of methyl iscyanate (MCI) gas escaped from a Union Carbide pesticide plant located in Bhopal, India.  Approximate 7,000 people died immediately or within days and a total of about 20,000 died in all.  Victims and their families were largely not compensated for the pain, suffering and deaths.  Union Carbide paid a settement to the Indian government $470 million in 1989, but most of the money has not reached the victims.  Dow Chemical purchased Union Carbide in 1991.