[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 45 (Thursday, March 8, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 10529]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4035]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8284-3]
Notice of Availability of the Framework for Metals Risk
Assessment
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing
the availability of the final ``Framework for Metals Risk Assessment''
(EPA 120/R-07/001, March 2007). The purpose of the Framework is to
present key guiding principles based on the unique attributes of metals
(as differentiated from organic and organometallic compounds) and to
describe how these metals-specific attributes and principles may then
be applied in the context of existing EPA risk assessment guidance and
practices. This Framework document is not a prescriptive guide on how
any particular type of assessment should be conducted within an EPA
program or regional office. Rather, it outlines key metal principles
and describes how they should be considered in conducting human health
and ecological risk assessments to advance our understanding of metals
impact and foster consistency across EPA programs and regions. As a
result the Framework is a science-based document that describes basic
principles that address the special attributes and behaviors of metals
and metal compounds to be considered when assessing their human health
and ecological risks. EPA's Risk Assessment Forum oversaw the
development of this document, which included input from stakeholders
and experts throughout the Agency, obtained through several expert
workshops, followed by peer review by the EPA Science Advisory Board.
The Framework sets out a variety of principles that are general,
fundamental properties of metals, which should be addressed and
incorporated into all inorganic metals risk assessments. The five
overarching principles are summarized as follows: (1) Metals are
naturally occurring constituents in the environment and vary in
concentrations across geographic regions; (2) All environmental media
have naturally occurring mixtures of metals, and metals are often
introduced into the environment as mixtures; (3) Some metals are
essential for maintaining proper health of humans, animals, plants and
microorganisms; (4) Metals, as chemical elements, and unlike organic
chemicals, are neither created nor destroyed by biological or chemical
processes, although, these processes can transform metals from one
species to another (valence states) and can convert them between
inorganic and organic forms; and (5) The absorption, distribution,
transformation and excretion of a metal within an organism depends on
the metal, the form of the metal or metal compound, and the organism's
ability to regulate and/or store the metal.
ADDRESSES: The final document is available electronically through the
EPA Office of the Science Advisor's Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/osa/metalsframework. A limited number of paper copies will be available
from EPA's National Service Center for Environmental Publications
(NSCEP), P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, OH 45242; telephone 1-800-490-9198
or 513-489-8190; facsimile 301-604-3408; e-mail lmit.com">NSCEP@bps-lmit.com.
Please provide your name and mailing addresses and the title and EPA
number (as given above) of the requested publication.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Randall S. Wentsel, Risk
Assessment Forum Technical Writing Panel Co-chair, Mail Code 8101-R,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-3214; fax number:
(202) 564-2070, E-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In December 2002 EPA's Science Policy
Council tasked an Agency workgroup, under the oversight of the Risk
Assessment Forum, with developing a plan for ensuring the consistent
application of scientific principles to metals risk assessment. A step-
wise plan was developed beginning with the Metals Action Plan (MAP),
which included brief descriptions of the Agency's current activities on
metals, identified critical scientific issues, and recommended the
scope of the metals framework. The MAP was reviewed by EPA's Science
Advisory Board. Then, EPA commissioned individual scientists to develop
issue papers on important topics in metals risk assessment, including
environmental chemistry, exposure, human health effects, ecological
effects, and bioavailability and bioaccumulation. The Framework was
developed based, in part, on these issues papers and reviewed by the
Agency-wide workgroup. Additional workshops and peer review activities
were conducted at multiple intervals during the development of the
Framework, and the Agency consulted with other federal agencies at key
points during its development. Finally, the Framework underwent
external peer review by EPA's Science Advisory Board.
Dated: March 1, 2007.
George M. Gray,
EPA Science Advisor.
[FR Doc. E7-4035 Filed 3-7-07; 8:45 am]
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