Senate, GAO question IRIS credibility (EPA toxicology database)

[Muttocracy]

http://www.awwa.org/Publications/WaterWeekCurrent.cfm?navItemNumber=1624

Senate, GAO question IRIS credibility

The credibility of a federal database of chemical risk research is jeopardized by a new USEPA process for toxicity assessments, the Government Accountability Office told a Senate panel last week and requested that Congress suspend the changes.

The USEPA Office of Research and Development announced the 2008 updated risk-assessment process for the Integrated Risk Information System on April 10. IRIS is a database that contains information on human health effects that may result from exposure to chemical substances in the environment, including those found in drinking water.

The IRIS process consists of development of a draft toxicological review for the chemical as well as internal and external scientific reviews of the draft document, USEPA responses to comments, and the development and posting of a final toxicological review.

The portion of the new IRIS process that drew fire from GAO Director of Natural Resources John Stephenson and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., is the addition of steps that allow the White House Office of Management and Budget and other agencies, including the Department of Defense, to affect USEPA's ability to conduct toxicity assessments.

In testimony titled "Toxic Chemicals: EPA's New Assessment Process Will Increase Challenges EPA Faces in Evaluating and Regulating Chemicals," Stephenson said the IRIS database “is at serious risk of becoming obsolete because EPA has not been able to routinely complete timely, credible assessments or decrease its backlog of 70 ongoing assessments ― a total of four were completed in fiscal years 2006 and 2007."

(continues)

[eppur_se_muova]

1. More WH interference, calling it 'regulatory reform'.

'Reform' to neocons means "destroy".