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The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Interagency Testing Committee (ITC) transmitted its 51st Report to the Administrator of the EPA on November 26, 2002. In the 51st ITC Report the ITC is adding 43 vanadium compounds to its Priority Testing List and removing 39 chemicals from the Priority Testing List. The ITC is asking EPA to add 43 vanadium compounds to the TSCA section 8(a) Preliminary Assessment Information Reporting (PAIR) rule and rescinding its requests to add 2 chemicals to the TSCA section 8(a) PAIR rule and 36 chemicals to the TSCA section 8(d) Health and Safety Data Reporting rule. The ITC continues to request voluntary information submissions directly from trade organizations, producers, and importers, while working to improve the utility of the Voluntary Information Submissions Innovative Online Network (VISION) and Voluntary Information Submissions Policy (VISP).

Comments, identified by docket ID number OPPT-2002-0075, must be received on or before March 28, 2003. For more information, contact Barbara Cunningham, Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, EPA at (202) 554-1404 or by e:mail at TSCA-Hotline@epa.gov. For technical information contact: John D. Walker, ITC Executive Director, EPA, at (202) 564-7526; fax: (202) 564-7528; or e-mail: walker.johnd@epa.gov. [ChemAlliance Environmental News]

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In an effort to update key scientific risk assessment methodologies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released for public review and comment draft final guidelines for cancer risk assessment, as well as a supplemental guidance for assessing early-life exposure to carcinogens. The release of these draft documents is an important step in EPA's revision of cancer risk assessment guidelines first published in 1986. These guidelines provide a framework for EPA scientists to assess possible cancer risks from exposures to environmental pollutants.

EPA has been working to revise the 1986 guidelines in light of significant advances in scientific understanding of how cancer may be caused. EPA's guiding principle for revisions to the cancer guidelines is that its cancer risk assessments be both public health protective and scientifically sound. The draft guidelines have also previously been the subject of public review and independent scientific peer review. Today's draft document reflects many of the comments and suggestions provided to EPA by various reviewers.

Because the draft final "Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment" recommend consideration of possible sensitive subpopulations and lifestages (such as childhood), EPA is also releasing for public comment a draft "Supplemental Guidance for Assessing Cancer Susceptibility from Early-Life Exposure to Carcinogens." The draft supplemental guidance is part of EPA's response to a 1994 recommendation by the National Research Council that "EPA should assess risks to infants and children whenever it appears that their risks might be greater than those of adults." Following public review and comment, the draft supplemental guidance will be peer reviewed by EPA's Science Advisory Board. [ChemAlliance Environmental News]

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