Meeting Minutes and Final Report for May 2023 SACC Meeting for the Review of Draft Documents Related to Cumulative Risk Assessment under TSCA
The meeting minutes and final report are now available for the May 8-11, 2023, Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) virtual meeting regarding the review of two draft documents related to cumulative risk assessment under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
Earlier this year, EPA released for public comment and peer review a set of principles for evaluating cumulative risks under TSCA and an approach for applying those principles to the evaluation of the cumulative risk posed by certain phthalate chemicals undergoing TSCA section 6 risk evaluation:
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Draft Proposed Principles of Cumulative Risk Assessment Under the Toxic Substances Control Act: This document discusses what cumulative risk assessment is and how it could be used in the scientific and regulatory context of TSCA. A cumulative risk assessment will not always be the best approach, or possible to complete in the statutory timeframes provided for TSCA risk evaluations. But when chemicals are sufficiently similar toxicologically and are found to present co-exposures (i.e., meaning people are at exposed to multiple chemicals at the same time), a cumulative risk assessment may be appropriate.
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Draft Proposed Approach for Cumulative Risk Assessment of High-Priority Phthalates and a Manufacturer Requested Phthalate Under the Toxic Substance Control Act: This document describes a proposed methodology for evaluating cumulative risk for the seven phthalate chemicals currently under review. EPA presents evidence in its approach, submitted for public comment and peer review, that six of the chemicals - DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP, DCHP and DINP, (excluding DIDP) - are toxicologically similar, pose an additive hazard, and there is co-exposure from these chemicals to the U.S. population. Therefore, EPA is proposing to group these phthalates for cumulative risk assessment under TSCA as described in the “Draft Proposed Approach” document. This proposed approach is not itself a cumulative risk assessment nor does it make a finding of risk, but rather it is a methodology that EPA proposes to use and seeks public input about and peer review on.
The SACC meeting minutes and final report are available in docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2021-0918 and on the SACC meeting webpage.
The SACC serves as a scientific peer review mechanism of EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. It provides independent scientific advice and recommendations to EPA on the scientific basis for risk assessments, methodologies and pollution prevention measures and approaches for chemicals regulated under TSCA.
For additional information, contact the Designated Federal Official, Dr. Alaa Kamel at kamel.alaa@epa.gov.