The Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Assessment Guidelines

Abstract

In recent years, the EPA has moved toward a risk assessment/risk reduction framework for making regulatory decisions. The Agency has taken a number of steps to assure the quality and consistency of the risk assessment component of those decisions. The first, and perhaps most important of these steps, is the development of Agency-wide risk assessment guidelines. Five guidelines have been published. They are: carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, developmental toxicity, chemical mixtures, and exposure. The provisions of the five guidelines are discussed in the context of the four components of risk assessment. Other activities designed to assure quality and consistency in risk assessments, reduce uncertainty in risk assessment, ensure a more efficient information exchange about risk and risk assessment, and develop the appropriate oversight mechanisms are also discussed. These include additional guidelines, the Risk Assessment Forum, risk assessment research, the Integrated Risk Information System, the Hazard Assessment Notification System, and the Risk Assessment Council.