Chemical scoring system for hazard and exposure identification

Abstract

To assist in the preliminary evaluation of compounds of toxicological and environmental interest to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a scoring system was devised as a collaborative effort between the EPA and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The scoring system combines objective guidelines with professional judgment to evaluate chemicals and consists of 11 separate scoring parameters, 6 of which pertain directly to toxicity, e.g., aquatic toxicity and oncogenicity. The remaining parameters are related to environmental fate and occupational, consumer, and environmental exposure. The scoring system was designed to rapidly score chemicals in a minimal amount of time with readily available information. It is used by the Office of Toxic Substances of the EPA as a tool to help set priorities in conjunction with other criteria. It is particularly useful in performing preliminary evaluations involving large chemical classes, such as petroleum distillates.