Support for Existing Chemical Risk Evaluations

Protecting human health and the environment from potential risks associated with toxic chemicals is one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s missions. EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics leads work, under the Toxic Substances Control Act, to identify chemical substances used in industrial processes, conduct risk evaluations to determine whether they present an unreasonable risk, and implement risk management strategies that mitigate the risk. To help manage the large volume of work involved, OPPT sought contractor support and selected ERG.

ERG has helped OPPT accomplish this goal by supporting every OPPT Chemical Risk Evaluation since the program’s inception in 2016. Our chemical engineers, environmental scientists, and industrial hygienists have:

• Reviewed and evaluated thousands of data sources on industrial and commercial uses of toxic chemicals and their related environmental releases and occupational exposures.
• Identified, evaluated, synthesized, and integrated data utilizing the TSCA Systematic Review Protocol to develop objective, transparent chemical risk evaluations that rely on the best available science.
• Analyzed occupational inhalation monitoring data and measured/reported environmental release data from industrial and commercial processes.
• Developed modeling approaches to accurately estimate releases to environmental media and occupational inhalation and dermal exposures to chemicals.
• Evaluated administrative controls, engineering controls, personal protective equipment, and other risk management practices to reduce occupational exposures to toxic chemicals.
• Compiled and documented results in risk evaluation reports to communicate EPA’s approaches and risk findings to interested stakeholders and the public.
• Determined the weight of scientific evidence of the results of environmental release and occupational exposure assessments.
• Supported peer review meetings for chemical risk evaluations, including development of meeting materials and post-meeting comment response documents.