The EPA on Monday, May
24, 2010, announced it has reached a significant milestone toward the
completion of the agency's dioxin reassessment with the public release of its
draft scientific report,
EPA's Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to
Dioxin Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments.
The draft dioxin
report includes an oral reference dose (RfD) for TCDD -- the most well-studied
and considered to be among the most toxic of the dioxin-like compounds. An RfD
was not in the 2003 draft dioxin reassessment.
The draft report is
the agency's response to key comments and recommendations made by the National
Academy of Sciences on the agency's draft dioxin reassessment. The EPA said it is
moving forward with Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's commitment to complete the
long-awaited dioxin reassessment. The draft report will now undergo scientific
peer review by independent, external experts, as well as public review and
comment.
The agency
previously asked the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to review EPA's 2003
draft dioxin reassessment. The NAS completed its review in 2006. The draft
report released Monday contains the agency's response to key comments and
recommendations in the NAS's 2006 report. The agency's draft report also
includes significant new analyses that relate to issues raised by the NAS,
including potential cancer and non-cancer human health effects that may result
from exposures to dioxins.
The EPA and other
federal agencies have updated a series of questions and answers to provide the
public with general information on dioxins, including what they are, where they
can be found, and major sources of dioxins. They also discuss possible effects
of dioxin exposure in humans, include advice about consumption of food that
might contain dioxins, and explain the review process for the dioxin
reassessment. To view the questions and answers visit
www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/ChemicalContaminants/DioxinsPCBs/ucm077524.htm.
The draft report is
available at
www.epa.gov/dioxin.
The
Federal Register Notice, with details on the public
comment process is at
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2010-05-21/html/2010-12280.htm.
SOURCE: Federal Register 5/23/2010
