Peer Consultation Meeting on Acetone

 

An assessment on acetone, prepared under the Voluntary Children's Chemical Evaluation Program (VCCEP), will be reviewed by an expert peer consultation panel on November 18 and 19 at the University of Cincinnati. The panel will review the health risk assessment document submitted by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) Acetone Panel and discuss whether additional scientific data are needed to characterize potential health risks to children from exposure to acetone. Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA), a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, is convening this peer consultation under the Voluntary Children's Chemical Evaluation Program (VCCEP). This meeting is open to the public and more information about the meeting, including

registration, logistics, assessment document, and panel charge is available on TERA's website at

http://www.tera.org/peer/VCCEP/ACETONE/ACETONEwelcome.html.

 

Background

 

The VCCEP program is a voluntary pilot program and part of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chemical Right-to-Know Initiative <http://www.epa.gov/oppt/chemrtk/index.htm> . The goal of the VCCEP program is to enable the public to better understand the potential health risks to children associated with certain chemical exposures. EPA has asked companies that manufacture and/or import 23 chemicals (which have been found in human tissues and the environment in various monitoring programs) to volunteer for a pilot program and sponsor Tier 1 chemical evaluations. Sponsorship requires the companies

to collect or develop health effects and exposure information on their chemical(s) and then to integrate that information in a risk assessment and a "data needs" assessment. The assessments developed by the sponsors will be discussed by panels of scientific experts using a peer consultation process. Panel members will make recommendations regarding toxicity and exposure data needs in the context of children's risk and this program. Experts have experience in toxicity testing, exposure evaluation, and risk assessment.

 

TERA is responsible for convening and chairing panel meetings to evaluate the sponsors' submissions. In June of 2002, TERA independently selected a Core Panel of nine scientific experts to participate in the 2003 VCCEP Peer Consultation meetings. This selection was based on 50 nominations from stakeholder groups and the public. Prior to each meeting, TERA announces the nomination period for additional ad hoc panel members and then makes its selection considering the nominations. TERA also prepares a report for each meeting and makes this report available to the public. These peer consultation meetings are open to

the public. More information about the VCCEP is available in the December 26, 2000, Federal Register (65 FR 81700)

<http://www.epa.gov/oppt/chemrtk/ts00274d.htm> and on EPA's VCCEP <http://www.epa.gov/chemrtk/vccep/index.htm> website; and information about the Peer Consultation aspect of VCCEP can be found on TERA's website at http://www.tera.org/peer/VCCEP/VCCEPIntroduction.html.
 

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Jacqueline Patterson, M.En.

Peer Consultation and Review Program Manager

Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA)

1757 Chase Ave.

Cincinnati, OH 45223

513-521-7426

513-542-7487

patterson@tera.org

www.tera.org