| March 10, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 5:
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EPA Issues Guidelines for Assessing Cancer Risks
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently issued near final guidelines for agency scientists and other risk assessors to use in assessing cancer risks from chemicals or other environmental agents.
In the draft Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment, announced in the Federal Register March 3, EPA proposes using five descriptors to characterize a chemical’s potential for human carcinogenicity: carcinogenic to humans; likely to be carcinogenic to humans; suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential; inadequate information to assess carcinogenic potential; and not likely to be carcinogenic to humans.
Along with the draft guidelines, EPA also released supplemental guidance for assessing early-life exposure to carcinogens, acknowledging that children are much more likely to get cancer from exposure to certain chemicals.
The publication of this draft marks a final step in the revision of guidelines first published in 1986. EPA will be accepting public comments on the draft until May 1.