[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 101 (Tuesday, May 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 28825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13179]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7503-5]


Framework for Cumulative Risk Assessment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of a final report.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Assessment 
Forum (RAF) announces the availability of a final report, Framework for 
Cumulative Risk Assessment (EPA/630/P-02/001F, April 2002).

ADDRESSES: The document is available electronically through the Risk 
Assessment Forum's Web site (http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/raf/recordisplay.cfm?deid=54944). A limited number of paper copies will be 
available from the EPA's National Service Center for Environmental 
Publications (NSCEP), P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, OH 45242; telephone: 
1-800-490-9198 or 513-489-8190; facsimile: 513-489-8695. Please provide 
your name and mailing address and the title and EPA number of the 
requested publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Callahan, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency Region 6, Mail Code 6RA, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 
1200, Dallas, TX 75202-2733; telephone: 214-665-2787; facsimile: 214-
665-6648; e mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Several reports, including the National 
Research Council's (NRC) 1994 report ``Science and Judgment in Risk 
Assessment,'' have highlighted the importance of understanding the 
accumulation of risks from multiple environmental stressors. These 
reports, as well as legislation such as the Food Quality Protection Act 
of 1996 (FQPA), urged EPA to move beyond single chemical assessments 
and to focus, in part, on the cumulative effects of chemical exposures 
occurring simultaneously. In 1999, EPA's Risk Assessment Forum (Forum) 
began development of EPA-wide cumulative risk assessment guidance. The 
Framework for Cumulative Risk Assessment (Framework) is the result of 
the efforts of a Forum Technical Panel.
    The Framework is the first step in a long-term effort to develop 
Agency-wide cumulative risk assessment guidance. Building on EPA's 
growing experience with cumulative risk assessment, the Framework is 
intended to foster consistent approaches to cumulative risk assessment 
in EPA, identify key issues, and define terms used in these 
assessments. The Framework identifies the basic elements of the 
cumulative risk assessment process and provides a flexible structure 
for conducting and evaluating cumulative risk assessment, and for 
addressing scientific issues related to cumulative risk. Although this 
Framework report will serve as a foundation for developing future 
guidance, it is neither a procedural guide nor a regulatory requirement 
within EPA, and it is expected to evolve with experience. The Framework 
is not an attempt to lay out protocols to address all the risks or 
considerations that are needed to adequately inform community 
decisions. Rather, it is an information document focused on describing 
various aspects of cumulative risk.
    Earlier drafts of the document served as background pieces for peer 
consultations with State, and Federal, and other peer groups. An 
external peer review, open to the public, was held in June 2002. Draft 
documents were revised based on input received during the peer review 
process, and from public review and comment.

    Dated: May 15, 2003.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 03-13179 Filed 5-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P