[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 45 (Thursday, March 8, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 10529]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4035]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8284-3]


Notice of Availability of the Framework for Metals Risk 
Assessment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing 
the availability of the final ``Framework for Metals Risk Assessment'' 
(EPA 120/R-07/001, March 2007). The purpose of the Framework is to 
present key guiding principles based on the unique attributes of metals 
(as differentiated from organic and organometallic compounds) and to 
describe how these metals-specific attributes and principles may then 
be applied in the context of existing EPA risk assessment guidance and 
practices. This Framework document is not a prescriptive guide on how 
any particular type of assessment should be conducted within an EPA 
program or regional office. Rather, it outlines key metal principles 
and describes how they should be considered in conducting human health 
and ecological risk assessments to advance our understanding of metals 
impact and foster consistency across EPA programs and regions. As a 
result the Framework is a science-based document that describes basic 
principles that address the special attributes and behaviors of metals 
and metal compounds to be considered when assessing their human health 
and ecological risks. EPA's Risk Assessment Forum oversaw the 
development of this document, which included input from stakeholders 
and experts throughout the Agency, obtained through several expert 
workshops, followed by peer review by the EPA Science Advisory Board.
    The Framework sets out a variety of principles that are general, 
fundamental properties of metals, which should be addressed and 
incorporated into all inorganic metals risk assessments. The five 
overarching principles are summarized as follows: (1) Metals are 
naturally occurring constituents in the environment and vary in 
concentrations across geographic regions; (2) All environmental media 
have naturally occurring mixtures of metals, and metals are often 
introduced into the environment as mixtures; (3) Some metals are 
essential for maintaining proper health of humans, animals, plants and 
microorganisms; (4) Metals, as chemical elements, and unlike organic 
chemicals, are neither created nor destroyed by biological or chemical 
processes, although, these processes can transform metals from one 
species to another (valence states) and can convert them between 
inorganic and organic forms; and (5) The absorption, distribution, 
transformation and excretion of a metal within an organism depends on 
the metal, the form of the metal or metal compound, and the organism's 
ability to regulate and/or store the metal.

ADDRESSES: The final document is available electronically through the 
EPA Office of the Science Advisor's Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/osa/metalsframework. A limited number of paper copies will be available 
from 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 301-604-3408; e-mail lmit.com">NSCEP@bps-lmit.com. 
Please provide your name and mailing addresses and the title and EPA 
number (as given above) of the requested publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Randall S. Wentsel, Risk 
Assessment Forum Technical Writing Panel Co-chair, Mail Code 8101-R, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-3214; fax number: 
(202) 564-2070, E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In December 2002 EPA's Science Policy 
Council tasked an Agency workgroup, under the oversight of the Risk 
Assessment Forum, with developing a plan for ensuring the consistent 
application of scientific principles to metals risk assessment. A step-
wise plan was developed beginning with the Metals Action Plan (MAP), 
which included brief descriptions of the Agency's current activities on 
metals, identified critical scientific issues, and recommended the 
scope of the metals framework. The MAP was reviewed by EPA's Science 
Advisory Board. Then, EPA commissioned individual scientists to develop 
issue papers on important topics in metals risk assessment, including 
environmental chemistry, exposure, human health effects, ecological 
effects, and bioavailability and bioaccumulation. The Framework was 
developed based, in part, on these issues papers and reviewed by the 
Agency-wide workgroup. Additional workshops and peer review activities 
were conducted at multiple intervals during the development of the 
Framework, and the Agency consulted with other federal agencies at key 
points during its development. Finally, the Framework underwent 
external peer review by EPA's Science Advisory Board.

    Dated: March 1, 2007.
George M. Gray,
EPA Science Advisor.
[FR Doc. E7-4035 Filed 3-7-07; 8:45 am]
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