EPA Calls for Nominations of Peer Reviewers for Formaldehyde
Released December 22, 2023
The Environmental Protection Agency is calling for nominations of prospective candidates to assist the Agency’s Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) by serving as ad hoc reviewers to consult on components of EPA’s risk evaluation of formaldehyde that will be used to inform risk management decisions under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Nominations are due no later than 30 days after publication of the Federal Register Notice via email to the Designated Federal Official, Tamue Gibson (gibson.tamue@epa.gov).
The SACC peer review is planned for a four-day public meeting anticipated to be scheduled for May 2024. Recommendations from the formaldehyde SACC review will be considered in the development of the TSCA and FIFRA risk evaluations. The Agency will be seeking SACC review of its data analyses and methodologies relevant to human health and ecological hazard, including the value that will be used to evaluate chronic inhalation exposures, as well as exposure analyses that have not been previously peer reviewed.
Individuals nominated for this review should therefore have expertise in one or more of the following areas: indoor air quality, ambient air quality, air modeling and monitoring, risk assessment, inhalation toxicology, dermal sensitization, statistics with experience in air quality data, epidemiology, and toxicology with expertise in interpreting gastrointestinal toxicity data associated with oral chemical exposure. See the Federal Register notice for further details regarding the needed expertise and intended focus of the peer review.
When nominating a candidate, do not submit any information you consider to be confidential business information or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Members of the public should also be aware that personal contact information, if included in any written comments, may be posted on the internet.
Prospective candidates will be asked to submit confidential financial information which shall fully disclose, among other financial interests, the candidate's employment, stocks and bonds, and where applicable, sources of research support. EPA will evaluate the candidates' financial disclosure forms to assess whether there are financial conflicts of interest, appearance of a loss of impartiality, or any prior involvement with the development of the documents under consideration (including previous scientific peer review) before the candidate is considered further.
The SACC serves as a scientific peer review mechanism of EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. It provides independent scientific advice and recommendations to EPA on the scientific basis for risk assessments, methodologies and pollution prevention measures and approaches for chemicals regulated under TSCA.
For more information, please view the Federal Register notice or contact the Designated Federal Official, Tamue Gibson (gibson.tamue@epa.gov).