Children's Environmental Health Newsletter June 2019 Be Sun Safe While some exposure to sunlight can be enjoyable, too much can be dangerous. Overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can result in a painful sunburn. It can also lead to more serious health problems, including skin cancer, premature aging of the skin, cataracts and other eye damage, and immune system suppression. Children are particularly at risk. Recent medical research shows that it is important to protect children and young adults from overexposure to UV radiation. For babies under 6 months, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding sun exposure, and dressing infants in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts and brimmed hats. For more information about sun safety, click here. The Office of Children's Health Protection at EPA has developed this newsletter to get you engaged in children's environmental health activities occurring throughout the agency. Here, you can access information on opportunities for public comment on EPA rulemakings, risk assessments, upcoming outreach events, grant opportunities, and other federal children's environmental health announcements. In This Month's Bulletin Announcements & Updates • EPA Makes it Easier to Find Information on Pesticide Registration Review Actions Public Comment Opportunities • June 24, 2019 - Request for Nominations of Candidates to EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) and SAB Standing Committees • June 27, 2019 - EPA Seeks Nominations for the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee • June 27, 2019 - Updated Problem Formulation and Protocol for the Inorganic Arsenic (iAs) IRIS Assessment • July 5, 2019 - Glyphosate Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision • EPA Seeks Comment on Proposed Options for Regulating Perchlorate in Drinking Water: 60 Day Public Comment Period ------- Announcements & Updates EPA Makes it Easier to Find Information on Pesticide Registration Review Actions To increase transparency and ensure information is easily accessible, EPA has created a new web-based table of the most recent pesticide registration review actions. Making this information available in one place on our website will save stakeholders time, energy, and resources. This provides an alternative to searching individual Federal Register notices on each registration review action. Stakeholders and the public can now quickly locate and sort through the following information for each active ingredient with a recent registration review action: The docket number (with a direct link to the docket); Comment period deadline (if applicable); Case number; Designated division; Registration review action type; and Contact information for the chemical review manager. This new table also provides direct links to dockets, making it easy to access supporting information and documents related to a pesticide's registration review. EPA plans to continuously update this table as new registration review actions occur. Learn more: • Table of recent registration review actions • Registration review process • Registration review schedule Public Comment Opportunities Request for Nominations of Candidates to EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) and SAB Standing Committees by June 24, 2019 EPA invites nominations of scientific experts from a diverse range of disciplines to be considered for appointment to EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) and four SAB committees described in this notice. Appointments will be announced by the Administrator and are anticipated to be filled by the start of Fiscal Year 2020 (October 2019). Nominations should be submitted in time to arrive no laterthan June 24, 2019. Members of the SAB constitute distinguished bodies of non-EPA scientists, engineers, economists, and behavioral scientists who are nationally and internationally recognized experts in their respective fields. Members are appointed by the EPA Administrator for a three-year term and serve as Special Government Employees who provide independent expert advice to the agency. Additional information about the SAB is available at http://www.epa.gov/sab. Expertise sought for the SAB: The chartered SAB provides strategic advice to the EPA Administrator on a variety of EPA science and research programs. All of the work of SAB ------- committees and panels is conducted under the auspices of the chartered SAB. The chartered SAB reviews all SAB committee and panel draft reports and determines whether they are appropriate to send to the EPA Administrator. The SAB Staff Office invites the nomination of experts to serve on the chartered SAB in the following scientific disciplines as they relate to human health and the environment; Analytical chemistry; benefit-cost analysis; causal inference; complex systems; ecological sciences and ecological assessment; economics; engineering; forestry geochemistry; health sciences; hydrology; hydrogeology; medicine; microbiology; modeling; pediatrics; public health; risk assessment; social, behavioral and decision sciences; statistics; toxicology; epidemiology; and uncertainty analysis. The SAB Staff Office is especially interested in scientists in the disciplines described above who have knowledge and experience in air quality; agricultural sciences; atmospheric sciences; benefit-cost analysis; complex systems; drinking water; energy and the environment; epidemiological risk analyses; dose-response, exposure, and physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling; water quality; water quantity and reuse; ecosystem services; community environmental health; sustainability; chemical safety; green chemistry; and waste management. The SAB Staff Office is also seeking nominations of experts for possible vacancies on four SAB standing committees. 1. The SAB Agricultural Science Committee (ASC) provides advice to the chartered SAB on matters that have been determined to have a significant direct impact on farming and agriculture-related industries. The SAB Staff Office invites the nomination of scientists with expertise in one or more of the following disciplines: Agricultural science, including agricultural economics and valuation of ecosystem goods and services; agricultural chemistry; agricultural engineering; agronomy and soil science; animal science; aquaculture science; biofuel engineering; biotechnology; crop science and phytopathology; environmental chemistry; forestry; and hydrology. 2. The SAB Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee (CAAC) provides advice through the chartered SAB regarding selected toxicological reviews of environmental chemicals. The SAB Staff Office invites the nomination of scientists with experience in chemical assessments and expertise in one or more of the following disciplines: Toxicology, including, developmental/reproductive toxicology, and inhalation toxicology; carcinogenesis; biostatistics; uncertainty analysis; epidemiology and risk assessment. 3. The SAB Drinking Water Committee (DWC) provides advice on the scientific and technical aspects of EPA's national drinking water program. The SAB Staff Office is seeking nominations of experts with experience on drinking water issues. Members should have expertise in one or more of the following disciplines; Environmental engineering; epidemiology; microbiology; public health; toxicology; uncertainty analysis; and risk assessment. 4. The Radiation Advisory Committee (RAC) provides advice on radiation protection, radiation science, and radiation risk assessment. The SAB Staff Office invites the nomination of experts to serve on the RAC with demonstrated expertise in the following disciplines: Radiation carcinogenesis; radiochemistry; radiation dosimetry; radiation epidemiology; radiation exposure; radiation health and safety; radiological risk assessment; uncertainty analysis; and radionuclide fate and transport. For more information, see: https://www.qovinfo.qov/content/pkq/FR-2019-05-23/pdf/2019- 10819.pdf EPA Seeks Nominations for the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee by June 27, 2019 • EPA is accepting nominations for membership on the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC). Established in 1995, the PPDC is a diverse group of stakeholders chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to provide feedback to EPA on various pesticide regulatory, policy, and program implementation issues. ------- • To maintain a broad representation of members for the PPDC, nominees will be selected from among the following: o Federal, state, local, and tribal governments; o Pesticide industry and trade associations; o Pesticide users; o Grower and commodity groups; o Environmental and public interest groups; o Farm worker organizations; o Public health organizations; o Animal welfare groups; and o Academia. • For additional information, read the Federal Register notice on nominations for the PPDC or contact the designated federal officer (DFO), Shannon Jewell, at (703) 347-0109 or at: iewell.shannon@epa.gov. • Learn more about the PPDC at: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-advisorv-committees-and- regulatorv-partners/pesticide-program-dialogue-committee-ppdc. Updated Problem Formulation and Protocol for the Inorganic Arsenic (iAs) IRIS Assessment: Public Comments by June 27, 2019 EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program is announcing a 30-day public comment period associated with the Updated Problem Formulation and Protocol for the Inorganic Arsenic IRIS Assessment. The comment period ends on June 27, 2019. Additionally, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) will convene an ad hoc committee meeting on July 16, 2019, to evaluate the protocol and associated documents. Registration is open until July 16, 2019. Comments should be submitted to Docket ID: EPA-HQ-QRD-2012-0830 on Regulations.gov. For more information on this document and the public comment period, please visit the Federal Register and the EPA IRIS website. Glyphosate Proposed Interim Registration Review Decision, Comment by July 5, 2019 In April 2019, EPA released the Glyphosate Proposed Interim Decision for public comment. As part of this action, EPA continues to find that there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label and that glyphosate is not a carcinogen. The agency's scientific findings on human health risk are consistent with the conclusions of science reviews by many other countries and other federal agencies. EPA is proposing management measures to help farmers target pesticide sprays on intended pests, protect pollinators, and reduce the problem of weeds becoming resistant to glyphosate. Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in U.S. agriculture and has been studied for decades. Glyphosate is used on more than 100 food crops, including glyphosate-resistant corn, soybean, cotton, canola and sugar beet. Non-agricultural uses include residential areas, aquatic areas, forests, rights of way, ornamentals and turf. Click here to see the Federal Register announcement [May 6, 2019] Click here to see the Glyphosate Proposed Interim Decision for Registration Review [Docket EPA- HQ-OPP-2009-0361 ] Click here to provide comments. ------- EPA Seeks Comment on Proposed Options for Regulating Perchlorate in Drinking Water: 60 Day Public Comment Period On May 23, 2019, EPA released a notice of proposed rulemaking that seeks public input on a range of options regarding the regulation of perchlorate in public drinking water systems. The agency is seeking comment on a proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for perchlorate to establish a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) and a health-based Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) at 56 micrograms per liter. In addition, the agency is seeking comment on three alternative regulatory options: • An MCL and MCLG for perchlorate set at 18 micrograms per liter. • An MCL and MCLG for perchlorate set at 90 micrograms per liter. • Withdrawal of the agency's 2011 determination to regulate perchlorate in drinking water. The agency is requesting comment on all relevant aspects of the proposed rule but is especially interested in the perchlorate monitoring and reporting requirements for public water systems and a list of treatment technologies that would enable water systems to comply with the MCL, including affordable compliance technologies for small systems serving 10,000 persons or less. EPA is also requesting comment on its methodology for deriving the MCLG, the underlying assumptions and analysis of its cost and benefit estimates, and other specific items listed in the proposed rule. Perchlorate is commonly used in solid rocket propellants, munitions, fireworks, airbag initiators for vehicles, matches, and signal flares. Perchlorate may occur naturally, particularly in arid regions such as the southwestern United States and is found as an impurity in hypochlorite solutions used for drinking water treatment and nitrate salts used to produce nitrate fertilizers, explosives, and other products. EPA will accept public comment on the proposal for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register via http://www.reaulations.gov [Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0780], For more information and to view the pre-publication version of the Federal Register Notice, visit https://www.epa.gov/dwstandardsreaulations/perchlorate-drinkina-water ------- |