A Message from the IRIS Program
IRIS Program Outlook
February 2023
The IRIS Program is committed to producing assessments in a timely and transparent manner. Table 1
describes assessments that are currently in development and their projected public release dates. The
IRIS Program is providing this information so that stakeholders are aware of upcoming assessment
products, and to allow the public and research community an opportunity to communicate relevant
research to EPA. When made public, the documents listed in Table 1 can be found at Regulations.gov in
the IRIS public comment dockets. Docket numbers are listed on the IRIS website here:
https://iris.epa.gov/Dockets/. While IRIS assessments are not proposed rulemakings, Regulations.gov
serves as both an internal portal to facilitate public comment and as a document repository for Federal
government agencies.
Projected dates are based on factors such as the scope of the assessment (e.g., size and complexity of a
chemical's evidence base)1 and resource availability. Nearer-term activities are estimated using current
Fiscal Year (FY) and Quarter. Long-term milestones are projected only for the FY due to the increased
uncertainty of projecting timelines at the Quarter level. While projected dates reflect the IRIS Program's
best estimate at this time based on available information, they are subject to change. Changes to
estimated dates typically result from additional time needed to address the scientific challenges unique
to each chemical assessment, new data, or to respond to internal, public, and/or peer review
comments, in addition to current EPA priorities and the availability of staff with the appropriate
expertise to address those challenges. The IRIS Program Outlook is updated at least three times each
calendar year (February, June, October).
Additional information regarding other pertinent products relating to IRIS assessments and IRIS Program
activities is included in Table 2 and Table 3. For questions regarding the IRIS Program activities, visit the
Contact Us page on the EPA Website. For press inquiries, visit EPA's Office of Public Affairs website.
' The scope of IRIS assessments is generally presented in the IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP). Information regarding size
of the evidence base and expected key areas of scientific complexity is available in these documents. For
information on how lAPs are developed, please see the IRIS Handbook:
https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/iris drafts/recordisplay.cfm?deid=356370.
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Table 1. IRIS Assessment Products/Activities - February 2023
Assessment
Public Product(s)/Activity
Projected Date
Arsenic, Inorganic
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on Mav 23, 2019 for a 30-dav public
comment period until June 27, 2019.
INAS review meeting Jlullv 16. 2019.
Public Comment Draft
FY23 Q3
External Peer Review
FY23 Q4
Chloroform (Inhalation)
IRIS Assessment Plan
Released on September 18, 2017 for a 30-dav
public comment period until October 18, 2017.
Public Science Meeting on September 27, 2017.
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on January 31, 2018 for a 30-dav public
comment period until March 2, 2018.
Public Comment Draft
FY23 Q4
External Peer Review
FY23 Q4
Chromium VI
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on March 15, 2019 for a 45-day public
comment period until April 29, 2019.
Public Science Meeting on April 24, 2019.
Public Comment Draft
Released on October 20, 2022 for a 60-day public
comment period until December 19, 2022.
External Peer Review
Public External Peer Review Meeting: February 15
(pre-meeting) and March 29-31, 2023. See the
SAB website.
Final
TBD
Cobalt and Cobalt Compounds
(Inhalation, Cancer)
IRIS Assessment Plan
and Protocol
Released on November 14, 2022 for a 30-dav
public comment period.
Public Science Meeting on January 11, 2023.
Public Comment Draft
FY24
External Peer Review
FY24
2
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Assessment
Public Product(s)/Activity
Projected Date
Ethvlbenzene
IRIS Assessment Plan
Released on September 18, 2017 for a 30-dav
public comment period until October 18, 2017.
Public Science Meeting on September 27, 2017.
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on Februai )23 for a 30-dav public
comment period until March 20, 2023.
Public Comment Draft
TBD
External Peer Review
TBD
Formaldehyde
Public Comment Draft
Released April 14, 2022 for a 60-dav public
comment period until June 13, 2022
External Peer Review
See the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) website
Final
TBD
Inorganic Mercury salts
IRIS Assessment Plan
Released on October 8, 2019 for a 30-dav public
comment period until November 7, 2019.
Public science meeting on December 5, 2019
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on March 11, 2021 for a 30-dav public
comment period until April 12, 2021.
Public Comment Draft
FY24
External Peer Review
FY24
Methylmercury
IRIS Assessment Plan
Released on April 4, 2019 for a 30-dav public
comment period until May 6, 2019.
Public Science Meeting on May 15, 2019
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on Mav 28, 2020 for a 45-dav public
comment period until July 13, 2,020.
Public Comment Draft
FY24
External Peer Review
FY24
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Assessment
Public Product(s)/Activity
Projected Date
Naphthalene
IRIS Assessment Plan
Released on July 5, 2018 for a 30-dav public
comment period until August 6, 2018; extended
until September 5, 2018.
Public Science meeting originally scheduled for
Systematic Review Protocol
FY23 Q2
Public Comment Draft
TBD
External Peer Review
TBD
Perfluorobutanoic Acid fPFBA)
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on November 8, 2019 for a 45-day
comment period until December 23, 2019.
Public Comment Draft
Released on August 23, 2021 for a 60-day public
comment period until October 22, 2021;
External Peer Review
Public External Peer Review Meeting: February
22-23,2022
Final
Posted December 2022
Perfluorodecanoic Acid (PFDA)
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on November 8, 2019 for a 45-dav
public comment period until December 23, 2019.
Public Comment Draft
FY23 Q2
External Peer Review
FY23 Q3
Perfluorohexanoic acid fPFHxA)
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on November 8, 2019 for a 45-dav
public comment period until December 23, 2019.
Public Comment Draft
Released on February 2, 2022 for a 60-dav public
comment period until April 4, 2022.
External Peer Review
Public External Peer Review Meeting: Mav 16-17,
2022
Peer Review Report: August 2022
Final
FY23 Q2
Perfluorohexanesulfonic Acid
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on November 8, 2019 for a 45-dav
{PFHxSl
public comment period until December 23, 2019.
Public Comment Draft
FY23 Q3
External Peer Review
FY23 Q4
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Assessment
Public Product(s)/Activity
Projected Date
Perfluorononanoic Acid (PFNA)
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on November 8, 2019 for a 45-dav
public comment period until December 23, 2019.
Public Comment Draft
FY23 Q4
External Peer Review
FY23 Q4
Polvchlorinated Biphenvls
(PCBs; Oral, Noncancer)
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on December 19, 2019 for a 30-dav
public comment period until Januarv 21, 2020.
Public Comment Draft
FY24
External Peer Review
FY25
Uranium
IRIS Assessment Plan
Released on Januarv 31, 2018 for a 30-dav public
comment period until March 2, 2018.
Public Science Meeting on March 22, 2018
Systematic Review Protocol
FY23 Q3
Public Comment Draft
TBD
External Peer Review
TBD
Vanadium and Compounds {Oral}
IRIS Assessment Plan
Released on Julv 24, 2020 for a 30-dav comment
period until August 24, 2020. Extended until
September 23, 2020.
Public Science Meeting on August 19, 2020
Systematic Review Protocol
Released on April 26, 2021 for a 30-dav public
comment period until May 26, 2021.
Public Comment Draft
FY24
External Peer Review
FY24
Vanadium and Compounds
(Inhalation)
IRIS Assessment Plan
Released on Mav 28, 2021 for a 30-dav public
comment period until June 28, 2021.
Public Science Meeting on Julv 14, 2021.
Systematic Review Protocol
FY23 Q3
Public Comment Draft
TBD
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Assessment
Public Product(s)/Activity
Projected Date
External Peer Review
TBD
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Table 2. Select Publications Related to IRIS Assessment Activities
Related Assessment
Citation
Publication Date
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
(PCBs; noncancer)
Kapraun DF, Zurlinden TJ, Verner MA, Chiang C, Dzierlenga MW, Carlson LM,
Schlosser PM, Lehmann GM. A Generic Pharmacokinetic Model for Quantifying
Mother-to-Offspring Transfer of Lipophilic Persistent Environmental Chemicals.
Toxicol Sci. 2022 Sep 24; 189(2):155-174.
doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfac084.
Published September
2022
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
(PCBs; noncancer)
Weitekamp CA, Shaffer RM, Chiang C, Lehmann GM, Christensen K. An evidence map
of polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and health outcome studies among residents
of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. Chemosphere. 2022 Nov; 306:135454.
doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere. 2022.135454.
Published November
2022
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
(PCBs; noncancer)
Carlson LM, Christensen K, Sagiv SK, Rajan P, Klocke CR, Lein PJ, Coffman E, Shaffer
RM, Yost EE, Arzuaga X, Factor-Litvak P, Sergeev A, Toborek M, Bloom MS, Trgovcich
J, Jusko TA, Robertson L, Meeker JD, Keating AF, Blain R, Silva RA, Snow S, Lin C,
Shipkowski K, Ingle B, Lehmann GM. A systematic evidence map for the evaluation of
noncancer health effects and exposures to polychlorinated biphenyl mixtures.
Environ Res. 2023 Mar 1; 220:115148.
doi:10.1016/j.envres.2022.115148.
Published Online
December 2022
PFNA
J.M. Wright, A.L. Lee, K.M. Rappazzo, H. Ru, E.G. Radke, T.F. Bateson,
Systematic review and meta-analysis of birth weight and PFNA exposures,
Environmental Res. 2023 April 1; 222:115357.
doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.115357.
Published Online
January 2023
Table 3. Other IRIS Assessment support products
Product
Public Step(s)
Date
ORD Staff Handbook for Developing IRIS Assessments
("IRIS Handbook")
Final
December 2022
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