“The US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has extended by 30 days the comment period on its draft toxicological profile of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).
Published last month, the profile reflects minimal risk levels (MRLs) well below EPA recommended levels for four of the 14 assessed substances: PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, and PFNA. The document came amid a flurry of controversy that other federal agencies were suppressing its release, amid fears of a ‘public relations nightmare‘.
The ATSDR – which is housed under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – says it is interested in receiving ‘relevant, additional studies’ on the health effects of the substances. It will ‘evaluate the quality and relevance of such data or studies for possible inclusion in the profile’.
Among those requesting extensions were the US Chamber of Commerce, the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) chemicals products and technology division, and the Responsible Science Policy Coalition (RSPC). The lattermost group says it was formed ‘to advance the application of sound science, decisional transparency and wide public participation to governmental regulatory and semi-regulatory decision-making concerning health and environmental impact assessment of chemicals substances’.”
Read the full article by Kelly Franklin