ORAU Assists EPA with IRIS Chemical Assessments
ORAU manages the external review process of IRIS chemical assessments to ensure objective, quality reports.
The United States' Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) maintains the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). IRIS is a database that contains consensus scientific positions on potential adverse human health effects that may result from chronic (or lifetime) exposure to chemicals in the environment. IRIS currently provides health information on over 500 chemical substances.
Once human health assessments and IRIS summaries are produced by the NCEA and have gone through an internal review, they must be peer reviewed by external experts. It is important that outside experts evaluate the accuracy of the content and interpretation of the findings presented in these documents. This is where Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) comes in. ORAU manages the external review process of IRIS chemical assessments in a way that ensures objectivity and delivers quality, useful reports back to the NCEA.
ORAU has provided assistance to EPA's IRIS since 2003, including:
- Technical reviews of human health chemical risk assessments.
- Reviews of supporting documents.
- A workshop to address research needs.
EPA’s IRIS database is a critical tool for protecting public health through risk assessment and management. IRIS provides users with consistent information on specific chemical substances to aid them in decision-making and regulatory activities. ORAU manages external peer reviews of IRIS documents with a focus on scientific objectivity, integrity, quality, and transparency.