EPA has scheduled a two-day “state of the science workshop” to inform its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment of hexavalent chromium (Cr-VI). Divided into two sessions held via webinar/teleconference only on September 19 and 25 (9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT each day), the workshop will focus on key scientific issues expected to inform EPA’s IRIS assessment and, eventually, any potential federal regulation of Cr-VI in drinking water.
The first workshop session will focus on gastrointestinal tract processes that affect the absorption and transmission of Cr-VI and its conversion into non-toxic trivalent chromium, especially at low doses. The second session will explore exposure factors affecting susceptible human populations and lifestages. Each session will feature a panel of experts “representing scientific areas related to the reduction and absorption of ingested hexavalent chromium, including metals chemistry, toxicokinetics, and GI physiology and pathology.”
The workshops are open to the public and should provide a good preview of the latest science that may be used to develop a federal-level drinking water standard for Cr-VI in the near future. Additional information on the workshop, including registration information, is available at EPA’s Hexavalent Chromium Workshop webpage.