Research Plan Needed For Biomonitoring

EPA needs a comprehensive strategy for biomonitoring research that could help the agency assess the risks of commercial chemicals, according to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. This strategy, GAO says, should identify the factors that are preventing the agency from using biomonitoring data, which is information about the presence of industrial chemicals in people’s tissues or bodily fluids. More research is needed to understand whether levels of chemicals measured in people present health concerns. EPA should coordinate its efforts in this area with other federal agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, as well as with states, GAO says in testimony presented to the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee earlier this month. Last year, GAO recommended that EPA determine whether it has the authority under the Toxic Substances Control Act to require chemical manufacturers to conduct biomonitoring to check for the presence of their products in people’s bodies (C&EN, June 15, 2009, page 21). But the agency has not yet done so, GAO adds.