Consensus
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) conducted a systematic review of the evidence of adverse neurodevelopmental and cognitive effects of fluoride exposure. NTP's conclusions are summarized in the monograph Systematic Review of Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects.
At the request of NTP, a committee convened by the National Academies reviewed their monograph to ensure the integrity of that report. It is important to note that the committee was tasked with reviewing the monograph and focused its efforts on evaluating whether evidence as presented in the monograph supported NTP's conclusions. Thus, it did not conduct its own independent evaluation of the evidence, and it did not conduct a data audit. However, it did review some key literature to enable its review of the monograph. Review of the Draft NTP Monograph contains findings and suggestions for improvements and some overarching findings concerning methods, assessment of animal and human evidence, and NTP's hazard conclusion.
60 pages
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6 x 9
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-67314-3
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25715
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Review of the Draft NTP Monograph: Systematic Review of Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Health Effects. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Consensus
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a solvent that is used as a degreasing agent, a chemical intermediate in refrigerant manufacture, and a component of spot removers and adhesives. It is produced in mass quantities but creates dangerous vapors and is an environmental contaminant at many industrial and government facilities, including facilities run by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). It is important to determine the safe occupational exposure level (OEL) for the solvent in order to protect the health of workers who are exposed to its vapors. However, there are concerns that the current occupational standards insufficiently protect workers from these health threats.
Review of DOD's Approach to Deriving an Occupational Exposure Level for Trichloroethylene makes recommendations to improve the DoD's approach to developing an OEL for TCE, strengthen transparency of the process, and improve confidence in the final OEL value. This report reviews the DoD's approach using a literature review, evidence synthesis based on weight of evidence [WOE], point-of-departure derivation, physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling, extrapolation tools, and explores other elements of the process of deriving an OEL for TCE. It examines scientific approaches to developing exposure values and cancer risk levels, defining the scope of the problem, and improving hazard identification.
76 pages
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6 x 9
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-49924-0
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49925-9
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25610
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Review of DOD's Approach to Deriving an Occupational Exposure Level for Trichloroethylene. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Consensus
The Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) is a program within the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that is responsible for developing toxicologic assessments of environmental contaminants. An IRIS assessment contains hazard identifications and dose-response assessments of various chemicals related to cancer and noncancer outcomes. Although the program was created to increase consistency among toxicologic assessments within the agency, federal, state, and international agencies and other organizations have come to rely on IRIS assessments for setting regulatory standards, establishing exposure guidelines, and estimating risks to exposed populations.
The EPA has been working on its IRIS assessment of inorganic arsenic (iAs) for many years, and recently released its plans for completing it in the Updated Problem Formulation and Protocol for the Inorganic Arsenic IRIS Assessment. Much of the update was made in response to recommendations in a 2013 report made by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The National Academies recently convened another evaluation of whether the various elements of the IRIS iAs assessment plan are appropriate to synthesize the scientific evidence and quantitate estimates of iAs toxicity. Review of EPA's IRIS Assessment Plan for Inorganic Arsenic explores the EPA's approach to prioritizing health outcomes, EPA's systematic review methods, EPA's consideration of potential health effects from early life exposures, mode-of-action information to inform dose-response analyses, and various approaches to investigate dose-response relationships.
27 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49700-0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25558
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Review of EPA's Updated Problem Formulation and Protocol for the Inorganic Arsenic IRIS Assessment. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technological invention that promises to transform everyday life and the world. Investment and enthusiasm for AI—or the ability of machines to carry out "smart" tasks—are driven largely by advancements in the subfield of machine learning. Machine learning algorithms can analyze large volumes of complex data to find patterns and make predictions, often exceeding the accuracy and efficiency of people who are attempting the same task. Powered by a tremendous growth in data collection and availability as well as computing power and accessibility, AI and machine learning applications are becoming commonplace in many aspects of modern society, as well as in a growing number of scientific disciplines.
On June 6-7, 2019, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a 2-day workshop to explore emerging applications and implications of AI and machine learning in environmental health research and decisions. Speakers highlighted the use of AI and machine learning to characterize sources of pollution, predict chemical toxicity, and estimate human exposures to contaminants, among other applications. Though promising, questions remain about the use of AI and machine learning in environmental health research and public policy decisions. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
12 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49543-1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25520
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Advance Environmental Health Research and Decisions: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Infectious diseases are among the top five leading causes of death worldwide. Scientists have long known that the environment plays a defining role in the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. However, the relationships among human exposures to environmental pollution; rapid environmental change; and the emergence, spread, and persistence of infectious diseases are not yet well understood. Emerging findings suggest that exposure to environmental pollutants such as airborne particulate matter, industrial chemicals, and heavy metals may alter the immune system, increasing human susceptibility to infection. New research findings show that the microbiome of humans and ecosystems also play important roles in infection. Nonetheless, the fields of environmental health and infectious diseases largely operate distinctly from one another even though research on the interplay between these fields could inform new health practices, public health research, and public health policy.
On January 15-16, 2019, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a 2-day workshop to explore emerging evidence on the interactions among environmental stressors, infectious diseases, and human health. The workshop brought together a multidisciplinary group, including experts in infectious disease, global public health, toxicology, epidemiology, and science policy, to discuss the emerging science and its implications for decisions about research and public policy. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
12 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49467-2
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25493
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Toward Understanding the Interplay of Environmental Stressors, Infectious Diseases, and Human Health: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Over the past decade, single-molecule and single-cell technologies have rapidly advanced healthcare research by enabling scientists to isolate individual cells. On March 7-8, 2019, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a 2-day workshop to explore new single-cell and single-molecule analysis technologies. The participants discussed different uses of new cell technologies, valuable tools and lessons for data analysis, the challenges of translating single-cell genomics to the clinic, and applications in environmental health. This publication briefly summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
12 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49466-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25492
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. The Promise of Single-Cell and Single-Molecule Analysis Tools to Advance Environmental Health Research: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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In the 1970s, flame retardants began to be added to synthetic materials to meet strict flammability standards. Over the years, diverse flame retardants have been manufactured and used in various products. Some flame retardants have migrated out of the products, and this has led to widespread human exposure and environmental contamination. There also is mounting evidence that many flame retardants are associated with adverse human health effects. As a result, some flame retardants have been banned, restricted, or voluntarily phased out of production and use.
This publication develops a scientifically based scoping plan to assess additive, nonpolymeric organohalogen flame retardants as a class for potential chronic health hazards under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, including cancer, birth defects, and gene mutations.
102 pages
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8.5 x 11
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-49118-5
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49119-3
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25412
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. A Class Approach to Hazard Assessment of Organohalogen Flame Retardants. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Consensus
During the past century, the Everglades, one of the world's treasured ecosystems, has been dramatically altered by drainage and water management infrastructure that was intended to improve flood management, urban water supply, and agricultural production. The remnants of the original Everglades now compete for water with urban and agricultural interests and are impaired by contaminated runoff from these two sectors. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a joint effort launched by the state and the federal government in 2000, seeks to reverse the decline of the ecosystem. The multibillion-dollar project was originally envisioned as a 30- to 40-year effort to achieve ecological restoration by reestablishing the natural hydrologic characteristics of the Everglades, where feasible, and to create a water system that serves the needs of both the natural and the human systems of South Florida.
Over the past two years, impressive progress has been made in planning new CERP projects, and the vision for CERP water storage is now becoming clear. Construction and completion of authorized CERP projects will likely take several decades, and at this pace of restoration, it is even more imperative that agencies anticipate and design for the Everglades of the future.
This seventh biennial review assesses the progress made in meeting the goals of the CERP and provides an in-depth review of CERP monitoring, with particular emphasis on project-level monitoring and assessment. It reviews developments in research and assessment that inform restoration decision making, and identifies issues for in-depth evaluation considering new CERP program developments, policy initiatives, or improvements in scientific knowledge that have implications for restoration progress.
242 pages
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7 x 10
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-47978-9
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47979-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25198
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Seventh Biennial Review - 2018. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Consensus
Environmental engineers support the well-being of people and the planet in areas where the two intersect. Over the decades the field has improved countless lives through innovative systems for delivering water, treating waste, and preventing and remediating pollution in air, water, and soil. These achievements are a testament to the multidisciplinary, pragmatic, systems-oriented approach that characterizes environmental engineering.
Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges outlines the crucial role for environmental engineers in this period of dramatic growth and change. The report identifies five pressing challenges of the 21st century that environmental engineers are uniquely poised to help advance: sustainably supply food, water, and energy; curb climate change and adapt to its impacts; design a future without pollution and waste; create efficient, healthy, resilient cities; and foster informed decisions and actions.
124 pages
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7.5 x 11
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-47652-6
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47653-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25121
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Coal remains one of the principal sources of energy for the United States, and the nation has been a world leader in coal production for more than 100 years. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration projections to 2050, coal is expected to be an important energy resource for the United States. Additionally, metallurgical coal used in steel production remains an important national commodity. However, coal production, like all other conventional mining activities, creates dust in the workplace. Respirable coal mine dust (RCMD) comprises the size fraction of airborne particles in underground mines that can be inhaled by miners and deposited in the distal airways and gas-exchange region of the lung. Occupational exposure to RCMD has long been associated with lung diseases common to the coal mining industry, including coal workers' pneumoconiosis, also known as "black lung disease."
Monitoring and Sampling Approaches to Assess Underground Coal Mine Dust Exposures compares the monitoring technologies and sampling protocols currently used or required by the United States, and in similarly industrialized countries for the control of RCMD exposure in underground coal mines. This report assesses the effects of rock dust mixtures and their application on RCMD measurements, and the efficacy of current monitoring technologies and sampling approaches. It also offers science-based conclusions regarding optimal monitoring and sampling strategies to aid mine operators' decision making related to reducing RCMD exposure to miners in underground coal mines.
168 pages
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6 x 9
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-47601-1
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47602-X
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25111
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Monitoring and Sampling Approaches to Assess Underground Coal Mine Dust Exposures. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Understanding, quantifying, and tracking atmospheric methane and emissions is essential for addressing concerns and informing decisions that affect the climate, economy, and human health and safety. Atmospheric methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. While carbon dioxide is by far the dominant cause of the rise in global average temperatures, methane also plays a significant role because it absorbs more energy per unit mass than carbon dioxide does, giving it a disproportionately large effect on global radiative forcing. In addition to contributing to climate change, methane also affects human health as a precursor to ozone pollution in the lower atmosphere.
Improving Characterization of Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States summarizes the current state of understanding of methane emissions sources and the measurement approaches and evaluates opportunities for methodological and inventory development improvements. This report will inform future research agendas of various U.S. agencies, including NOAA, the EPA, the DOE, NASA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
250 pages
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7 x 10
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-47050-1
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47054-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/24987
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Improving Characterization of Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in the United States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Between 1942 and 1975, the U.S. Army conducted tests on human subjects to study the effects of a variety of agents, including chemical warfare agents, biological agents, medications, vaccines, and other substances. The tests investigated the immediate or short-term health effects from acute exposure to understand vulnerabilities to attack. Whether the exposures could have resulted in long-term health consequences to the test subjects has been assessed periodically, and the Army is required to notify subjects of information relating to potential health effects associated with exposure to the test agents. Most recently, a 2016 court injunction directed the Army to provide test subjects with new information about potential long-term health effects associated with their exposures, and to provide medical care if an injury or illness could be attributed to their participation in an Army chemical or biological testing program. In support of the first requirement, the Army contracted a report, Assessment of Potential Long-Term Health Effects on Army Human Test Subjects of Relevant Biological and Chemical Agents, Drugs, Medications and Substances: Literature Review and Analysis (the Report), to determine whether new information published since 2006 should be provided to the veterans.
At the request of the Army, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine formed an ad hoc committee that was tasked with conducting an independent review of the Report. The committee assessed whether the Report appropriately identified potential long-term health effects that could have resulted from test exposures using an adequate weight-of-evidence approach. The general approach for evaluating agent- and outcome-specific associations as outlined in the Army Memorandum was also reviewed. An interim report of its overarching findings and their supporting evidence was prepared in February 2018. This final report provides additional detail about the basis of the committee's findings and recommendations. No new findings or recommendations have been added to this report.
66 pages
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6 x 9
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47416-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25065
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Review of Report and Approach to Evaluating Long-Term Health Effects in Army Test Subjects. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Integrating large quantities of data from multiple, disparate sources can create new opportunities to understand complex environmental health questions. Currently, efforts are under way to develop methods to reliably integrate data from sources or designed experiments that are not traditionally used in environmental health research, such as electronic health records (EHRs), geospatial datasets, and crowd-based sources. However, combining new types and larger quantities of data to inform a specific decision also presents many new challenges.
On February 20-21, 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop to explore the promise and potential pitfalls of environmental health data integration. The workshop brought together a multidisciplinary group of scientists, policy makers, risk assessors, and regulators to discuss the topic. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
11 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47728-X
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25139
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Informing Environmental Health Decisions Through Data Integration: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Advances in genome editing - the process for making precise additions, deletions, and alterations of DNA and RNA - have opened the door for studying biological mechanisms of health and disease. On January 10-11, 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Standing Committee on Emerging Science for Environmental Health Decisions held a 2-day workshop to explore what role genome and epigenome editing tools could play in advancing environmental health research and decision-making. This publication highlights the presentation and discussion of the workshop.
12 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47715-8
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25136
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. The Promise of Genome Editing Tools to Advance Environmental Health Research: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Advances in new tools and tests of chemical toxicity—from high throughput, cell-based, in vitro studies to tissue chips to environment-wide association studies—have led to a new understanding about the effects of chemical exposures in humans. These new approaches are faster, less expensive, and increasingly more relevant to human exposures than legacy animal toxicity testing approaches. Additionally, the passage of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (Lautenberg Act), which amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), has encouraged opportunities for industry and government agencies to use data from emerging toxicity testing approaches, particularly in risk assessment and analysis contexts. However, many questions remain about whether and how to make the paradigm shift away from traditional approaches and toward using new data streams as the basis for the wide array of research, policy, and regulatory decisions facing the environmental health field.
On November 20-22, 2017, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a 2-day workshop to explore key factors that influence how scientists, policy makers, risk assessors, and regulators incorporate new science into their decisions. This workshop aimed to raise awareness about the questions and trade-offs that need to be addressed in order to facilitate a systematic use of data from new and emerging approaches to toxicity testing to maximize confidence and public health protection. This publication briefly summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
8 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47714-X
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25135
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Understanding Pathways to a Paradigm Shift in Toxicity Testing and Decision-Making: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Over the past several years, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been transforming the procedures of its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), a program that produces hazard and dose‒response assessments of environmental chemicals and derives toxicity values that can be used to estimate risks posed by exposures to them. The transformation was initiated after suggestions for program reforms were provided in a 2011 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that reviewed a draft IRIS assessment of formaldehyde. In 2014, the National Academies released a report that reviewed the IRIS program and evaluated the changes implemented in it since the 2011 report.
Since 2014, new leadership of EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) and IRIS program has instituted even more substantive changes in the IRIS program in response to the recommendations in the 2014 report. Progress Toward Transforming the Integrated Risk Information System Program: A 2018 Evaluation reviews the EPA's progress toward addressing the past recommendations from the National Academies.
129 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47492-2
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25086
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Progress Toward Transforming the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program: A 2018 Evaluation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Interim
Between 1942 and 1975, the U.S. Army conducted tests with human subjects to study the effects of a variety of agents, including chemical warfare and biological agents. The potential long-term health effects on the test subjects from their exposures have been evaluated periodically, most recently in a report titled Assessment of Potential Long-Term Health Effects on Army Human Test Subjects of Relevant Biological and Chemical Agents, Drugs, Medications and Substances: Literature Review and Analysis (the Report), which was prepared by a contractor to assist the Army with making determinations about providing medical care to former test subjects. In response to a request by the Army, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine formed a committee that was tasked with examining whether the Report appropriately identified potential long-term health effects from exposure to the test agents and whether an adequate weight-of-evidence approach was used to characterize the strength of the associations between the agents and their potential health effects. The committee was made aware at its first meeting on November 30, 2017, that the Army had already begun to receive applications for medical care and that some determinations may need to be made before the committee's evaluation of the Report was completed. Because of this urgency, the Army developed a process by which applications for medical care will be reviewed, and as a result, the committee was given the additional task of reviewing the Army's Memorandum that describes the approach that will be used by the Army to evaluate agent- and outcome-specific associations. This interim report was prepared to facilitate the Army's deliberations. A review of the Report is presented first, followed by a review of the Memorandum.
26 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47207-5
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25025
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Review of Report and Approach to Evaluating Long-Term Health Effects in Army Test Subjects: Interim Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Scientific tools and capabilities to examine relationships between environmental exposure and health outcomes have advanced and will continue to evolve. Researchers are using various tools, technologies, frameworks, and approaches to enhance our understanding of how data from the latest molecular and bioinformatic approaches can support causal frameworks for regulatory decisions. For this reason, on March 6-7, 2017, the National Academies' Standing Committee on Emerging Science for Environmental Health Decisions, held a 2-day workshop to explore advances in causal understanding for human health risk-based decision-making. The workshop aimed to explore different causal inference models, how they were conceived and are applied, new frameworks and tools for determining causality, and ultimately discussed gaps, challenges, and opportunities for integrating new data streams for determining causality. This workshop brought together environmental health researchers, toxicologists, statisticians, social scientists, epidemiologists, business and consumer representatives, science policy experts, and professionals from other fields who utilize different data streams for establishing causality in complex systems to discuss the topics outlined above. This Proceedings of a Workshop-in Brief summarizes the discussions that took place at the workshop.
12 pages
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8.5 x 11
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-47126-5
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25004
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Advances in Causal Understanding for Human Health Risk-Based Decision-Making: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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