Archive for June, 2013

EPA Comments on NMFS’ BiOp

In a letter dated June 18, 2013, EPA provided NMFS with EPA’s comments on NMFS’ May 1, 2013, Draft Biological Opinion  pertaining to the potential effects of products containing diflubenzuron, fenbutatin oxide, and propargite to federally listed threatened or endangered Pacific salmon and steelhead and their critical habitat, if designated. The same letter provides EPA’s summary of public comments EPA received on this BiOp.  Click here to read EPA’s letter.

EPA Evaluates Current Test Methods and NMDR

EPA has concluded that the agency’s current toxicity test methods are  sufficient to determine chemicals’ hazards, despite finding in a just  issued draft paper that exposure to some chemicals can result in  unpredictable non-monotonic dose responses which some say can  lead to effects that current testing does not detect. This EPA conclusion is stated in a new draft white paper entitled “State of the Science Evaluation: Nonmonotonic Dose Responses as They Apply to Estrogen, Androgen, and Thyroid Pathways and EPA Testing and Assessment Procedures.” This paper is available for review by clicking here.