EPA ADVISORS BACK FIRST-TIME RISK LEVEL FOR SUPERFUND CONTAMINANT

摘要

An EPA peer review panel is backing the agency's proposed first-time risk level for 2-hexanone, a waste chemical that may be present at close to 200 top-priority Superfund sites. The chemical, which is a waste product from pulp production and some energy production, was also used in paints and paint thinners until the early 1980s. EPA's Office of Solid Waste & Emergency Response (OSWER) in 2004 requested that the clear liquid be added to the chemicals undergoing risk assessment for inclusion in the agency's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). "OSWER stated in their request that this chemical is found at 70 Superfund sites and there may be new data to support an assessment," says an EPA source. The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) says 2-hexanone is currently found at least 199 of 1,416 National Priorities List sites, which may provide an exposure pathway to the chemical.