1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

The Improving Science in Chemical Assessments Act seeks to reform how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts chemical hazard and risk assessments. The key provisions include having EPA program offices, rather than the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), carry out these assessments using specified scientific standards. It would require consideration of all data, assigning toxicity values with uncertainty ranges where supported, and creating a database for these assessments. While improving scientific rigor is laudable, critics argue the changes could delay and politicize assessments by giving EPA offices more sway. I urge you to carefully weigh both perspectives on this legislation that has significant impacts on chemical safety evaluations.