Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

2001 Accomplishment and Priorities

The mission of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is to protect and enhance public health and the environment by objective scientific evaluation of risks posed by hazardous substances.

Children's Environmental Health Protection

OEHHA is engaged in several scientific endeavors to better understand and assess the threats that air pollutants and other environmental contaminants pose to children and infants. Many of these activities are being conducted in accordance with the Children's Environmental Health Protection Act (SB 25, Escutia, 1999). The most significant activities during this period are highlighted below.

Accomplishments during the First Half of 2001

1. Toxic Air Contaminants: OEHHA identified up to five Toxic Air Contaminants (TACs) that may cause infants and children to be especially susceptible to illnesses, as required by the Act. The TACs identified were among 200 contaminants reviewed and prioritized by OEHHA. Prior to finalizing the list, OEHHA developed and released a draft document for public comment, and the Scientific Review Panel (SRP) met four times to review and comment on the draft list.

2. Children's Environmental Health Symposium: OEHHA held a two-day symposium on Children's Environmental Health in April. The first day focused on pharmacokinetics, and the second day emphasized neurotoxicity and particularly the use of neurobehavioral data in risk assessment. The purpose of the symposium was to educate the staff of Cal/EPA entities and other government agencies on children's environmental health issues and identify important areas concerning the assessment of children's health risks.

3. Review of the Particulate Matter Standard: OEHHA began reviewing the state's Ambient Air Quality Standard for Particulate Matter (PM10). This has the highest priority for review under the Act because of evidence that the current standard may not adequately protect the health of children.

4. Children's Cancer Risk Assessment Methods: OEHHA is continuing to evaluate the adequacy of existing methods to assess cancer risks to infants and children from environmental contaminants.

5. School Site Evaluation Guidelines: OEHHA is continuing to examine the adequacy of existing methods to evaluate cancer risks to infants and children from environmental contaminants.

Priorities for the Second Half of 2001

1. Particulate Matter Review: OEHHA will prepare a report reviewing the existing PM10 standard for adequacy to protect infants and children. The report will be released for public review and comment, and peer reviewed by the Air Quality Advisory Committee. The peer review will most likely take place during the first part of 2002.

Environmental Protection Indicators for California

As part of the implementation of Cal/EPA's Strategic Vision, OEHHA is the lead agency for the development of environmental indicators that will be used to assess the overall health of California's environment and the effectiveness of the state's environmental programs. This program is named Environmental Protection Indicators for California (EPIC). The most significant activities during this period are highlighted below.

Accomplishments during the First Half of 2001

1. EPIC Conference: In January, OEHHA held a two-day conference in Sacramento entitled "Environmental Protection Indicators for California: Building a Framework for Cal/EPA's Environmental Indicator System." The conference informed stakeholders about the project and provided an opportunity for participants to contribute their ideas concerning environmental issues in California and possible indicators that could produce information on these issues.

2. Advisory Groups: An External Advisory Group for the EPIC project was convened in March, and an Interagency Advisory Group was convened in April. The external group, which met twice during the first half of 2001, consists of members representing the various external Cal/EPA stakeholders. The interagency group consists of members comprised of policy-level representatives from the Cal/EPA boards and departments, the Resources Agency, Department of Health Services, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Both groups have focused on the process developed for the identification and selection of environmental indicators.

3. EPIC Report: OEHHA completed and circulated a partial draft of the "EPIC Report" to the EPIC Project Staff, the Interagency Advisory Group, and the External Advisory Group for review and comment. The draft report includes background information on the environmental indicators and on the EPIC Project, the process, a description of the environmental issues addressed by the environmental indicator system, and possible indicators.

Priorities for the Second Half of 2001

1. EPIC Report: OEHHA will finalize the "EPIC Report." The report will contain an initial set of environmental indicators for California. The report will also include background information on the indicators and the EPIC Project, the process, and a description of the environmental issues addressed by the environmental indicator system.

Proposition 65

Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, requires the Governor to publish a list of chemicals that are known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. This list must be updated at least once a year. OEHHA is designated as the lead agency. The most significant activities during this period are highlighted below.

Accomplishments During the First Half of 2001

1. Safe Harbor Numbers: In the first half of 2001, OEHHA developed draft "safe harbor" numbers for up to 24 listed chemicals. Safe harbor numbers identify a "safe" level of exposure to Proposition 65 chemicals. Businesses are not required to provide a warning if an exposure to a Proposition 65 chemical is below a safe harbor level. Safe harbor numbers help businesses determine the need for Proposition 65 warnings. OEHHA also finalized the process for developing new, and revising existing, safe harbor levels in the document, "Process for Developing Safe Harbor Numbers." In February, OEHHA provided a report on the status of the development of safe harbor numbers for all Proposition 65 chemicals in the report, "Proposition 65 Status Report on No Significant Risk Levels for Carcinogens and Maximum Allowable Daily Levels for Chemicals Causing Reproductive Toxicity."

2. Additions to Proposition 65 List: In February, OEHHA administratively added five carcinogens (ethoprop, indium phosphide, lynestrenol, norethynodrel, and propachlor) and nine chemicals that cause reproductive toxicity (amantadine hydrochloride, diazoxide, dichlorphenamide, diltiazem hydrochloride, filgrastim, nimodipine, ribavirin, rifampin, and trientine hydrochloride) to the Proposition 65 list.

3. "State's Qualified Experts" Mechanism: OEHHA developed and prepared three hazard identification documents (HIDs) for possible listing or delisting of chemicals under Proposition 65.

4. Delisting of a Chemical from the Proposition 65 List: In April, OEHHA removed saccharin from the Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer. Since 1999, OEHHA has proposed five chemicals for delisting to the "States Qualified Experts," which supported four of those recommendations. To date, five chemicals have been delisted.

5. Carcinogen Identification Committee: In March, the Carcinogen Identification Committee issued its final guidance criteria for use in placing cancer-causing chemicals on the Proposition 65 list.

Priorities for the Second Half of 2001

1. Additions to Proposition 65 List: OEHHA will consider the listing of as many as 15 chemicals under the "authoritative bodies" and "formally required to be labeled" listing mechanisms.

2. Development of Safe Harbor Levels: OEHHA will hold a public hearing in July on 24 draft safe harbor levels and then proceed with their finalization as appropriate. In addition, OEHHA expects to begin the development of draft numbers for ten or more additional chemicals on the Proposition 65 list.

3. Clear and Reasonable Warning Regulations: OEHHA will develop a regulation that addresses the administering of Proposition 65 warnings in limited emergency medical situations. OEHHA intends to develop the regulations this year pursuant to the requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act. As part of the rulemaking process, a public hearing and comment period will be scheduled to receive comments from interested parties.

4. "State's Qualified Experts" Mechanism: OEHHA will continue ongoing work for three HIDs and announce and initiate the preparation of two new HIDs for possible listing or delisting of chemicals under Proposition 65.

5. Clarifying Regulations: OEHHA will proceed with developing clarifying regulations for Proposition 65 and conduct a public workshop to discuss initial regulations.

Public Health Goals

The Calderon-Sher California Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996 requires OEHHA to develop and publish "public health goals" (PHGs) for chemicals that have existing California "maximum contaminant levels." PHGs are concentrations of chemicals in drinking water that are not anticipated to produce adverse health effects following long-term exposures. The most significant activities during this period are highlighted below.

Accomplishments during the First Half of 2001

1. Public Health Goals: OEHHA published the final PHG document for aluminum in April. Five more PHG documents are in the final stages of completion. These chemicals are benzene, nickel, simazine, perchloroethylene, and uranium.

2. PHG for Hexavalent Chrome: Based on a request from the Department of Health Services to develop a PHG for hexavalent chromium, OEHHA requested the U.C. Office of the President to convene a blue-ribbon panel of scientists to advise the Director on questions regarding carcinogenicity. The panel's work is expected to be completed in late summer of 2001.

Priorities for the Second Half of 2001

1. Public Health Goals: OEHHA will continue to work on the development of 12 or more draft PHGs for drinking water contaminants, including a PHG for Chromium 6.

Air Toxics Hot Spots Program

OEHHA conducts health risk assessments of chemical contaminants in the air. In addition, OEHHA reviews site-specific risk assessments under the Air Toxics Hot Spots Program and is developing risk assessment guidance for use in site-specific risk assessment. Some of this guidance has been completed. The most significant activities during this period are highlighted below.

Accomplishments during the First Half of 2001

1. Guidance Manual. OEHHA will release the "Air Toxics Hot Spots Risk Assessment Guidance Manual" for public review and comment, public workshops, submit the manual for SRP review, and prepare the document for adoption by the Director. The guidance manual is designed to assist air districts and interested parties in assessing risks from Hot Spots facilities.

2. Reference Exposure Levels. OEHHA expects to complete the peer review of another batch of 22 chronic Reference Exposure Levels in the second half of 2001.

Fish Advisories

OEHHA is responsible for assessing the risks of chemical contaminants in fish and issuing sport fish consumption advisories. These advisories provide guidance to the public regarding the consumption of fish that may be contaminated with hazardous chemicals. The most significant activities during this period are highlighted below.

Accomplishments during the First Half of 2001

1. Fish Advisories. OEHHA began developing State advisories for five reservoirs and three rivers or creeks in the Sierra Nevada Foothills in Nevada, Yuba, and Placer Counties. OEHHA is also developing an advisory for Tomales Bay in Marin County. OEHHA also continued work on its report on mercury in fish in Black Butte Reservoir in Glenn and Tehama Counties.

Priorities for the Second Half of 2001

1. Fish Advisories: OEHHA will update, publish, and distribute the "California Sport Fish Consumption Advisory" booklet.

2. Fish Advisory Reports: OEHHA will finalize a report, "Evaluation of Potential Health Effects of Eating Fish from Black Butte Lake (Glenn and Tehama Counties): Guidelines for Sport Fish Consumption," and complete a draft report, "Evaluation of Potential Health Effects of Eating Fish from Water Bodies in the Northern Sierra Nevada Foothills (Nevada, Placer, and Yuba Counties): Guidelines for Sport Fish Consumption." OEHHA will also finalize a report, "Consumption of Fish and Shellfish in California and the United States," which went through public review and workshop.

Other Accomplishments during the First Half of 2001

1. Physicians' Pesticide Training: OEHHA continued its program of medical education designed to alert physicians and other health care professionals to the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and reporting of pesticide poisoning. Presentations on "Pesticide Illness Reporting, Recognition and Management" were held in Chico, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Irvine, and W atsonville (includes medical supervision training in Irvine).

2. Pesticide Exposure Field Investigations: OEHHA conducted a pre-test of the Earlimart Community Health Survey in May. The survey was requested by the Tulare County Health Officer and is designed to follow-up on a number of residents reporting health problems resulting from exposure to metam sodium in November 1999.

3. Traffic Study: OEHHA met with students, teachers, and school administrators to discuss the purpose of the Children's Respiratory Health Traffic Study. OEHHA has developed a respiratory health effects questionnaire and disseminated it to the parents of students in several East Bay schools. OEHHA collected data on air pollutant concentrations (PM10 and 2.5, NO2) inside and outside school classrooms in order to assess impact of pollutants on respiratory health. The data analysis began in June and extend into the second half of 2001.

4. Complex Mixtures Associated with Gasoline: OEHHA drafted a report characterizing the health effects of exposure to complex mixtures associated with gasoline. The report estimates cancer risks in California, based on 1996-1998 air monitoring data, and presents a qualitative assessment of non-cancer chronic respiratory risks for the same period.

5. Registered Environmental Assessor Program: OEHHA completed enhancements to the Registered Environmental Assessor (REA) Web site by providing stakeholders with on-line applications and registrant listings.

6. Multimedia Risk Assessment Project. OEHHA completed and posted on its Web site the Phase I Report on Exposure Assessment entitled "Practices, Needs and Methodologies for Human Exposure Assessment at Cal/EPA." A draft of the Phase II Report on Exposure Assessment was completed and readied for external peer review and public peer review and comment.

7. Emerging Environmental Challenges: In March, OEHHA submitted to the Secretary for Environmental Protection a summary of the three most imposing environmental challenges that California may face in the future. The challenges, which were based on a series of workshops held between 1998 and 2000, were: (1) changes in environmental risk management that result from advances in the science of risk assessment; (2) pollution prevention; and (3) climate change.

8. Asbestos: OEHHA cosponsored with U.S. EPA, of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an international conference to consider asbestos health effects. OEHHA continued to provide technical support to ARB and DTSC on issues related to exposure to naturally-occurring asbestos.

Other Priorities for the Second Half of 2001

1. Traffic Study: OEHHA will continue analysis of data collected in the Children's Respiratory Health Traffic Study.

2. Registered Environmental Assessor Program: OEHHA will continue the enhancements to the REA Web site. These enhancements will include on-line REA II applications and a searchable database. This is a continuing effort toward paperless registration and inquiry processes.

3. Multimedia Risk Assessment Project: OEHHA will complete and circulate the draft of the Phase II Report on Exposure Assessment for external review and public review and comment.

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