Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only. Although the information provided here was accurate and current when first created, it is now outdated.

STAFF PAPER #15
TRAC 7/13-14/98
Context for Understanding the Decision-Making Criteria

The decision-making criteria can be used anytime the Agency is trying to make choices between uses where a "reasonable certainty of no harm finding" cannot be made for dietary risk based on all registered uses.

-- Choices to be made can be among uses for a single chemical that does not meet the safety standard..

-- Choices to be made can be within a single commodity among multiple chemicals.

-- Choices to be made can be across commodities and multiple chemicals in the context of a cumulative risk assessment.

These decision-making criteria reflect the kind of thinking which has always gone into the EPA's regulatory decision-making.

The Agency would not be using benefits to decide how much risk to tolerate, but rather to choose among competing uses after EPA has made a determination that an unacceptable level of risk exists.

The use of decision-making criteria would assume that the risk assessments have been completed and refined and that a dietary risk has been identified for individual chemicals or across chemicals sharing a common mode.

Issues for Discussion

How should the criteria be weighted relative to each other (i.e., which criteria are most important and which are least important in the decision-making process)?

Should certain criteria be used to identify OP/use combinations to be targeted for priority action by the Agency? If yes, which ones?

What type of process should be used for ranking and/or comparing OP uses based on the criteria (e.g., qualitative--high/medium/low vs. quantified rankings)?

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www.epa.gov/oppfead1/trac/criter2.htm
updated July 10, 1998