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About the Forum

Risk Assessment Forum

Mission

Purpose and Objectives

The Risk Assessment Forum is a standing committee of senior EPA scientists. The Forum was established to promote Agency-wide consensus on difficult and controversial risk assessment issues and to ensure that this consensus is incorporated into appropriate Agency risk assessment guidance. To fulfill this mission, the Forum assembles Agency risk assessment experts in a formal process to study and report on a range of issues from an Agency-wide scientific perspective. Major Forum guidance documents are developed in accordance with the Agency's regulatory and policy development process and become Agency policy upon approval by the EPA's Science Advisor. Risk Assessment Forum products include: risk assessment guidelines, technical panel reports on special risk assessment issues, and peer consultation and peer review workshops addressing controversial risk assessment topics.

The Forum focuses on generic issues fundamental to the risk assessment process and related science policy issues. Forum consensus building activities may include: developing science policy on technical issues, definitive risk assessment guidance, and risk assessment methodology for use in ongoing and prospective Agency actions; conducting scientific and technical analysis upon which to base risk assessment positions; and sponsoring colloquia and workshops to foster consensus on risk assessment issues. The Forum does not provide peer review and quality assurance of risk assessments developed by other EPA organizations or review non-scientific risk management issues; however, the Forum may undertake special projects at the request of the Deputy Administrator (or delegatee).

Risk Assessment Forum Roster 2012 - 2015 (PDF) (1 pp, 13 KB, about PDF)

Forum Staff

The Forum staff consists of an Executive Director and science coordinators who are based in the Office of the Science Advisor. The Risk Assessment Forum staff assure that all logistical and operational needs of the Forum are met including: arranging meetings, colloquia and workshops to develop topics for the Forum's agenda, assisting technical panels in all aspects of product development, obtaining extramural support for Forum projects as needed, working with offices involved to present issues to the Forum, providing liaison between the Forum and other EPA and non-EPA organizations, and submitting progress reports from the Forum to the Deputy Administrator (or delegatee), as appropriate.


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