As required by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has established the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC). Earlier this year, the US EPA Administrator appointed 18 expert members to serve on the SACC and eight of these individuals are SOT members including James Bruckner, Deborah Cory-Slechta, Kathleen Gilbert, Melanie Marty, Craig Rowlands, Valentine Hixson Schaeffer III, Daniel Schlenk, and Catherine Willett. The Lautenberg Act legislated the reform of the Toxic Substances Control.
The SACC’s purpose is to provide independent advice and expert consultation, at the request of the US EPA Administrator, with respect to the scientific and technical aspects of risk assessments, methodologies, and pollution prevention measures or approaches. Members of the SACC possess expertise in scientific and technical fields relevant to chemical risk assessment and pollution prevention including human health and ecological risk assessment, biostatistics, epidemiology, pediatrics, physiologically-based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) modeling, toxicology, pathology, and chemical exposure to susceptible life stages and subpopulations (including women, children, and others). In addition to scientific expertise, members also have background and experience that will contribute to the diversity of scientific viewpoints on the committee, including professional experience in government, labor, public health, public interest, animal protection, industry, and other groups.