EPA Appoints New Members to the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has appointed 9 new members and a new Chair to serve on the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) established under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). These appointments, made by the EPA Administrator, follow a previous call for nominations and a request for public comments on potential candidates to serve on the SACC.

Members of the SACC serve staggered terms of appointment, generally of three years. They are comprised of experts in toxicology; environmental risk assessment; exposure assessment; and related sciences, e.g., synthetic biology, pharmacology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, biochemistry, biostatistics, PBPK modeling, computational toxicology, epidemiology, environmental fate, and environmental engineering and sustainability. In addition to scientific expertise, members also have background and experiences that will contribute to the diversity of scientific viewpoints on the committee, including professional experiences in government, public health, industry, and other groups.

Due to the expiration of eight of the 17 SACC memberships in 2023, EPA sought nominations from the public of prospective members in November 2022, receiving 44 nominations (one was later withdrawn). In March 2023, the Agency requested public comments on the 43 nominations. These public comments were used to assist EPA in selecting 9 new appointees for a total of 18 SACC members. The new Chair was chosen from the existing SACC members.

Members serving on the SACC submit confidential financial information which must fully disclose, among other financial interests, the member's employment, stocks and bonds, testimonies, and where applicable, sources of research support. EPA evaluates the members' financial disclosure information to assess whether there are financial conflicts of interest, appearance of a loss of impartiality, or any prior involvement with the development of the documents under consideration (including previous scientific peer review) before the member participates in SACC activities.

The SACC serves as a scientific peer review mechanism of EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. It provides independent scientific advice and recommendations to EPA on the scientific basis for risk assessments, methodologies and pollution prevention measures and approaches for chemicals regulated under TSCA.

A list of all current members and their biographies can be found on the SACC website.

For further information, please contact Tamue L. Gibson, MS, Executive Secretary at [email protected].