Category: Navigation Guide

PRHE’s systematic review method takes world stage at ISEE 2022

~ PRHE

To improve how scientists evaluate chemical risks globally and strengthen evidence-based decision making, many members of PRHE’s team will present at the 34th annual conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, taking place September 18-21 in Athens, Greece (where both in-person and virtual attendance is possible). PRHE’s sessions include a training on best practices … Continue reading PRHE’s systematic review method takes world stage at ISEE 2022

National Academies of Sciences: EPA should follow IRIS lead

~ Nick Chartres ~ 1 Comment

Last week, the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) said EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Assessments "can serve as a model for other EPA programs that are implementing systematic review methods.” We commend the IRIS program and urge EPA to use the IRIS method across every office that conducts chemical evaluations so that we can … Continue reading National Academies of Sciences: EPA should follow IRIS lead

5 years after TSCA reform – Why EPA must prioritize science to protect public health

~ PRHE ~ 2 Comments

Implementation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) does not fully account for science or protect the public’s health, so how can EPA strengthen implementation of the law? The Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) has closely monitored EPA’s TSCA implementation, submitting public comments on how inadequate … Continue reading 5 years after TSCA reform – Why EPA must prioritize science to protect public health

Wolf in sheep’s clothing, part 2: How EPA’s TSCA systematic review method is threatening public health

~ Nick Chartres ~ 4 Comments

UPDATE: EPA is considering dropping TSCA systematic review’s study scoring system, according to Inside EPA. Deputy Director of the Risk Assessment Division within EPA’s toxics office, Stan Barone, criticized the numeric scoring system during an August 24 meeting of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) committee that is peer reviewing EPA’s systematic … Continue reading Wolf in sheep’s clothing, part 2: How EPA’s TSCA systematic review method is threatening public health

Wolf in sheep’s clothing, part 1: EPA’s TSCA systematic review method

~ Nick Chartres ~ 2 Comments

How do you know whether you can trust a conclusion reached in a scientific review assessing the harms of an environmental exposure? In part one of this two-part series, we will explain how scientists evaluate an entire body of evidence to answer a specific research question using systematic review methods and look at why this … Continue reading Wolf in sheep’s clothing, part 1: EPA’s TSCA systematic review method

ROBINS-E: Good studies gone bad

~ PRHE ~ 1 Comment

Assessing environmental hazards often requires the evaluating a diverse body of evidence of varying quality. It is critical to consider the credibility of the individual studies used in the evaluation to reach conclusions through a consistent, transparent, and empirically-demonstrated methods such as those used in systematic review. The GRADE Working Group recently released one such … Continue reading ROBINS-E: Good studies gone bad