Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA)

2300 Montana Avenue, Suite 409, Cincinnati OH 45211
Phone: 513-542-7475
Fax: 513-542-7487

Email: TERA@TERA.org

Sudbury Soil Study Peer Review


What:    Ecological Risk Assessment Peer Review
When:   March 6-7, 2007
Where:  College Boreal, Sudbury, Ontario

Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA) will convene an independent expert panel to review the ecological risk assessment for the Sudbury Soils Study on March 6-7, 2007.  The ecological risk assessment is part of a larger project generally referred to as the Sudbury Soils Study (http://sudburysoilsstudy.com/).  Sudbury is a nickel mining community in Northern Ontario .  Metals and metalloids from the mining and refining processes have deposited over the soils in the area over many years.  In 2001, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment recommended that a detailed soil study be conducted and human health and ecological risk assessments be prepared.  The two area mining companies, Inco Ltd. and Falconbridge Ltd., partnered with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, the Sudbury & District Health Unit, the City of Greater Sudbury , and the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada to establish and conduct the Sudbury Soils Study and the risk assessments in a public and open process.  A Technical Committee with representatives from the partners oversees the work.  A Public Advisory Committee (PAC) represents the citizens’ interests and works closely with the Technical Committee to provide input on the process.  The human health and ecological risk assessments are being prepared by a consortium of consulting firms working together and referred to as the SARA (Sudbury Area Risk Assessment) Group.  The two mining companies are providing funding for the study and this peer review.

To conduct the expert peer review of the ecological risk assessment, TERA assembled a panel of scientists with expertise in toxicology of metals, environmental chemistry and speciation, bioavailability, site assessment, exposure and ecological risk assessment, and probabilistic risk assessment.  Prospective panel members were screened for potential conflicts of interest and biases untilizing TERA’s conflict of interest policy and procedures (http://www.tera.org/peer/COI.html).  An independent and neutral panel of six scientists with appropriate expertise was selected by TERA.

A public briefing will be held on Monday, March 5, 2007 at 7:30 PM at College Boreal in Sudbury .  The purpose of the public briefing is to introduce the expert panel members to the community and inform the community about the peer review process.

General Meeting Information and Documentation

Human Health Risk Assessment Peer Review

Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA) convened an independent expert panel to review the human health risk assessment for the Sudbury Soils Study on September 20-21, 2006 .  The human health risk assessment is part of a larger project generally referred to as the Sudbury Soils Study (http://sudburysoilsstudy.com/).

The human health risk assessment results will be used to establish Sudbury-specific soil quality guidelines that will provide the basis for determining the need for, and potential scope of, any future risk management activities.  The SARA Group authors and the Technical Committee will consider the panel’s recommendations and revise the HHRA.  The final assessment will be released to the public.  Below is information relevant to the Human Health Risk Assessment Pee Review.

 
 

 

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