Ecological Risk Assessment Issue Papers

The nine issue papers in this report are part of a long-term effort to develop Agency-wide ecological risk assessment guidelines for EPA. [Note: EPA published the Ecological Risk Assessment Guidelines in 1998.] Preliminary work on guidelines development began in 1989 and has resulted in the publication of the Framework for Ecological Risk Assessment and two volumes of ecological assessment case studies. The issue papers, which were authored by experts outside of EPA, are the next step in the guideline development process. Many of the issue paper topics correspond directly to sections of EPA's ecological risk assessment framework (conceptual model development, characterization of exposure, effects characterization, and risk integration methods), while others focus on cross-cutting issues (ecological significance, biological stressors, ecological recovery, uncertainty,and ascertaining public values in ecological risk assessment). The issue paper set, along with the case study reports, are intended to provide scientific and technical information that will help bridge the gap between the preliminary framework report and a more substantive ecological risk assessment guideline document.

Note: a complete electronic version of this document that preserves its original appearance (such as in a pdf file format) is not currently available. However, a scanned version is available in image or text format from EPA's National Environmental Publications Information System. Paper copies may be ordered from the National Technical Information Service.

U.S. EPA. Ecological Risk Assessment Issue Papers. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Risk Assessment Forum, Washington, DC, EPA/630/R-94/009 (NTIS PB95224192), 1994.