Nitrate

Overview

An IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) communicates to the public the plan for assessing each individual chemical and includes summary information on the IRIS Program’s scoping and initial problem formulation; objectives and specific aims for the assessment; the PECO (Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes) criteria that outlines the evidence considered most pertinent to the assessment; and identification of key areas of scientific complexity. The PECO provides the framework for developing literature search strategies and inclusion/exclusion criteria, particularly with respect to evidence stream (i.e., human, animal, mechanistic), exposure measures and outcome measures.

Background

Nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−), naturally occurring anions in the environment, play an essential role in Earth’s nitrogen cycle. Since 1950, human sources of nitrogen have increased substantially, creating a global surplus of nitrate/nitrite that supersedes natural sources by about 30%. Nitrate salts are mainly used as nitrogen fertilizers and in industrial explosives, fireworks, and glass making, whereas nitrites are largely used as preservatives for meat and fish curing and as color fixatives.

History/Chronology

Date	Description
Sep 2017	EPA released the IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) for Nitrate and Nitrite for public comment and review. [Federal Register Notice Sep 18, 2017]
Sep 2017	EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee (CAAC) hosted a public meeting on September 27-28, 2017 to discuss the assessment. Information regarding the meeting can be found on the SAB website.
Apr 2019	EPA suspended the assessment in fiscal year 2019. It may be restarted as Agency priorities change.

This download(s) is distributed solely for the purpose of pre-dissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. It has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency determination or policy.

• IRIS Assessment Plan for Nitrate and Nitrite (Sep 2017) (PDF)  (19  pp, 394.5 KB, about PDF)
• Memorandum: SAB Chemical Assessment Advisory Committee Briefing on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Evolution of Assessment Practices (PDF)  (4  pp, 176.8 KB, about PDF)
• EPA-HQ-ORD-2017-0496

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Document Related Link(s)

• IRIS Program Outlook April 2019-Suspended/Discontinued Assessment

HERO Project

• Literature Search References Sorted by Author (Nitrates and Nitrites)

Federal Register Notices

• FR Notice: Sep 18, 2017