METALS GUIDANCE MAY BOLSTER INDUSTRY PUSH FOR LESS TOXICS REPORTING

EPA officials say an upcoming guidance document on assessing public health risks from metals, including lead, will reiterate preliminary agency findings about scientific data gaps, a conclusion that is likely to bolster long-standing arguments by industry for eased reporting requirements. Sources say EPA's metals guidance will echo several "white papers" commissioned by the agency last year that highlighted problems in current agency methods for measuring "bioaccumulation," or how metals accumulate in the body, in setting appropriate reporting requirements for businesses...