EPA’s Office of Research and Development has requested that the Science Advisory Board review its draft assessment entitled ``Toxicological Review of Acrylamide.'' Acrylamide polymer is primarily used in waste water treatment, paper and pulp processing, and mineral processing. Other uses include as a water soluble polymer in crude oil production, as a cosmetic additive, for soil and sand stabilization, grouting agents for sewer line sealing and manhole sealing, and in electrophoresis gels used in research. Acrylamide has been detected in a wide range of baked and fried foods. The detection of acrylamide in food prompted intense international interest and on-going research to better characterize its hazard effects, and to modify cooking practices to minimize levels in processed foods.
EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment, within the Office of Research and Development, has been updating the human health hazard and dose-response assessment for Acrylamide. EPA previously developed an oral reference dose (RfD) for non-cancer effects and a cancer oral slope factor for Acrylamide which are described in EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment (1988). An inhalation reference concentration (RfC) was added to IRIS in 1990. The current EPA draft assessment incorporates more recent studies and methods to derive an oral RfD and inhalation RfC for non-cancer effects, and an oral slope factor and inhalation unit risk for carcinogenic effects.
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