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Basic Information for FSTRAC

What is FSTRAC?

The Federal-State Toxicology and Risk Analysis Committee (FSTRAC) is made up of representatives from state health and environmental agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, academia, and EPA program office and regional personnel.

FSTRAC is an integral part of EPA’s communication strategy with states and tribes. FSTRAC fosters cooperation, consistency, and an understanding of EPA’s and different states’ and tribes’ goals and problems in human health risk assessment. It allows states, tribes, and the federal government to work together on issues related to the development and implementation of regulations and criteria under the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act.

The focus of FSTRAC is to share information and to develop well-rounded, integrated approaches to risk assessment, risk management, risk communication, and standard-setting issues for drinking water and surface water contaminants. Regularly scheduled FSTRAC webinars are held to discuss human health risk analysis as it relates to waters as a medium of exposure to contaminants. FSTRAC Webinars are a cooperative forum that helps develop consistent risk analyses across the country and provides states, tribes, regions, and federal agencies access to information that can improve regulatory actions and prevent duplication of effort.

FSTRAC members have developed reports and other products. The group also reviews EPA Office of Water Health Advisories and provides additional technical assistance to EPA, states and tribes.

History of FSTRAC

In 1985, Drs. Joseph Cotruvo, Edward Ohanian, and Penny Fenner-Crisp of EPA’s Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology agreed that they wanted to build a better relationship with states and tribes to exchange research priorities and results, policy concerns regarding water-related human health risk assessment, and technical information (i.e., toxicity/exposure data and analysis, and methodologies and assumptions used for assessing risks). Dr. Cotruvo suggested that they form the "Federal-State Toxicology and Risk Analysis Committee," or "FSTRAC." The first FSTRAC meeting took place in the lobby of the Society of Toxicology convention in February 1985. The meeting attendees decided to start an organization, and within a year, about 22 states had also joined.

The focus of FSTRAC is to share information and to develop well-rounded, integrated approaches to risk assessment, risk management, and standard setting issues for drinking water and surface water contaminants. FSTRAC meetings are held to share information through presentations and discussions regarding human health risk analysis and the water medium of exposure. Through 2011, EPA hosted in-person FSTRAC meetings. From 2012 on, EPA has hosted FSTRAC webinars each year. Sharing information through these webinars helps develop consistent risk analyses across the country and provides states, regions, and federal government access to information that can improve regulatory action and prevent duplication of effort.