IRAC Accomplishments (FY2003)
Presentations:
This was a quarterly meeting activity.
December 18, 2002
ARS hosted a quarterly meeting in Wyndmoor and featured Wyndmoor researchers as presentation speakers. Presentations were given by ARS on ComBase database for archiving data sets. (3 hours) A satellite hook-up to a DC location was arranged [ARS, charter goal 3, basic, Mark Tamplin would organize this meeting] (#5 from FY03 goals)
Presentations were given by agency representatives on current risk assessments underway, including data gaps identified from risk assessments (2 hours) [ARS, charter goal 4, basic] (#2 from FY03 goals).
| Richard Whiting | Listeria monocytogenes Risk Assessment Data Sources
and Needs |
| Mark Tamplin | ComBase: Database of Predictive Microbiology Information |
| Mark Tamplin | Validating Microbial Models for Escherichia coli O157:H7
in Ground Beef |
| Rolando Flores | Developing Process Risk Models for
Beef Grinding & Fabrication |
March 26, 2003
Pasky Pascual, Team Leader, EPA's Council for Regulatory Environmental
Modeling
EPA's Council for Regulatory Environmental Modeling
Peg Coleman - DRWG Presentation
Mechanistic Dose-Response Data
from Animals & Humans
(Dose-response
work group goal)
June 19, 2003
Presentations by CSREES funded researchers with projects related to risk assessments that RAC members are doing. This would be a showcase of CSREES food safety projects with the goal of enhancing networking between RAC members and CSREES supported researchers (2 hours) [CSREES, charter goal 4, basic, Mary Torrence recruited speakers] (#1 from FY03 goals).
Catherine Logue, North Dakota State University
Food Safety Risk
Assessment Research at NDSU
Philip Smith and Dr. W. Andrew Jackson, Texas Tech
A review of the screening ecological risk assessment for perchlorate
emphasizing unused and developing data resources
October 1, 2003
David Kendall, RTI
Food Handling Practices Model
Work Groups:
Dose-Response Work Group
Presentation by Angelo Turturro (Fall 2002) on “Target Dose for Microbial Pathogens”
Presentation by Peg Coleman on “Mechanistic Dose-Response Data from Animals & Humans”
Data Gaps Analysis Work Group
A draft Excel workbook file was produced and circulated among the workgroup members. It contained descriptions of data gaps for the following risk assessments:
- L. monocytogenes in RTE foods (FDA)
- Escherichia coli O157:H7 in ground beef (FSIS)
- Campylobacter in broiler chickens (FAO/WHO)
- Salmonella in broiler chickens (FAO/WHO)
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shellfish (FDA and FAO/WHO)
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus in finfish (FAO/WHO)
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus in bloody clams (FAO/WHO)
- Vibrio vulnificus in raw oysters (FAO/WHO)
- Vibrio cholerae in export shrimp (FAO/WHO)
This is a work-in-progress project and will be continued in FY04
Performance Standards Work Group
It was decided to discontinue the work of this work group.
Bioterrorism Work Group
Due to security reasons, this work group was made inactive.
Peer Review Work Group
Although this work group was recommended for the FY04 annual plan, initial steps were taken to help achieve the first deliverable of this work group (see FY04 annual plan, deliverable #1). A symposium open to the public was held September 30, 2003 as the starting point for gathering information to develop a discussion paper on peer review for regulatory agencies. This symposium was co-hosted with the Joint Institute for Food Safety and the Society for Risk Analysis. Speakers from various agencies and academia presented information on "current practices/current thinking" regarding peer review of risk assessments and other regulatory analyses. (Symposium notes will be posted on the Food Safety Clearinghouse website along with presentations). In addition to developing a discussion paper, this work group also plans to co-host, along with the RAC Data Quality work group, a second symposium on peer review.
Data Quality Guidelines
Like the Peer Review Work Group, although this work group was recommended for the FY04 annual plan, the workgroup has met to develop their goals. Thus far, they have met two of their goals; they have summarized the OMB guidelines for data quality and developed a collection of website links for agencies that have data quality guidelines (see separate document), with the possibility that these links may be posted on the JIFSAN Clearinghouse web site.
Microbial Risk Assessment Framework Group
The interagency Risk Assessment Consortium (RAC) was asked to provide insight to the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water based upon recent member agency experiences in conducting Microbiological Risk Assessment. A special workgroup of the RAC was established to identify assessors involved in selected federal risk assessments and make them available for interviews. The workgroup reviewed the EPA ILSI framework and the CODEX framework and developed a base series of interview questions. A report based on the ILSI and CODEX framework elements, interviews, and evaluation of the interviews was submitted to EPA in May, 2003.
