Announcement:

The Final Report of the
Peer Consultation Panel (PCP)
has now been completed and is
available HERE.

Acknowledgement:
Thank you to Menzie-Cura and
Associates for allowing us to adapt the
format of their website, developed for the
EPA, 3M Company and Dyneon LLC
PFOA peer consultation, and to use
selected information materials from that
site.

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, is acting as an Independent Third Party (ITP) administrator for a scientific peer consultation process related to the fate of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) at and near the E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) Washington Works manufacturing plant located along the Ohio River, just west of Parkersburg, West Virginia.  The peer review will evaluate the scientific quality and completeness of ongoing studies conducted by DuPont and its scientific consultants to characterize past and current releases associated with the site, as well as quantities of PFOA in nearby environmental media, including those media that can lead to human exposure.  

The DuPont PFOA Site Related Environmental Assessment Program is being conducted with oversight by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT). In particular, DuPont and EPA are signatories to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in which DuPont has committed to provide EPA with certain data and information on PFOA and its salts at and near the Washington Works site (the Site), and to subject this information to an Independent Third Party scientific peer consultation.  The DuPont studies and data gathering have been conducted through the implementation of phased activities, known as Phase I and Phase II, and set in a Phase II Work Plan.  Under the MOU, DuPont is required to use the Phase I and Phase II data along with other relevant information to prepare the following reports:

The specific goal of these reports is to fully address the following charge:

As ITP administrator, Professor Mitchell Small of Carnegie Mellon University, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has convened, led, and coordinated the efforts and analysis of a Peer Consultation Panel to review the listed reports and other relevant information to determine if the charge has been met. The purpose of the Peer Consultation Process is to provide a forum for scientists and relevant experts from various stakeholder groups to exchange views on DuPont’s assessments. The Peer Consultation Panel was asked to discuss whether the potential exposures have been adequately evaluated and to provide scientific input on the screening level exposure assessment data needs. The review has not been intended to be a consensus-based process, but has been designed to identify areas of agreement, disagreement, and the supporting scientific rationale. The results and comments from the Peer Consultation will be compiled and submitted in a report to the Company and the EPA. Click the following link to see the flow chart of Peer Consultation Process and updated schedule.