SOILS STUDY BEGINS INTERNATIONAL PEER REVIEW

SUDBURY, ON – As part of a comprehensive, scientific peer-review process, the first two volumes of the Sudbury Soils Study have been submitted by the Sudbury Area Risk Assessment (SARA) group to an international panel of scientific experts who will provide feedback on the draft report now being compiled in Sudbury. The submission includes two of three draft volumes: Background and Methodology (Vol. 1), and the draft Human Health Risk Assessment (HHRA) report (Vol. 2). The submission of these draft volumes to the International Expert Review Panel (IERP) represents a significant milestone in the process of completing the study. “The panel will assess the scientific principles and study methods that were used in collecting and analyzing the data,” said Dr. Christopher Wren, who directs the study for the SARA Group. “Panel members are chosen based on their expertise in risk assessment, so we are certainly looking forward to their feedback, which will help to reinforce confidence in the final report.” Final results of the HHRA will be available for public review in early 2007, after the IERP comments have been addressed. The IERP is being coordinated by TERA (Toxicological Excellence for Risk Assessment) of Cincinnati, Ohio. TERA has assembled a panel of independent experts in the fields of human toxicology and health risk assessment. The expert panel will also review the draft Ecological Risk Assessment report (Vol.3), which is due for submission to TERA later this year. Established in 1995, TERA is a non-profit corporation dedicated to helping environmental, industry, and government groups find common ground through the application of good science to risk assessment. At the completion of the IERP process, a meeting of SARA scientists, members of the TC and IERP panel members will be scheduled in Sudbury to discuss the panel’s comments on the HHRA. The public will be invited to attend a portion of the meeting, to meet representatives from TERA and learn more about the IERP process. The meeting is expected to occur in September 2006. Details of the meeting will be announced in the local media and on the website at www.sudburysoilsstudy.com. The Sudbury Soils Study is one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind ever conducted in Canada. Thousands of soil, air, water, vegetable, livestock and fish samples were analyzed for the presence of certain metals that are associated with the legacy of mining in the Sudbury area. Data were used to assess current and future potential risks to humans and the environment. The study is being directed by a Technical Committee (TC), which includes Inco, Falconbridge, the City of Greater Sudbury, Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE), Sudbury & District Health Unit (SDHU), and Health Canada First Nations & Inuit Health Branch. The next TC meeting for the Sudbury Soils Study will be held August 10, 2006, with public sessions from 9:30 to 10:30 am in Boardroom C/D of the Provincial Building, 199 Larch Street. The next Public Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting will be held on September 19, 2006, at 7:00 pm (location to be determined).

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For more information, contact:

Dr. Chris Wren at
Toll-free phone: 1-866-315-0228 or Email: questions@sudburysoilsstudy.com