U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development EPA’s Toxicity Forecaster (ToxCast) Research Effort Communications and Outreach Overview M. Linnenbrink National Center for Computational Toxicology, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency Approach Stakeholder Groups Communication & Outreach Activities ToxCast Data Usage Stakeholder Workshop Feedback Monica Linnenbrink l Linnenbrink.Monica@epa.gov l 000-000-0000 III-1-576 • Promote use of ToxCast high-throughput screening data to inform a variety of chemical safety decisions • Increase meaningful involvement in the development of research and tools • Encourage two-way dialogue between stakeholders and EPA about ToxCast data • Provide regular updates about research progress and plans for the future research direction • Academic Institutions • Industry/Industry Trade Associations • Professional Societies • Non-Governmental Organizations • International Government Agencies • Environmental & Scientific Media • US EPA Regulatory Offices & Regions • Other US Government Agencies • US Congress • State Agencies & Municipalities • December 13, 2013 – EPA announced release of iCSS dashboard, ToxCast Phase II data and Data Challenges (news release, social media, blog) • Updated fact sheets and websites • Continued Social media: Twitter, blogs for Scientific Reports, Environmental Science & Technology, and Nature Biotech papers • Events: Webinars, workshops and Data Summit • Proactive outreach to scientific and environmental media • ToxCast research presented and promoted at scientific conferences • Research collaborations to exchange data and expertise (LOREAL, Health Canada, pharmaceutical companies, etc) • Feedback from stakeholders (surveys, qualitative) • Tutorial videos • Data challenges Recent scientific advances provide innovative solutions to persistent and pervasive issues facing risk-based chemical safety evaluations. US EPA has been using in vitro testing methods to accelerate the pace of chemical evaluations, reduce reliance on animals, and address the lack of data on thousands of chemicals. In 2013, EPA’s Toxicity Forecaster (ToxCast) released high- throughput screening data on 1,800 chemicals. ToxCast is a multiyear effort launched in 2007 that uses high-throughput screening to expose cells or proteins to chemicals. The cells or proteins are then screened for changes in biological activity that may suggest toxic effects. ToxCast has the potential to limit the number of animal-based toxicity tests, while quickly and sufficiently screening large numbers of chemicals. ToxCast chemicals were screened for potential health effects using a battery of ~700 high-throughput screening assay endpoints. All data is publicly available for stakeholders to analyze and use to help inform chemical safety decisions. Applying ToxCast data to support regulatory decisions requires evolution of a risk assessment paradigm that has been used for decades. EPA recognized early that a communications and outreach strategy with the goal of increasing usage and analysis was needed to demonstrate the power of this information . Background Media Coverage 60% 13% 27% ToxCast Data Very Satisfied Satisfied Neither Satisfied or Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Have not Used 13% 34% 20% 33% iCSS Dashboard Very Satisfied Satisfied Neither Satisfied or Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Have not Used 27% 66% 7% Workshop improved understanding of data/tools and use of them Strongly Agree Agree Undecided Disagree • Media Coverage • BNA • Greenwire • Chemical Watch • Environmental Leader • ACC • Twitter stats: 7 tweets, 41 retweets, 15 favorites, reaching 145,880 individuals • Held two stakeholder workshops • Provide overview of high-throughput screening data • Presentations described ToxCast data • Provide early interpretation of data • Demonstrate how to access ToxCast data • Provide opportunity for stakeholder feedback during one-o