Appendix D 



Summary of the Guidance Manual for 



Health Risk Assessment for 



Consumption of Chemically 



Contaminated Fish and Shellfish 



This appendix of A Primer for Establishing and Manag- 

 ing Estuary Projects provides guidance for under- 

 standing the health risk assessment process for 

 seafood consumption. The Primer, which describes 

 the National Estuary Program's origins, statutory 

 provisions, and approach, is designed for EPA's 

 programs and regional offices, coastal states, and 

 other interested parties. For more information, contact 

 an EPA regional office. 



One of the National Estuary Program's goals is to protect human 

 health by helping state and local agencies identify the potential 

 risks of eating aquatic organisms from chemically contaminated 

 areas. This goal \n\\\ be met, in part, by developing information on 

 the relative health risks associated with consumption of fish and 

 shellfish from a number of contaminated estuarine locations 

 throughout the United States. A systematic risk assessment pro- 

 cedure to estimate health risks, with clear statements of assump- 

 tions and uncertainties, will be used. 



This appendix summarizes a guidance manual that the National 

 Estuary Program has developed. The manual facilitates stan- 

 dardization of procedures used to assess the human health risks 

 of ingesting chemically contaminated fish and shellfish. As of 1 987, 

 the manual constitutes technical guidance under the National 

 Estuary Program. It will probably be issued in 1989 as final EPA 

 guidance applicable to all freshwater, estuarine, and marine fish 

 and shellfish. 



The Guidance 

 Manual: An Overview 



D1 



