What are Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC)?
ITRC defines CEC as “substances or microorganisms, including physical, chemical, biological, or radiological materials, known or anticipated in the environment, that may pose newly identified risks to human health or the environment.”
Why are we doing this?
ITRC’s CEC Identification Framework (to be released in December 2023) is a tool to assist regulators and other stakeholders with identifying and prioritizing actions to address CEC but is currently focused heavily on chemicals. The Framework includes a white paper and several fact sheets focused on CEC identification, monitoring programs, analytical methods, and risk communication. The comprehensive framework will provide a more holistic approach to characterizing and managing CECs and associated risks to human health and the environment.
The Team will expand the scope of ITRC’s Identification Framework to include biological CEC and create additional and revised ITRC web-based guidance documents and training products.