Nomination and Selection of Peer Consultation Group

Menzie-Cura will select peer consultation group members in order to:

  • Provide appropriate stakeholder balance in terms of both necessary expertise and technical perspective (e.g., academic, consulting, government, industrial/commercial, non-profit); and,
  • Adhere to the conflict of interest procedures

The procedures for peer consultation group selection are based on the procedures used by Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA) under the Voluntary Children’s Chemical Evaluation Program. “TERA conducts these scientific peer reviews and consultations in accordance with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) "Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review"1.  TERA’s program also follows the procedures used by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)2, and the U.S. EPA3.  These organizations emphasize careful planning, independent selection of appropriate expertise, balanced panels, transparency in process and results, and public participation.”4

Menzie-Cura will develop a list of potential nominees based on literature searches, professional contacts and referrals, and recommendations from the Companies (3M Company and Dyneon LLC), EPA, interested stakeholders, and the public. Peer consultation group members will have recognized scientific expertise in one or more areas relevant to the subject matter under discussion, such as:

  • Conceptual models of human exposure to chemicals in the environment
  • Soil science
  • Surficial geology of Alabama
  • Geohydrology of Karst geological formations
  • Chemical behavior and fate of perfluorinated compounds in soil, water, and/or atmospheric environments
  • Transport of perfluorinated compounds in groundwater and/or surface water
  • Bioaccumulation of chemicals from soils and soil pore water in biota (e.g., homegrown produce)
  • Bioaccumulation of chemicals from sediments and from surface waters in biota (e.g., fish)
  • Biotransfer of chemicals via food webs
  • Human exposure assessment

Experience applying these areas of expertise to human exposure assessment is a plus, since the peer consultation group will be asked to discuss whether potential exposures have been adequately evaluated in the Companies’ Assessments and to suggest future data needs. For instructions on how you can propose a nominee for the peer consultation group, click here.

Menzie-Cura will examine the experience and credentials of all nominees and narrow the list down based on the goal of assembling a peer consultation group with a range of knowledge, experience, and perspective relevant to reviewing the Companies’ Assessments and recommending data needs. Each potential group member will then be evaluated for potential conflict of interest and bias following procedures described by the National Academy of Sciences5. In addition, Menzie-Cura will consider the following criteria when selecting peer consultation group members:

  • Willingness to publicly disclose all potential conflict of interest and bias issues;
  • Ability to objectively consider differing viewpoints and work effectively in a group; and,
  • Ability to attend panel meetings and to devote the time and effort required to make meaningful contributions to panel discussions.

Potential group members will be asked to provide references for the following: 1) past experience on reviews or discussion groups; and 2) their stated areas of technical expertise. Menzie-Cura will be responsible for contacting these references. As the independent third party, Menzie-Cura will make the final decision whether to select a nominee for membership in the peer consultation group.

Click here for the list of peer consultation group members.

For questions about the nomination and selection of the peer consultation group, contact Menzie-Cura at:

Email address
MenzieCura@AOL.com

Mailing address
Menzie-Cura & Associates Inc.
2 West Lane
Severna Park, MD 21146

  1. Office of Management and Budget.  Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.  December 2004.  Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda/fy2005/m05-03.pdf.  (Last accessed 08/10/2006).
  2. National Academy of Sciences. Policy and Procedures on Committee Composition and Balance and Conflicts of Interest for Committees Used in the Development of Reports. May 2003.  Available at: http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html.  (Last accessed 08/10/2006)
  3. Environmental Protection Agency.  Peer Review Handbook, 2nd Edition.  December 2000.  Available at: www.epa.gov/osa/spc/pdfs/prhandbk.pdf.  (Last accessed 08/10/2006)
  4. Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment. TERA Procedures for Panel Selection and Conflict of Interest and Bias. April 2005. Available at http://www.tera.org/peer/COI.html. (Last accessed 12/14/2006)
  5. National Academy of Sciences. Policy and Procedures on Committee Composition and Balance and Conflicts of Interest for Committees Used in the Development of Reports. May 2003.  Available at: http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html.  (Last accessed 08/10/2006)