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NC DEQ »   About »   Boards and Commissions »   Secretaries' Science Advisory Board

Secretary's Science Advisory Board

About the Board

In August 2017, Governor Roy Cooper expanded the scope of the Secretary's Science Advisory Board on Toxic Air Pollutants. Under the board's new charter, the scope of its work has expanded to a broader focus on the impact of new and emerging chemicals. The board will help the state departments of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services by examining new and emerging chemicals and providing guidance on how to manage the compounds to better protect public health and the environment. The new charter increases the membership of the board from eight to 16 members. All members of the board are appointed by the DEQ and DHHS secretaries. Members come from academic institutions and the public and private sectors.  

Among its duties, the board will help DEQ and DHHS by reviewing and evaluating contaminants released to the environment; acting as consultants on DEQ’s determinations to regulate releases of contaminants; and assisting the agencies in identifying contaminants of emerging concern and helping determine whether the contaminants should be studied further. Experts on the panel will also help evaluate the human health impacts of exposure to hazardous contaminants and give input to DHHS as the agency establishes health goals for emerging contaminants.

Tom Augspurger, Ph.D., a supervisory fish and wildlife biologist/environmental contaminants specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Raleigh, and an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences Toxicology Program at N.C. State University, assumed the role of chair effective Nov. 27, 2018. Dr. Augspurger will continue his work with the federal agency and NCSU while serving in a private capacity as board chairman. The board provides technical assistance and advice on ways North Carolina can better address issues related to chemicals in the environment, including hexavalent chromium and new and emerging contaminants such as GenX.

Science Advisory Board Members

Science Advisory Board Charter

Future Meeting Schedule

Date and Time Location Agenda

Register to Speak 

*You do not have to register if you are just listening to the meeting.*

Monday, Aug. 1 TBA -- --
Monday, Oct. 3 TBA -- --
Monday, Dec. 5 TBA -- --

*Dates subject to change

Meeting Materials and Recordings

June 6, 2022

Agenda

Meeting Recording on YouTube 

Other Materials

  • NCDEQ Priority PFAS List presentation - Dr. Frannie Nilsen
  • NCDEQ PFAS Assessment Methods Exploration presentation - Dr. Frannie Nilsen
April 4, 2022 Meeting

Agenda

Meeting Recording 

Meeting Minutes

Other Materials

  • DHHS Fish Consumption Advisories Presentation - Kennedy Holt
  • DWM PFAS Signatures in Water Presentation - Dr. Amy Delinsky
  • DEQ Reference Dose Scoping Presentation - Dr. Frannie Nilsen
February 7, 2022 Meeting

Agenda

Meeting Minutes

Meeting Recording

Other Materials

  • Public Health Role in Guidance for Private Wells
  • Overview of NC Groundwater and Surface Water Quality Standards
  • Drinking Water Standards and Development of Regulations
December 6, 2021 Meeting

Agenda

Meeting Minutes

Meeting recording

Other materials

  • DEQ Roadmap Framework Presentation
  • DEQ PFOA and PFOS Update
October 4, 2021 Meeting

Meeting Agenda

Minutes

PowerPoint

Meeting Recording

August 2, 2021 Meeting

Agenda

Meeting Recording

Other Meeting Materials

PFAS Presentation

*Revised* PFAS Presentation

PFAS Data Table (Excel) (PDF)

Chemicals Priority Presentation

DEQ / DHHS Presentations –

  • DHHS Presentation
  • DAQ Presentation
  • DWM Presentation
  • DWR Presentation
June 7, 2021 Meeting

Meeting Agenda

Meeting Minutes - June 7 

Meeting Recording

Other Meeting Materials

Draft PFAS Table

Presentation Materials

April 5, 2021 Meeting
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Meeting Recording
  • Meeting Minutes
  • Other Meeting Materials:
    • Dr. Baird PFAS Presentation
    • https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/EHP4372
    • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020321590
February 1, 2021
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Meeting Minutes
  • Meeting Recording
  • Proposed Final Draft - Memorandum on Hexavalent Chromium
Past Meetings

December 7, 2020 Meeting

  • December 7. 2020 Agenda
  • Meeting Recording
  • Meeting Minutes
  • Hexavalent Chromium Proposed Final Draft
  • PFAS Presentations
    • DWR PFAS Presentation
    • Michigan's PFAS MCL Process - MPART Science Advisory Workgroup
    • PFAS Occurrence in North Carolina - Professor Knappe
    • DWM PFAS Presentation
    • DAQ PFAS Presentation

October 5, 2020 Meeting

  • October 5 Meeting Agenda
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • Meeting Minutes 

August 31, 2020 Meeting

  •  Agenda
  • Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • PFAS Research Updates:
    • Blake et al. 2020
    • Conley et al. 2019

February 24, 2020 Meeting

  • Agenda
  • Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording - Part 1
  • SAB Audio Recording - Part 2
  • PFAS Research Updates
    • Draft Summary Statement on PFOA and PFOS
    • Summary Statement on PFOA and PFOS
  • Hexavalent Chromium Updates
    • Draft Memorandum to Secretaries on Hexavalent Chromium
    • ToxStrategies Letter to NC SSAB

December 2, 2019

  • Agenda
  • Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • PFAS Research Updates
    • PFOA Induced Health Effects - Dr. Sue Fenton
    • PFAS and Placental Toxicity - Dr. Rebecca Fry
    • Immunotoxicological findings of PFAS: A focus on PFOA and PFOS - Dr. Jamie DeWitt

October 7, 2019

  • Agenda
  • Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • PFOA and PFOS 2L Groundwater standard
    • Request for Review and Comment on 15A NCAC 02L .0202 Groundwater Quality Standard for PFOA and PFOS
    • Groundwater Standard Summary Document by the Division of Water Resources
    • Subchapter 2L - Groundwater Classification and Standards
    • EPA Drinking Water Health Advisory for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) 
    • EPA Drinking Water Health Advisory for Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
    • Division of Water Resources Standard Operating Procedure for Reviewing Groundwater Standards Established Pursuant to 15A NCAC 02L .0200
    • Draft PFOS - PFOA total updated EPA values
    • ITRC PFAS Factsheet Tables (Jan. 2019)
  • UCMR4
    • UCMR4 Results
  • Methyl Bromide Update
    • Update on Methyl Bromide Rule-Making (Mike Abraczinskas)
  • Hexavalent Chromium (Tom Augspurger, PhD)
    • Presentation

June 3, 2019

  • Agenda
  • Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • MBIP - Methyl Bromide Comments
  • OPP draft documents
    • EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0269-0031
    • EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0269-0032
    • EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0269-0029
    • EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0269-0030

April 1, 2019

  • April 1, 2019 Agenda
  • Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • Methyl Bromide Acceptable Ambient Level comment summary table
  • Methyl Bromide Acceptable Ambient Level combined public comments
  • Methyl Bromide AAL public comments_SELC attachements
  • 1986 NCAS Air Toxics Panel Recommendations
  • Human Risk Assessment for Methyl Bromide by Dr. Vincent J. Piccirillo, DABT
  • Methyl Bromide Proposed Ambient Air Level Recommendation by Ecolab Inc.
  • Matching Exposure and Toxicity Averaging Times in Risk Assessment by Exponent
  • External GenX and Hexavalent Chromium Review Updates presented by DEQ staff
  • ToxStrategies, Inc. Hexavalent Chromium RfD presentation

Feb. 4, 2019

  • February 4, 2019 SAB Meeting Agenda 
  • Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording 
  • Methyl Bromide AAL Report 012819 
  • Methyl Bromide States AAL Survey 
  • SAB Approval TCE Vapor Intrusion Action Levels

Monday, Dec. 3, 2018

  • Meeting Agenda
  • Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • Dr. Tom Augspurger new SAB Chairman
  • Methyl Bromide AAL Report Addendum
  • TCE Action Level public comments-part 1
  • TCE Action Level public comments-American Chemistry Council
  • EPA Draft GenX RfD Update-DHHS
  • USEPA Fact Sheet-GenX and PFBS Draft RfD
  • USEPA GenX RfD Public Comment Draft
  • USEPA PFBS RfD Public Comment Draft

Oct. 22, 2018 

  • Agenda
  • Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • DEQ TCE Indoor Air Action Level Report
  • Note: Following distribution and review at the Oct. 22 meeting, this report was made available for public comment through Nov. 21, 2018. 
  • GenX Report - Final, Oct. 30, 2018
  • GenX Report Public Comments
  • GenX Report Public Comments Summary
  • SELC GenX Report comments 
  • Shea GenX Report comments 
  • Methyl Bromide AAL Recommendation report Methyl Bromide AAL slides 
  • TCE Vapor Intrusion presentation_USEPA Region 4 
  • TCE toxicity summary 2/15/2018_USEPA Region 4

Sept. 24, 2018 

  • Meeting cancelled due to Hurricane Florence.

Aug. 29, 2018: Draft GenX Report Update

  • UPDATED Draft SAB Report: Review of the North Carolina Drinking Water Provisional Health Goal for GenX
  • Appendix B: NC DHHS BMD Report May 2018
  • Appendix C: NC DHHS BMD Supplemental Report June 2018

Aug. 20, 2018

  • Agenda
  • August 20 Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • SAB Report: Review of the North Carolina Drinking Water Provisional Health Goal for GenX
  • Note: This is the version of the report that was distributed and reviewed during the Aug. 20 meeting. Changes proposed during the meeting are being incorporated into the document. Once that work is complete, the revised report will be posted to the website.
  • Reference documents: NC DHHS BMD Report May 2018, NC DHHS BMD Supplemental Report June 2018
  • AWWA Cr6 Primer
  • Duke Energy Basins & Groundwater
  • Duke Energy Letter to SAB June 2018
  • Duke Energy Statement on Duke University Study
  • Duke Energy Private Well Testing Update Nov. 2016
  • Duke University News Release Oct. 2016
  • Haley Aldrich Report
  • Study of Cr (VI) and V Standards April 2016
  • California's Public Health Goal for Hexavalent Chromium 
  • Hexavalent Chromium: Development of a Guidance Value Protective of Cancer

June 18, 2018

  • Meeting Agenda
  • Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • Man-made Lake Preliminary PFAS Study
  • TCE Short-Term Inhalation Action Levels
  • TCE Vapor Intrusion Draft Guidance for Sensitive Populations
  • GenX BMD Model Report
  • Derivation of Oral Cancer Slope Factor for Hexavalent Chromium
  • CEQ Cancer-Based RfD for Hexavalent Chromium
  • EPA Update on Development of GenX Toxicity Values

April 30, 2018 Meeting

  • Meeting Agenda
  • March 19 Meeting Minutes 
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • Total Chromium Presentation
  • Hexavalent Chromium Presentation 

March 19, 2018 Meeting

  • Meeting Agenda
  • Jan. 29 Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • Report: PPARα‑dependent rodent liver tumor response
  • Report: Human relevance of rodent liver tumors
  • PFAS Study from PLOS Biology
  • Shea Letter to SAB
  • DeWitt-Belcher Letter to SAB
  • GenX Benchmark Dose Presentation
  • Drinking Water Standards Presentation
  • Water Quality Standards Presentation
  • GenX Toxicity Study Summary Tables for Benchmark Dose Modeling

Jan. 29, 2018 Meeting

  • Meeting Agenda
  • Dec. 4, 2017 Meeting Minutes
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • DHHS: GenX Health Studies and Advisories
  • Overview of Precautionary Principle
  • Issues Related to Deriving Water Quality Standards
  • Chemours Health Studies
  • View WebEx Recording

Dec. 4, 2017 Meeting

  • Meeting Agenda 
  • SAB Audio Recording
  • Gen X Health Studies and Advisories Powerpoint
  • Science Advisory Board Meeting PowerPoint
  • DHHS Drinking Water Advisory Decision Matrix

Oct. 23, 2017 Meeting 

  • Meeting Summary
  • SAB Audio Recording

Boards and Commissions

  • Environmental Management Commission
  • Energy Policy Council
  • N.C. Coastal Resources Commission
  • Marine Fisheries Commission
  • N.C. Mining Commission
  • N.C. Oil and Gas Commission
  • Sedimentation Control Commission
  • Environmental Justice And Equity Board
  • Secretaries' Science Advisory Board
    • Science Advisory Board Members
  • How to Attend a WebEx Meeting

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