FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2003
FY03-22
Holdsworth Joins ORISE Staff Assisting the EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)
OAK RIDGE, TENN—Dr. George Holdsworth recently joined the project team assisting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).
EPA has entered into an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for ORISE to serve as the managing contractor for technical assistance to the IRIS program. The agreement is valued at $10 million over a five-year period. ORISE will research and prepare human health assessments of hazardous chemicals.
Developed and maintained by the EPA, IRIS is an electronic database that stores information on health effects that may result from exposure to various chemicals in the environment. Combined with specific situational exposure assessment information, the data in IRIS may be used as a source in evaluating potential public health risks from environmental contaminants.
As the lead toxicologist, Holdsworth has primary responsibility for developing the new IRIS documentation. He will be responsible for conducting and directing toxicological reviews of hazardous substances and reviewing the most relevant research on selected chemicals.
Dr. Holdsworth earned degrees in Applied Biology and Biochemistry from Luton College of Technology and Barking College of Technology in the U.K. and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham, U.K. He has 20 years of experience providing technical support to governmental agencies in the field of environmental toxicology, human health sciences, and risk assessment.
“We are very pleased to have someone of Dr. Holdsworth’s stature as the scientific lead for this program,” reports Marcus Weseman, Director of Health, Safety, and Emergency Management Programs at ORISE.
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) is a U.S. Department of Energy institute focusing on scientific initiatives to research health risks from occupational hazards, assess environmental cleanup, respond to radiation medical emergencies, support national security and emergency preparedness, and educate the next generation of scientists. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities.