Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Carol Browner and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalalaco-chairs of the Task Force on the Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks have established two working groups to generate Federal strategies for protecting children from environmental health and safety risks.

Kenneth Olden, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and William Farland, Director of the National Center for Environmental Assessment in EPA’s Office of Research and Development, were named to form the Research and Data Needs Working group to develop a research strategy. A Program Implementation Working Group, co-chaired by Barry Johnson, Director of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and Gerry Clifford, EPA Regional Administrator, is developing outreach efforts and will seek partnerships with other Federal, State, and outside organizations. Overseeing both groups is a Steering Committee co-chaired by Richard Jackson of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Ramona Travato of EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection.

For more information about the Task Force and its activities, check the homepage for the Environmental Health Policy Committee at http://www.health.gov/environment.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final regulations for mammography facilities. The regulations, published in the October 18, 1997, Federal Register replace interim regulations in effect since 1992 and implement the 1992 Federal Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA). MQSA requires that all mammography facilities in the Nation meet specific quality standards, be accredited by an FDA-approved accreditation body, and be inspected annually.

The regulations require that personnel who perform mammography be trained adequately and be qualified to conduct mammography examinations and interpret results. In addition, doctors and patients must be quickly and fully informed of results so that followup testing or treatment can begin immediately. Standards are also in place for mammography equipment. Finally, original mammograms must be made available to other medical facilities at a patient’s request, to facilitate comparison with new mammograms.