Proceedings of the Hydrogen Sulfide Health Research and Risk Assessment Symposium, October 31-November 2, 2000

The Hydrogen Sulfide Health Research and Risk Assessment Symposium came about for several reasons: (1) increased interest by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and several state agencies in regulating hydrogen sulfide (H2S); (2) uncertainty about ambient exposure to H2S; (3) confusion and disagreement in the literature about possible health effects at low-level exposures; and (4) presentation of results of a series of recent animal bioassays. The American Petroleum Institute (API) proposed this symposium and the U. S. EPA became an early cosponsor, with the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT) and the American Forest & Paper Association (AF & PA) contributing expertise and funding assistance. The topics covered in this symposium included animal research, human research, mode-of-action and dosimetry issues, environmental exposure and monitoring, and assessment and regulatory issues, and closed with a panel discussion. The overall goals of the symposium were to gather together experts in H2S health effects research and individuals from governmental agencies charged with protecting the public health, provide a venue for reporting of recent research findings, identify gaps in the current information, and outline new research directions and promote research collaboration. During the course of the symposium, presenters provided comprehensive reviews of the state of knowledge for each topic. Several new research proposals discussed at the symposium have subsequently been initiated. This report provides a summary of the talks, poster presentations, and panel discussions that occurred at the Hydrogen Sulfide Health and Risk Assessment Symposium.