1.2 The Workshop Attendees

There were 10 panelists, including behavioral psychologists, scientists, pediatricians, and epidemiologists, who are experts in evaluating soil ingestion among children and adults. They included representatives from federal agencies, childrens' hospitals, and academia, and their collective expertise spans virtually every subject matter discussed at the workshop. Therefore, the expert panel offered a broad and balanced perspective on soil-pica behavior and its implications on the agency's health assessment process. Appendix A lists the names and affiliations of these panelists.

In addition to the panelists, about 20 observers attended one or both days of the 2-day workshop. The observers included community members, industry, consultants, ATSDR staff, and representatives from state and local health departments. Though the discussions at the workshop were primarily among the panelists, ATSDR gave observers the opportunity to comment on all key issues. Observers' comments are included in this report, usually at the end of the sections.