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                                                        EPA-SOO-F-92-001

                           U.S. Environmental Protection Agency        juiy 1992
                          Of//ce of Science and

                          Technology:


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                         EPA's overall goal, in -support of the Clean Water Act
                              and the Safe Drinking Act, is to reduce risks
                              to looth ecological systems and human health.
                         The Office of Science and Technology plays a key role
                    in fulfilling this commitment to protecting our nation's waters.
tz: "' Developing the Scientific Basis for a. Regulatory Framework
 The Office of Science and
 Technology (OST) is located
 in the U.S. Environmental
 Protection Agency's Office
 of Water. Our office works
 cooperatively with other
 organizations to develop
 scientifically defensible
 criteria, guidelines,  regula-
• tions, and advisories that
 provide the regulatory
 framework for:
 •  Restoring and maintain-
   ing the physical, chemi-
   cal, and biological
   integrity of the nation's
   water resources,
 •  Protecting the nation's
   public water supplies,
   and
                                      The office issues health
                                      advisories for use .by the
                                      states in protecting chinking
                                      water supplies under the Safe
                                      Drinking Water Act and •
                                      sponsors extensive, research
                                      on the effects of pollutants on
                                      aquatic organisms, fish, and
                                      wildlife. This information is
                                      used by federal, state, and
                                      local governments to set
                                      limits on the kinds of
                                      pollutants that may be
                                      discharged by industries and
                                      that may be present in public
                                      drinking water supplies.
                                      Working closely with indus-
                                      tries, trade associations, and
                                      environmental groups, we
                                      also help to incorporate
techniques into manufactur-
ing processes to prevent
polluting chemicals from
being created or used in
many industries.
While OST provides the
scientific basis for many
programs that protect human
health and the environment,
the information is communi-
cated to the state and local
governments through EPA's
ten regional offices. The
regions provide the tools and
training needed to incorpo-
rate the technical require-
ments into state programs.

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 Producing Diverse Programs
 The three divisions that make up OST are committed to protecting human health and the
 environment by carrying out research on the effects of pollutants that are discharged into our
 nation's surface waters. They focus on such diverse programs as technology-based controls and
 pollution prevention techniques for industrial dischargers, human health and environmental risks,
 risk assessments, and state water quality standards.        '
Engineering and
Analysis Division
(EAD)

This division*is knowledge-
able in all aspects of
manufacturing  processes
and pollution treatment .
technologies. Its mission is
to develop industrial .
discharge guidelines and
effluent standards for
industries that discharge
directly into surface waters
or into municipal treatment
plants.  Industrial pollution
prevention is a key aspect
of EAD's services.  Indus-
tries selected for guidelines
are generally those whose
discharges present the
greatest risk to human
health or to the aquatic
environment.
 Health and Ecological
 Criteria Division
 (HECD)

 Well-trained in assessing
 the behavior of chemicals in
 the environment, this
 division conducts extensive
 investigations'on chemicals
 that may pose health risks
 to humans and aquatic
 ecosystems. These analyses
 focus on pollutant path-
 ways and effects on
 humans and aquatic life.
 They result in the issuance
 of ecological and human
 health criteria, advisories
 for specific chemicals in
 public drinking water
 supplies, and criteria for
properly using and
disposing of municipal
sewage sludge..
 Standards  and Applied
 Science Division
 (SASD)

 Staffed by a highly diversi-
 fied group of environmental
 specialists, scientists, and
 engineers/ this division
 works closely with the EPA
 regional offices to help states
 incorporate criteria devel-
 oped by other OST divisions
 into their water quality
 standards. The staff also
 assesses potential risks to
 humans resulting from fish
 and sediment that have been
 contaminated by toxic
pollutants.

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 Providing
 Risk Assessment
 Support
 Providing
 National Scientific
 Support
 OST develops methods and
 assesses risks to help predict
 the effects of different levels
 of pollutants on human
 health and the environment.
 Using information from
 risk analyses, we provide
 support to Agency and State
 water pollution control .*,
 programs that address:
 • Point source discharges,
 • Non-point source
  discharges,
 • Wetland  protection,
 • Drinking water
  protection, and
 • National  resource
  protection.

The office also sponsors
seminars for scientists
in both the public and
private sectors to help them
understand the technical
aspects of risk assessments,
and methodologies.
 Our diversified staff includes
 scientists, biologists, chem-
 ists, engineers, environmen-
 tal specialists, economists,
 statisticians, and other skilled
 professionals.  These
 professionals rely on   .
 research conducted either
 independently by the
 Agency or jointly with other
 federal agencies, research
 and academic institutions,
 and environmental groups.
 This consortium has a
 common focus: to acquire
 information that will help us
 better understand the effect
 of pollutants on the aquatic
 environment and to develop
ways to reduce the risk from
harmful pollutants.
    For additional information
        you may contact:

        United States
EnvironmentalProtectionAgency
 Office of Water Resource Center
        (WH-556-RC)
      401M Street, S.W.
 .   Washington, D.C. 20460
        (202) 260-7786

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