»EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Research and
Development
Washington, DC 20460
EPA/600/9-87/003
January 1987
Research and Development
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
Long-Range
Research Agenda
1987-1991
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EPA/600/9-87/003
January 1987
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
LONG-RANGE RESEARCH AGENDA
1987-1991
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INDEX
CHAPTER PAGE NUMBER
Introduction A-l
Air and Radiation 1-10
Water 11-21
Hazardous Waste 22-28
Pesticides and Toxic Substances 29-38
Interdisciplinary 39-49
Multimedia Energy 50-58
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INTRODUCTION
The primary goal of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is the
reduction of risk to public health and to the environment. Within this
context, the Office of Research and Development (ORD) provides the scientific
information necessary to determine the extent of these risks and to develop
and evaluate technology options to reduce, eliminate or prevent them. As
part of this process ORD must anticipate the scientific questions that will
arise so that appropriate data may be obtained and evaluated for the regula-
tory decision-making process.
The framework for this document is a series of scientific issues iden-
tified by EPA's six topical Research Committees: Water, Air and Radiation,
Hazardous Waste, Interdisciplinary, Multimedia Energy (including acid deposi-
tion), and Pesticides and Toxics. These committees, composed of representa-
tives of ORD, Agency Program (regulatory) Offices and the Regions, are jointly
chaired by senior managers from ORD and the appropriate Program Office. The
critical scientific issues for each committee were delineated in a joint
strategy document by the Assistant Administrators of ORD and the appropriate
Program Office. Thus, these issues reflect the perspectives of both the
regulatory and research offices of EPA on determining where scientific
uncertainties lie and how the Agency might reduce those uncertainties. The
integration of the overall research program is, thus, a matrix of topically-
oriented research committees and discipline-oriented offices.
Research plans for this 1987-1991 time period are subject to changes
reflecting funding levels, competing Agency priorities, and new or modified
1egi siation.
A-l
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AIR AND RADIATION
Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), as amended in 1977, EPA is responsible
for setting ambient air quality standards to protect the public health
(primary standards) and welfare (secondary standards) from air pollutants
emitted from both stationary and mobile sources. National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS) have been set for six "criteria" pollutants: ozone (03);
carbon monoxide (CO); particulate matter (PM); sulfur dioxide (S02); nitrogen
dioxide (N02); and lead (Pb). As required by law, these standards must be
reviewed every five years and revised if necessary. Compliance with these
standards is the responsibility of each state through the development and
implementation of State Implementation Plans (SIPs) which limit emissions
from existing sources, set time tables for compliance and establish monitoring
procedures. The Agency is also responsible for setting New Source Performance
Standards (NSPS) to limit criteria air pollutant emissions from new sources
or from existing sources which have been modified based on the use of best
demonstrated control systems. In areas where the air quality is better than
that required to meet primary and secondary standards, emissions from new or
modified sources are restricted under the Prevention of Significant Deterior-
ation (PSD) program. In addition, EPA is responsible for limiting emissions
of air pollutants that are hazardous to human health, but are not already
regulated as criteria pollutants.
ORD provides the scientific data bases, methodologies, models, assess-
ments, emission reduction technologies and corresponding quality assurance
support to implement these legislative authorities. Five major issues have
been identified within the scope of the air research program which cut across
scientific disciplines and the pollutant-specific structure of the research
program. In addition, EPA conducts a radiation monitoring and quality assur-
ance program and a small program to review the health effects of non-ionizing
radiation.
MAJOR RESEARCH ISSUES
Criteria Pollutants
What scientific support is necessary to develop and review primary and
secondary NAAQS?
HEALTH EFFECTS: EPA lacks sufficient dose-response information to determine
the lowest level of exposure to a particular pollutant at which adverse
effects occur. This is especially true for subgroups of the population which
may be particularly sensitive to pollutant insult. Without this evidence,
the optimum level for an ambient air quality standard that adequately protects
the public health cannot be determined.
For each of the criteria air pollutants, many of the sensitive population
groups and the pollutant exposure ranges of interest have generally been
identified. However, health effects testing of these pollutants must continue
in both animal and human subjects to ascertain dose-response relationships.
The health endpoints of concern are mainly respiratory, metabolic, and immune
system effects of 03, N02, S02 and particulate matter; the cardiovascular
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and neurologic effects of CO; and the neurobehavioral effects of lead. In
addition, research may be done on the health effects of very short exposure
to high levels of particles and S02- This research would support re-evaluation
of emergency level standards, particularly as they apply to sources which
omit occasional bursts of pollutants for extremely short periods of time.
Emphasis will also be placed on evaluating the effects of long-term, low
level versus short-term, higher-peak exposures to oxidants, particularly NOg,
and the effects of both long-term and short-term exposures to the coarse
fraction of airborne particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter. The
information obtained from this research will be factored into the next
round of criteria documents and used in the review of NAAQS.
To improve our ability to relate animal data to actual human consequences
and to develop more reliable risk estimates of exposure to air pollutants,
techniques will be developed to extrapolate from animal to human effects,
from high to low doses and from acute to chronic effects. To do this, infor-
mation in three critical areas is needed: dosimetry--the amount of pollutant
which reaches specific target sites in the body after exposure to a given
concentration of pollutant; species sensitivity--the potential variations in
response of different animal species to the same dose of pollutant; and dose-
response.
Human volunteers are being exposed to criteria pollutants for brief
periods of time at concentrations similar to those encountered in daily
life, in order to measure the resulting effects on heart and lung function,
immune response, and other physiological and biological parameters. Similar
studies are being conducted with animals. Animals are also being exposed
chronically to these pollutants and the cumulative lifetime effect of these
exposures will be determined. This dose-response data, combined with dosimetry
and species-sensitivity information, will enable an inference of the effects
that chronic exposure to a given pollutant may have on humans.
WELFARE EFFECTS: To assess the need for secondary air quality standards for
criteria pollutants, research is needed on the impact of air pollution on
vegetation and visibility degradation. Recent research on the effect of 03
on crops indicates that physiological conditions such as water stress and 03
exposure fluctuations may affect plant response to 03. Therefore, research
to reduce these uncertainties will be conducted.
To develop and implement air pollution abatement strategies for visibil-
ity protection, research will be conducted to determine the extent of visi-
bility impairment. Specifically, the role of aerosols on visibility reduction
will be assessed; visibility trends for the U.S. will be determined using
available data bases; and measurement and monitoring techniques will be
developed to more completely characterize the extent of visibility changes.
A regional visibility research network will be established to provide data
for analyzing source-receptor relationships, and models will be developed
to assess visibility protection strategies. Research is also needed to
assess the influence of particle size and composition on soiling, and to aid
in the development of a risk assessment.
MONITORING: New and improved monitoring methods are needed to identify
areas where public health and welfare are threatened and to establish air
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quality trends. In addition, accurate, reliable monitoring methods are
necessary to determine compliance with standards and to evaluate the need
for enforcement actions. Within the area of criteria air pollution monitoring,
immediate emphasis will be on refinement and validation of an automatic,
cryogenic monitor for non-methane organic compounds (NMOC). Following labor-
atory validation, this monitor will be field tested.
Epidemiological research provides the most direct evidence of human health
effects from environmental exposures to air pollutants. When feasible,
epidemiology studies will be done to ascertain the health effects of indoor
and outdoor exposures to the criteria air pollutants.
In addition, because the health effects of N02 are thought to be associ-
ated with high exposures of extremely short duration, a continuous N02 monitor
is necessary. Over the next several years, research will be conducted to
develop such a monitor, based on chemiluminescent principles. If the instru-
ment proves successful, it can be further evaluated in pilot-scale field
studies, then used in full-scale epidemiological studies on urban populations
to assess the sources, exposures, and public health risks of N02-
SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT: Review and revision of criteria documents, based on
new scientific information, is a continuing effort. The results of health
and welfare research performed inside and outside the Agency will be used to
revise the criteria document in time to support the review of the CO NAAQS.
Revision of the NOX criteria document will be initiated, and the addendum to
the PM/SOX document will be completed.
New Source Performance Standards and State Implementation Plans
What scientific support is needed to develop NSPS and SIPs?
CONTROL TECHNOLOGY: Although considerable progress has been made in control-
ling air pollution from both mobile and stationary sources, emissions of
criteria pollutants are currently a major concern in a number of areas of
the country. Thus, research will be conducted to characterize emission
sources, and evaluate and improve the cost effectiveness of emission reduction
technologies, thereby reducing the cost of complying with SIPs.
Because much is already known about most criteria pollutants, priorities
for control technology have shifted to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), to
assist in meeting ozone level attainment goals. VOCs, which react with NOX
and sunlight to produce ozone, are a major cause of the ozone non-attainment
problem. Although emissions from major stationary sources are being reduced,
small sources, such as dry cleaners, gas stations and paint users, are not
being widely controlled. Although these sources individually emit small
amounts of pollutants, collectively they may constitute a significant problem.
Control technologies such as industrial flares, carbon adsorption, catalytic
oxidation and thermal incineration will be assessed to determine their perfor-
mance and cost in reducing VOC emissions from such sources. Emphasis will
be placed on developing and evaluating methods to control VOCs without resorting
to costly add-on control devices.
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Improved control technology is also needed for sulfur and nitrogen
oxides. For SOX, further research will be done on conventional spray drying
for utility and industrial boilers. Also, comparative assessments are needed
for various absorbents to reduce the cost of spray drying flue gas desulfur-
ization (FGD). The role of dry injection techniques in F6D systems will
also be investigated. Research to control NOX will focus on evaluating
the applicability of combustion modification techniques to industries. Also,
needed research on reburning and changes in precombuster burner designs will
continue.
Research to control particles focuses on improving the performance,
reliability and cost-effectiveness of the multi-stage electrostatic preci-
pitator (ESP) and fabric filtration. The major purpose of this research is
to improve collection of small particles which have become increasingly impor-
tant in meeting particle standards. ESPs may assist in acid rain mitigation
for use with dry add-on S02 removal processes and switching to low-sulfur
coals with their more difficult-to-collect fly ashes. Another particle
control measure which shows promise is electrostatically augmented fabric
filtration (ESFF). Also, recent research indicates that proper conditioning
of the particulate matter can reduce pressure drop significantly, resulting
in fabric filters one-third the size of conventional units. Additional
research to verify this finding is necessary and has begun.
ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES: Pollutants emitted into the air often undergo chemical
reactions that change the initial pollutants into different compounds.
Models to predict this phenomenon are being developed at the urban and
regional scale and for complex terrains, such as mountainous areas. These
models, when fully developed, will provide information necessary to develop,
evaluate and implement cost-effective air pollution control strategies for
SIPs and PSD determinations.
Over the last few years, a variety of air quality models have been
developed and evaluations of these models indicate that they need to be
improved to increase the accuracy and reliability of modeling predictions.
To improve urban scale models, smog-chamber studies will be conducted to
simulate the atmospheric chemical processes associated with the formation
of oxidants and inhalable particulate matter. Emphasis will be placed on
the impact of lower hydrocarbon/NOx ratios and the role of specific categories
of volatile organic carbons (VOCs) such as aromatic hydrocarbons and aldehydes
in producing oxidants. Other studies are needed to determine the occurrence,
lifetimes and transformation processes to assess the environmental importance
of potential hazardous air pollutants.
On tne regional scale (up to 1000km), laboratory and field studies will
be conducted to improve the ability of models to predict the atmospheric trans-
port, transformation and deposition processes for air pollutants such as
03 and particulate matter. Alternative mathematical techniques and new meteo-
rological tracers will also be evaluated to determine their ability to improve
modeling predictions.
MONITORING: Stationary source monitoring methods need improvement. Research
will be conducted to increase the precision and accuracy of these monitoring
systems. In addition, quality assurance support and audits will be provided
to the Agency on a continuing basis.
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Hazardous Air Pollutants
What scientific support is needed to develop regulations for hazardous
air pollutants?
MONITORING: Unlike the situation for criteria air pollutants, few monitoring
methods are available for measuring the concentration of potentially hazardous
air pollutants, especially VOCs. New sampling and analytical systems and a
set of validated source-sampling methods will be developed for monitoring
important sources of hazardous air pollutants that currently cannot be monitored
with adequate precision and accuracy. Research to develop methods of monitoring
ambient hazardous air pollutant concentrations will be accelerated, as will
work on passive monitors and new sorbents. This will extend the measurement
capability to chemicals not collected by current methods and to new monitoring
situations such as exposures near hazardous waste sites. The nationwide
Toxic Air Monitoring System (TAMS) will be continued, to characterize urban
atmospheres and determine national trends for non-criteria air pollutants
in order to determine the magnitude and extent of the hazardous air pollution
problem. The Total Exposure Assessment Methodology (TEAM) will be applied
in several areas of the country to develop a national profile of exposure to
hazardous pollutants. Early emphasis will be on VOCs. As monitoring capabilities
expand, other pollutants may be investigated.
HEALTH EFFEECTS In general, the strategy for investigating the health effects
of toxic air pollutants must be quite different from that employed in the
study of criteria pollutants. First, because of the potential hazards of
these pollutants, clinical studies of exposed human volunteers cannot be
conducted; however, epiderniological studies may be feasible. Direct animal
to man extrapolation is difficult, so it is necessary to develop animal
models that use biological indicators of neurotoxic, genetic, reproductive,
or developmental effects in humans. Research to develop such models will be
undertaken during the next five years.
A major concern is the identification of pollutants which pose the
greatest threats to human health, either because of the seriousness of their
effects or because of the degree of exposure. Such research is underway and
will be broadened in the future.
CONTROL TECHNOLOGY: The highest priority for research in this area is to
assess technologies for their ability to reduce toxic emissions from various
industrial and combustion sources. A near-term goal is to control emissions
from wood-burning stoves, beginning with evaluations of the efficiency and
longevity of wood stove catalysts.
As part of the long term strategy to control hazardous air pollutants
(HAPs), industries which are deemed to be high priority sources of HAPs will
be identified. Such industries include petroleum refining, organic chemical
manufacturers, and iron and steel mills. Research will be performed to
develop efficient and effective control strategies for such high-priority
emitters.
ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES: Consideration of the formation, atmospheric stability,
and removal of HAPs is essential in assessing exposure and risk. Of particular
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concern is the formation in the atmosphere of toxic pollutants from chemical
reactions among individually innocuous compounds. On a schedule consistent
with the Agency's regulatory calendar, laboratory and field studies will be
performed to determine the reaction rates, products, and natural variabilities
of HAPs under review. Chemistry will be studied in isolated laboratory
systems, to obtain accurate data on kinetics and mechanics. They will also
be investigated in photochemical smog chambers, which provide a better basis
for extrapolation to the atmosphere. New studies will be undertaken to
determine the extent to which HAPs are formed in the atmosphere from innocuous
compounds.
SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT: Scientific data from the research described above
will be used, along with research results from externally sponsored studies
of HAPs, to develop Health Assessment Documents for priority pollutants.
These documents are used by the Agency in determining the need to regulate
hazardous compounds.
INTEGRATED AIR CANCER PROGRAM: There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding
the relationship between air pollution and human cancer. Determining the
extent to which air pollution is responsible for or related to human cancers
could have a major impact on EPA's regulatory program. Thus, a long-term,
interdisciplinary research program has been developed to address the major
scientific questions regarding the relationship between air pollution and
the development of human cancer.
The three basic goals of this program are to: (1) identify the prin-
cipal airborne carcinogens; (2) determine which emission sources are major
contributors of carcinogens to ambient air; and (3) improve the estimate of
comparative human cancer risk from specific air pollutant emission sources.
Field tests of relatively isolated single-source categories are essential
for developing rnetnods to evaluate the more typical multiple-source environ-
ments that the general population is exposed to. Therefore, a field test
will be conducted in Boise, Idaho, an area with a simple airshed and a severe
wood smoke problem during the winter months. The study will focus on quanti-
fying carcinogens emitted from residential wood-fired combustion systems and
motor vehicles. The results of this study will be immediately useful, parti-
cularly as surrogates for similar environments, while the study design can
be adapted for use in areas with more complex geographic, meteorological,
and sociological make-ups.
Mobile Sources
What scientific support is needed to develop mobile source regulations?
Modeling: As the driving fleet ages and changes occur in engine design,
models to assess the impacts of mobile source emissions on ambient air quality
need to be refined and studies must be conducted to evaluate the impact of
new emissions. Greater emphasis will be placed on evaluating promising
alternative fuels, particularly methanol. The two primary pollutants of
importance from methanol-fueled vehicles are methanol and formaldehyde.
Analytical procedures to measure methanol and formaldehyde will be developed
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and emission characterizations performed. Research to determine the photo-
chemistry of emissions from methanol-fueled vehicles will also be conducted.
Emissions from future gasoline-fueled vehicles and diesel-fueled vehicles
equipped with advanced control technologies will be characterized.
Global and Microenvironmental
What scientific data are needed to determine the impact of the quality
of global and micro-environments on public health and the environment?
Stratospheric Modification: By preventing most harmful ultraviolet (UV-B)
radiation from reaching the earth's surface, the stratospheric ozone layer
serves as an important shield protecting human health and welfare. It has
been theorized for several years that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) can cause
depletion of stratospheric ozone if used in sufficient quantities. Several
serious consequences are possible, including (1) increases in melanoma and
other skin cancers, (2) suppression of the human immune system, (3) decreased
productivity of commercially important crops and aquatic organisms, and (4)
accelerated degradation of polymeric materials. In addition, it is possible
that stratospheric ozone can contribute to the theorized "greenhouse effect".
Recent research findings, particularly regarding atmospheric chemistry and
physics, indicate that the process of stratospheric ozone depletion may be
more complicated than was previously thought. There are also significant
gaps in our knowledge of the health and welfare effects of increased UV-B
radiation. Consideration of regulatory actions on these issue must be based
on further research.
Toward that end, research is planned to: (1) evaluate potential future
rates of growth in CFC emissions; (2) model changes in the ozone layer
which may result from changes in atmospheric composition; (3) analyze
predictive models in light of new atmospheric monitoring data; (4) determine
potential health effects, particularly the contribution of increased UV-B
radiation to the development of malignant melanoma; and (5) determine the
effects of UV-B on crop productivity.
Indoor Air: In December 1983, sixteen Federal agencies formed the Interagency
Committee on Indoor Air Quality (CIAQ) to coordinate information exchange of
an indoor air research and development. This evolved in response to concerns
expressed by several organizations, including Congress, about indoor air
quality. The CIAQ has developed a comprehensive research strategy on indoor
air, in which EPA plays a major role.
In this interagency approach to indoor air pollution research, EPA will
concentrate largely on assessing human exposure to air pollutants through
field studies using advanced monitoring techniques to measure total exposure
to pollutants such as VOCs, inhalable particulates, and N02. Clinical
studies are planned to assess the effects of these pollutants. Based on the
results of these and related studies, predictive exposure models will be
constructed and evaluated. The physiological and biochemical changes associ-
ated with simultaneous pollutant exposures indoors will be evaluated in
these field studies, and the influence of particulate loadings on pollutant
exposures will tie investigated. Emissions from indoor combustion sources,
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construction materials and consumer products will be characterized so that
predictive models of indoor air concentrations of the emitted substances can
be developed. The distinctive pattern of emissions can be used to help
identify the sources of emissions in the field study. During 1986 and 1987,
the Ayency will continue research under the National Radon Mitigation Strategy,
culminating in a guidebook for builders, homeowners, and businesses on pro-
tecting against high indoor radon levels.
Radiation Research
What technical support is necessary to ensure that the public is adequately
protected from exposure to radioactive materials in the environment?
Monitoring: On a continuing basis, EPA supplies comprehensive radiological
monitoring and surveillance services to the Department of Energy (DOE) to meet
that Agency's nuclear test monitoring requirements, especially at the Nevada
Test Site. Other locations at which such support is regularly provided include
Mississippi, Colorado, and New Mexico. Advanced monitoring systems are employed,
primarily off-site, to measure the amount of radiation escaping the site following
test blasts. A report is generated yearly which details the locations monitored
and test results. This work is expected to continue at the same level of
effort during the next five years.
Quality Assurance: EPA conducts a radiochemical analytical quality assurance
program which supports federal, regional, state, and local laboratories making
radioactivity measurements to assess the impact of local nuclear facilities.
The purpose of this program is to ensure that scientifically credible data,
methodologies, and assessments are used when determining public exposure to
radioactive materials. Each year, EPA reports on laboratory radionuclide
studies conducted during the previous year. This is a continuing effort and
is expected to remain at its current level of effort.
Non-Ionizing Radiation: As lead agency for Federal Radiation Guidelines
(Atomic Energy Act, Executive Order 10831), EPA must address the public
health implication of environmental exposure to non-ionizing radiation, such
as that generated by high-voltage power lines, and microwave and frequency-
modulated transmission. Toward that end, EPA has conducted non-ionizing
radiation health effects research for several years. This program culminated,
in 1985, in the publication of a document compiling information on the
biological effects of non-ionizing radiation. This document was widely
disseminated and is available to federal, regional, state, and local authorities
and other persons interested in its contents.
At the present time, EPA is drawing its radiation health effects research
to a close, having made significant progress in determining the level of
public health risk posed by non-ionizing radiation. The Agency plans to
maintain a core program, comprised of experts in the reproductive, thermal,
physiological, and genotoxic effects of radiation. The function of this staff
will be to review scientific findings as they are generated and advise the
Agency on the impact, if any, that these data have on the Agency's position on
non-ionizing radiation research. As necessary, the existing guidance document
may be revised consistent with the implications of new researth results.
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SUMMARY OF LONG-TERM TRENDS
During the past 15 years, much progress has been made in cleaning up the
nation's air. Increased use of lead-free gasoline has sharply decreased
ambient lead levels and the recent move to speed up the lead phase down
program promises to cut these levels even further. Urban areas are exper-
iencing fewer severe pollution episodes. Catalytic converter use has greatly
diminished carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions from automobiles.
Although some areas still exceed allowable levels of ozone, most locations
across the country are generally in compliance with most NAAQS.
Given these trends, priorities are shifting in the air research program.
New questions include: What are the hazards posed by unregulated toxic
pollutants? What are the sources of these pollutants? What are the long-term
health consequences of continued exposure to low levels of criteria pollutants?
What physical and chemical interactions in the atmosphere can create or
increase toxic pollutants? What are the actual pollutant exposures encountered
by people throughout the day? To what extent do conditions or materials in the
home contribute to those exposures? What can be done about visibility decrements
or damage to materials resulting from air pollution?
Within the area of toxic air pollution research, EPA will focus on
several objectives. Monitoring methods will be improved and attempts will
be made to characterize urban atmospheres and determine national pollution
trends. TEAM studies will be undertaken, with the goal of developing a
profile of HAP exposures across the nation. Efforts will be made to identify
the most toxic pollutants, by source, and to determine their health effects.
Control strategies will be developed, first for high priority industries,
such as chemical manufacturers and petroleum industries. The formation,
transport, and fate of HAPs will also be investigated. The Integrated Air
Cancer Program (IACP) will be expanded, drawing on the resources of several
EPA laboratories to discover the extent to which toxic pollutants contribute
to this country's rising cancer rates.
With the cooperation of other federal agencies interested in the hazards
of indoor air pollution, EPA will be applying modern methods to monitor indoor
exposures to radon, VOCs, N02, particulates, and other contaminants. Indoor
emissions will be characterized and exposure models will be constructed to
predict indoor exposures to specified pollutants. Ultimately this information
will be of use in determining the total exposure -- indoor and outdoor --
that humans receive to these pollutants.
Within the criteria pollutant program, some of the concerns remaining
include ozone non-attainment, health effects exposures to NO? and particulates.
Ozone control research will focus on small stationary sources of VOCs, such
as dry cleaners and gas stations, to develop applicable, low-cost methods of
cutting VUC emissions. Health research on N02 will concentrate on clinical,
epidemiological, and toxicological evaluations of N02 exposure, particularly
in susceptible populations, such as children and persons with impaired respiratory
systems.
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1986 Revised Current Estimate: $68.4M
1987 President's Budget: $63.3M
Projections
FY 1988
FY 1989
FY 1990
FY 1991
No Growth
Moderate Growth
High Growth
$63. 3K
$65. 2K
$67. IK
$63. 3K
$67. 2K
$71. IK
$63. 3K
$69. 2K
$75. 4K
$63. 3K
$71. 2K
$75. 9K
No Growth: The program would proceed as described in this Agenda.
Moderate: Additional efforts would be devoted to augmented research in risk
assessment, ozone non-attainment, and mitigation of risk. Specifically, emphasis
would be placed on determination of risk. Reduction in the criteria air pollution
program would be restored.
High: Research to characterize presence, extent, fate, effect, and source of
air pollutants, both criteria and non-criteria, associated human and environmental
exposure would be increased.
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WATER
EPA's water research program provides the technical and scientific
support necessary to implement the Agency's regulatory responsibilities
under the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Marine
Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, and a number of Executive
Orders and omnibus statutes. Most of the research on water issues is
conducted by the ORD laboratories although a valuable contribution is
made by universities and private research institutions supported in part
by EPA grants and cooperative agreements. EPA's water research is
important to the development of both drinking water and ambient water
quality regulations. In addition, the program is heavily involved in the
development and transfer of innovative and cost-effective treatment
technologies to municipalities, industry and private landowners, and is
accelerating its research into the environmental impacts of pollution
upon aquatic biota and their ecosystems.
EPA's water research will continue to provide support in the following
areas: developing new and revised drinking water Maximum Contaminant
Levels and Health Advisories; developing Criteria Documents and the
scientific underpinnings of ambient water quality regulatory policies;
assisting the Regions and states in meeting the growing demand for toxicity
based National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits;
and providing technical support to the municipal waste-water construction
program in pretreatment, sludge, infiltration/inflow and other areas.
The six research areas described in this report—Water Quality Based
Approach; Marine, Estuarine and Great Lakes; Wastewater Treatment
Technology; Drinking Water Technology; Drinking Water Health; Ground
Water—represent the principal concerns in the water research area and
correspond both to the organizational structure of the Water Research
Committee and the Agency's water research budget. Although this is a
comprehensive program, it does not include all ongoing research which
contributes to EPA's water protection mission.
MAJOR RESEARCH ISSUES
Water Quality Based Approach (Permitting)
What information and methods are needed to support a water quality
based approach to pollution control?
The Clean Water Act (CWA) recognizes two types of regulatory require-
ments needed to restore and maintain the quality of the Nation's waters:
(1) Technology-based guidelines set uniform national requirements for
discharges by industries and sewage treatment facilities; and (2) Water
quality based standards define the uses to be made of water, such as drinking
water supply or recreation, and subsequently establish site-specific criteria
protective of that use. Despite significant reductions in point-source
pollutant levels as a result of the implementation of technology-based
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discharge limits, there are still water bodies which do not meet water
quality standards. Moreover, there are increasingly important water
quality problems caused by toxic substances, diffuse (nonpoint) sources,
and reduced flow.
Use Attainability: This research will characterize water bodies for
attainable uses based on their natural features and surrounding land
forms. Research will continue on the development of comprehensive ecological
criteria for meeting goals of the CWA and on the National Atlas and maps
of aquatic ecoregions. Resources permitting application of remote sensing
or aerial photographic interpretations for use attainability analysis
(drainage basin mapping, land usage, historical usage and rnisusage) will be
provided. Diffuse sources of contamination are currently regulated
through "Best Management Practices."
Microbiological Contamination of Shellfish: A cooperative research effort
has been undertaken with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA)
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for determining if a
quantitative relationship exists between microbial indicators of water
quality and disease in shellfish (oysters and clams) consumers. Two field
sites have been selected to study the occurrence of microbial water quality
indicators and to harvest oysters and clams. Shellfish harvested from
these sites (both are currently acceptable) will be fed to human volunteers
to determine the incidence of gastrointestinal disease. The microbial
water quality indicator that best correlates to the disease incidence in
consumers will be proposed as the revised shellfish growing water quality
i ndicator.
Waste Load Allocation: Environmental processes characterizations will
increase available data bases, and waste load allocation models will be
developed, improved, simplified and tested to implement the water quality
based approach. The Center for Water Quality Modeling in Athens, Georgia
will catalogue, maintain and provide models, user manuals and associated
training and technical assistance to EPA Regions and states.
Monitoring and Quality Assurance: EPA will continue to identify, evaluate,
standardize and validate analytical procedures for characterization/monitoring
of water borne pollutants. Emphasis will be given to the establishment
of protocols which screen water quality through biochemical and/or biological
testing. In the area of chemical methods development, generic instrumentation
approaches to monitoring (rather than a chemical-by-chemical approach)
will be evaluated. Contamination of the water column, under-lying sediment
or introduced sludge will be individually addressed in an attempt to
maximize the economy of each class of measurement. Additionally, the
proposed externalization of quality assurance costs (charging user fee for
QA services) will continue to "free-up" resources to fund such high
priority efforts.
Water Quality Criteria - Aquatic Life: Toxicity-testing methods for aquatic
life will be developed, validated and provided to Regions and states for
predicting instream water and biological impacts in fresh and brackish
water and marine systems. Research will continue to support the integration
of pollutant-specific controls with whole-effluent-toxicity testing procedures
and Best Available Technology. The significance of toxicity and persistance
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factors to biota will be determined and methods developed for integration
into the permitting process. Field tests will compare site-specific
criteria modification techniques with the whole-effluent-toxicity approach.
Freshwater and marine water quality criteria and advisories for protection
of aquatic life based on specific chemicals will be developed as needed and
experimental "expert" systems for environmental assessment will be developed
and tested.
Water Quality Criteria - Health Effects: Health effect bioassays developed
in previous years to determine toxicity of municipal and industrial waste
discharges will be field tested at several different locations. The
results of these field evaluations will be combined and produced as a
methods manual to support the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) program.
In other areas, guidance for assessing the risk of human exposure
to mixtures of toxic chemicals, the evaluation of site-specific health
hazards and evaluations for CWA Section 301(g) permit modification requests
will continue under the scientific assessment program. The cooperative
ecological research with the People's Republic of China will address the
impact of contaminants on freshwater organisms, emphasizing field
verification of methodologies.
Marine, Estuaries and Great Lakes
What information and methods are needed to support environmentally
sound ocean disposal, estuarine and Great Lakes programs?
Ocean Disposal: EPA is charged with regulating waste disposal activities
in the marine environment. Among these activities are the dumping of
wastes such as dredged material, sewage sludge and industrial wastes,
the disposal of municipal and industrial wastewater through ocean
outfalls, and the incineration-at-sea of industrial wastes. An improved
understanding of the ecological consequences of these ocean disposal
actions is needed to guide future public policy, satisfy international
marine treaties and, where possible, protect and enhance coastal fisheries
resources. Key questions concerning ocean dumping and incineration-at-sea
involve procedures to be used in assessing the impacts of ocean disposal
and procedures necessary to monitor dumpsites for long-term impacts and
validate predictions made about potential impacts. The CWA requires
secondary treatment for ocean-outfall discharges from publicly owned
facilities, although waivers are allowed in selected cases. Therefore,
EPA must have a scientific basis for determining when secondary treatment
requirements may be modified and what effluent limitations should be
imposed.
To support the ocean dumping and outfall regulatory programs, and
to assess the impacts of incineration-at-sea, EPA's research will focus
on the development and validation of protocols needed for prediction of
impacts from these activities. This program will continue the development
and testing of ocean disposal impact assessment procedures, coastal and
deep-water monitoring methods, and procedures for characterizing the
bioaccumulation potential and effects of ocean disposed contaminants.
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Technology research related to ocean disposal will provide information
used in correlating the types of treatment with subsequent environmental
impacts in order to assess appropriate levels of treatment for ocean
disposed wastes. The assessment of wastewater treatment mechanisms will
focus on partitioning of toxic metals and organics on wastewater solids
during treatment and the desorption or distribution encountered when
sludge and wastewaters are discharged to the ocean.
Estuaries: Estuaries are valuable ecological systems, which are directly
important to man for fisheries and recreation resources, and indirectly
as nursery areas for ocean fisheries. Estuaries are subject to impacts by
the production, transportation, consumption and release of toxic chemicals.
Basic scientific uncertainties exist regarding these assessments which
involve the quantification of loads, their transport and fate, and their
cumulative effects on the resources. EPA's estuarine research program is
guided by the Office of Water's Estuarine Protection Strategy, and will
concentrate on the development and validation of hazard-assessment protocols
for improved source-control decisions in the NPDES and Construction
Grants Programs. Methods are also required for developing the rationale
and technical justification for diffuse-source controls and for determining
the most cost-effective combination of point and diffuse-source controls.
Great Lakes: Increased use of industrial chemicals and their presence
in the Great Lakes have raised public concerns about toxic pollutants,
particularly persistent synthetic organic compounds. Because of the
complexity of many of these compounds, it is difficult to predict the
potential adverse impact of these chemicals on organisms in the food
chain, including humans. Analytical methods needed to detect environmental
concentrations of organic compounds at trace levels are inadequate.
Also, existing mathematical models, which have limited capabilities to
relate pollutant exposure levels to the sources of the determination of
biological availability and environmental effects of toxic organics, can
be enhanced by the use of predictive models. For those determinations
EPA will develop and apply accurate and sensitive methods for (1) those
contaminants chemically suited for biological uptake and (2) toxic levels,
fates and effects of contaminants that tend to build up within organism
tissues. Further research will integrate fate and transport models with
those addressing food-web uptake.
EPA will continue to study transport, fate and effects of toxic
materials in selected areas of the Great Lakes ecosystem, with emphasis
on contaminated sediments. This information will be used by the Great
Lakes National Program Office, EPA Regions, contiguous states and the
International Joint Commission under the U.S./Canada Water Quality
Agreement.
Wastewater Treatment Technology
What information is needed to develop and assist the states in
implementing sludge disposal regulations and to improve the
reliability and cost-effectiveness of wastewater treatment facilities?
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Sludge Management: The processing and disposal of sludge accounts for
about half the total operating costs of a typical sewage treatment plant.
Municipalities are facing increased economic and public problems with
current land and ocean sludge disposal practices. Approaches to disposal
are needed that will significantly reduce the volume of sludge, destroy
pathogens, ensure that toxic metals are not a problem, reduce toxic
organic compounds, and ensure that sludge disposal does not present a
threat to ground water, the environmental and public health. To support
EPA's regulations, research will focus on sludge-use criteria, procedures
and requirements applicable to the regulatory process. EPA will refine
methods to assess sludge-disposal options including research into ecosystem
resiliency or stress resulting from disposal and methods to predict human
health effects from exposures to sludge.
The Agency will initiate an effort on wetlands research to establish
a scientifically-valid framework for categorizing wetlands and measuring
the impact of change so that regulatory actions can be effectively
tailored to specific problems.
Research on potential human health effects from sludge disposal involves
collecting data on various chemical and bacteriological contaminants in
sludge and developing hazard indices for effects associated with different
exposure pathways. Studies have been initiated to evaluate health hazards
from exposures to sludge where composted sludge is sold as fertilizer.
Results from these and other studies will provide data for determining
the effects to various sludge treatment processes on mitigating disease.
Health assessment profiles will support regulatory decision making
on the effective treatment, conversion, use and disposal of municipal
sludge. EPA will develop information on mitigating risk through sludge
treatment, on disposal options, and will produce guidelines for conducting
health risk assessments of sludge disposal. Research results will be
used to calculate hazard indices for cancer and oral chronic toxicity
related to hazards in the food web and inhalation and aquatic toxicity
associated with the incineration and ocean disposal of sludge.
Research on sludge stabilization, pathogen reduction and dewatering
offers a major opportunity to reduce substantially costs associated with
sludge processing while causing minimal environmental impact. Pilot- and
large-scale combination of activated sludge, anaerobic digestion and wet
oxidation to determine the mass and volume reducing capabilities of the
system will be evaluated, along with promising methods such as mechanical
composting and conversion of sludge to fuel. Engineering research
addressing sludge applications in agriculture, forests, landfills and
land reclamation is needed to establish safe application rates and
management techniques and to minimize surface and groundwater impacts.
EPA will develop design and performance information for land applications
of sludge and provide the assistance necessary to transfer this technology
to municipalities.
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Innovative/Alternative (I/A) Technology: EPA will provide technical and
program support to states, municipalities, consultants and equipment
manufacturers in the areas of 100% replacement and composite correction
program, facility plan reviews, emerging technology assessments, technology
evaluations, small wastewater flow technology and technology transfer.
Also, assessments of promising wastewater treatment processes that have
had limited full-scale application will be made.
Upgrading and Correcting Designs: The Agency will provide information
to municipalities to upgrade existing plant capabilities and achieve
compliance with minimal capital costs. Research in this area encompasses
evaluation of high biomass systems, enhanced oxygen transfer, second
generation nutrient control schemes, alternative disinfection processes,
and a variety of innovative long-range approaches to biological treatment
such as genetic engineering. In addition, operating plant data will be
analyzed to identify operating and design deficiencies and develop low-cost
procedures for operation and management.
Toxics Treatability and Toxicity Reduction: EPA will develop improved
approaches for enhanced control of toxics in municipal wastewater treatment.
The Agency will also develop toxicity reduction evaluation procedures for
municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants in support of water
quality based permit limitations.
Water Quality Planning and Regulation Support: EPA will provide engineering
data and managerial techniques necessary for states to apply a cost-effective
systems engineering approach to implement waste-load allocations within
their water quality control programs. This will provide more reasonable
margins of safety in determining allowable stream loadings and reduce
over design of advanced treatment plants.
Quality Assurance: EPA will continue the quality assurance and repository
samples program. The performance of major NPDES dischargers' laboratories
will be evaluated, and actions on NPDES alternate test candidate procedure
applications will be recommended.
Drinking Water Technology
What new technologies are needed to continue to assure the safety
of drinking water?
EPA's drinking water technology research program provides engineering
data to support the development and revision of drinking water regulations
as well as engineering information and technological support to states,
municipalities, EPA Regions and utilities concerned with drinking water
regulations and compliance. Major technological problems include the
relationship between treatment strategies and deterioration of water
quality within distribution systems, factors causing deterioration within
distribution systems, and bringing small systems into cost-effective
compliance. A related concern is the impact of distribution-system
corrosion on drinking water quality and the need for low-cost techniques
to solve this problem.
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Disinfection By-Prodnets: Research will continue on improving the knowledge
on a number of unidentified by-products produced by chlorination as well
as by-products of alternate disinfectants to chlorine. Evaluations of
THM control using alternative disinfectants and treatment modifications
will be continued.
Overall System Integrity: The persistence and regrowth of organisms in
distribution systems are influenced by the physical and chemical characteristics
of the water, system age, pipe materials and the availability of suitable
sites for bacterial colonization. Investigations will also be carried
out on other key factors that influence microbial regrowth, such as
nutrients, temperature and sediment accumulations. Theoretical, laboratory
and field studies will define factors associated with distribution-system
repair and replacement criteria, including costs associated with optimal
renovation strategies. Laboratory and field studies will evaluate the
impact of changes in treatment and disinfection practices brought about
by existing and new regulations.
Small-System Compliance: EPA is directing special attention to small
drinking-water systems and their compliance with regulations. Research
is evaluating the cost and engineering feasibility of specific treatment
techniques to remove or control chemical, particulate and microbiological
contaminants. Several evaluations will be at pilot- or full-scale.
Laboratory studies are defining variables that govern the effectiveness
and efficiencies of treatment processes prior to large-scale evaluations.
Monitoring and Quality Assurance: The Drinking Water Technology Research
Program oversees the Agency-wide mandatory quality assurance program for
drinking water. Ten regional laboratories are involved in the National
Interim Primary Drinking Water Regulations laboratory certification program.
Monitoring activities will also develop methods and total-measurement
systems for precise chemical, microbiological and radiochemical analysis.
This will provide accurate and cost-effective analytical procedures to
monitor contaminants for use by the Agency, states, municipalities, and
operators of public drinking water systems. Again, the externalization
of quality assurance services will provide additional resources for
funding high priority water research efforts.
Drinking Water Health
What are the health effects from exposure to chemical and
microbiological contaminants found in drinking water?
EPA is required to develop national drinking water standards for
contaminants that may cause an adverse health effect. Research to determine
the effects and risks from exposure to drinking water contaminants is an
essential step, and has been explicitly recognized by a provision of
the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Health Effects Data and Risk Assessment: Toxicological research to develop
dose/response data will support development of Maximum Contaminant Levels
and Health Advisories for disinfectants and disinfectant by-products,
synthetic organic chemicals, inorganic chemicals, radionuclides and
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microbes. Risk assessments and criteria documents will be developed for
drinking water contaminants. Epidemiological studies will determine the
associations between dissolved radon and lung cancer, drinking water
disinfection and cardiovascular disease, and drinking water quality and
bladder, kidney, liver and colon cancer.
Methods Development: Research will be done to improve extrapolations
from high to low doses and from laboratory animals to humans. The
effects of different exposure pathways are being evaluated to improve
the accuracy of risk assessments. Microbiological methods are being
developed to identify infectious disease agents in water and determine
the significance of the occurrence of these agents in water supplies.
Methods to determine exposure and risks from chemical mixtures are
also being developed.
Ground Water
What is needed to improve the scientific capability to monitor,
predict, and clean up ground water contamination problems?
EPA and the States have a number of mandates for protecting ground
water, and almost every regulatory and enforcement program in the Agency
has some interest in ground water protection. In response to these
needs, EPA's ground water research programs cover source control, monitoring
methods, analytical methods and quality assurance, prediction and resultant
assessment of risks, drinking water treatment and health effects, and
cleanup methods for contaminated soils and ground water. This section
focuses on: monitoring technology; prediction and assessment tools;
underground injection control; aquifer cleanup; and technology transfer.
These areas are not covered within the Hazardous Waste/Superfund or the
Pesticides and Toxics chapters in this Research Outlook.
Monitoring Technology: EPA's research will improve cost effectiveness
and accuracies of monitoring in three areas: methods, geophysical techniques
and interpretive analysis. Sampling and well-construction methods will
be evaluated to determine their effects on the accuracy of results. The
development of performance standards that manufacturers can apply to new
equipment will prove particularly important. Fiber-optics technology
will be used for inexpensive and reliable ground water monitoring.
Current methods will be adapted for use on underground storage tanks and
nonhazardous landfills. Vadose zone (unsaturated) techniques will be
evaluated for their applicability to various situations and soil-gas
monitoring will be developed into an inexpensive and reliable method for
plume delineation.
Geophysical methods adapted from the energy and minerals resource
industry will be evaluated for their applicability to such ground water
contamination problems as detecting leakage from underground injection
wells, location of abandoned wells, and contaminant plume detection.
Quality assurance methods will be developed and standardized to improve
confidence in tnese techniques.
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Interpretive analysis will be used to obtain more information from
monitoring data, and to improve reliability. Efforts will continue to
determine the completeness of coverage for methods to locate abandoned
wells. "Variance analysis" will be applied to determine the frequency
of sampling required in monitoring wells to gain the appropriate confidence
under different circumstances. Finally, geographically based information
systems will be used to make ground water monitoring data more useful to
decision makers.
Underground Injection Control: This research will be extremely important
over the next few years due to the regulatory requirements of the Hazardous
and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984. EPA is required to reconsider the
safety of underground injection as a hazardous waste disposal method and
to ban such injection should there be migration out of the injection
zone. EPA has a number of research activities underway to aid the Office
of Drinking Water in making these determinations, including determining
the fluid movement from wells, describing the interaction of injected
fluids with the geological strata, and characterizing saline formations
in the Texas Gulf Coast as receptors of hazardous wastes. Research will
determine the mechanical integrity of injection wells, the location of
abandoned wells and the practices associated with non-hazardous injection.
Predictive Methods: Predictive research provides the basis for assessing
the risk of ground water contamination upon drinking water supplies and
for understanding subsurface processes that eventually may lead to cleanup
methodology. Sorption, biotransformation, transport, mixed solvent
interactions, oxidation-reduction, hydrolysis, dechlorination, dispersion,
fractured flow, and immiscible flow will be investigated for organic
chemicals that could pose significant risk. Research will continue on
virus survival and transport, and metals mobility. Contaminant-transport
models will be adapted and modified to include the improved process
descriptions. Field evaluations will determine the degree of confidence
that can be expected from predictive models in various hydrogeologic
environments.
Aquifer Restoration: Aquifer cleanup research will provide cost effective
methods for cleanup of contaminated soils and ground water. Alternatives
are needed to current approaches such as withdrawal and treatment or
containment. Promising laboratory methods for enhancing subsurface
biotransformation will be field tested, the safety of using genetically-
engineered organisms for biodegradation will be determined, and the
application of these methods to leaks from underground storage tanks
will be evaluated.
Technology Transfer: Information transfer will continue to be an important
part of ground water research. Specific training materials are under
development in addition to technical assistance to the EPA regions and
the states. Support will continue to the National Ground Water Information
Center, a computerized bibliographic retrieval database, and the International
Ground Water Modeling Center, a clearinghouse for ground water models
and training.
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SUMMARY OF LONG-TERM TRENDS
Most of the water research issues described in this chapter will
continue into the next decade, with gradually changing degrees of activity
and emphasis. Better analytical capabilities will continue to improve
the capability to measure trace constituents in water, resulting in better
identification of greater numbers of potentially deleterious chemical
contaminants. Coupled with more toxicological and epidemiological infor-
mation, water quality managers will face increasingly difficult decisions
involving the environmental significance of complex mixtures of pollutants.
A significant near-term issue includes the development of toxicant
information for complex mixtures. The growing inventory of chlorinated
organic contaminants in complicated combinations requires significant
changes in the research strategies and technological methods used to assess
them. Whole-sample evaluations such as matiix bioassays, biological indica-
tors and chemical surrogates will play a larger role in the future. To
remain responsive, EPA's water research program must simultaneously develop
and validate new methods for evaluating complex mixtures and their impacts
while applying them in regulatory situations.
The environmental water quality issues, including estuary protection,
ocean disposal and the water quality based approach, all reflect the
emerging need to develop new tools to test and monitor ecological impacts,
including effects on the community at system level. Over the next decade,
major strides will be made in identifying safe, or "no-effect" levels of
toxic organic contaminants in sediments and water, and in methods to
establish biological availability and bioaccumulation in tissues.
Many communities and landowners rely upon ground water sources for
drinking and irrigation. Questions regarding the quality of ground water
have been increasing in recent years. Consequently, the dynamics of ground
water and the residence times and fates of leached contaminants in aquifers
will be a major water resource issue for the remainder of the century. The
coming decade will see the refinement of the capability to simulate and
predict the impacts of contaminants on underground sources.
In the wastewater treatment areas, no fundamental changes are foreseen.
Improved engineering and the periodic emergence of innovative and alternative
technologies will partially offset the rising cost associated with wastewater
treatment. A major breakthrough in wastewater treatment, if there is to be
one, may come from biological engineering, possibly by developing organisms
which could be more effective in treating wastewater.
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RESOURCE OPTIONS
-21-
1986 Current Estimate $51.9 Million
1987 President's Budget $46.9 Million
Projections
No Growth
Moderate Growth
High Growth
1988
1989
1990
1991
$46. 9M
$48. 3M
$49. 7M
$46. 9M
$49. 7M
$52. 7M
$46. 9M
$51. 2M
$55. 9M
$46. 9M
$52. 7M
$59. 3M
No Growth: The program would proceed as described in this Research
Outlook.
Moderate: Additional emphasis would be given to research on wetlands,
pollutant fate and effects in ground water, sludge and estuaries. In
addition, efforts would be directed towards developing techniques to
quantify health risks from exposure to complex mixtures and to augment
the drinking water repository-samples and quality assurance programs.
High: The research cited under the moderate growth option would be
augmented and accelerated, and research on water quality criteria will be
conducted.
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HAZARDOUS WASTE AND SUPERFUND
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) authorizes a regulatory
program to identify wastes which pose a substantial hazard to human health
or the environment, and develop management standards for wastes which protect
human health and the environment. Research support for this program provides
the scientific and engineering basis for characterizing wastes, determining
the hazards they pose and formulating controls. In addition, Section 311 of
the Clean Water Act authorizes research to support prevention and control of
hazardous materials releases.
The Office of Emergency and Remedial Response (OERR) requires scientific
and technical support from the Office of Research and Development to mitigate
health and environmental problems at the priority sites listed under authority
of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
(CERCLA). ORD's program provides a core of scientific and technical informa-
tion to support the implementation requirements of CERCLA and the enforcement
actions undertaken to obtain cleanup and recovery of costs. It concentrates
on evaluating equipment and techniques for discovering, assessing, preventing,
controlling, removing and ultimately disposing of hazardous substances
released into the environment. Because of the nature of the Superfund-
sponsored effort, activities consist of field testing and evaluating technol-
ogies developed in other research programs, such as hazardous waste.
MAJOR RESEARCH ISSUES
Alternative Technologies
What information and data are needed to support and permit the use of
alternatives to land disposal?
The Agency is currently beginning to implement a program which will ban
land disposal of certain classes of untreated hazardous wastes. Banning
these wastes could require the availability of proven alternatives for treating
or recycling waste materials. Although many of these technologies currently
exist, there are many questions regarding their effectiveness on specific
wastes and their capacity to address the anticipated volumes that will require
treatment. This research will provide support for the Office of Solid Waste
(OSW) in implementing the portions of the RCRA amendments which require
banning certain hazard wastes from land disposal.
Research on alternative technologies assesses the environmental impacts
of the major alternatives now under development, and in selected instances
supports the evaluation of processes found by the Agency to offer substantial
improvements over conventional hazardous waste disposal methods. Such evalu-
ations will be conducted and used with existing data to form the basis for
treatment standards.
Assessments of alternative technologies will be conducted at bench,
pilot and field scales with emphasis on waste streams assigned high priority
by OSW. Included will be aqueous waste streams from the chemical industry
that are likely to be banned from landfills and wastes with a high potential
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for volatile air emissions. Also, case studies of waste minimization, reduc-
tion, and recycle or reuse will be prepared.
Waste Characterization
What health and risk assessment information and procedures are needed
to characterize wastes and assess the hazards they represent?
Assessing the risks associated with various methods of waste disposal
is a critical aspect of the Agency's RCRA program, but is an area of major
scientific uncertainty. Developing the scientific and technical information
needed to establish the quantity and types of wastes that escape into the
environment through different disposal methods and the effects they produce
for both human health and the environment will remain a significant area
for research activity for some time. Moreover, given that most existing
information is based on the properties of individual chemicals, rather than
the complex mixtures of cnemicals typically found in wastes streams, the
state-of-knowledge in this area will require several years to develop.
The information developed to support this research area will be used by
OSW in permitting and enforcement decision making, regulatory policy making,
and implementing the land-banning program. Products will provide more appli-
cable, less expensive, and more accurate information and risk assessment
methodologies.
A program to develop more accurate methods for predicting the quantity,
composition and volatility of leachates from land disposal of wastes is
underway. These and other methods for determining the escape of hazardous
wastes into the environment, as well as predictive models in air, surface
water and ground water, will have to be combined into multimedia tools for
exposure assessment. Products of this research will be critical for the
Agency's land-banning and ground water programs.
Chemical-specific Health and Environmental Effects Profiles will be pre-
pared to support RCRA 3001 listing decisions. Support will also be provided
to the Agency's effort to ban land disposal of certain wastes and will include
evaluation of existing Acceptable Daily Intake (ADIs) and Unit Cancer Risks
(UCRs) for hundreds of chemicals to ensure that the information they contain
is accurate.
Short-term in vivo and in vitro bioassays will be developed into a
screening protocol for determining which wastes are hazardous. Screens for
determining effects on seven human health endpoints (e.g., carcinogenicity
and mutagenicity) will be evaluated. When validated, these tests will consti-
tute a major advancement in the Agency's ability to assess the toxicity of
complex mixtures of wastes.
Environmental processes research will include development of multimedia
assessment models for land disposal sites; quantitative structure activity
predictions of waste toxicity; and ground water models for predicting waste
concentrations.
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Dioxln
What assessment and control information is needed to identify and address
the problems associated with dioxins?
Research supporting this objective is intended to help the Agency assess
and monitor the dioxin contamination problem and begin developing procedures
for addressing it. Health research and risk assessment activities will be
conducted, as will transport and fate research and a quality assurance support
program. Technologies which have the potential to detoxify or decontaminate
materials containing dioxins and dioxin-like compounds will also be evaluated.
Waste Identification
What analytic methods are needed for identifying the chemical constituents
of wastes and thereby determining which wastes are hazardous?
Additional analytical methods for implementing Section 3001 of RCRA must
be standardized and tested to determine their validity and reliability. New
methods and procedures for detecting the presence of hazardous wastes under
field conditions are also required to help implement Section 3013 of RCRA,
which authorizes EPA to establish facility monitoring requirements.
New hardware and software developments offer considerable promise for
reducing the costs and time, while improving the sensitivity, of laboratory
analyses. Examples of the emerging technologies are superconductive fluids,
quadrupole-mass-spectrometry, and thermospray injection. Considerable effort
will be directed to evaluating and applying such technologies for hazardous
waste analyses. One particular thrust will be in the development of technol-
Oi-|ies for rapid screening of large numbers of samples, particularly ground water
samples. A second effort will be toward obtaining more comprehensive chemical
profiles of volatile and semi-volatile organic chemicals in solids and other
complex matrices. Concurrent with these activities will be a continuing
effort to upgrade the computer programs supporting the analytical equipment,
with special attention to computer interpretations of measurements.
This program will support activities in the following areas: development
of bioassays into a screening protocol for detecting hazardous waste; develop-
ment of subsurface monitoring and network design protocols for detecting
potential ground water contaminants; validation of published SW-846 analytical
methods and development of new, more cost-effective analytical methods.
These will include inductivity coupled plasma and high performance liquid
chromatoyraphy.
Land Disposal
What technical information is naeded to support permitting of land
disposal and land treatment facilities, as well as improvements in design
requirements?
Land disposal will not be a "one-time" approval process. Permits will
be reissued periodically and will incorporate improvements in the state-of-
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knowledge as appropriate. To ensure these improvements, research will have
to be continued.
Research in this area will provide guidance on design, permitting,
operation, maintenance, closure and regulation of land treatment, storage
and disposal facilities. It will also address controlling air emissions
from facilities and include sampling and measurement procedures, evaluation
of emission models and evaluation of control technologies. Land treatment
research will determine the feasibility of land treating wastes and include
laboratory, bench and pilot-scale studies on soil and waste processes, degra-
dation and loading rates.
Incineration
What technical information and data are needed to support permitting of
incinerators and improvements in design requirements? Results of this research
will be used by EPA and other permitting officials to evaluate the acceptabil-
ity of incinerating particular wastes and in monitoring operating units for
compliance with performance requirements.
As the Agency begins banning certain wastes from land disposal, various
disposal alternatives to land disposal will become increasingly popular,
including incineration. However, in order to issue permits for incinerators,
Regional Offices and the states will require technical information and assistance
regarding their performance capabilities. Ensuring the safety of their
operation will require that methods be developed to predict their performance,
and that their reliability be increased through control of operational parameters
which avoid formation of hazardous by-products.
Research will produce performance tests on incineration of wastes burned
at the Combustion Research Facility. Real-time methods of determining
incinerator compliance with permits will be investigated, as will improved
sampling techniques for monitoring thermal destruction operations. Guidance
manuals for states, regions and industry will be produced addressing best
practices for burning wastes in industrial boilers, and assessing the impacts
on emissions of incineration failures.
Releases
What procedures and information are needed to prevent, contain and
clean up accidental discharges of hazardous materials? This research will
support both the Clean Water Act's releases section and RCRA's underground
storage tank (LIST) provisions.
Accidental releases of oil and hazardous material to the land and water
occur frequently and constitute a significant environmental hazard. Federal,
state and local emergency response personnel require improved technologies
for the prevention and control of hazardous material releases to make cost-
effective, environmentally sound cleanup decisions.
Chemical-specific risk assessments will be developed to support the
UST program. Monitoring support will provide spill imagery and analysis.
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Development and evaluation of geophysical/geochemical sensors and volatile
oryanic emission sensors for detecting leaks of hazardous materials such as
gasoline, toluene and benzene will also be conducted.
Engineering research will produce manuals on procedures for on-site
treatment of wastes and evaluations of containment, removal and dispersant
technologies for controlling floating spills. Evaluations of leak detection
and monitoring methods will also be produced, as will guidance manuals on
non-destructive techniques for locating buried tanks and on underground storage
tank release prevention techniques. A continuing effort throughout this
period will be the evaluation of new technologies for the prevention and
cleanup of releases. Innovative new systems will be sought, and if shown to
be feasible, field-evaluated.
Environmental processes research for the LIST program will develop a
ground water transport and fate model for predicting concentrations of
materials, including gasoline in ground water. A validated bioassessment
protocol for determining the bioavailability and toxicity of releases will
also be developed.
Quality Assurance
What measures are needed to assure the reliability and consistency of
monitoring and analytical techniques and data used in support of the RCRA
program?
The purpose of this program is to ensure that data of known quality are
used throughout the Hazardous Waste program. Analytical standards and refer-
ence material s will be developed for and distributed to all participating
laboratories. Quality control and performance evaluation samples are also
being developed and distributed to appropriate laboratories. Technical
support will be provided to all participating laboratories in the form of
instrument calibration assistance and provision of reference materials.
SUMMARY OF LONG-TERM TRENDS
Research to characterize the potential exposure and effects posed by
hazardous wastes is likely to be an area of significant growth. In order to
effectively manage risk, answer the questions and concerns of the public and
make the policy choices that will have to be made, more will have to be
learned regarding the behavior and health effects of hazardous materials
released into the environment.
Development and evaluation of alternatives to land disposal of wastes
will remain an Agency priority. Research remains in its early stages and
considerably more work is needed before alternatives will be able to satisfy
the disposal requirements of large scale generators. Extensive testing and
performance evaluations are needed to make these technologies available and
years of effort will be required. Research will also be accelerated to
provide support for the land-banning program and to support RCRA underground
storage tank (UST) provisions.
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Increasing emphasis will also be placed on research supporting the Agency's
ground water program and on identifying the problems associated with municipal
waste combustors. Additional ground water research will respond to program
shortfalls identified by the Science Advisory Board and the Ground Water Task
Force. It will focus on determining ground water affects pollutant transport
and fate and developing the monitoring technology needed to identify problems.
Research addressing municipal waste combustors will beyin identifying the
pollutants they produce, assessing the hazards they may pose, and the monitoring
and control technologies needed to address the problems.
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RESOURCE OPTIONS
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1986 Current Estimate Hazardous Waste,
$51.8 million; Superfund, $4.6 Million.
1987 President's Budget Hazardous Waste;
$50.6 Million; No Superfund Request.
Projections
No Growth
Moderate Growth
High Growth
1988
1989
1990
1991
$50. 6M
$52. 1M
$53. 6M
$50. 6M
$53. 7M
$56. 9M
$50. 6M
$b5.3M
$60. 3M
$50. 6M
$57. OM
$63. 9M
No Growth: The program would proceed as described in this agenda.
Moderate: Additional resources would support waste characterization
activities in support of the land-banning program and risk management
decisions, ground water research and municipal waste combustion research,
High: Research described under moderate growth would be accelerated and
augmented.
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PESTICIDES AND TOXICS
Pesticides and toxic substances research provides support to meet the
current and future needs of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide,and Rodenticide Act (FIFHA) and, to a limited
extent, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Research efforts
are geared toward providing scientifically valid yet cost-effective evaluations
of the risks associated with pesticides uses and the manufacture and use of
new and existing chemicals.
The research program in support of TSCA and FIFRA will continue to
develop, evaluate, and validate health and environmental test methodologies
and procedures to improve the predictability of human risk estimates, develop
exposure monitoring systems, environmental fate and effects methods, and
develop guidelines to perform environmental risk assessments. Additional
research will develop and evaluate release and control methods for new and
existing chemicals, structure activity relationships as predictors of chemical
fate and biological effects, and procedures for ensuring the human and environ-
mental safety of the products of biotechnology. The contamination of ground
water from pesticides will be another area of interest in the ongoing research
program.
MAJOR RESEARCH ISSUES
Test Method Development
What new procedures or tests are needed to ensure that industry's data
on environmental or health effects are accurate, reproducible and consistent?
Under TSCA and FIFRA, manufacturers must test chemicals and pesticides
for potential hazards to the public health and environment. Consequently,
research is conducted to provide guidance for performing such tests. Regulatory
decisions on a chemical depend on qualitative and quantitative scientific
data from industry regarding potential adverse environmental and human
health effects of exposure to the chemical. Since the sensitivity, reliability,
cost and time constraints of these tests vary widely, carefully screened
methods are being developed and approved by the Agency. When completed, such
methods will be incorporated into testing guidelines for use by industry and
others who must evaluate the safety of chemicals.
Scientific assessment efforts in the test method development area will
focus on research activities to improve the Agency's ability to assess exposure
to and the potential health effects associated with the use of pesticides or
the manufacture, production, distribution, use or disposal of chemical substances
or mixtures. This research is largely targeted on data inadequacies identified
in the course of scientific assessment of chemicals during regulatory analyses.
These research activities involve issues critical to the assessment of exposure
and various adverse effects (carcinogenicity, developmental toxicity, reproductive
effects, other chronic effects, and the estimation of heritable risk at low doses),
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The monitoring program will focus on chemical and biological test
methods needed to assess cnemical hazards to humans and the environment.
Real-time and rapid screening tests are needed for environmental monitoring
to rapidly determine the existence of an environmental problem. In this area,
research will be conducted with enhanced laser Raman spectroscopy to develop
a real-time method for identifying chemical hazards. Bioassays using in
vitro tissue culture responses and monoclonal antibody techniques will also be
evaluated as potential screening tools for field evaluations. Finally, human
exposure methods research will focus on advances in GC/MS analyses and the
development of biochemical and immunochemical markers to detect exposure to
particular pollutants.
Environmental effects research will evaluate existing methods and perform
field studies to determine the sensitivity of available tests and identify
species for potential future test methods development. In this area, major
advances will be required to relate single-species and microcosm data to
actual ecosystem effects and to adequately relate observed effects on one
species to probable effects on other species (comparative toxicology).
Health test methods development will focus on toxic hazards in five
areas: reproduction/teratology, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, mutagenic or
carcinogenic effects, and genetically inheritable disorders.
S t ructure Activity Relationships (S AR)
What information is needed on substances and their similarity of chemical
structure to determine what additional testing is needed to assure the safety
of humans and tne environment?
To enhance the efficiency of the regulatory process for toxic substances,
it is convenient to group various chemicals which share common or similar
chemical characteristics rather than to deal with each individual chemical.
If it can be demonstrated that chemical relationships, such as similar mole-
cular structures and similar modes of toxic activity, form a firm scientific
basis for estimating probable environmental risks, then better guidelines
and techniques can be applied and regulatory actions can be completed more
quickly using less resources. This approach will provide both the regulator
and the regulated a standard basis for determining if a substance might be
toxic and detrimental to the living organisms or their environment.
SAR is vital for reviewing and screening PMN chemicals under Section 5
of TSCA. The findings and techniques established in this research will be
used to select appropriate toxicity tests, to document test results, to
develop fate and effects data bases where necessary and to provide the
modeling means to predict toxicity.
Environmental effects research will include data base compilation and
improvement in the precision and validation of SAR for predictng toxicity and
such parameters as photolysis, biodegradation and likely metabolites in
multimedia matrices.
Health research will focus on development of methods using a combination
of descriptors based on molecular structure to predict genetic, carcinogenic,
and other toxic activities using pattern recognition, statistical and thermo-
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dynamic techniques. Additionally, chemical data bases in several areas of
toxicological response will be constructed, and separately related to genetic
and carcinogenic effects.
Special Human Data Needs
What effects do specific chemicals have on actual populations occupation-
ally or environmentally exposed to the chemicals?
To improve the Agency's exposure estimating capabilities, these activities
will examine population groups exposed to environmental contaminants which
are suspect toxicants for particular organ systems to determine if biological
indicators of dose and/or effects are related to environmental levels of
exposure and if they are correlated with adverse effects measured by tradi-
tional methods.
Ecology: Transport/Fate/Field Validation
What methodologies (including mathematical models) are needed to assess
the fate and effects of toxic chemicals and pesticides in tne environment?
To adequately evaluate the likely perturbations a pesticide or toxic
chemical may cause in the environment, it is necesary to understand probable
exposure concentrations/durations, movements through ecosystems, degradation
rates, reservoirs, effects and residues. The agency must have available
techniques which may be applied to attain this information, must be capable
of interpreting findings and must have a predictive capacity to anticipate
problems. Activities in this area are designed to meet these needs, to
improve the criteria and standards against which industry, the users or the
Agency must comply. The intent is to provide new or improved state-of-the-art
techniques are fill data gaps in order to have scientifically credible and
legally defensible regulatory actions.
Research will be conducted to evaluate microcosms at freshwater, estuarine/
marine and terrestrial seminatural and natural field sites. Multi-species
laboratory bioassays will also be validated to allow data bases to be documented
and published that will predict the effects of toxic chemicals on aquatic
and terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates. System level investigations
will validate multi-species and community level toxicology methods. Held
tests will be conducted to assess the influence of colloidal organic matter
on the uptake of chlorinated toxic chemicals by benthic organisms. Finally,
field evaluations will be carried out to verify select organisms responses
to sediment bound toxics found in tresnwater ecosystems.
Efforts in this area will also determine the specific species and testing
methods to assess the effects of toxic chemicals on terrestrial, freshwater
and estuarine/marine species to provide data which can be used as surrogate
information for other organisms. Evaluations will focus on comparative
toxicology correlations and on validating promising correlations. Wild
species testing will be emphasized to compare with previously conducted
laboratory tests especially with finfish which will be used as surrogates
for mammals. Terrestrial toxicology research will also be conducted to
validate tests whicn determine the toxicity of chemicals to different strains
and sources of birds.
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Pesticide oriented investigations will focus on representative estuarine,
freshwater and terrestrial field sites and will consider pesticide dose,
exposure, effects and functional alterations at the species/population level.
Non-taryet organisms (e.g., fishes, invertebrates, crustaceans, birds) effects
will be quantified in terms of mortality, reproduction rates and resiliency.
This includes residue analysis and population censusing (pre- and post-
treatment) information. Through extensive field sampling, data collection
and analysis and simulated exposures, field findings will be compared to lab
findings. Final evaluations will be published if lab results are comparable
to field results and if hazard assessment criteria are adequate. Additionally,
laboratory and field studies will commence to determine the relationships
among the use of pesticides and other agricultural practices, pesticide
characteristics and field conditions to mitigate ground water contamination
problems.
Transport and fate processes and exposure information is highly critical
to the Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPTS) operations. Various
laboratory tasks will contribute exposure information on such parameters as
sorption kinetics in sediments, pesticide transformation, biodegradation and
movement. Methodologies applied will derive rate constants and determine the
extent of the reactions observed resulting in descriptive mathematical expressions
and exposure concentration estimates. Mechanisms and rates of degradation by
natural microbial communities will be studied. Controlling environmental
conditions and processes effecting degradation will be determined and quantitative
relationships between the pesticide chemical characteristics and the environmental
parameters will be factored in.
Field evaluation of methods and exposure models (with emphasis on leaching
models) will be conducted via laboratory and field studies including analysis
of residues in soils. This includes information generation on variability
of soil water releases and ground water contamination and includes model
calibration and improvements to predict exposure concentrations and toxicant
movement. Appropriate workshops and symposia will be convened to transfer
results to users. When developed and evaluated, these models will predict
the environmental impact of pesticides and toxic substances.
Health: Markers, Dosimetry, and Extrapolation
How do we relate external dose to internal dose and to early indicators
of disease states and how can we better extrapolate (from high dose to low and
from laboratory animal to man) to support risk assessments?
For both the pesticides and toxic substances programs, health effects
research will be focused on development of methodologies for extrapolation
of animal data from high to low doses and between mammalian species to enhance
human health risk assessment predictability. Additional studies in the
toxic substances research program involve defining the relationship between
biochemical indicators of exposure to neurotoxicants and behavioral dysfunction
as well as studies in dosimetry and extrapolation related to genetically
mediated health effects. Additional pesticides research includes evaluating
the relationship(s) of age and dermal absorption using in vivo animal models
as well as research on compound-induced reproductive alterations following
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exposure during developmental periods. Data generated in the toxics and
pesticides areas will be used to extrapolate toxicant risks to humans.
Exposure Monitoring
What improvements are needed for the monitoring methods, systems and
analysis used to provide the data bases for estimating human exposure?
The major TSCA related monitoring efforts will be directed toward improve-
ment in monitoring systems to estimate human exposure. Research will also
be continued to develop approaches for multi-media/multi-pathway monitoring
systems which generate data that will provide an estimate of total human
exposure. Studies will also be conducted to incorporate environmental dose
into personal exposure monitors and to provide a better understanding of the
contribution of the different exposure routes on pollutant intake. The
relationship of network monitoring to personal exposure monitoring will be
evaluated in a Human Exposure Assessment Location Project.
Biotechnology/Microbial and Biochemical Pest Control Agents
What methods and technologies are needed to assure safety to public
health and the environment from microbial agents and products of biotechnology?
Many of the techniques required to adequately control or regulate micro-
bial organisms or "biochemical" products (e.g., pheromones) apply to both TSCA
and FIFRA mandates. Beyond these basic techniques, however, there is a diverg-
ence -- microbial applications under TSCA are usually industrially oriented and
relate to workplace exposure or accidental releases; the microbial applications
under FIFRA are an intentional dispersion to control undesirable flora or fauna.
Such microbial pest control agents (MPCA's) may be "natural" selected stock or
may be genetically-altered.
Users of biotechnological products must follow recommended Agency guidelines
in a testing regime designed to help prevent adverse environmental impacts.
ORD helps establish these techniques, determines if environmental effects are
exhibited by previously untested non-target organisms and conducts field-oriented
validation studies as necessary to insure that testing criteria and guidelines
are appropriate and functional. Engineering research will also be conducted
to develop and/or improve methods to contain or destroy genetically engineered
organisms.
Under FIFRA, research will develop or improve bioassay methodologies for
determining the effects of biological control agents (BCA's) on non-target
receptors or hosts. This includes providing testing protocols and effects
information for unaltered and genetically altered microbial BCA's. Investi-
gations will focus on routes of exposure, methods to detect and identify
agents, toxicity, infectivity, persistence and effects. The information will
be used for revising subpart M guidelines and for regulatory decisions in
pre- and post-registration actions.
Pesticides health research in biotechnology involves development of data
on the immunologic effects of microbial pesticides on mammalian cells. Methods
are also being developed using monoclonal antibodies and biotinated DNA probes
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to enable the identification of genetic material from biological pesticides
in non-target sites such as mammalian cells. These methods will provide the
basis for validation subpart M guidelines for testing microbial pesticides.
Under TSCA, efforts will be continued to develop scientific rationales
and procedures for evaluating the environmental survivability, reproduction,
distribution, effects and risk associated with the escape of genetically
manipulated organisms. The results will be used to prepare protocols for
use in evaluating TSCA products involving environmental application of
microbes. This research will also support regulatory rule-making specifying
which products are to be considered under TSCA.
In the toxic substances health research area, studies will be conducted
to determine the genetic stability and function of a baculovirus expression
vector in vertebrate cells. Additionally, a computerized data base will be
developed which compiles the known characteristics of genetically engineered
biological material. This research provides information on the health conse-
quences of deliberate or inadvertent release of genetically altered viruses.
Engineering Release and Controls
What engineering and technological information is needed to identify
the release of and exposure to toxic substances and to determine alternatives
control of these substances?
the release of and exposure to t
for control of these substances?
Under the premanufacture notification (PMN) process, manufacturers are
required to submit information to EPA on the release and control of new chem-
icals and significant new uses of existing chemicals. EPA uses existing
data to predict the risks of and from the release of new substances, and under
the existing chemicals control program, evaluates technological alternatives
to reduce the release of and exposure to chemicals that are already in use.
Models will be developed which predict release of and exposure to classes
of new chemicals in order to assess chemical-unit operations and processes, and
the physical and chemical properties of chemical substances. Additionally,
models to predict potential exposure and release levels, and the best control
measures to control release of and exposure to new chemicals will be developed.
Treatability testing of potentially toxic chemicals will also be conducted.
Alternatives to mitigate the release of and exposure to specific existing
and new toxic substances will be defined through the evaluation and adaptation
of control measures related to the release of chemicals in the workplace and
into the environment. Technologies, management practices, and personal
protective equipment to limit the release into the environment and exposure
to those toxic substances will be evaluated.
Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, EPA is
responsible for pesticide exposure studies, for reviewing and approving
pesticide labels, for administration of the pesticide Farm Safety Program,
and for supporting training and education programs for pesticide users through
state extension services. The Agency is concerned that protective clothing
currently recommended for use by pesticide users is not providing acceptable
protection. This situation is aggravated by a lack of appropriate data. In
order to improve the situation, EPA requires greatly improved documentation
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regarding the effectiveness of protective clothing. This program will focus
on generating breakthrough time and steady-state permeation rate data for
concentrated formulations of high toxicity pesticides through a range of
commonly available polymer gloves that may be suitable for use by mixers and
loaders of pesticides. Evaluations of the job compatibility and degree of
protection provided by clothing items other than gloves will also be conducted
via laboratory arid field testing.
Ecology: Ecotoxicity and Risk Assessment
What methods are needed to evaluate ecosystem risk as a result of expo-
sure to existing and new chemicals?
In the past, the emphasis of ORD's scientific assessment program has
been placed on the assessment of risk to human populations. However, there
is also a need to assess the risk to non-human populations and the environment.
The development of ecological risk assessment protocols and guidance for
terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (primarily endangered species and commercial
fisheries) is necessary to quantify the probability that adverse effects may
occur as a result of exposure to a toxic substance and to estimate the significance
of such effects in the environment. Since environmental data developed by
industry may vary greatly from chemical to chemical, procedures need to be
developed which provide guidance and consistency for the various environmental
exposure activities. This work will provide risk assessment protocols and
guidelines for the assessment of effects to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Ecosystem risk research will provide a scientifically based system to
assess ecological risks from exposure to environmental toxicants. This
system will provide the capability to assess risks associated with different
uses of chemicals resulting from various options for regulating pesticides
and toxic chemicals to protect organisms in their natural environment. This
research will provide for prognostic assessment, extrapolations to any patterns
and levels of environmental release, inferences of types of responses to be
expected in natural systems, and estimates of uncertainties in the assessments.
Finally, it will integrate chemical fate, exposure, and effects to
provide the capability to conduct risk assessment for terrestrial and
aquatic systems. Major program components will include development of a
computerized framework linking all components to provide the capability to
carry out appropriate analyses and obtain results in any desired form. It
also will include data bases of scenarios such as river reaches, endangered
species habitats, chemical properties, and properties of organisms including
geographical range and habitat preferences. Such activities will utilize and
develop traditional analysis techniques and models that calculate bioconcentration
and effects for populations, communities and ecosystems and provide quantitative
and qualitative probability statements of uncertainties involved in the
assessments.
Support
What support is required for preparation and review of scientific assess-
ments and for quality assurance?
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For certain assessments the technical expertise of the ORD staff is
required to conduct literature searches, interpret data or render technical
and scientific judgments because of the lack of data. In cases where program
office evaluations are complicated and/or controversial, independent peer
review of assessments are required to ensure consistency. There is a continuing
need for ORD participation in and review of major exposure and hazard assess-
ments conducted by OPTS for supplying Agency policy makers with technical
assistance from qualified scientists and for improving the scientific basis
of Ayency decisions in regulatory matters.
When requested, ORD will provide critical review of test rule documents
for existing chemicals and screening of selected new chemicals under Section
5 premanufacture notifications. Such activities will support validation of
toxicity tests, assist with exposure and risk assessments, and preparation
and update of TSCA testing guidelines. This support will also encompass
evaluation of complex problems associated with environmental fate, hazards
and risks of toxic chemicals and bioengineered organisms as necessary for
implementing TSCA.
Finally, in both the pesticides and toxics areas, support will continue
for quality assurance and maintenance and dissemination of standard reference
materials.
SUMMARY OF LONG-TERM TRENDS
Pesticides and toxic substances research efforts focus on both inten-
tional and unintentional releases of chemical substances into the environment.
Each of the issues covered in this chapter will continue into the next decade.
Various degrees of emphasis are addressed below:
Test method development efforts will continue in support of both TSCA
and FIFRA guidelines. As current methodologies are standardized, new
techniques will be developed to fill gaps in existing methods. These new
methods will focus mainly on endpoints other than carcinogenicity, and will
provide more effective means to conduct quantitative risk assessments. To
this end, efforts will increase for developing extrapolation techniques
(from high to low doses and from animals to humans) for reducing the uncer-
tainty of laboratory data used in predicting human risk. The development
of biological markers will also assist in this area by providing more accurate
measures of human exposure levels as well as serving as tools for epidemic-
logical studies. Concurrently, the development of exposure monitoring systems
will increase to provide new monitoring methods, systems and analyses.
Ecological hazard assessment research will continue to develop hazard
assessment methods for determining the fate and effects of chemicals while
effects and exposure methods will provide the means to evaluate risk. The
integration of such methods and data will provide the means to develop protocols
for environmental risk assessments. Such definitive techniques will be an on-
going, long-term process.
Research to provide information on the release and control of new and
existing chemicals from manufacturing processes will allow the rapid and
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accurate prediction of how much and where chemicals will be released into the
environment, and with increasing accuracy, an estimation of their environmental
effects. Such information is vital to the PMN review process and it is
anticipated that the need for such data will continue to increase as the
manufacture of new chemicals continues to grow.
EPA will provide methods to protect public health and the environment
from the potential adverse impacts of microbial agents and the products of
biotechnology. This research will help to determine containment facilities
for bioenyineered organisms and means of monitoring the survival and distri-
bution of those intended for release.
The structure-activity research program will continue as the methods
for predicting fate and effects of parents and degradation compounds become
available, and the need for field validation efforts will increase to ensure
the reliability of methods used to test chemicals.
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1986 Current Estimate 46.7M
1987 President's Budget 45.6M
Projections
FY 1988
FY 1989
FY 1990
FY 1991
No Growth
Moderate Growth
High Growth
$ 45. 6M
$ 46. 9M
$ 48. 3M
$ 45. 6M
$ 48. 3M
$ 51 .2M
$ 45. 6M
$ 49. 7M
$ 54. 3M
$ 45. 6M
$ 52. 1M
$ 57. 6M
No Growth: The base program would proceed as described above. Established
priorities would continue to guide the research. In general these priorities
are: biotechnology research, SAR, risk assessment and field validation studies
including transport and fate.
Moderate: The same level of effort would be maintained for TSCA research;
increased resources would enhance and expand field validation studies.
High: With a high level of resources, the studies on ground water contamination
would be increased. This is a problem of growing concern caused by both toxic
substances and pesticides.
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INTERDISCIPLINARY
The interdisciplinary research program develops risk assessment guidelines
and ensures consistent application of these guidelines throughout the Agency.
Activities in this area also support the dissemination of scientific and
technical data from the Office of Research and Development (ORD). Finally,
the interdisciplinary research program provides resources to conduct long-range
exploratory research through the grants, centers and visiting scientists
programs and provide central management, audits and compliance monitoring
for the Agency-wide Quality Assurance program.
MAJOR RESEARCH ISSUES
Scientific Assessments
What activities and methods are needed to ensure scientific
consistency and technical quality in Agency risk assessments?
The scientific assessment function has three major components: develop-
ment of risk assessment guidelines, activities of the Risk Assessment Forum,
and development of generic test methods which support the risk assessment
process. The first guidelines were proposed in late 1984 and early 1985,
and should be final in 1986. These include guidelines for: carcinogenicity
risk assessment, mutagenicity risk assessment, health assessment of suspect
developmental toxicants, health risk assessments of chemical mixtures and
estimating exposures. In 1987 and 1988, the Agency expects to propose guide-
lines for assessing risk to the male and female reproductive systems and
guidelines on the use of exposure measurements in risk assessment; final
guidelines should be issued about a year later. The Agency is planning to
develop guidelines for the assessment of systemic toxicants and for the assess-
ment of ecological risk over the next several years. The Agency recognizes
that guidelines are living documents, and therefore are subject to revisions
and expansions, an effort which will take place in future years as appropriate.
The Risk Assessment Forum was established in 1984. It is a body of
senior scientists within the Agency who meet regularly to resolve various
scientific issues within the Agency. Its functions include: analyses of
significant scientific and science policy issues, development of new risk
assessment procedures, recommendations of revisions to the guidelines when
appropriate, review of selected risk assessments nominated by top Agency
management, and recommendations for risk assessment research. The Forum's
first report was issued in late 1984. A Cancer Risk Assessment Research
Needs Workshop will be held in 1986 under the auspices of the Forum. Imple-
mentation of the recommendations and priorities for research coming out of
that workshop will begin in 1987.
Development of the generic test methods is also under the auspices of
this research committee. These activities identify generic information gaps
which will be filled in future risk assessments it the appropriate test
methods are developed.
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Technlcal Information and Liaison
What activities facilitate technology transfer to regions, states,
and affected local governments?
ORD, as the primary research arm of the Environmental Protection Agency,
provides scientific information needed by the regulatory offices of EPA to
develop and enforce regulations. Appropriate and timely dissemination of
research results supports the scientific basis for EPA regulations and increases
confidence in the decision making process.
The Center for Environmental Research Information (CERI) provides
centralized support for the production of information products in a cost-
effective manner, insures consistent uniform dissemination of research results,
and provides a technology transfer program to synthesize information and
develop presentations to more effectively support specific high-priority
program objectives at the lowest cost to the government.
CERI will continue to provide support to ORD laboratories by writing
summaries of research projects conducted by or for ORD, editing documents
and summaries, assuring the quality of material submitted for printing,
typesetting and producing documents, assuring the quality of and preparing
documents for submission to the National Technical Information Service,
controlling the distribution of documents, and responding to requests for
publications and documents.
The technology transfer program will assess the status of research and
regulations, discuss with the Research Committees their priorities for the
dissemination of material, develop innovative information transfer mechanisms,
and ensure that information on improved technology and management practices
is distributed to appropriate audiences to comply with EPA regulations. All
information on products is developed using a team of participants from ORD,
EPA program offices, and private industry.
Planned activities include:
0 development of methods manuals for comparing different solid
and hazardous waste treatment techniques and implementing
those which are appropriate;
0 dissemination of the results of research on the control
of hazardous air pollutants;
0 for small drinking water systems, description of technologies,
costs and operating effectiveness of the methods available
to meet drinking water regulations; and,
o
dissemination of information on the effectiveness, cost, and
design of new municipal waste treatment technology.
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EXPLORATORY RESEARCH PROGRAM
How will the Agency conduct longer-range mission-oriented research
which is not tied to specific regulatory timetables or program
office requirements?
Recognizing the need for a more fundamental understanding of potential
or emerging environmental problems, ORD established the Office of Exploratory
Research (OER) in 1980. OER's basic function was to establish and manage a
program of investigator-initiated, long-range research through grants to
qualified investigators and to establish and administer a program of environ-
mental research centers. In addition, OER was responsible for operating a
system of peer review for competitively selecting and awarding research
projects. To date, through its Research Grants Program, OER has supported
over 400 research projects in various priority areas as identified by the
Agency's planning mechanisms and ORD's Research Committee process and, through
its Research Centers Program, supports research conducted at eight university-
based research centers on various topics of priority concern.
RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM
A primary function of the Research Grants Program is to stimulate extra-
mural scientists to work on EPA's technical problems and to provide a stronger
creative base of mission-oriented research needed for the Agency's regulatory
and enforcement efforts.
The Research Grants Program solicits investigator-initiated proposals
by issuing annually a solicitation document which describes EPA's high priority
long-term research needs. The solicitation is broadly distributed and is
intended to stimulate scientists in the academic, research and industrial
communities to respond with fully developed proposals for innovative research
in areas of interest to EPA. Although all valid proposals are considered,
the solicitation has typically emphasized research needs in five interdis-
ciplinary program areas: environmental health; environmental biology; environ-
mental engineering; chemistry and physics in air; and chemistry and physics
in soils and water. In the future, the emphasis may change to include an
emphasis on ORD's major research initiatives.
The grants selection process uses a dual review system of evaluating
research proposals. Ad hoc panels, chaired by scientists or engineers from
outside EPA, meet at least twice annually to discuss reviews of each proposal
conducted by at least three experts in the relevant field. Applications
that pass the scientific panel review are then reviewed by Agency personnel
for their relevancy to the Agency's mission. The combined recommendations are
rank-ordered and the grants are awarded based upon the availability of funds.
Grant support is typically awarded for two to three years and an EPA staff
member is assigned as a project officer. Project monitoring is accomplished
by the submission of technical progress reports and/or the publication of
scientific papers in peer reviewed journals. Staff and formal site visits
are conducted when appropriate.
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The five interdisciplinary areas of the Research Grants Program are
described below.
Environmental Health Research Program
The major objective of the Environmental Health Research Program is to
obtain and provide a scientific basis upon which the Agency can make regulatory
decisions concerning the protection of human health from environmental pollu-
tants. The principle concern is to determine whether, and to what extent,
exposure to various pollutants contributes to environmentally related health
problems. Particular attention in the annual solicitation is on epidemio-
logical studies, animal toxicology, bioassay development and mechanisms of
action. Major areas of new emphasis will deal with understanding the mech-
anisms of inducement of disease and pathology, improving the validity of
assays as predictors of potential human risks, and developing better model
systems to determine the long-term effects of multi-media pollutant
exposure.
Environmental Biology Research Program
The Environmental Biology Research Program supports a broad range of
projects in the areas of ecosystem effects, aquatic ecosystem modeling,
biotechnology monitoring, environmental assessment, marine studies and bio-
deyradation in water and soil environments. The aim of the program is to
provide a base of scientific knowledge which can be used to identify new and
emerging problems and to develop appropriate remedies for their solution.
One objective of this program is to provide information that, in combination
with exposure data, allows the prediction of the environmental risk of pollu-
tion on individual organisms and on ecosystems. The risks include the reduc-
tion of productivity in agricultural areas, wetlands, and freshwater and
coastal marine ecosystems as well as human exposure to toxic substances
through accumulation in the food chain.
During the next five years, emphasis will focus on wetland problems and
the development of modeling methods for predicting the ecosystem effects on
wetlands. Another area of focus will be the development of methods for
monitoring genetically modified organisms in the natural environment.
Environmental Chemistry and Physics/Water
The Environmental Chemistry and Physics of Water Program supports research
leading to the basic scientific tools for establishing the levels at which
pollutants occur or might occur in the environment under different conditions.
The program includes projects in analytical chemistry, studies on chemical
reactions and their rates and on the physics of the movement of pollutants
in the water and soil. The resulting tools and information allow the estima-
tion of exposure levels needed for risk assessment. The research also provides
possible approaches to the treatment of waste sources. It includes small-scale
laboratory studies and large-scale field projects relating to the transport
and transformation of pollutants.
This program will emphasize problems related to ground water, sediments
and measurement methods. For ground water the emphasis will be on developing
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the techniques for estimating the parameters used in transport models and in
validating the models. In the case of sediments, focus will be on the physics
of movement and the capability of sediments to transport pollutants, particu-
larly, heavy metals. Research on measurement methods will continue with
some emphasis on methods applicable to sediments and associated substances
such as humic materials.
Environmental Chemistry and Physics/Air
The Environmental Chemistry and Physics of Air Program is concerned
with the study of the sources, transport, transformation and fate of air
pollutants. The program reviews applications dealing with studies on time-
space patterns of pollutant concentrations, detailed chemical and physical
descriptions of pollutants, mathematical models connecting air pollutants
with probable sources, and procedures for investigating the impact of pollu-
tants on human health. The program draws upon the concepts and procedures
of physics, chemistry and meteorology using models and measurement methods
to develop quantitative description of these phenomena.
This program will emphasize models or other means of connecting air
pollutants at a location with the contributing sources, the atmospheric
chemistry of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (important toxic compounds) and reliable
measurement techniques for the particulates of health significance.
Environmental Engineering Research Program
The Environmental Engineering Research Program supports the more basic
or fundamental research needed to provide solutions to multi-media pollution
control problems outside the scope of the Agency's response-directed research
program. Therefore new, innovative pollution control and waste management
techniques are sought to provide cost-effective solutions to complex problems
involving air, water, and soils. Areas emphasized include water disinfection,
wastewater treatment, water-related process biomonitoring methods, residuals
control, and air pollution concerning volatile organic compounds, fine par-
ticles, SOX, and NOX. Hazardous wastes continue to receive particular
attention, especially incineration processes and improved clean-up techniques.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH CENTERS PROGRAM
As part of EPA's strategy for approaching long-term research needs, ORO
has created the Environmental Research Centers Program to support environmental
research in science and engineering. The objective of the program is to
support high-quality exploratory research in areas of importance to EPA. It
is achieved by providing stable funding for extended periods of time to
institutions with a demonstrated capability and interest in establishing
and maintaining a long-term effort in a major area of research of concern to
EPA. The program, which was established in 1980, consists of eight university-
based environmental research centers (ERC's), working in four general areas:
(1) industrial and municipal waste abatement and control, (2) pollutant
transport and transformation, (3) ecological and biological effects of pollu-
tants, and (4) environmental epidemiology. Each broad area of research is
discussed below.
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Industrial and Municipal Waste Abatement and Control
Three centers conduct research in this area. The Industrial Waste
Elimination Research Center (IWERC) focuses its attention on reducing or
eliminating the creation of pollutants. Two centers, the Advanced Envi-
ronmental Control Technology Research Center (AECTRC) and the Hazardous
Waste Research Center (HWRC), study the removal of wastes once they are
formed. The AECTRC works primarily on the removal of contaminants from
dilute waste streams, such as sewage discharges and stack effluents, while
the HWRC studies methods to stabilize, detoxify or destroy waste products
containing high concentrations of hazardous pollutants.
The principal areas of research at IWERC, listed in order of current
priority, are: (1) metals speciation and separation, (2) sorption/desorp-
tion phenomena, (3) particle size and shape control, and (4) process catalysis
and control. This priority list is not expected to change significantly,
though more emphasis will be placed in the future on process and catalysis
control, and on particle size and shape control.
AECTRC has investigated the degradation of low concentrations of organic
contaminants in drinking water sources using biofilm systems. This work is
expected to expand in the future, as is work on the supercritical extraction
of pollutants. Current work on wet air regeneration of powdered activated
carbon will be deemphasized. In the area of air pollution, AECTRC will
increase efforts on studying the simultaneous collection of submicron aerosol
particles, sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen. With respect to the
indoor radon problem, a systematic study will be made of the adsorption of
radon on charcoal as a function of charcoal type, design parameters of the
collection system, and interference from other gaseous species.
The HWRC will continue to emphasize the destruction, separation, and
stabilization of hazardous waste constituents, particularly the development
of optimal design parameters for complete or nearly complete incineration
of combustible organic hazardous wastes. Future research will focus on: (1)
a long-term research project on the operation and modeling of a full-scale
industrial incinerator, (2) in-situ biodegradation of targeted environmental
toxins in soil, (3) investigations of the feasibility of rotary kilns as low
energy thermal desorbers for soil and solid waste contaminated with organics,
and (4) the transport mechanisms involving pure organic phases in the unsat-
urated and saturated zones below spill and dump sites.
Pollutant Transport
Two centers study the movement and alteration of pollutants in the
envi ronment.
The National Center for Ground Water Research (NCGWR), devotes itself
to understanding the movement and alteration of pollutants through the subsur-
face environment. Directly or indirectly, ground water is the major source
of the nation's drinking water, but it may be contaminated with pollutants
from a wide variety of sources. Efforts to mitigate this contamination are
complicated by the extremely slow movement of pollutants underground.
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In the next five years, the NCGWR will emphasize studies on subsurface
biodeyradation and on facilitated transport of trace organic compounds in
saturated aquifers. Future studies will deal with microbial metabolism as a
process involved in the fate of contaminants. The comparative ecology of
aerobic microbes as influenced by subsurface parameters such as soil type
and electron acceptors will be studied in order to predict and control micro-
bial involvement in the fate of contaminants at hazardous waste disposal
sites. Current work on subsurface anaerobic environments will be expanded
to include isolation of chemical intermediates and end products. Another
new project will be initiated, using state-of-the-art optical techniques, to
determine whether sorption of contaminants is dominated by organic carbon or
mineral surfaces.
The other center, the National Center for Intermedia Transport Research
(NCITR), studies the important physical and chemical processes associated
with the transport of particulate or gaseous environmental pollutants from
one medium to another. Current and future studies at NCITR will emphasize
the movement of hazardous wastes through air, land, or water.
Specific projects at the NCITR will concentrate on five topics: wet and
dry deposition, soil and water processes, multimedia transport, ecosystem
modeling and structural characterization, and source allocation. Plans
for research include development of an improved correlation between dry
deposition velocity and the roughness layer, determination of the ambient
compositions and concentrations of organic pollutants in rain, fog and dew,
studies on the chemisorption of halocarbons by clay, and the mitigation of
organic pollutants in the unsaturated soil zone. In addition, NCITR will
maintain current levels of research on studies to determine the significance
of nitrogen-bearing trace compounds in air to nitrogen levels in desert
ecosystems, the transfer rate of submicron aerosols to vegetation, and the
effects of vegetation on the transfer of atmospheric pollutants.
Ecological and Biological Effects
Research on ecological and biological effects is conducted at two centers:
the Ecosystems Research Center (ERC) and the Marine Sciences Research Center
(MSRC). The mission of the ERC is to evaluate the state of knowledge on
whole biological communities and ecosystems and to investigate its applica-
bility to environmental regulation and management. Research conducted at
ERC has been in the areas of ecotoxicity, biotechnology, air pollution
effects on forests, plant-pest interactions, and impact assessment for the
Hudson River system. The ERC plans to continue its research in all of these
areas except research on the Hudson River system which will be phased down.
ERC will also develop projects in two additional areas. The first of these,
functional classification of ecosystems, has as its eventual goal to classify
ecosystems into functional types, both in terms of the natural rates at
which processes occur and in terms of their responses to anthropogenic
disturbances. The other new area of research will be freshwater wetland
ecosystems. The purpose of this project is to develop concepts and methods
for simplifying assessment of the effects of human-induced changes in hydrology
on northern freshwater wetlands.
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The objective of research at the MSRC is to increase understanding of
processes in coastal marine ecosystems that are of importance in evaluating
the effects of pollutant discharges. The primary approach to research at
MSRC is experimental, specifically, the use of mesocosms as models for pre-
dicting the responses of biological communities in coastal systems to pollu-
tant loadings, and to determine the fates of pollutants. Such mesocosms
fill a gap between laboratory experiments and field observations.
A major shift in research emphasis at MSRC is occurring. Previous
studies emphasized the determination of the fates and biological effects
of sewage sludge, fuel oil and specific hydrocarbons. These studies were
"passive" in the sense that they described impacts of pollutants on coastal
systems. In the future, more emphasis will be placed on studies whose objec-
tive is to recommend methods for control of unsightly, odorous coastal waters,
rather than simply predict the occurrences of such events. As a start, MSRC
has initiated a program to determine the efficacy of silica enhancement of
ocean outfalls to control the explosive growths of phytoplankton (e.g. red
tide) often associated with mephitic waters. Another major effort will be a
field program to evaluate the state of Narragansett Bay with respect to a
number of environmental features related to pollution or other anthropogenic
effects. This effort is being carried out in cooperation with other studies
of pollutant inputs, shellfish health, bacterial contamination, hydrodynamic
modeling, etc., in association with the Narragansett Bay Project, also sup-
ported by EPA.
Environmental Epidemiology
The area of environmental epidemiology is addressed by one center, the
Center for Environmental Epidemiology (CEE). Its primary objective is to
improve the theoretical understanding of the human health risks associated
with environmental pollution. The center has established four research
priorities: (1) problem definition and feasibility assessments for epide-
miology studies, (2) research to develop and improve epidemiological methods
related to environmental health, for example, research on statistical and
analytical methods, (3) research on exposure assessment relevant to epidemi-
ological investigations, and (4) research support to EPA including review
of data and reports, and identification of problems where epidemiology can
support EPA's mission. These priorities will be maintained in future work.
Emphasis will be given to indoor air contamination, where research will
focus on inhalation exposures to volatile constituents from water used for
purposes other than drinking. A project relating to volatile constituents
from shower water will be completed and a new study initiated to determine
the source, strengths and dissemination of indoor volatile and gaseous con-
stituents from water and other materials. Plans will be made to extend this
project to measurements of organics in exhaled air of humans in homes where
environmental exposures have been well characterized. This research will
be a joint project between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie-Mellon
University.
Efforts will be directed toward better characterization of environmental
contamination. Work will be carried out on the development of a passive
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sampler which has optimal properties for the routine monitoring of airborne
vapors at very low concentrations such as are found in the general environ-
ment.
Some preliminary investigations will also be made in an area new to the
center. This area is characterization of heterotrophic bacteria in air and
water and the identification of pathogens. Work here will be exploratory
and will be closely coordinated with work being conducted elsewhere in EPA.
There is some evidence that these bacteria are important in human respiratory
disease.
Quality Assurance
How does the Agency assure that its environmental data collection
is of high quality?
A significant portion of EPA's budget is spent on collecting environmental
data. Quality assurance (QA) activities play an integral role in the planning
and implementation of environmental data collection efforts and in the evalu-
ation of the resulting data. Quality assurance is the process of assessing
whether the data provided by data collectors to line managers is of the
quality needed and claimed. Quality assurance should not be confused with
quality control (QC); QC includes those activities required during data
collection to produce the data quality desired and to document the quality
of the collected data (e.g., sample spikes and blanks).
The Quality Assurance Management Staff (QAMS) is charged with overseeing
the quality assurance activities of the Agency. QAMS came into being in May
1979, when the Agency recognized the need for formalizing an Agency-wide
quality assurance program for all environmental data collection activities.
More recently, with the issuance of EPA Order 5360.1 in April 1984, the
Agency's quality assurance program has been significantly strengthened and
broadened. The Order mandates that QA be an integral part of all environmental
data collection activities, from planning through implementation and review.
In recent years, the Agency's QA activities have focused on identifying
the basic elements that are essential to effective quality assurance for
environmental data. QAMS has put considerable effort into issuing guidance
defining and analyzing these key elements. The long range outlook for the
QA program is a transition from the guidance phase to implementation. During
the next several years, QAMS will support all EPA environmental data collection
programs in pursuit of the following priorities: 1) quality assurance
program plans, 2) data quality objectives, 3) management systems audits
and audits of data quality, and 4) documentation of routinely used measurement
methods.
SUMMARY OF LONG-TERM TRENDS
The scientific assessment activity has three components: risk assessment
guidelines, the Risk Assessment Forum, and development of methods for risk
assessment. The end of FY 1986, the first round of risk assessment guidelines
should be in place and work on longer term issues well underway. These include
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development of guidelines for: health assessment of suspect reproductive
toxicants, health risk assessment of systemic toxicants, and using data
measurements for estimating exposures. The Agency has stated its commitment
to continual review of all the guidelines and updating of them as new theories
of toxicology or new risk assessment methods become accepted.
The Risk Assessment Forum meets regularly to resolve scientific disputes
and recommend new science policies for Agency use. Though many of its analyses
are short-term, its work includes longer-term analyses such as development
of better methods for low-dose extrapolation in carcinogen risk assessment.
Technology transfer is a continuing responsibility. In response to
requests from the EPA program offices and the needs expressed by the regions
and the states, ORD disseminates the available technology and technical data
to states and localities to enable them to meet their regulatory responisi-
bilities. Technology transfer activities will include the design, production,
quality control, and distribution of materials such as design manuals, user's
guides, handbooks, and workshops.
The long-term goals of the research grants and centers program are to
stimulate investigation of emerging environmental problems and identify
steps which can predict their occurrence, address long-term exploratory
research needs of importance to EPA's mission that require multi-media and
multi-disciplinary approaches, extend the capabilities of EPA's laboratories,
and establish links between EPA and the scientific and technical communities.
Among the areas which will be emphasized in the grants program during
the next five years are modeling of wetlands ecosystem effects, the capability
of sediments to transport heavy metals, and incineration processes for hazardous
wastes. In the centers program, the trend will be to increase research on
hazardous waste removal and control, modeling of marine ecosystems, and
control of indoor radon.
The long-range outlook for the QA program is a transition from the guidance
phase to implementation. During the next several years, QAMS will support
all EPA environmental data collection programs in pursuit of the following
priorities: 1) quality assurance program plans, 2) data quality objectives,
3) management systems audits and audits of data quality, and 4) documentation
of routinely used measurement methods.
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RESOURCE OPTIONS
1986 Current Estimate $24.6 Million
1987 President's Budget $19.4 Million
Projections
1988
No Growth
Moderate Growth
High Growth
1989
1990
1991
$19. 4M
$20. OM
$20. 6M
$19. 4M
$20. 6M
$21. 8M
$19. 4M
$21. 2M
$23. 1M
$19. 4M
$21. 8M
$24. 5M
No Growth: The program would proceed as described in this Research
Outlook.
Moderate Growth: Additional development of new risk assessment methods
would be sponsored. Also, solid and hazardous waste technology transfer
would be expanded. Additional seminars and manuals would be developed to
provide regional and state regulatory enforcement personnel with
information on protection of drinking water supplies from ground water
contamination and pollutant leaching from surface impoundments. In
addition, the process for developing and implementing Audits of Data
Quality would be accelerated.
High Growth: Risk assessment support would be provided to offices not
normally part of the Research Committee process, for instance, the Office
of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation. In addition, a major effort to
expand and computerize the data base for routinely used measurement
methods would make it more useful and accessible to all Agency users.
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MULTIMEDIA ENERGY
The multimedia energy research and development program is designed to
provide the scientific and technical information necessary to support the
Agency's permit-issuing and standard-setting processes, and to allow for the
development and utilization of energy sources in an environmentally acceptable
manner. Research will be conducted to expand our knowledge of the phenomenon
of acid deposition and provide information upon which mitigation decisions
may be made; provide data on the performance, reliability, and cost of the
limestone injection multistage burner (LIMB) control technology, and charac-
terize and evaluate synthetic fuels discharges.
Acid deposition research is coordinated through the National Acid Precip-
itation Assessment Program (NAPAP), which is administered by the Interagency
Task Force on Acid Precipitation. EPA is one of three joint chairs of the
Interagency Task Force. The term "acid rain" is used to refer to the atmos-
pheric deposition of acidic or acid-forming compounds in either their dry
or wet form. These compounds exist in the atmosphere as gases or aerosol
particles containing sulfur oxides (SOX), nitrogen oxides (NOX)» hydrogen
chloride, sulfuric acid, nitric acid and certain sulfate and nitrate compounds.
While there is general scientific agreement that these compounds are respon-
sible for varying degrees of acid deposition, many questions remain about
the causes, effects, and methods of mitigating or controlling acid deposition.
The objectives of acid deposition research are to develop the necessary data
to fully understand the sources and characteristics of acid deposition; and
to determine the extent of current damage or potential damage. This informa-
tion is essential to the development of effective corrective strategies.
Another major research area is the promotion of innovative cost-effective
pollution control technologies relating to energy production. A promising
area is the development of the "limestone injection multistage burner" (LIMB)
emission-reduction technology. The LIMB combines SOX control with simul-
taneous NOX control by using a mixture of pulverized coal and limestone in
a low-NOx burner. This technology may substantially lower the capital cost
of SOX control.
To be accepted as a possible acid rain emission control technology
alternative, LIMB has to be demonstrated by the end of this decade. The EPA-
sponsored cooperative test programs with industry and the State of Ohio on a
105 Megawatt (Mw) wall-fired boiler will be completed in 1989.
The third research area is the development and evaluation of data on
synthetic fuel processes, including the characterization of discharges, and
the assessment of emission-reduction technologies for mitigating these impacts.
These synfuel studies reflect research associated with projects sponsored by
the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation (SFC). Since the SFC has been eliminated
in FY 1986, EPA's funding of research in this area will be phased out. However,
EPA will continue to participate in the Environmental Monitoring Review
Committees for the four SFC project sponsors. That program will be administered
by the Treasury Department and, by law, EPA will be a member of the Advisory
Committee to the Secretary of the Treasury for the synfuels program.
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MAJOR RESEARCH ISSUES
Emissions Inventories of Acid Precursors
How can emissions inventories be made more responsive to acid rain
modeling and assessment needs?
Estimates of current emission rates (aggregated at the national level)
are reasonably accurate for major categories of man-made acid deposition
precursors. However, atmospheric transport models under development will
require improvements in spatial and temporal resolution of emissions estimates
to be consistent with the detailed atmospneric chemistry components of these
models.
Carefully validated emissions inventories for individual states will
be necessary for future implementation of any additional emissions control
strategies. Depending upon the form that future emissions controls may
take, a more refined definition of the relevant emissions from each affected
state would be required for a specified baseline year.
Greater uncertainties exist in projecting future emissions, the effect
of possible emissions-control requirements, and their probable costs. The
mix of emissions sources in any specific region may also change with time.
Efforts to project future emissions rates and to estimate the cost of alter-
native emissions-control strategies are dependent upon the development or
improvement of models which replicate the behavior of each important "emitting
sector" of the economy. Improved models will reduce controversy over the
cost of any specified emissions control strategy. These cost estimates must
be consistent with methods which have been fully reviewed by the engineering
and economic communities. Future estimates of emissions will rely more on
actual data and detailed emissions models.
Atmospheric Processes Affecting Acid Deposition
How can the transport, chemical transformation, deposition processes
and the exposure of ecologically sensitive areas and man-made materials be
determi ned?
The transport, chemical transformation, and deposition processes asso-
ciated with acid deposition must be investigated on both the regional and
local scales. These processes and the resultant source/receptor relationships
require better definition so that reliable estimates of the impacts of given
sources or control strategies can be made.
Our understanding of the atmospheric transport, physical and chemical
transformation, and deposition processes of pollutants emitted into the
atmosphere continues to improve. The program continues to emphasize model
development, the collection of field data, and model evaluation to better
differentiate the contribution of local versus distant sources of acid depo-
sition. Results from this research will enable policy makers to predict
changes in deposition levels resulting from reductions in nearby or distant
emissions.
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The Regional Acid Deposition Model (RADM) is an assembly of model
components (modules or submodels) designed to simulate transport, dispersion,
chemical transformation, precipitation scavenging and dry deposition. These
modules will be updated and revised as the uncertainties in the processes
become better understood and characterized. Field study data will be generated
to improve our scientific confidence in the Regional Acid Deposition Model
(RADM). RADM will be used in a number of important areas (e.g., to calibrate
Lagrangian models, to develop control strategies, to perform source-receptor
analysis, and to assess materials damage).
Dry-Acid Deposition Monitoring
What is the best method to obtain dry deposition monitoring data compara-
ble to that from the existing National Trends Network (NTN) which concentrates
on wet deposition?
The acid rain research program has been compiling several years of
nationwide deposition data from wet precipitation. It is well known,
however, that dry sources of acid deposition in the form of dust and humidity
constitute a potentially significant component of total deposition. Very
little data exist on this dry deposition due to the difficulty in developing
and deploying accurate monitoring instruments. Also, dry deposition rates
vary with surface cover and topography, as well as with environmental variables
such as wind speed and humidity. As a result, the actual contribution of
dry deposition in most areas is only estimated within an order of magnitude.
Prototype monitors do not measure dry deposition fluxes directly. Instead,
they measure ambient air concentrations and use empirical factors to estimate
the dry deposition rate. These monitors are being deployed in a network, in
many cases co-located with wet deposition collectors. Samples are to be
collected and analyzed in a central laboratory. The first several years
will be dedicated to installing the network and making it fully operational.
Once this is accomplished the research emphasis will shift to developing
direct methods of measuring the dry deposition rate.
Aquatic Effects of Acid Deposition
What future changes in surface water chemistry will occur assuming current
levels of acid deposition remain constant, and what is the extent and rate-of-
change to aquatic resources stemming from acid deposition?
The most pronounced effects of acidification are in sensitive aquatic
systems. Acidic deposition is believed to be a major contributing factor in
episodic depressions of pri resulting, in some cases, in fish kills and other
biological disturbances. Historical assessments have been uneven and of
limited utility due to variations in sampling and analytical methodologies,
potentially biased selection of samples, variable effects among different
aquatic systems and a relatively inadequate data base. The scientific uncer-
tainties surrounding the aquatic effects of acidic deposition fall into
several major categories: the extent of sensitive or acidic surface waters
in the U.S.; the detection of long-term trends in surface water chemistry;
modeling changes in surface water chemistry; and the biological effects
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associated with surface water chemistry; and the biological effects associated
with surface water acidification. These uncertainties can be expressed in
terms of extent, rate, and magnitude of change attributable to acidic deposi-
tion.
National Surface Water Survey: To reduce the uncertainties related to the
aquatic effects of acidic deposition, the EPA, in cooperation with the NAPAP
Aquatic Effects Task Group, has undertaken a National Surface Water Survey
(NSWS). The NSWS is a field project with three distinct phases to document
the chemical and biological status of lakes and streams in regions potentially
sensitive to acidic deposition. The Survey also will select regionally repre-
sentative surface waters based on chemical, physical, and biological parameters
to quantify future changes in aquatic resources through a long-term monitoring
program.
The first phase of the NSWS has quantified the chemistry of lakes and
streams in areas believed to contain the majority of low-alkalinity waters.
This phase of the survey was designed to determine what percentage of lakes
and streams in the susceptible regions are acidic or have low alkalinity.
Phase II is quantifying the biological components and the seasonal and spatial
variability of a regionally representative subset of lakes and streams.
These data should explain what percentage of lakes are devoid of fish, what
chemical characteristics of surface waters are associated with the presence
or absence of fish and what temporal variability can be expected in represen-
tative surface waters. The third phase will define selected lakes and streams
as regionally representative sites for a long-term monitoring program to
quantify future changes in the chemistry and biology of aquatic ecosystems.
The primary objective of this phase is to determine what chemical or biological
changes are occurring in regionally representative surface waters and at
what rate.
Long-Term Trends: The detection of long-term trends in surface water chemistry
is essential in understanding the response rates of natural systems to acidic
inputs from the atmosphere and how fast natural systems might acidify due to
natural causes. EPA's long-term monitoring sites are placed in areas in which
there is little or no disturbance from human activities and which are remote
from point sources of air pollution. However, their regional representative-
ness has not been established. The National Surface Water Survey will deter-
mine the criteria for regional representativeness and, in coordination with
existing monitoring sites, will improve tracking of the responses of surface
waters to changes in acidic inputs in various regions of the country.
Surface Water Chemistry Models: One of the most important goals of the
aquatic effects program is the production of reliable models of the temporal
changes in surface water chemistry due to acidic inputs. These models must
be closely coordinated with the research in the terrestrial effects program
which is responsible for most of the watershed-level and soil processes
work. A major priority in the modeling of surface water chemistry will be
the estimation of the extent of direct response and delayed response systems
in the U.S. Response time variations are expected on the basis of soil,
bedrock and hydrological differences among systems. Therefore, some watersheds
will be in dynamic equilibrium with acidic inputs from the atmosphere and
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will respond quickly, while others will exhibit significant sulfur retention
or contain appreciable bufferiny capacities and will respond only after long
delays. If direct response systems prevail in sensitive areas of the country,
then no additional changes in surface water chemistry would be expected,
given no change in present acidic loading rates. However, if delayed response
systems predominate, then more waters may become acidic due to acidic deposi-
tion even if current loading rates do not change. Results from this research
are expected to indicate the relative urgency with which additional controls
on sulfur emissions might be required.
Biological Effects: A principal issue driving the debate over acid rain has
been the biological effects of acidified surface waters. Preliminary research
is expected to establish correlations between surface water chemistry and the
status of fish populations. In order to do that, EPA will continue work that
has already begun on the dose-response relationships between fish populations
and concentrations of toxic metals (such as aluminum) that are thought to be
elevated in acidic waters. EPA will continue work on the response of fish
populations and other ecological endpoints in artificially acidified lakes as
part of several large-scale on-going or planned studies. These studies will
increase the certainty of the actual extent of declines of fish populations
and other ecological effects associated with acidic deposition.
Watersheds and Soil Processes: A multiplicity of processes within watersheds
affect the rate and magnitude of the acidification of surface waters. Water-
shed bedrock and surficial geology, system hydrology and biological processes
are alI important determinants of the response of surface waters to acidic
inputs from the atmospheres. Surface water acidification is a watershed-level
phenomenon, and an adequate scientific understanding of all the biogeochernical
processes involved in watersheds is several years away. However, EPA does
expect to expand its knowledge of those processes to more accurately predict
the effects of changing acidic inputs. EPA's research strategy for the next
five years is two-fold. First, it will accelerate the process-level research
in the geochemical and physical characteristics of soils that are important in
the response of surface waters. Second, EPA, in collaboration with other
agencies participating in NAPAP, is establishing a network of carefully moni-
tored watersheds in sensitive regions of the country. Data will be collected
and analyzed on all relevant physical, chemical and biological parameters
associated with surface water quality.
Terrestrial Effects of Acid Deposition
What is the effect of acidic deposition, alone or in combination with
other pollutants, on forests?
Forest effects studies in acidic deposition have been focused in the
Forest Response Program, jointly funded and managed by the EPA and Forest
Service. This program was initiated in 1983 in response to public concern
over the role of acidic deposition and air pollutants in forest decline.
The mission of the Program is three-fold: (1) to determine if acidic
deposition, alone or in combination with other pollutants, are causing or
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contributing to forest decline in the U.S., (2) if so, to determine the mech-
anism of effect, and (3) if so, to determine the dose-response relationship
of forest response to loadings of acidic deposition, alone or in combination
with other pollutants.
To meet the goals of the Forest Response Research Program, research has
been organized to include historical data analysis, controlled lab and field
experiments, site investigations and monitoring. Research will be undertaken
by Research Cooperatives organized by forest type. In areas where phenomena
have been reported field investigations and historical review activities will
concentrate on examining forest condition in relation to atmospheric deposition
and natural factors. These Cooperatives will also sponsor controlled lab and
field studies to test hypotheses of damage relevant to forest type and deposition
scenario. The Eastern Hardwoods Cooperative and the Western Forest Cooperative
will initially undergo exploratory research to identify if further research
is needed in these forest types.
The Mountain Cloud Chemistry Program is investigating the mechanisms of tree
dieback and reduced growth rates at higher elevations in the East. These appear
to increase in severity with increasing elevation. To address this research
need, monitoring stations are to be established on the slopes and summits of
selected mountains and will be co-located with forestry research stations.
Samples from the network of forest research and monitoring stations will be
analyzed and archived by a central laboratory. Development and standardization
of monitoring instruments to perform reliably under the physically demanding
conditions at these elevations will be required. A quality assurance and
control program will be implemented to ensure long-term usefulness of these
data and their intercomparabi1ity among sites.
Measurements of air and cloud droplet chemistry will be conducted as a
function of time, geographic location and elevation. These observations
will provide information on trends and will be used to address the effects
observed upon mountain forest ecosystems. The observations will provide a
means of estimating exposure of forest ecosystems to acid deposition by cloud
deposition and other pollutants that may affect such ecosystems.
Materials Damage from Acid Deposition
What is the quantitative relationship between acid deposition and damage
to structures, buildings, and other materials?
Qualitative relationships between acid deposition and resulting damage
have been identified for a few materials under various conditions of exposure.
The issue now is to quantify the rate of damage as a function of acid depo-
sition, and to extend the development of damage functions to other materials.
The assessment of the overall impact of acid deposition on materials also
requires knowledge of tne distribution of exposed building components and the
economic behavior of consumers so that an economic loss may be associated with
acid deposition materials.
Damage functions will be derived from physical chemistry theory, chamber
studies and field exposure studies. As we improve our understanding of the
basic mechanisms of these damage functions, efforts will shift to predictive
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rnodels of materials damage that will allow accelerated studies in controlled-
climate chambers. Studies will also be extended to more complex systems of
materials, such as reinforced concrete, brick and mortar, roofing systems,
and painted surfaces.
In addition to the development of physical damage functions, it will be
necessary to enhance the materials inventory and make estimates of consumer
responses to acid deposition. This includes the way in which the end-of-the-
service life of the material is determined, as well as the incremental costs
of switching to more durable materials.
Limestone Injection Multistage Burner (LIMB)
What demonstrations of LIMB technology are needed to document its effec-
tiveness in reducing emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides?
EPA has successfully developed and demonstrated advanced low-NOx burner
technologies applicable to large coal-fired steam generators (major emission
sources for SOX and NOX). An associated potential benefit of this Low-N0x
burner development is the expectation of lower reductions for SOX and NOX,
at a significantly reduced cost (3 to 5 times less than flue gas desulfuriza-
tion) for retrofit applications. This LIMB (Limestone Injection Burner)
approach involves S0x-sorbent injection around the low-NOx burners or at
other points in the boiler. To bring the technology to commercialization
will require a full-scale demonstration on a utility boiler of representative
design. A demonstration of the technology is scheduled to be completed by
1990. This demonstration will be conducted on a 105 MW wall-fired boiler
that will be modified to accomodate the LIMB technology. Another commercial-
scale demonstration is planned for a tangentially-fired boiler in the near
future.
To support these demonstrations, research will be conducted to determine
what effects the process parameters have on sorbent activation and sulfur
capture. Methods development continues to obtain highly reactive sorbents,
to optimize reaction conditions to achieve maximum capture, and to minimize
sorbent costs.
SUMMARY OF LONG-TERM TRENDS
As we enter the next decade, research to understand the phenomenon of
acid deposition and to provide an information base for policy makers
could take several directions. The on-going interagency (NAPAP) research
program has a ten-year mandate from Congress which carries through 1990.
However, both researchers and policy-makers realize that the phenomenon is a
most complex and challenging scientific problem. They generally recognize
that, although the accelerated research program will bring forth significant
scientific findings by 1990, it is unlikely that all needed information will
be generated by that time.
The long-term goals of the acid deposition program are to develop a
number of products for policy makers including:
o
inventories and maps showing the magnitude and extent of receptors
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that have been affected or could be affected by acid deposition;
o estimates of the rate of change in the extent of effects
o "target loadings" of acid deposition for different receptors in
different regions of the country; and
o quantification of the contribution of local versus long-range sources
to acid deposition;
o source-receptor models that can indicate which long-range sources
or source regions contribute to acid deposition.
One of the major obstacles which has delayed the scientific understand-
ing of the acid deposition phenomenon and the formulation of control or miti-
gation options for acid deposition is the lack of high quality data from long-
term monitoring programs and from continuously-monitored intensive research
sites. Several years ago, the acid rain program established a monitoring
network for wet deposition (the National Trends Network). This network is
just beginning to provide the multi-year data necessary for trends analysis.
Major efforts are underway to initiate a dry deposition monitoring network,
long-term monitoring of lakes and streams, mountaintop cloud and forest expo-
sure monitoring, and watershed monitoring.
Scientific or policy developments could change the long-term direction
of the research program. Some possible developments include: the scientific
finding that part or all of the problem is minor; the scientific finding
that part or all of the problem is getting rapidly worse or much more wide-
spread; and/or congressional or executive action requiring emissions reduction,
Such developments could bring about a considerable shift in emphasis in the
research effort increasing the focus in one or more areas.
The energy research control technology issue in this chapter focuses on
combustion of coal in an environmentally acceptable manner. A significant
near term issue is the determination of how current control technologies can
be adapted for acid deposition applications. Technologies currently being
utilized to achieve NSPS compliance are costly and have a limited capability
to be used in existing facilities on a retrofit basis. If additional acid
precursor emission reduction from existing sources is legislated, improved
lower-cost technological approaches will be required. The use of the Lime-
stone Injection Multistage Burner (LIMB) technology is one of the approaches
which is being investigated.
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RESOURCE OPTIONS
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1986 Current Estimate $b9.1 Million
1987 President's Budget $59.6 Million
Projections
No Growth
Moderate Growth
High Growth
1988
1989
1990
1991
$59. 6M
$61. 4M
$63. 2M
$59. 6M
$63. 2M
$67. OM
$59. 6M
$65. 1M
$71. OM
$59. 6M
$67. 1M
$75. 2M
No Growth: The program would proceed as described in this Agenda.
Moderate: Additional efforts would be made to evaluate the Regional Acid
Deposition Model through field study data.
High: Additional efforts would be made to understand the linkages between
terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as they relate to acid deposition
impacts. The program would accelerate acid deposition research to
identify cause/effects mechanisms of forest changes, and expand the
number of representative watersheds under study.
"U.S.Government Printing Office. 1987 — 748-121/40688
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