United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Research and
Development
Washington DC 20460
EPA/600/K-95/001
April 1995
4>EPA Research and Development
1994 Research
Accomplishments
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Introduction
EPA is one of a few federal organizations that function both as
a science agency and a regulatory agency. The challenge for the
Agency's research arm, the Office of Research and Development
(ORD), has been to provide information and technical support for
federal, state, and local officials facing today's environmental
problems and, at the same time, to expand the science and technol-
ogy base needed for solving problems in the future.
In its 20-year history, ORD has developed, refined, and dis-
seminated much of the basic technical know-how employed by
EPA, other federal agencies, states, cities, industry, and others to
protect our natural resources. For example, ORD laboratories
developed many of today's basic methods for mapping complex
ecological processes and assessing adverse effects from pollutants.
They developed and continue to upgrade much of the standard
sampling and analytical equipment necessary for directing effec-
tive pollution control efforts. They have revolutionized faster, more
cost-effective technologies for disinfecting drinking water, reduc-
ing toxic air emissions, and cleaning up hazardous waste and oil
spills.
ORD's scientists and engineers work closely with decision-
makers to translate knowledge into action. Often in crisis
situations, ORD experts have lent technical assistance in control-
ling environmental problems. ORD scientists provided critical
scientific knowledge to help assess environmental damage from the
Kuwaiti oil fires, to help Eastern Europe clean up decades of air
and water pollution, to help the U.S. and Canada restore the Great
Lakes, and to help cities in the U.S. and South America control
outbreaks of disease from microscopic drinking water parasites.
As a way to decide where to focus attention and resources on
diverse and seemingly unlimited problems, the Agency uses the
risk assessment/risk management
framework described by the National
Research Council in its report, Risk
Assessment in the Federal Govern-
ment: Managing the Process, 1983.
This framework helps to identify
research that will have the greatest
impact on increasing our understand-
ing of the risks from pollutants and
ways to prevent, reduce, or cleanup
pollution. Better understanding of
risks and ways to manage them helps
to identify the areas of greatest need
and to let us tackle the worst prob-
lems first.
This spinning top aerosol
generator is used to
characterize inlet efficiencies
of sampling instruments.
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The risk paradigm shows the
relationship of each component
of the risk assessment process
and how each contributes to
regulatory and policy
decisions.
The basic scientific questions surrounding risk assessment and
risk management are grouped into four categories:
4- effects
+ exposure
4- assessment
4 management, i.e., prevention, reduction, and remediation.
The first area, effects research, considers questions about
pollutants in the environment and whether they cause harm.
Methods are developed for use by EPA and others to detect those
pollutants that have the capacity to cause a variety of health and
ecological effects. Studies are conducted or analyzed to determine
how much of a pollutant can cause those effects.
The next area, exposure assessment, determines what pollut-
ants are in the environment, at what levels, where they go, and
what happens along the way.
The third area, risk assessment, integrates information from
the first two areas of research to estimate the likelihood and
magnitude of impact from pollutants. Research also develops
methods and models to reduce uncertainties in the risk assessment
process.
The fourth area, risk management, determines the alternative
solutions and associated costs. Activities include development of
industrial processes that prevent pollution. A significant percentage
of the Agency's resources have funded research to reduce risks,
particularly from air and water pollution. Finally, independently
and in collaboration with others, the Agency develops technology
for cleaning up past environmental damage such as that found at
waste sites and protecting the environment from pollutants being
released today.
This report illustrates the kind of science questions ORD
researches in each of the four categories and highlights accom-
plishments from fiscal year 1994.
RISK ASSESSMENT / RISK MANAGEMENT
/ Dose-Response \
Assessment
Technology
/\ Socioeconomic
Factors
Hazard
Identification
[Riskl >. Regulatory
Characterization Policy Decision
Exposure
\ Assessment /
\ / Public /
Y Perception
X Cost/Benefit
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Effects
Research about the effects of pollutants on humans and ecosys-
tems includes hazard identification and dose-response assessment.
Hazard identification involves gathering and evaluating data about
the types of health problems or diseases (e.g., cancer) that affect
humans or the impacts on ecosystems that can be caused by a
chemical or a pollutant.
Dose-response research addresses questions about how much
of a chemical humans or plant and animal species have to be
exposed to before they are affected and what is the type and
magnitude of the effect. Notable effects research in FY 1994
includes the following:
Sulfate Effects Data for Revised Drinking Water
Standard
EPA is reevaluating the current standard for sulfate levels in
drinking water. Data on sulfate, which can cause diarrhea in
children and adults, were available only from reports of
individual cases. To fill the data gap, EPA's Health Effects
Research Laboratory in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North
Carolina, conducted animal and human studies to determine
the dose at which effects would be seen for both infants and
adults. ORD has been able to provide hard data on what doses
produce adverse effects for judging the adequacy of the current
standard.
Methanol Health Effects for Decisions on Fuel
Additives
Scientists at EPA's Health Effects Laboratory in RTP,
North Carolina, continued studying the health effects from
exposure to methanol. Mouse studies are producing
information on birth defects caused by methanol exposure
as well as the dose and duration of exposure that causes
defects. Findings have been published in journals, and
future work in this area will address the similarities of
methanol sensitivity between mice and humans in order to
improve the scientific basis of conclusions about human
effects drawn from mouse studies.
New Methods Promise Faster Toxicity Tests
ORD researchers at EPA's laboratory in Gulf Breeze,
Florida, developed and validated a technique that prom-
ises to give scientists a faster, less costly way to identify
chronic toxic effects from water pollutants. The method
extrapolates chronic effects from acute effects, and could
reduce from 28 days to two days the time needed for
A research biologist examines
negatives ofDNA as detected
in rodent cells after exposure
to pollutants.
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assessing long-term health effects of pesticides and metals in
runoff from agricultural and urban areas.
ORD revised and updated the manuals used as the basic
technical guides by government and industry in testing dis-
charges from sewers, holding tanks, and other sources to
ensure that the amounts of potentially toxic materials released
into streams, rivers, and estuaries stay within safe limits for
fish and other marine life. ORD also developed a new
generation of computer software to make it easier and faster
for users to analyze data from the tests. Companies, cities, and
states all across the U.S. rely on the sound, standardized results
of these tests for seeking and granting permits under funda-
mental federal and state rules.
Health Concerns About Carpets Clarified
Scientists at EPA's Health Effects Research Laboratory in RTF,
North Carolina, completed a study that has filled a critical data
gap in our understanding of the health effects of carpet
emissions. A commercial animal-testing facility produced a
study that linked exposure to carpet emissions to serious heart
and nervous system conditions and even death. However, ORD
researchers could not replicate the reported test results and
concluded that the facility's methodology was valid for testing
for irritation effects but not for evaluating serious health
effects. ORD's study has been used by judges when ruling on
the use of animal tests in court cases where consumers are
suing carpet manufacturers for alleged serious health problems.
EMAP Measures Ecological Conditions Across the
Country
The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program
(EMAP) is an applied monitoring and assessment program
designed to describe the condition of our nation's ecological
resources. In FY1994, an Arctic EMAP Program has been
established with the State of Alaska to study arctic
environmental contamination and train Russian scientists in
EMAP approaches. EMAP also has generated data for
describing the conditions of Northeastern lakes and evaluating
effects from acid deposition. Under EMAP estuaries research,
scientists have designed long-term monitoring plans, collected
environmental samples, and conducted statistical analyses for
the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, Puget Sound,
Long Island Sound, Delaware Bay, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay,
Galveston Bay, Corpus Christi Bay, and Santa Monica Bay.
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Global Change Research
The possibility of global change raises many scientific ques-
tions about the effects of climate change on activities such as
farming, the decrease in the capacity of the ozone layer to
shield the earth from ultraviolet radiation, and the health and
ecosystem effects of increased exposure to ultraviolet radia-
tion.
Nationally and internationally, ORD is studying the impact of
farming, conservation, and other land uses on global climate
change and, conversely, the impact of climate changes on
agricultural
resources. For
example, an ORD
study of the
practice of leaving
crop residue such
as corn stalks on
the ground to
prevent soil
erosion found that
the practice also
holds carbon in the
soil, which helps
reduce atmospheric
levels of green-
house gases. By
quantifying this
carbon retention,
and extrapolating
carbon levels that
would be retained
Potential rice yield changes
predicted by computer model.
% change in rice yield predicted by ORYZA with GISS data
0 -36 to -28 0 -9 to -1 en 7 to 12
• -27 to -19 Do 0 13 to 18
en -18 to -10 CH 1 to 6 CH 19 to 25
by alternative
practices, ORD has
reduced uncertain-
ties about the role of harvested fields in global change
equations.
As part of a multi-year study to understand how ultraviolet
radiation makes people more susceptible to different kinds of
infections, ORD's Health Effects Research Laboratory identi-
fied a strain of laboratory mice that has similar mechanisms of
immune system suppression as those found in people. Conse-
quently, laboratory studies using these mice may be a faster,
less expensive way than human epidemiological studies for
determining whether increased levels of UV-B pose a risk to
the human immune system.
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Photo by S.C. Delaney / U.S. EPA
Exposure
Research to understand what pollutants are released into the
environment, where they go in the environment, and what happens
to them along the way is the focus of EPA's exposure research.
Notable efforts in FY 1994 include:
"Living Room" Lab Measures Indoor Pollution
At its laboratories in RTF, North Carolina, ORD has built a
room-sized laboratory chamber (one of only four in the world)
to study and define emissions from paint, fabrics, furnishings,
and other items typically found inside offices and houses.
Using precise, sophisticated equipment, ORD simulates typical
indoor exposures to pollutants under varying temperatures,
humidity, and air flows, and then measures the environmental
levels of contaminants under those conditions. These findings
significantly reduce the uncertainty associated with complex,
often subtle exposures to indoor air pollution, providing
government, industry, and others with sound data for making
well-reasoned decisions. Among further benefits, the chamber
can be used by the private sector to test emissions from new
products under real conditions, can be used to standardize
testing procedures (thereby reducing confusion and promoting
consistent data), and can be used to demonstrate the effective-
ness of air cleaning devices.
Effects of Wind Borne Pesticides Studied
Scientists at ORD's Environmental Research Laboratory in
Athens, Georgia, formed a government/industry consortium to
evaluate the environmental problems caused by sprayed
pesticides that drift on the wind into nearby fields, lakes, and
streams. By linking industry
data, EPA's exposure mod-
els, and U.S. Department of
Agriculture's field studies,
the consortium will develop
a validated assessment tool
to evaluate the risk of offsite
drift, identify the right
parameters for measuring
pesticide drift, and estimate
the amount of drift under
different conditions. This
consortium will help develop
methods for evaluating the
potential risks from pesticide
spraying.
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New Technique Identifies Ozonation Byproducts
Responding to concerns that chlorination may create poten-
tially harmful by-products when it reacts with certain kinds of
organic matter in drinking water, ORD scientists have led
research to evaluate ozonation as an alternative treatment to
reduce the amount of chlorine needed for disinfection. In
FY94, ORD also pioneered the development of new analytical
methods that will help scientists assess whether ozonation
itself creates by-products that would be of equal or greater
concern. Applying specialized expertise, ORD researchers
combined two techniques, mass spectroscopy and infrared
spectroscopy, to identify for the first time some 20 different
ozonation by-products in water containing high natural con-
centrations of bromide. The ORD findings, developed in
collaboration with the University of North Carolina, also
provide new insight into the complex processes that create the
by-products.
ORD Tests Methods for National Human
Exposure Study
In FY94, ORD signed agreements with three research consor-
tia as a first step in launching the National Human Exposure
Assessment Study (NHEXAS), a long-term "report card" that
for the first time will give decision-makers consistent, nation-
wide information on human exposure to pollutants. Under the
agreements, the consortias of universities and other not-for-
profit research organizations are testing the concepts, methods,
and approaches that are proposed for the long-term study.
These pilot studies will provide sound building blocks for the
innovative long-term effort.
Model Predicts Natural Sources of Smog
The atmospheric chemis-
try models that cities and
regions currently use to
estimate smog levels and
to demonstrate attainment
of the ozone standard
include estimates of how
much natural sources can
contribute to these levels.
Isoprene from trees, for
example, reacts very
quickly with other
chemicals in the air to
form smog. Scientists at
Atlanta skyline.
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EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Laboratory and the Atmo-
spheric Research and Exposure Assessment Laboratory in RTF,
North Carolina, have developed a new model for estimating
emissions from natural sources. The model, tested in Atlanta
where there is light industry but large surrounding forests,
predicted emissions that more closely matched measured
concentrations. Because emissions from natural sources
contribute significantly to ozone formation, they have to be
factored into any strategy for meeting the ozone standard. This
improved model will contribute to more cost-effective and
realistic strategies for fighting smog.
Risk Assessment
To assess the risks of environmental contaminants, ORD
scientists integrate the results and data from exposure and effects
studies conducted in-house and by other public and private science
organizations. However, the gaps in our knowledge result in
uncertainties in the risk assessments. Scientists in ORD's research
program address these knowledge gaps in both human health and
ecosystem effects and develop the risk assessments that are then
incorporated into Agency decisions.
Dioxin Reassessment Focuses Attention on
Noncancer Effects
Scientists with EPA's Office of Health and Environmental
Assessment and the Health Effects Research Laboratory in
RTF, North Carolina, completed the external review drafts of
EPA's reassessment of dioxin, which include research results
on dioxin's noncancer effects on the immune, reproductive,
and neurological systems. These drafts, the results of a 3-year
effort, reaffirm the link between dioxin and cancer and con-
clude that dioxin exposure at some level may result in a
number of noncancer health effects in humans. The reassess-
ment also identifies sources of dioxin known to contribute to
environmental contamination.
New Fuel Additives Raise Questions of Health
Effects
Recent legislation encourages the development and use of
reformulated gasolines and alternative fuels. ORD's program
in this area evaluates additives or alternative fuels for their
health effects. In FY1994, ORD conducted research and risk
assessments as a result of questions raised by the State of
Alaska and others about the health effects of MTBE, a gasoline
additive that helps reduce carbon monoxide and the hydrocar-
bons that form ozone. ORD organized a joint
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government-industry research program for a health risk
assessment. Based on the uncertainties identified in the assess-
ment, ORD is continuing research and assessment of MTBE
and other compounds.
Extensive Health Effects Research Included in
Assessment of Ozone
ORD research conducted in the past several years on the
human health effects of ozone shows that exposure to ozone at
concentrations below the current standard can cause significant
pulmonary dysfunction—difficult breathing, coughing, and
chest pain. Pulmonary dysfunction can occur even after
exposure for only several hours and, appears to have long
lasting effects. Research findings have been reported in 30
journal articles in FY1994 and ORD scientists contributed
significantly to the Agency's consideration of revising the
current standard. In addition, scientists from EPA's Health
Effects Research Laboratory in RTP, North Carolina, recently
authored the World Health Organization's Guidelines for
Ozone.
Advances in Ecological Assessment
Risks to ecosystems from pollution are also
important to understand and characterize. Changes
to ecosystems can affect the condition and quantity
of our natural resources, food production and
supplies, and nature's ability to "heal itself or
recover from negative environmental effects.
Highlights from EPA's FY1994 research in
"ecorisk assessment" include the following
developments:
Scientists at EPA's Environmental Research
Laboratory in Duluth, Minnesota, have developed
3-D computer technology that simulates the
accumulation of chemicals in fish. The 3-D
technique explains relatively sophisticated prin-
ciples of chemical accumulation and species
extrapolation in an easily understood way. This
project can be applied to all areas of toxicology
and risk assessment that use models to describe
how chemicals accumulate in organisms.
At EPA's Environmental Research Laboratory in
Corvallis, Oregon, scientists completed an interim
assessment of risk to forests from ozone. This
These 3-D computer-generated
graphics show chemical
accumulation in fish at 2-hour (a)
and 4-hour (b) exposures. The
chemical accumulation after 4
hours is shown, in descending
order, by the bright red hue of the
fat layer, the kidney, the
intestines, and the liver.
pentachlorethane (jig/kg)
hour 2
0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0
pentachlorethane (jig/kg)
hour 4
0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0
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Forested Areas and Estimated 3 Month Total Ozone Exposure (1988)
Ozone Exposure,
Total (ppm-hrs)
• o
1-20
2CMO
40-60
>60
E3 Forested Areas
(Generally greater than 30% cover)
Ozone exposure to
forested areas
estimated for a
three month period
in 1988.
program, which assesses impacts of ozone on natural re-
sources, has examined 11 ecologically and economically
important tree species in studies at sites across the country.
This research provided significant information on the effects of
ozone on trees for the Agency's 1995 Draft Criteria Document.
Quantification of ozone effects on forests is needed to address
the requirements of the Clean Air Act.
For the first time, important exposure data for performing
ecological risk assessments has been summarized. Scientists
with EPA's Office of Health and Environmental Assessment in
Washington, D.C., developed the Wildlife Exposure Factors
Handbook, a compendium of data on 30 species of birds,
mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. The data, which includes
body weights, ingestion rates, inhalation rates, diets, and home
range sizes, is combined with toxicity data to conduct ecologi-
cal risk assessments at contaminated waste sites or to support
chemical criteria for wildlife.
Risk Assessment Landmarks
Risk assessment is a constantly evolving science. ORD is in
the forefront of the research that seeks to reduce uncertainties
of risk assessment by continually refining the methods and
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data which support Agency-wide risk assessments and guide-
lines for conducting risk assessments. The guidelines, which
are peer-reviewed by the wider scientific community, represent
ORD's contributions to the "state of the science" of risk
assessment. In FY1994, ORD contributed to the following :
Guidelines for Reproductive Toxicity Risk Assessment were
proposed and reviewed by EPA's Science Advisory Board.
These guidelines represent the first effort by any federal or
state agency, nation, or international organization to provide
guidance for interpreting, analyzing, and using data from
studies on a variety of male and female reproductive effects.
Cancer Risk Assessment Guidelines were revised and peer
reviewed at a public workshop. Last published in 1986, the
guidelines have been revised to incorporate the latest scientific
thinking in the field and to build upon the experience gained in
using the previous guidelines for the last eight years. These
guidelines will be ready for public comment in FY1995.
With the 1992 Framework for Ecological Risk Assessment,
ORD began developing Agency-wide guidance for improving
the consistency and quality of ecological risk assessments. In
FY1994, ORD published^ Review of Ecological Case Studies
from a Risk Assessment Perspective Volume 2. This report
contains 17 peer reviewed case studies that evaluate ecological
assessments of Agency activities such as pesticides and Super-
fund assessments and nine issue papers that explore topics of
the ecological risk
assessment process
ranging from
model develop-
ment and
characterization of
effects to risk
integration meth-
ods and ecological
significance.
Together, the case
studies and issue
papers will help
provide the scien-
tific basis for the
development of the
first Agency-wide
ecological risk
assessment guide-
line.
An EPA helicopter crew
samples water for acidity.
11
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Risk Management
Research and development in the risk management area covers
prevention, reduction, and remediation activities that ORD con-
ducts in its own laboratories and through agreements with public
and private sector partners. The accomplishments for FY1994
reflect a wide range of activity.
U.S. Navy Considers CFC Replacements
Identified by EPA
EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory in
RTF, North Carolina, is conducting research to find chemicals
that can be used to replace ozone-depleting refrigerants,
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Two of the replacements identi-
fied by the laboratory are being considered by the Navy for use
in shipboard chillers. The substitute could save $500 million in
retrofit and replacement costs and help timely phaseout of the
CFC currently used. The Navy will make its final decision on a
replacement chemical in 1995.
Particulate Matter Five-Year Research Strategy
ORD completed a strategy for research to support the Agency's
court-ordered deadline to review the Particulate Matter Na-
tional Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The strategy
outlines the policy and scientific issues and the research
questions that must be addressed and it ranks the needed
research. EPA program offices, industry, academia, environ-
mental groups, other federal agencies, and states have had an
opportunity to review and comment on this document. This
document will guide EPA's research efforts for the next five
years.
NARSTO Focuses Tropospheric Ozone Research
In response to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and a 1991
National Academy of Sciences report calling for a national
program of tropospheric ozone research, ORD scientists and
stakeholders in the public and private sectors developed the
North American Research Strategy for Tropospheric Ozone
(NARSTO). The strategy established agreement to focus
research on understanding the sources of emissions that effect
the ozone level in the air we breathe and to coordinate research
activities throughout North America. Coordination is important
because there has been duplication of research across different
regions of the country with serious nonattainment problems.
These regions have had to reinvent measures, modeling, and
emission categories. A charter outlining activities and partici-
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pants was signed in February 1995 by EPA, other federal
agencies, states, universities, and major industry organizations.
New Process Prevents Dioxin Formation During
Waste Combustion
With pilot-scale testing completed, ORD is ready to identify a
commercial partner to
demonstrate its
patented process for
preventing the forma-
tion of dioxin and
furan from burning
waste. Approximately
75% of the 250
existing incinerators
covered by EPA's
regulations could be
retrofitted cheaply
with the technology
called Sorbent
Injection for Chlori-
nated Organic Re-
moval/Elimination
(SICORE). Efforts are
underway to license
the technology to a
commercial partner interested in a demonstration project.
Water Weeds Clean Munitions Contamination
An experimental process developed by scientists at EPA's
Environmental Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia, uses
common pond weeds to break down TNT, chlorinated solvents,
and several other chemicals found at old munitions sites. The
plants, which include stonewort, hornwort, and parrot feather,
contain enzymes that initiate a chain reaction that breaks down
the TNT molecule into biodegradable material. An EPA patent
of the process is pending and field testing is scheduled for the
spring at a closed Army munitions plant.
Technical Support for Agency Activities
ORD's research program supports the Agency's activities and
provides site-specific technical assistance and technology
transfer to state and local governments. For example, in FY94
scientists at EPA's laboratory in Ada, Oklahoma, and the
Exposure Assessment Group in Washington, B.C., provided
technical support and review of the Soil Screening Level
The SICORE process prevents
dioxin from forming by
reducing the amount ofHCl
available to form dioxin.
Sorbent Injection for Chlorinated Organic
Removal/Elimination (SICORE)
MUNICIPAL WASTE COMBUSTOR APPLICATION
Temperature through System
Stack
Sorbent
Injection Zone
Dioxin/Furan
Formation Zone
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Guidance being developed by the Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response. The guidance is a tool for site managers
to streamline the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study
process for Superfund sites.
ORD's Technical Support Center (TSC) in Ada, Oklahoma,
provides the latest scientific information about the movement
and fate of contaminants in the soil and groundwater at hazard-
ous waste sites. TSC scientists and engineers advise on a range
of questions about site characterizations, treatability studies,
remediation designs, and cleanup levels. By the end of
FY1994, TSC staff have provided assistance for almost 700
requests at over 400 Superfund and RCRA sites across the
country. The data gathered through the years in the course of
providing technical assistance have become a tremendous
information resource for site cleanup managers looking for
background on contaminants and remediation strategies that
work.
Scientists at EPA's Environmental Monitoring Laboratory in
Cincinnati, Ohio, developed a more sensitive method for
measuring sewage contamination of drinking water. They also
completed a survey of groundwater systems for enteric viruses
that provides an indication of the nature and magnitude of viral
contamination of vulnerable drinking water wells. EPA lacked
virus occurrence data to support a regulatory level for virus
inactivation in public groundwater systems.
EPA's Center for Environmental Research Information (CERI)
in Cincinnati, Ohio, published a document for small communi-
ties on adapting alternative treatment technologies for smaller
systems. Small communities are participating in ORD studies
to evaluate treatment technologies. Results to date indicate that
small systems can upgrade drinking water quality at a reason-
able cost. CERI also published a handbook on groundwater
and wellhead protection for delineating the boundaries of a
wellhead protection area, identifying and evaluating potential
contaminants and wellhead management options.
Innovations for Solving Environmental Problems
ORD develops and evaluates promising pollution prevention,
pollution control and remediation technologies, as well as the
monitoring devices and techniques that validate the results of
technologies. In addition to in-house research, there are a
number of programs that harness the resources and expertise of
scientists and researchers in academia, other federal research
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organizations and the
private sector.
One such program, the
Superfund Innovative
Technology Evaluation
(SITE) Program, begins
its tenth year with 72
technologies in the
developmental program
and 115 technologies in
the demonstration
program. Through 1994,
69 field demonstrations
and 38 developmental
projects have been
conducted. Many
developers completing
SITE projects credit their participation in SITE as integral to
the success of their companies. A recent assessment of site
remediation costs by four EPA regional offices shows that
using SITE technology saved $358 million over the projected
costs of conventional remediation.
Since 1982, the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)
Program has funded research in EPA program areas that could
lead to significant opportunities and public benefits if the
research is successful. Examples of success stories include:
National Recovery Technologies, Inc., developed a technology
for sorting PVC plastics from recycle collections. NRT has
grown from three people in 1981 to 30 in 1994.
RMC Group produced a pallet made of 100 percent recycled
plastics from a range of resin types, including 50 percent post-
consumer plastics. Currently they manufacture 400 pallets per
week and expect to make 2000 per week by July 1995.
With 11 new Cooperative Research and Development Agree-
ments (CRADAs) and 5 new licensing agreements in FY 1994,
EPA has a total of 60 Federal Technology Transfer Act (FTTA)
agreements and licensing agreements. Noteworthy agreements
signed in FY1994 include:
The "Lasagna CRADA," an agreement with Monsanto,
DuPont, and General Electric to develop and field test new
technologies for treating dense, clay-like soil at hazardous
waste sites. Dubbed the "lasagna" process, it uses an electric
Approximately 16 tons of
contaminated soil were treated
at this SITE demonstration
project.
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Horizontal Configuration
Ground surface
Borehole
I I
;^T Tr
Applied Electrical^—- u—
Granular electrode
Treatment
zones
Potential
~?*- Contaminated
•—-^ soil
Granular electrode
Vertical Configuration
Ground surface
electro-
Y
osmotic
flow *"
Treatment
zones
Contaminated
soil
Note: Electro-osmotic flow is reversed
upon switching polarity.
Horizontal (a) and vertical (b)
configurations of the
"Lasagna " hazardous waste
treatment process. Flow
reversal allows multiple passes
of the contaminants through
the treatment zones.
field to draw waste into layered areas called treatment zones.
Once layered, the two wastes can be treated completely in
place. This process promises to be more cost-effective than
traditional cleanup methods.
Two licensing agreements with ETG Environmental, Inc., and
Soil Tech ATP Systems, Inc., are marketing an EPA patented
technology for cleaning up chlorinated chemical wastes. The
technology, base catalyzed decomposition, involves adding a
common base such as baking soda to the contaminated mate-
rial and then heating the mixture. The process turns the toxic
contaminants into non-hazardous materials.
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