United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory
Las Vegas NV 89114
Research and Development
EPA/600/S4-86/047 Apr. 1987
Project Summary
Environmental Methods Testing
Site Project: Project
Management Plan
Charles K. Fitzsimmons
The Environmental Methods Testing
Site Project is being conducted by the
Environmental Protection Agency with
the cooperation of the state of Georgia,
the state of Tennessee, Hamilton
County, Tennessee, and the city of
Chattanooga. The concept is to establish
one well-characterized site at which to
conduct a series of studies designed to
improve environmental monitoring
methods and methods for assessing
human exposure to toxic substances in
the environment. The project, planned
to span a 5- to 15-year period, is being
conducted in support of the Toxic Sub-
stances Control Act of 1976.
This management plan describes the
objectives of the project and the inter-
actions among the various participants
that are necessary to complete the task
of site selection, site characterization,
and conducting field studies. Emphasis
is given to site characterization which
includes inventorying data relevant to
the Chattanooga area, designing a data
base, and implementing the use of a
geographic information system to
analyze the data. The geographic in-
formation system will be used to analyze
existing data to infer possible relation-
ships among the elements of exposure
mechanisms, and it will be used to plan
studies needed to validate such re-
lationships.
Documentation of many of the tech-
nical details related to this project are
reserved for future documents — the
Data Management Procedures Plan, the
Quality Assurance Plan, and the User's
Guide — all listed as milestones in this
management plan. Some of the details
presently known are attached to this
document as appendices.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory, Las Vegas, NV, to
announce key findings of the research
project that Is fully documented In a
separate report of the same title (see
Project Report ordering Information at
back).
Introduction
The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has a need to develop and to im-
prove methods to assess human ex-
posures to toxic substances and to
support regulations resulting from the
Toxic Substances Act of 1976. Having the
responsibility for administering the Act,
the EPA Office of Toxic Substances (OTS)
has asked the EPA Office of Research
and Development (ORD) for technical
assistance. The Office of Acid Deposition,
Environmental Monitoring, and Quality
Assurance (ODEMQA) is that part of the
Office of Research and Development
which is responsible for monitoring
methods development and validation and
quality assurance support for the En-
vironmental Protection Agency. The
Environmental Methods Testing Site Pro-
ject (EMTS) is being conducted by the
Office of Research and Development
through the ODEMQA laboratories for
the Office of Toxic Substances. EMTS is
meant to provide needed research in the
area of human exposure methods devel-
opment for the EPA.
Procedure
Field tests of monitoring equipment,
survey techniques, or models for asses-
sing exposure require that large amounts
of data be collected usually at one or
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more selected sites. Much of the re-
sources for such projects go into the
preliminary work of selecting and char-
acterizing a study site before the actual
study can begin. The concept of the En-
vironmental Monitoring Testing Site
(EMTS) is to perform the preliminary work
once and then to proceed with any num-
ber of projects at the same, well-char-
acterized site. Intrinsic to the concept is
the establishment of a single testing site
with the required supporting administra-
tive structure, management team, infor-
mation gathering services, computerized
data management, quality assurance
procedures, and assured cooperation of
local authorities. This unique approach
will provide a system of funding mech-
anisms, support agreements, and ap-
provals. The EMTS will be a uniquely
characterized city where a very large
data base will be automated into a
computerized, interactive, geographic in-
formation system. The only steps neces-
sary to initiate field studies will be
approval of the study plan and quality
assurance plan by an appropriate review
authority. The EMTS structure offers a
considerable savings in costs and time to
investigators contemplating field studies
of exposure assessment methods.
Criteria used in identifying a suitable
site for the EMTS included but were not
limited to the following:
• Assured permission and cooperation
of local authorities.
• Moderate climate enabling year
round work.
• A human population on the order of
450,000 to 1,100,000.
• Relative isolation from other major
pollution sources.
• Existence of a variety of pollution
sources.
• Availability of existing relevant data
on parameters.
• Availability of supporting facilities.
After considerable study of potential sites,
the Chattanooga, TN-GA, Standard
Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) was
chosen as the best site, based on criteria
partially outlined above. The Chattanooga
SMSA includes Hamilton, Marion, and
Sequatchie Counties in Tennessee, and
Catoosa, Dade, and Walker Counties in
Georgia. A report produced by the En-
vironmental Monitoring Systems Labora-
tory-Las Vegas in February 1986, entitled
The Site Characteristics Document.
describes the selection process and the
study area in more detail.
Investigators from the EPA program
offices, other Federal agencies, state and
local departments, and international
organizations interested in conducting
studies to develop human exposure
methods will be invited to use the site.
Proposals will be reviewed by a steering
committee consisting of members from
the Office of Toxic Substances (OTS), the
Office of Research and Development
(ORD), the State of Tennessee, Hamilton
County, and the City of Chattanooga.
Some of the studies scheduled for
implementation in 1986 are as follows:
HEAL (Human Exposure Assessment
Location) — World Health Organization
and EPA/ORD
National Human Monitoring Program
— EPA Office of Toxic Substances
NHATS (National Human Adipose
Tissue Survey)
NBN (National Blood Network)
Discussion
The objective of the Environmental
Methods Testing Site Project is to provide
a well-characterized site in which to
develop, test, and compare multimedia
exposure monitoring methodology. The
emphasis is on characterizing one site in
detail so that any number of exposure
assessment studies can be conducted
more economically and quickly than they
could be conducted in separate cities.
Discussion
In the remainder of this plan, a group
of selected definitions are presented so
that readers will have a common basis
for understanding the terms employed.
Management and funding information are
summarized. Milestones are defined.
Procedures for approving studies to be
conducted at the EMTS are specified.
Data management and analysis proce-
dures are presented with special attention
accorded to the planned geographic in-
formation system (GIS). Finally, a sum-
mary is provided of scheduled reports.
The EMTS Project Management Plan
documents the membership of the EMTS
Steering Committee and its functions.
The Steering Committee provides a
mechanism for formal and direct com-
munication among the major participants
in the EMTS Project. While traditional
lines of management will be retained for
funding, delegation of authorities, con-
tracting, and reporting procedures, the
network formed by the Steering Com-
mittee streamlines operations of the
EMTS Project. The Steering Committee
also provides a mechanism for direct com-
munications with members of the com-
munity primarily through two citizens'
advisory committees and the public rela-
tions staff of the Chattanooga-Hamilton
County Air Pollution Control Bureau.
The Project Management Plan also
describes the requirement for building a
large EMTS data base from disparate
sources of retrospective data and docu-
ments the participants involved. An EMTS
Inventory file tracks the progress of the
data base. Site users can query the In-
ventory file before going to the field as an
aide to designing studies. The intention
to use a geographic information system
as the primary analytical tool is discussed,
and the software and equipment are
described.
This document was submitted in ful-
fillment of Cooperative Agreement No.
CR 812189-01 by the Environmental
Research Center under the sponsorship
of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. This document covers a period
from October 1, 1984, to January 31,
1986, and work was completed as of
January 31, 1986.
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Charles K. Fitzsimmons is with Environmental Research Center, University of
Nevada. Las Vegas, NV89154.
Shelly Williamson is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Environmental Methods Testing Site Project:
Project Management Plan," (Order No. PB 87-145 827/AS; Cost: $13.95.
subject to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Las Vegas. NV 89114
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 452G8
& FEES PAII
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/600/S4-86/047
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U S ENVIR PROTECTION AGENCY
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