- -€^600/^92/003 UNITED STA'TES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY Region II, New York, New York 10278 DATE: February 21, 1992 SUBJECT: Risk Assessment Review FROM: William J. UtTszyhs Deputy Regional A .E. nistrator /"^ William Farland, Ph.D. Director Office of Health and Environmental Assessment Attached is a copy of the Risk Assessment Review, a bimonthly publication that is a cooperative effort between the Office of Research and Development and the Regional Risk Assessment Network. The Review serves as a focal point for information exchange among the EPA risk assessment community on both technical and policy issues related to' risk assessment. It is currently in its fourth year of publication and we are pleased at the positive feedback we've received on the Review's usefulness to staff across the Agency. Thanks to all of you who continue to contribute articles and are involved with production efforts. If you have an article to contribute or any suggestions for further issues, contact one of the Committee members listed on page 1 of the Review. Attachment ------- February 1992 Highlights Water Issues in the Midwestern States p. 1 Risk Assessment Forum Update p. 1 Region IX Risk Training Activities > p. 4 I. Special Features Water Issues in the Midwestern States by: Bob CantaU,FTS 260-7571 Ed Ohanian, FTS 260-7571 State and regional regulators met at the Region V facilities in Chicago, Illinois, from November 6 to 8, 1991, for the biannual Federal-State Toxicology and Risk Assessment Committee (FSTRAC) meeting. Over the course of 2 1/2 days, the group discussed water issues relevant in the midwestern states, such as fish consumption advisories, pesticides in surface waters, and standard setting for ground- water protection; state representatives also considered the merits of taking taste and odor into account when setting action levels for gasoline and fuel oil contamination of drinking water, and the proposed standard for radon in public water supplies. FSTRAC is expanding its scope with the reorganization of the Office of Water to consider issues other than drinking water contamination. Most of the state representatives and Risk Assessment Review Committee Bill Farland - ORD, FTS 260-7317 Maureen McClelland - Region I, FTS 835-4885 Maria Pavlova - Region II, FTS 264-7364 Marian Olsen - Region H, FTS 264-5682 Suzanne Wuerthele - Region VIII, FTS 330-1714 Dana Davoli - Region X, FTS 399-2135 some of the regional FSTRAC members work in areas other than drinking water every day. Their experience will help the Office of Water's Office of Science and Technology begin to address other issues, such as developing method- ologies for deriving ambient water, sediment, biological, and wildlife criteria. The FSTRAC Toxicology and Risk Assessment Subcom- mittee formed a work group to develop an issues paper that will consider methods for conducting risk assessments for shorter-than-lifetime exposures to carcinogens. The sub- committee will also continue its successful teleconference series with a session in February. A second issues paper or strawman protocol developed by the Contaminant Policy and Communications Subcommittee will help states in ad- vising private well owners when contamination is found in their water. FSTRAC members reviewed a draft protocol for responding to wellowners' requests for information (see see Water p.2 II. Headquarters Risk Assessment Forum Update by Clare Stint, FTS 260-6743 The Risk Assessment Forum report, "Alphas-globulin: As- sociation with Chemically Induced Renal Toxicity and Neoplasia in the Male Rat," provides Agency-wide guid- ance for evaluating renal tubule tumors in the male rat According to this forum report, risk assessment approaches generally assume that a chemical producing tumors in labo- ratory animals is a potential cancer hazard to humans. For most chemicals, including many rodent kidney carcinogens, this extrapolation remains appropriate. The report describes scientific conditions, however, under which the Risk As- sessment Forum advises EPA risk assessors against using information on certain renal tubule tumors or nephrotoxicity to assess human risk. In this situation, the chemical induces accumulation of the protein alphas-globulin (alpha^-g) in the proximal tubule of the male rat kidney, initiating a sequence of events, specific to the male rat, that appears to lead to renal tubule tumor formation. This EPA policy against use of a particular animal tumor under certain circumstances for risk assessment purposes is an important departure from EPA's general approach to cancer risk as- sessment The forum report stresses the need for full scrutiny of a substantial set of data to determine when it is reasonable to presume that renal tumors in male rats are linked to a process involving alpha^-g accumulation and to select ap- propriate procedures for estimating human risks under such circumstances. Details of the analysis can be found by referring to the Risk Assessment Forum report. • On November 13 and 14, 1990, EPA's Risk Assessment Forum assembled a peer review panel of experts to discuss four major topics analyzed in a draft of the report, "Alphas- globulin: Association with Chemically Induced Renal Tox- icity and Neoplasia in the Male Rat" These subjects included alpha^-g and nephrotoxicity, renal cancer, criteria for dis- tinguishing renal carcinogens that induce alpha^-g accumu- lation from other renal carcinogens, and risk characterization. The workshop report entitled "Report of the EPA Peer Review Workshop on Alphas-globulin: Association with Renal Toxicity and Neoplasia in the Male Rat," highlights see Forum p. 4 ------- Water (continued from p. 1) Current Hot Issues, p. 3). That subcommittee is also devel- oping a method for getting the popular "Summary of State Drinking Water Standards and Guidelines" on-line. Region V Region V is dominated by Great Lakes issues. Public water systems in the region face several issues, including natu- rally occurring contaminants such as radium, intermittent nitrate problems, and the impending problems posed by zebra mussels. The freshwater mollusks are moving from the lakes into source water, causing a problem in industrial and drinking water treatment system intakes. Region V encompasses 41 percent of the total noncommunity water systems in the country. Traditional enforcement does not work to bring these systems into compliance with the myriad of regulations applicable, so several mobilization and outreach efforts are underway in the region to provide information to the operators. In addition, resource shortfalls in the states are a major issue for the region, as some states may not retain primacy to administer their own drinking water and permitting programs. The Region V Office of Health and Environmental Assess- ment described research into the risks to human health from consuming contaminated fish, and the Assessment and Re- mediation of Contaminated Sediments (ARCS) Program initiated under the Clean Water Act Amendments. An interagency group including representatives from the Corps of Engineers, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. EPA will demonstrate advanced technologies at five haz- ardous waste sites around the region and use lessons learned while mapping and assessing the sites to develop guidelines for use at other contaminated sites. Illinois. A representative from the Illinois EPA described the state's fish contaminant monitoring program, in exist- ence since 1977. The objectives of the program are to: • investigate the presence of toxics in fish to assess impacts on fish, public health, aquatic environ- ments, and aquatic communities; and • locate sources of discharges and evaluate long- term effects of source control efforts. The program was established to promote consistency in methods among state departments and laboratories. Analy- sis of the results over the past 14 years shows that PCB levels in Lake Michigan have decreased and finally leveled off at or below the FDA action level. There are new problems to replace the older ones, however mercury and pesticides, especially chlorpyriphos, pentachlorophenol, and trifluralin, are showing up in rivers around the state. FSTRAC representatives also heard about Illinois' Ground Water Standards Program. Under the standards program, state ground water is classified into one of four categories, or a ground-water management zone. The categories are: Class I (potable resource ground water), Class II (general resource ground water), Class III (special resource ground water), and Class IV (other ground water). The ground- water quality standards provide for reclassification of any ground water as a result of an adjusted standard proceeding before the Illinois Pollution Control Board, nondegradation of ground-water resources, establishment of a ground-water management zone, and alternative standards for areas around landfills and mining operations and sites undergoing cor- rective action. The classification scheme, the standards, and the Health Advisory process also are used to determine cleanup recommendations at hazardous waste sites. Michigan. The Michigan Department of Public Health's (DPH's) risk assessment methods are similar to EPA's, but when faced with a contaminant problem that has not been addressed by EPA in a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), Health Advisory, Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), or Health Effects Assessment Summary Table, DPH will derive its own risk-based number. The DPH representative described a risk assessment performed for t-butyl alcohol that used an Occupational Safety and Health Administra- tion Threshold Limit Value to calculate a provisional drink- ing water guideline (920 parts per billion) that will apply for 1 year. In a second example, he presented a risk assessment- derived provisional drinking water guideline (150 parts per billion) for tetrahydrofuran. In yet another case, the DPH was asked to assess workers' and customers' inhalation and dermal exposure to perchloroethylene in a barber/beauty shop which had a contaminated water supply. Wisconsin. Wisconsin's ground-water standards were de- veloped in response to widespread pesticide contamination in ground water around the state. The state ground-water law, enacted in 1983, directs the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Health and Human Services to set Enforcement Standards and Preventative Action Lim- its for compounds found in ground-water supplies. Under the ground-water law, all ground-water sources are treated the same; there is no classification for anything less than potable ground water. Atrazine and nitrates are the most commonly found contaminants. In response to growing contamination problems due to atrazine application and family septic systems, the state is attempting to limit agri- cultural application of atrazine in sensitive areas and estab- lish strict codes for septic systems; regulators have encountered resistance to both efforts. Wisconsin provides anglers with information about fish contamination, setting forth water and species-specific con- sumption advisories in a booklet called "Health Guide for People Who Eat Sport Fish from Wisconsin Waters." The document discusses the health effects and risks posed by eating PCB- and mercury-contaminated fish and provides guidance on meal preparation that will reduce the health risks. Minnesota. Minnesota also has a fish consumption advi- sory program in place. A representative from the Depart- ment of Health's Health Risk Assessment Section described the state's program and the risk assessment considerations behind it Minnesota has had consumption advisories for sport fish since 1970 and participates in the Great Lakes ------- Fish Toxics Task Force. Along with the task force, the state has moved away from depending on FDA advisories. While fish advisories form the most important health pro- gram because of the degree of exposure, Minnesota has undertaken other initiatives to protect residents. For ex- ample, the state issued a warning against using kerosene heaters in unvented areas, is developing an advisory against using an insect repellent, evaluated the health effects of using bovine somatotrophin, and performed a literature review to evaluate the risks posed by fluoride in drinking water. The state does not think that the evidence for cancer effects is very strong. Region VH The prevailing issues in Region VII concern agricultural issues. Nitrate from fertilizer use has prompted formal state enforcement actions for significant MCL violations. Atr- azine, the most highly used herbicide in the region, has been found in the Missouri River and in Kansas and Nebraska surface waters. Farmers formerly used carbon tetrachloride as a fumigant in grain bins; as a result, state surveys have detected the compound in 96 Nebraska and Kansas public water systems, and 43 are above the EPA MCL. The region has undertaken several initiatives to help re- gional states develop wellhead protection programs, train farmers in best management practices for pesticide use, conduct school lead monitoring programs, and initiate a well-sampling program in Nebraska. Missouri. A representative from the Missouri Department of Health (DOH) described a joint study by DOH, the University of Iowa, St. Louis University, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Laboratory to look at consump- tion of chlordane-contaminated fish and serum-chlordane levels in human serum. The investigators found a correla- tion between fish consumption and serum level and con- cluded that, as written and used, consumption advisories are not a valid predictor of human exposure through fish con- sumption. Current Hot Issues Secondary Health Effects Produced by Taste and Odor. A representative from the Rhode Island Department of Health presented a proposal for dealing with taste and odor problems when household drinking water becomes con- taminated with gasoline or fuel oil. Rhode Island considers the nausea and headache produced by unpleasant taste and odors real effects and takes action to mitigate the effects and their source. To do this, the state has developed a protocol for educating affected residents. State representa- tives suggested that research to determine odor thresholds for gasoline and fuel oil components would be useful for identifying the offending components in the mixture. Few states reported establishing a policy for odor thresh- olds. Tom Hornshaw reported that the Illinois Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) unit enforces cleanup by responsible parties so that there is no residual taste or odor. Illinois published a pamphlet concerning gasoline contamination in indoor air, ground water, surface water, and drinking water which describes the health concerns and ways to reduce exposure to gasoline and its components. Advice for Private Well Owners. The group reviewed a draft protocol for addressing private well owners' concerns when contamination is found in their water supply. Few states have policies regarding private wells. An issues paper will survey state representatives to determine whether states do or should pay for bottled water or filters, and whether and how that influences state recommendations. The Con- taminant Policy and Communications Subcommittee will consider several issues while developing guidance for states, for example: • What is the assumed exposure duration? • Does the state have authority to regulate and close a private well? • Will the results of tests become public record? In Connecticut, water tests are part of the real estate package when a house goes up for sale. • How often do states encounter contaminants for which there are no EPA standards? NSF Certification Program. A senior lexicologist at NSF International (NSF) (formerly the National Sanitation Foun- dation) described the standards used by the American Na- tional Safety Institute (ANSI) and NSF to evaluate drinking water treatment chemicals (Standard 60) and drinking water system components (Standard 61). The standards are devel- oped with participation by utilities, manufacturer, regula- tors, and consultants and are reviewed regularly to reflect changing formulations and knowledge. Current projects include evaluating solvent cements (especially those used in plastic piping), polymers, elastomers, and organotin sta- bilizers. NSF has published listings of certified water treat- ment units and additives; both are available on-line. They would like more input from states and others who use the standards. Impacts of the Radionuclide Rule. The American Water Works Association (AWWA) formed two volunteer work- groups to examine the issues raised by the proposed radon rule. The first study to look at the cost of compliance estimated that 32,750 systems exceed the proposed radon standard, 26 percent more than estimated by EPA. The primary difference between AWWA and EPA occurrence estimates is in the updated inventory of nontransient, noncommunity water systems relying on ground water used by AWWA. AWWA also found costs higher than EPA's estimates for unit treatment, disposal, and overall compli- ance costs. The second study examined the risks associated with radon in drinking water, the uncertainties in the estimates, and the cost-per-life-saved at various MCLs. The difference in na- tional compliance costs between 1000 pCi/L and 200 pCi/L ------- is about $2.5 billion (using AWWA's cost-of-compliance study), which represents the cost to society incurred to protect the smoking population. Pesticides in Surface Waters of the Midwest. An AWWA representative summarized the results from two surveys to examine pesticide occurrence in the midwestern states. The first was a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study of herbi- cides in surface waters in South Dakota, Minnesota, Wis- consin, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio (Thurman, et al., Herbicides in Surface Waters of the Midwestern United States: The Effect of Spring Flush. Environ. Sci. Technol., 25:1794-96 [1991]); the second study, conducted by the Missouri River Public Water Supplies Association, measured herbicide concentra- tions in the Missouri River and its tributaries during May, June, and July 1991. Training for Environmental Health Professionals. A representative from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine's Department of Environ- mental Health Sciences described a new program to de- velop continuing education and degree programs for environmental health professionals. Curriculum develop- ment is being funded through a 3-year grant from the Health Resources Services Administration; the University is cur- rently gathering information about the tasks performed by practicing professionals and determining the skills needed to conduct those tasks. Next Meeting. The next meeting of FSTRAC will take place in Region VI (Dallas, Texas), April 1-3, 1992. For more information on the meeting, contact Bob Cantilli or Ed Ohanian, FTS 260-7571 For More Information. For more information about FSTRAC or the teleconference series, contact Ed Ohanian or Bob Cantilli (WH-568) at the Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology, USEPA, 401 M St., S.W., Wash- ington DC 20460. Forum (continued from p. 1) major scientific issues discussed at the meeting and the recommendations made to EPA by the peer reviewers. The workshop report includes EPA's pre-meeting statement of issues, a summary by the workshop chair, remarks by opening session speakers, reports by each of the four sub- committees, and a list of participants at the meeting. To obtain a single copy of each report, interested parties should contact the ORD publications office, CERI-FRN, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, Telephone FTS 684-7562 or (513) 569-7562. Please pro- vide your name and mailing address and request the docu- ment by the title and EPA number, "Alphas-globulin: Association with Chemically Induced Renal Toxicity and Neoplasia in the Male Rat" (EPA625-3-91/019F) and "Re- port of the EPA Peer Review Workshop on Alpha^-globu- lin: Association with Renal Toxicity and Neoplasia in the Male Rat" (EPA/625/3-91/021), respectively. For further information, please contact Jean Rodgers at FTS 260-6743 or (202) 260-6743. IE. Around the Regions Region II Publications of Interest The Office of Air Quality, Planning and Standards recently released its 18th annual urban air quality trends titled "Na- tional Air Quality and Emissions Trends Report." The report highlights the annual urban air quality trends and shows reductions for six major pollutants in the past nine years. For additional information on the report, contact the Office of Air Quality, Planning and Standards at FTS 629- 5558 or (919) 541-5558. EPA's Environmental Assistance Division in the Office of Toxic Substances publishes a bulletin titled "Chemicals In Progress," highlighting activities within the Office of Toxics Substances. The December 1991 issue included articles on information available from Office of Toxic Substances (OTS), the new chemicals program, the new Premanufacture Notice Form, and a list of the TSCA Section 8(e) notices. For additional information on this document, contact the Environmental Assistance Division (TS-799), Office of Toxic Substances, U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, S.W., Washing- ton, D.C. 20460. Contact: Marian Olsen, FTS 264-5682 Region IX Risk Training Activities During the months of December and January, Region IX trained 76 people in the Risk and Decision Making course and 92 people in the Risk Communication and Public Involvement course. Andy Schwarz, who is working on the Risk Communication rewrite, assisted as a facilitator. People trained included staff and managers from Region IX, fed- eral facilities, the state of California, and two guests from the private sector. The training was very well received. Both attendees from the private sector said, "We should charge a lot of money for the course." Video tapes from Risk Communication Training are being incorporated into a briefing video to give people a better idea of the common problems with risk communication and the value derived from the course. The document, "Public Meeting: Typical Questions and Sample Responses," was revised in January 1992 as a result of requests from the Office of Pesticides Programs and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Both offices want to incorporate the document into their risk communication training program. Copies of the update may be obtained from Alvin Chun, (415) 744-1019 or FTS 484-1019. ------- Paula Bisson, a RCRA Section Chief, and Dianna Young, Community Relations Section Chief, received On-the-Spot Awards from the Deputy Regional Administrator for their exceptional performance in providing Risk Communication Training to die U.S. Department of Interior, Minerals Man- agement Service. The training was greatly appreciated by the Regional Director and his 40 staffers who attended, since it provided insightful suggestions for dealing with trust, credibility, and public perception issues. Contact: Alvin Chun, FTS 484-1019 or (415) 744-1019 IV. Announcements Bureau of Census—1992 Annual Research Conference The Bureau of the Census will host its 1992 Annual Re- search Conference (ARC 1992) from March 22 to 25,1992, at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, 300 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22202. The conference provides a fo- rum for experts from around the world to discuss and exchange current research and methods on areas relevant to Census Bureau programs. The conference also features the work of the American Statistical Association/National Sci- ence Foundation/Census Research Fellows. ARC 1992 addresses a wide variety of topics including: accuracy of undercount estimates, modeling social changes and ethnographic coverage evaluation, bias corrections for survey data, quality management of statistical agencies, post enumeration survey estimation issues, nonresponse and estimation issues in establishment surveys, and elec- tronic data collection. The conference sessions will feature 34 papers selected from 117 contributed abstracts from researchers in government, private sector survey organiza- tions, and academe who come from five countries. For additional information on the meeting, contact Maxine Anderson-Brown, Conference Coordinator, Office of the Director, Bureau of the Census, Washington, D.C. 20233 or (301)763-1150. Society for Risk Analysis Course The Society for Risk Analysis will hold its seventh annual course, "New Directions in Risk Assessment," on April 13- 14, 1992, at the Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. The intent of the course is to provide an introduc- tory overview of methodologies, assumptions, and new research in risk assessment. Lecturers will show how to perform and interpret risk assessments and how to use them in risk management. Special emphasis will be given to new developments in pharmacokinetics and reproductive and immunological risks. Lecturers will be Dr. Roy Albert, Director, Institute of Environmental Health, Kettering Labo- ratory, University of Cincinnati Medical Center; Dr. Eliza- beth Anderson, President Clement International Corporation; Dr. Mildred Christian, President and Director, Argus Re- search Laboratories, Inc.; Dr. Vincent Covello, Center for Risk Communication, Columbia University School of Pub- lic Health; Dr. Bernard Goldstein, Director, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Piscataway, NJ; Dr. Loren Koller, Dean, College of Veterinary Medi- cine, Oregon State University; Dr. Lester Lave, James H. Higgins Professor of Economics, Graduate School of Indus- trial Administration, Carnegie-Mellon University; Dr. Ri- chard Reitz, Associate Scientist, Mammalian & Environmental Toxicology, DOW Chemical Co.; Dr. Curtis Travis, Director, Office of Risk Analysis, Oak Ridge Na- tional Laboratory; and Dr. Chris Whipple, Vice President, Clement International. For further information, please call Dr. Curtis C. Travis, Course Director, at (615) 576-2107 or Mary Oran, Course Coordinator, at (615) 376-9626. American Public Health Association Meeting— November 8-12,1992 The American Public Health Association is calling for abstracts for its 120th Annual Meeting, to be held Novem- ber 8-12, 1992, in Washington, D.C. The theme for the meeting is "Uniting for Healthy Communities." As part of the meeting, the Environment Section is solicit- ing papers for sessions, posters, and roundtables addressing all areas related to the environment. Particular attention will be given to the theme and non-theme topics focusing on the following issues: material use policy, environmental epide- miology methods, environmental health leadership, public education and environmental health, biotechnology, pesti- cides, public health and environmental protection, imple- mentation of toxic use reduction (TUR), environmental equity, sustainable development and economic growth, clean air amendments and emerging issues, cross-media ap- proaches to pollution prevention, current issues in drinking water quality, global production, and consumption patterns. Abstracts should be submitted to: Circey Trevant, M.P.H., P. O. Box 111241, Nashville, Tennessee 37222-1241. Risk and Decision-Making Courses Scheduled The following is the schedule for the Risk and Decision- Making Courses through June: March 10-11 Region IX (Diamond Bar, CA.) The following is the schedule for the Risk Communication Workshops through June: March 31-April 2 Region IX (Sacramento, CA.) May 19-21 Region IX (Honolulu, Hawaii) June 22-24 Region IX (Kaui, Hawaii Contacts: Jim Cole, FTS 260-4538 Marian Olsen, FTS 264-5682 ------- Contacts: Jerome Puskin Linda Tuxen Dorothy Patton Dick Hill Don Barnes Dean Hill Maureen McClelland Marian Olsen Jeffrey Burke Elmer Akin Milt Clark Jon Rauscher Mary Williams Suzanne Wuerthele Arnold Den Dana Davoli OAR-RAD ORD-OHEA ORD-RAF OPTS SAB NEIC Region I Region II Region III Region IV Region V Region VI Region VII Region VHI Region IX Region X FTS 260-9640 FTS 260-5949 FTS 260-6743 FTS 260-2897 FTS 26^4126 FTS 776-8138 FTS 835-4885 FTS 264-5682 FTS 597-1177 FTS 257-1586 FTS 886-3388 FTS 255-6715 FTS 276-7415 FTS 330-1731 FTS 484-1018 FTS 399-2135 If you would like to receive additional copies of this and subsequent Reviews or to be added to the mailing list contact: CERI Distribution 26 West Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 ------- |