United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research and Development
SEPA The Office of
Research and Development
1990
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September 1990
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Office of Research and Development
1990
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC, 20460
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U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Organization Chart
Staff Offices:
Executive Support
Administrative Law Judges
Civil Rights
Advisory Board
Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Cooperative Environmental Management
Administrator
Deputy Administrator
Assistant
Administrator for
International
Activities
International
Cooperation
Division
International
Issues
Division
Program
Operations
Division
Assistant
Administrator for
Administration and
Resources Management
Assistant
Administrator for
Enforcement and
Compliance Monitoring
Office of Administration
Office of Administration &
Resources Mgt, RTP, NC
Office of Administration &
Resources Mgt, Cinti, OH
Office of the Comptroller
Office of Human Resources
Mgt
Office of Information
Resources Mgt
Associate Administrator for Regional Operations
and State/Local Relations
Associate Administrator for Congressional and
Legislative Affairs
Associate Administrator for Communications and
Public Affiars
Office of Civil
Enforcement Counsel
Office of Criminal
Enforcement Counsel
Office ofCompliance
Analysts and
Program Operations
Office of
Federal Activities
National Enforcement
Investigations Center
(NEIC) Denver, CO
General Counsel -
Associate General
Counsels;
Air and
Radiation
Grants,
Contracts and
General Law
Inspector
General
Pesticides and
Toxic
Substances
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response
Water
Assistant
Administrator for
Policy, Planning,
and Evalation
Office of Pollution
Prevention
Office of Policy
Analysis
Office Regulatory
Management and
Evaluation
Inspector
General
Office of Audits
Office of
Investigations
Office
Management and
Technical
Assessment
Assistant
Administrator for
Water
Office of Water
Enforcement and
Permits
Office of Water
Regulations and
Standards
Office of Municipal
Pollution Control
Office of
Drinking Water
Office of Marine and
Esfuarines
Protection
Assistant
Administrator for
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
Office of
Solid Waste
Office of
Emergency and
Remedial Response
Office of Waste
Programs
Enforcement
Assistant
Administrator for
Air and Radiation
Office of Air
Quality Planning and
Standards
Office of
Mobile Sources
Office of
Radiation Programs
Office of
Underground
Storage Tanks
Office of Ground
Water Protection
Office of Wetlands
Protection
Assistant
Administrator for
Pesticides and
Toxic Substances
Office of
Pesticide Programs
Office of
Toxic Substances
Office of
Compliance
Monitoring
Assistant
Administrator for
Research and
Development
Office of
Modeling, Monitoring
Systems and
Quality Assurance
Office of
Environmental
Engineering and
Technology
Demonstration
Office of
Environmental
Processes and
Effects Research
Office of
Health Research
Office of Health
and Environmental
Assessment
Region I
Boston
Region II
New York
Region III
Philadelphia
Region IV
Atlanta
Region V
Chicago
Region VI
Dallas
Region VII
Kansas City
Region VIM
Denver
Region IX
San Francisco
Region X
Seattle
11
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Contents
EPA Organization Chart ii
ORD Organization Chart iv
Office of Research and Development 1
Office of Research Program Management 4
Office of Technology Transfer and Regulatory Support 7
Center for Environmental Research Information 10
Office of Exploratory Research 12
Risk Assessment Forum 15
Senior Official for Research and Development-Cincinnati, OH 18
Senior Official for Research and Development-Research Triangle Park, NC 19
Office of Modeling, Monitoring Systems and Quality Assurance 20
Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment Laboratory 25
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory-Cincinnati, OH 27
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory-Las Vegas, NV 29
Office of Environmental Engineering and Technology Demonstration 31
Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory 34
Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory 36
Office of Environmental Processes and Effects Research 38
Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory - Ada, OK 44
Environmental Research Laboratory-Athens, GA 46
Environmental Research Laboratory-Corvallis, OR 48
Environmental Research Laboratory-Duluth, MN 50
Environmental Research Laboratory-Gulf Breeze, FL 52
Environmental Research Laboratory-Narragansett, RI 54
Office of Health Research 56
Health Effects Research Laboratory 59
Office of Health and Environmental Assessment 61
Exposure Assessment Group 65
Human Health Assessment Group 66
Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office-Cincinnati, OH 68
Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office-Research Triangle Park, NC 70
iii
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Office of Research and Development Organization Chart
Office of Modeling,
Monitoring Systems &
Quality Assurance
Office of Environmental
Engineering & Technology
Demonstration
Office of Environmental
Processes & Effects Research
Oftice of Health
Research
Office of Health &
Environmental Assessment
Program Operations
Staff
Program Liaison
Staff
Technical Information
Staff
Program Development
Staff
Program
Operations Staff
Program Management
Staff
Human Health
Assessment Group
Exposure Assessment
Group
Environmental Research
Lab..Athens, GA
Environmental Research
Lab .Corvallis, OR
R. S. Kerr Environmental
Research Lab.,Ada, OK
Environmental Research
Lab.Duluth, MN
Office of Senior ORD
Official Research
Triangle Park, NC
Environmental
Health Research
Staff
Oftice of Research
Program Management
Office of Exploratory
Research
Environmental
Monitoring Systems
Lab ,Las Vegas, NV
Office of Technology
Transfer & Regulatory
Support
Risk Assessment
Forum
Environmental Research
Lab.Narragansett, Rt
Environmental Research
Lab ,Gulf Breeze, FL
Environmental
Monitoring Systems
Lab , Cincinnati, OH
Office of Senior ORD
Official Cincinnati,
OH
Risk Reduction
Engineering Lab.,
Cincinnati, OH
Environmental Criteria
& Assessment Office,
Research Triangle Park,
NC
Environmental Criteria
& Assessment Office,
Cincinnati, OH
Health Effects
Research Lab.,
Research Triangle
Park. NC
Air & Energy
Engineering Research
Lab , Research Triangle
Park, NC
Center tor Environmental Research
Information, Cincinnati, OH
Atmospheric
Research & Exposure
Assessment
Lab.,Research
Triangle Park, NC
Assistant Administrator for Research
and Development
Deputy Assistant Administrator
Program Operations
Staff
Modeling &
Monitoring Systems
Staff
Quality Assurance
Management Staff
Marine. Freshwater &
Modeling Staff
Terrestrial & Ground
Water Staff
Program Operations
Staff
iv
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Office of Research and Development
The Assistant Administrator
Erich W. Bretthauer is the Assistant
Administrator for Research and Development.
From October 1988 to March 1990, he served as
Acting Assistant Administrator and from
September 1987 through October 1988, he
served as Deputy Assistant Administrator.
Within EPA he has served as the Director of both
the Environmental Monitoring Systems
Laboratory, Las Vegas, and the Office of
Environmental Processes and Effects Research,
Washington, DC. In 1962 he began his career in
scientific research with the Public Health
Service. He received Bachelor's and Master's
degrees in Chemistry from the University of
Nevada, Reno. He has authored many technical
papers and has received the EPA Gold Medal.
Our Mission
"The primary mission of the Office of Research and
Development(ORD) is to provide high quality, timely,
scientific and technical information in support of Agency
programs and goals."
The Deputy Assistant Administrator
John H. Skinner is the Deputy Assistant
Administrator for Research and Development.
He has been the director of several Agency
programs, including the Office of Environmental
Engineering and Technology Demonstration, the
Office of Solid Waste, the State Programs and
Resource Recovery Division, and the Land
Disposal Division. Before joining the Agency in
1972, Mr. Skinner managed the Energy and
Environmental Programs for the General
Electric Research and Development Center. He
received a Ph.D. and Master's degree in
Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor's degree in
Engineering from Hofstra University. He has
received the EPA Gold Medal and Presidential
Meritorious Executive Award.
1
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Office of Research and Development
Introduction
The primary goal of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency is to mitigate the adverse
impacts of pollution on human health and the
environment. Toward that end, Agency manage-
ment must make decisions regarding the develop-
ment of policy, guidance, standards, regulations,
and the appropriate tools for implementing
pollution abatement strategies. The Office of
Research and Development provides the Agency
programs with scientific and technical information,
products and assistance, so that management
decisions are sound and the Agency's goals are met.
The Research Program
The Agency's research program is conducted
through twelve environmental laboratories across
the country, employing some 1800 people. The
research focuses on areas targeted by the planning
process as needing additional emphasis. The overall
planning process engenders an applied research and
development program focused on answering key
scientific and technical studies supporting
immediate regulatory and enforcement decisions,
and a longer-term research program that extends
the knowledge base of environmental science and
anticipates environmental problems.
The core research and development program is
focused on the following functional areas:
Health effects research - to determine the
adverse effects of pollutants on human health
Ecological effects research - to determine the
adverse effects of pollutants on ecosystems
Environmental processes and fate research -
to understand how pollutants are transported
and modified as they move through soils,
ground and surface waters, and the atmosphere
Environmental monitoring research - to
develop methods of identifying pollutants in the
environment and measuring expdsure to such
substances
Risk assessment research - to develop methods
to integrate information on pollutant sources,
fate and transport, exposure, and health and
ecological effects in order to assess the overall
risk posed by a pollutant or a group of pollutants
Risk reduction research - to develop control
technologies to treat, destroy, or contain
pollutants and methods to reduce or eliminate
the sources of pollutants or to prevent exposure
to pollutants.
In addition to functional areas, several cross-media
problems also categorize the total ORD program.
Those cross-media problems receiving special
emphasis at present and for the foreseeable future
and the Agency programs most concerned are:
Global climate change (air, water, hazardous
waste);
Total and human exposure assessment (air,
water, hazardous waste/Superfund, pesticides/
toxic substances)
Wetlands (water, hazardous waste and
Superfund);
Accidental releases (air, water, hazardous waste
and Superfund);
Comparative risk for complex mixtures (air,
water, hazardous waste and Superfund,
pesticides/toxic substances);
Technology Transfer (all);
Biotechnology (air, water, pesticides/toxic
substances).
2
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FY 90 Resources
(in Millions)
Office of Research and Development
240
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
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Office of Research Program Management
Mm
Clarence E. Mahan has been the Director of the
Office of Research Program Management since
April 1986. From 1983 to 1986, he was Associate
Comptroller for EPA. Before that, he spent a
year as the Director, Office of Fiscal and
Contracts Management. He held several
positions with the Army, the Air Force, and the
Department of Energy. Mr. Mahan received an
MBA degree from Syracuse University, a
Master's in History from American University,
and a Bachelor's from the University of
Maryland. He has received the Presidential
Rank of Meritorious Executive Award.
; FY90 BUDGET:
$4,125,000 ;
: PERSONNEL:
44 ;
DIRECTOR
FTS 382-7500
COM 202-382-7500
Program
Coordination
Staff
FTS 382-7468
COM 202-382-7468
Evaluation and
Review Staff
FTS 382-7500
COM 202-382-7500
Planning Staff
FTS 382-2597
COM 202-382-2597
Program and
Information
Management Staff
FTS 382-7462
COM 202-382-7462
4
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Office of Research Program Management
Functions
The Office of Research Program Management
(ORPM) is the principal staff office to the Assistant
Administrator on matters of budgeting, account-
ability, program planning, analysis, review,
integration and coordination, resource manage-
ment, organizational and manpower management,
environmental compliance, policy development and
analysis, and administrative management services.
ORPM provides executive leadership to foster
process coordination and improvement within
ORD's operating offices and laboratories.
Research Planning and Budget Formulation
ORPM is responsible for development and
implementation of the planning process in ORD and
for assuring that the budget requests to the Agency,
OMB, and Congress respond to the regulatory and
program needs of EPA, and anticipate future
environmental research necessary to address
emerging issues. Research priorities established by
the Assistant Administrator in coordination with
the research committees, the ORD office directors,
and laboratory directors are incorporated into these
plans and budgets.
In response to inquiries from OMB and Congress
that relate to the Agency's research issues and
budgets, ORPM prepares replies and conducts
liaison activities to ensure timely communication of
ORD's programs and proposals.
Financial Management, Budget Execution, and
Analysis
ORPM is responsible for the overall budget
execution and financial management of all ORD
resources. These activities include: directing and
managing operating plan development for head-
quarters and field facilities; tracking, monitoring
and analyzing operating plan adjustments, changes,
and expenditures; comprehensive analyses and
projections of spending trends and operating
requirements; policy and procedure development
and implementation; and similar budget manage-
ment and analysis functions. These activities
operate simultaneously and concurrently to cover
three budget cycles, i.e., current year, planning
year, and budget year during any given fiscal year.
In addition, ORPM is responsible for
implementation and oversight for ORD of the
Agency's Integrated Financial Management
Systems (IFMS). These functions include ensuring
proper maintenance, accuracy, and adequacy of the
system to meet the various and complex
requirements of ORD entities in fulfilling their
budget, operating, financial, and management
needs.
Management Analysis and Review
ORPM conducts policy/program reviews at the
request of the Assistant Administrator. It develops
and implements strategies to promote integrity,
effectiveness and efficiency in ORD's business
management practices.
ORD-wide accountability framework is maintained
through developing, monitoring, and analyzing
internal and external management reviews.
Policy/program reviews requested by the laboratory
directors and office directors are conducted to
enhance their operations.
Human Resources Management
ORPM has national responsibility for human
resource management (HRM) programs within
ORD. The continuing need and validity of these
programs is tested against an ongoing strategic
planning process. The ORD Comprehensive Human
Resource Plan provides the basis for this process.
The plan is to address long-term scientific and
engineering objectives in an expanding environ-
mental agenda. The strategic HRM plan, as defined
by the Assistant Administrator for ORD, is to
develop options on how ORD can better meet its
objectives to attract and retain highly qualified
scientists and engineers.
Infrastructure Management
Responsibility for keeping ORD's infrastructure
strong to ensure that ORD's science can be
performed also rests with ORPM. In this area,
ORPM provides administrative direction for all
functions related to facilities planning and
engineering needs at ORD laboratories. This
includes the collection of needs and the manage-
ment of the analyses required to determine
priorities of: new construction projects; mainten-
ance projects for facilities; compliance of ORD
facilities with environmental regulations; ensuring
that ORD facilities have health/safety programs to
ensure that employees are not exposed to harmful
working conditions.
ORPM also oversees the scientific equipment
program. This ensures that the need for new and
replacement equipment is addressed during the
5
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Office of Research Program Management
budget process and the existing inventory of
scientific equipment is managed in a defensible
fashion so that ORD's budget requests are
supportable.
Information Management
ORPM is responsible for ensuring that activities
carried out by ORD comply with Federal and EPA
policies and regulations concerning the
maintenance, acquisition, and management of all
hardware and software required for data processing.
This responsibility includes directing and
managing the planning and budgeting for all ORD
information systems and the technology needed to
support these systems. Information needs are
coordinated across ORD and data is integrated
where feasible to eliminate unnecessary
duplication.
Administrative Management and Analysis
ORPM also provides an ORD-wide oversight
function in the following areas: developing policy for
contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements;
developing and executing the budget for the Office
of the Assistant Administrator and associated staff
offices; managing the ORD policy and procedures
program; managing, coordinating, and staffing the
ORD Awards Committee activities; coordinating
the review of GAO and Inspector General audits,
Agency's reorganization and delegation proposals,
Freedom of Information Act requests, and
overseeing the Federal Manager's Financial
Integrity Act responsibilities. In addition, ORPM
coordinates all international travel requests and
manages the system which provides reports on all
activities.
6
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Office of Technology Transfer and Regulatory Support
Peter W. Preuss has been the Director of the
Office of Technology Transfer and Regulatory
Support since 1988. From 1985 to 1988, he was
the Director of the Office of Health and
Environmental Assessment. Prior to joining
EPA, Mr. Preuss was Associate Executive
Director for Health Sciences for the, U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. Mr.
Preuss began his career with the Boyce-
Thompson Institute for Plant Research. He
received Ph.D. and Master's degrees in Plant
Physiology and Biochemistry from Columbia
University and a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry
and Mathematics from Brooklyn College.
$9,500,000
78
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL:
DIRECTOR
FTS 382-7669
COM 202-382-7669
Air Team
FTS 382-7669
COM 202-382-7669
Water Team
FTS 382-7891
COM 202-382-7891
Regional Scientist
Program
FTS 382-7667
COM 202-382-7667
Hazardous Waste
Team
FTS 382-7891
COM 202-382-7891
Toxic/Pesticide
Team
FTS 382-7891
COM 202-382-7891
Center for Environmental
Research Information
FTS 684-7391
COM 513-569-7391
Regional
Operations
Staff
FTS 382-7667
COM 202-382-7667
Regulatory Support
Staff
FTS 382-7669
COM 202-382-7669
Technology
Transfer Staff
FTS 382-7671
COM 202-382-7671
Superfund Technical
Liaison Program
FTS 382-7667
COM 202-382-7667
7
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Office of Technology Transfer and Regulatory Support
Functions
The Office of Technology Transfer and Regulatory
Support (OTTRS) has three main functions:
analysis and integration of scientific and
technological information in the development of
regulations,
managing the delivery of ORD products and
services through an organized program of
technology transfer and technical information
exchange, and
promoting the EPA Regions' interests in
Agency research activities.
The Director advises ORD's Assistant
Administrator on: (1) matters concerning the
scientific and technical aspects of Agencywide regu-
latory and enforcement issues; (2) methods to
enhance overall ORD effectiveness through tech-
nical information exchange, technology transfer,
implementation of the Technology Transfer Act of
1986; and (3) efforts to support the science and
technology needs of the regional offices. There are
three headquarters staffs, in addition to the Center
for Environmental Research Information, that are
responsible for implementing ORD's goal of
broadening the impact of the Agency's research on
environmental quality.
The Regulatory Staff responsibilities are to:
analyze, integrate, and communicate policy
issues and research requirements,
make sure ORD evaluates and contributes to
the scientific basis of regulatory actions, and
coordinate ORD's involvement in regulatory
activities.
The Technology Transfer Staff responsibilities are
to:
administer EPA's implementation of the
Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986,
identify innovative ways to channel ORD
information and technology to decision makers
both inside and outside EPA,
evaluate the needs of state and local
environmental decision makers for ORD
products and support programs to deliver those
products, and
develop policy guidance for ORD offices and
laboratories on improving the "transferability"
of their work and coordinate those efforts among
the different ORD groups when necessary.
The Regional Operations Staff responsibilities are
to:
serve as the liaison among regional offices and
ORD offices and laboratories,
identify regional research requirements,
assist regions with achieving short- and long-
term research goals by representing them in
ORD's planning and budgeting process,
administer ORD's Regional Scientist Program,
and
coordinate ORD's Superfund technical liaison
program to foster a strong working relationship
between ORD Laboratory scientists and the
regional Superfund staff.
Program Activities
The OTTRS regulatory support staff is a focal point
for the program offices' interaction with ORD. The
staff provides assistance to and coordination with
other offices in the Agency in their regulatory
activities, ensuring that ORD scientists review the
technical and scientific basis for regulations. The
regulatory support staff develops cross-media
research strategies in areas, such as groundwater,
that cross traditional program and laboratory
organization structures. OTTRS has taken the lead
in ensuring ORD input into Agencywide work being
done on lead in drinking water, indoor air, ecology,
and pollution prevention in Antarctica. The staff
provides early and active ORD analysis of legisla-
tion and initiatives such as the Clean Air Act,
Pollution Prevention, and Risk Assessment. The
staff develops strategies for working with other
8
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Office of Technology Transfer and Regulatory Support
offices, such as Enforcement and Compliance Moni-
toring, that have not been traditional ORD clients.
As the regulatory support staff works within the
Agency to bring ORD into activities, the technology
transfer staff promotes ORD science and informa-
tion to the broadest possible audience outside the
Agency. There are many complex environmental
issues facing states and municipalities that lend
themselves to solutions that can be provided
through aggressive EPA technology transfer
programs. The OTTRS technology transfer staff has
taken the lead in developing and advocating
biotechnology initiatives, environmental education
resources for all levels of students, small community
outreach, and electronic information services such
as the ORD bulletin board system. Many of the ORD
products are already available in the form of
documents or workshop manuals It is the
Technology Transfer staff's role to find additional
users of the information and unique or customized
ways to present it. The areas of pollution
prevention, risk assessment modeling, inter-
national technology transfer, and communications
have been particularly fruitful opportunities for
technology transfer activities. Through the Agen-
cy's program for the implementation of the Federal
Technology Transfer Act of 1986, ORD resources,
through joint efforts with the private sector, are
more fully utilized.
Traditionally, ORD has been very responsive to ad
hoc requests for technical assistance. Regional
research needs, however, have not received the
priority attention that they deserve in the ORD
planning process. In order to foster a more
interactive relationship, we have established the
ORD Regional Scientist Program. Senior ORD
scientists are assigned to work in the EPA regional
offices. Regional Scientists broker technical
assistance in the regions and champion regional
research needs within ORD. Cooperative agree-
ments with the National Governor's Association;
the National League of Cities; and the Association
of State and Territorial Health Officials provide us
with additional insight into better serving state and
local clients.
9
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Center for Environmental Research Information
Calvin O. Lawrence has served as the
Director of the Center for Environmental
Research Information since 1980. He was the
Deputy Director of CERI for three years. Mr.
Lawrence worked for ORD in Washington,
D C. from 1972 to 1977 ending his tenure
there as Technical Assistant to the Assistant
Administrator for ORD. He began his federal
career in 1963 as Mathematician and
Electrical Engineer at the Naval Ordinance
Laboratory, White Oak, Maryland. Mr.
Lawrence was awarded an EPA Bronze Medal
in 1973. He has a Bachelor's degree in
Mathematics from Lamar University and a
Master's degree in Numerical Science from
John Hopkins University.
FY90 BUDGET:
$4,750,000
PERSONNEL:
32
Publications Production
FTS 684-7555
COM 513-569-7555
Environmental Control Systems Staff
FTS 684-7354
COM 513-569-7354
ORD Research Information
FTS 684-7562
COM 513-569-7562
DIRECTOR
FTS 684-7391
COM 513-569-7391
Environmental Assessment Staff
FTS 684-7358
COM 513-569-7358
Editorial Support
FTS 684-7551
COM 513-569-7551
10
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Center for Environmental Research Information
Functions
The Center for Environmental Research Informa-
tion (CERI) is a focal point for the exchange of
scientific and technical information both within the
federal government and to the public. CERI's Tech-
nology Transfer and Technical Information staffs
coordinate a comprehensive technical information
program in support of the activities of EPA's Office
of Research and Development (ORD), its
laboratories, and associated programs nationwide.
The Technology Transfer Staff is responsible for
working with the program offices and regions to
produce Technology Transfer products that aid
states, local governments, and the regulated
community in complying with EPA regulations.
This information is based upon the latest
technology and is in a form that is easily understood
as well as comprehensive in coverage.
CERI's technical information components are
responsible for the production and distribution of
scientific and technical reports, for responding to
requests for publications, and for quality control of
information products through the application of
standard procedures for the production of
documents and through a review and sign-off
mechanism to ensure that the science has met
applicable standards.
11
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Office of Exploratory Research
Roger S. Cortesi has been the Director of the
Office of Exploratory Research since 1984.
From 1972 to 1984, he held supervisory posi-
tions in several Agency programs, including
the Office of Health and Ecological Effects,
the Environmental Research Center, and the
Office of Planning and Evaluation. Mr.
Cortesi began his career as an advisory engin-
eer with Westinghouse. He received a Ph.D. in
Physics from the University of Virginia and a
Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from
Harvard University.
FY90 BUDGET:
$32,550,000
PERSONNEL:
16
Research Grants Staff
FTS 382-7445
COM 202-382-7445
Senior Environmental
Employment and
Workforce Development
Staff
FTS 382-5750
COM 202-382-5750
DIRECTOR
FTS 382-5750
COM 202-382-5750
Centers and Special
Programs Staff
FTS 382-7473
COM 202-382-7473
12
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Office of Exploratory Research
Functions
The Office of Exploratory Research (OER) is
responsible for planning, administering, managing
and evaluating EPA's exploratory research program
in general and, in particular, its extramural grant
research in response to Agency priorities as
established by Agency planning mechanisms. It
supports fundamental research aimed at developing
a better basic scientific understanding of the
environment and its inherent problems and entails
close relations with the American environmental
research community. OER's main goals are:
to have the environmental research community
aware of and working on problems of interest to
EPA;
to promote close interaction and mutual
awareness between EPA researchers and the
environmental research community;
to provide general support to the research
community for work on fundamental
environmental research, thereby promoting a
solid foundation of knowledge for the country's
large applied environmental research program,
a cadre of scientific and technical personnel in
the environmental sciences, and an "over-the-
horizon" capability for identifying problems and
solutions.
OER's goals are accomplished primarily through
four core programs: (a) a competitive investigator-
initiated research grants program, (b) an
environmental research centers program, (c) a
visiting scientists program, and (d) a small business
innovation research (SBIR) program.
Program Activities
The Research Grants Program (RGP) - supports
research initiated by individual investigators in
areas of interest to the Agency. Research proposals
are solicited via two mechanisms: (1) the general
"Solicitation for Research Proposals," which is
published each year and invites proposals in five
broadly defined areas of environmental science and
engineering; and (2) the Request for Applications
(RFA) which is a more targeted solicitation
mechanism that requests proposals in well-defined
areas of particular interest to the Agency such as
global climate change and hazardous substances.
All proposals received in response to either
mechanism are subjected to external peer review.
In an effort to provide more support to minority
institutions for the conduct of basic environmental
research, the Research Grants Program makes
available pre-application assistance for minority
faculty at Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs) and Historically Hispanic
Colleges and Universities through its Minority
Institutions Assistance Program.
The Research Centers Program (RCP) -
supports multidisciplinary research, which is
conducted in a university setting and focused in
areas of priority interest to EPA. In FY88, the RCP
initiated the establishment of five hazardous
substance research centers.
The Visiting Scientists Program - has two
components: a competitive visiting scientists and
engineers program and a summer fellowship
program. The objective of the Visiting Scientists
and Engineers Program is to attract accomplished
visitors into ORD laboratories for 1 to 3 years to
strengthen the Agency's research program by
fostering better exchange between EPA researchers
and the rest of the environmental research
community. The Summer Fellows Program is
carried out in cooperation with the American
Association for the Advancement of Science and
sponsors the assignment of post-doctoral
environmental science and engineering fellows to
EPA facilities for the summer months to conduct
environmental research and policy projects.
The Small Business Innovation Research
Program - is mandated by Public Law 97-219 which
requires EPA to devote 1.25% of its extramural
research and development budget to Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR). The SBIR Program
funds, via contracts, small businesses with ideas
relevant to EPA's mission. The program focuses
exclusively on projects in control technology or
process instrumentation development.
In addition to the above core programs, OER
administers other programs which are also
important to the accomplishment of its goals. They
include:
a Minority Fellowship Program, which awards
fellowships to college seniors and graduate
students enrolled on a full-time basis at
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
and Historically Hispanic Colleges and
Universities and majoring in curricula that
13
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Office of Exploratory Research
could be applied to the solution of
environmental problems.
a Minority Summer Intern Program, which
extends to recipients of fellowships under the
Minority Fellowship Program the opportunity
for hands-on experience in the area of their
academic training by way of a summer
internship at EPA or some other environmental
organization.
the Agency's Senior Environmental
Employment Program (SEE), which utilizes the
skills and talents of older Americans to meet
employment needs of environmental programs
throughout EPA.
the Federal Workforce Training Program,
which coordinates ORD's participation in
workforce training programs used by state and
local governments.
the Scientific and Technological Achievement
Awards Program, which gives recognition and
makes monetary awards to EPA/ORD
laboratory scientists and researchers for
outstanding contributions to environmental
research.
Issues
Beginning in FY 1990, the Research Grants
Program will increase by $10M per year, from
$8.2M in FY 1989 to $50M in FY 1993. This
represents more than a five-fold increase in
extramural resources, the magnitude of which
implies a substantial increase in work involved in
awarding and managing a much larger number of
grants under general and special solicitations (from
about 160 in FY89 to 500 in FY93). Operating at the
target level of resources will affect operations of not
only the grants program, but of OER generally. For
example, in addition to the obvious need for
additional personnel, it might be necessary to shift
manpower from other programs into grants. Or the
creation of an information systems management
section might be needed. Or it might be
operationally effective and efficient to use
contractors to perform certain functions.
The issue is: How should the office operate to
support the much greater workload associated with
the gradual expansion of the Research Grants
Program? This issue demands careful consideration
in the months ahead.
14
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Risk Assessment Forum
Dorothy E. Patton has been the Executive
Director of the Risk Assessment Forum since
1985. Currently, she also chairs that group.
From 1976 to 1985, she was an attorney in
EPA's Office of General Counsel, where she
worked with the pesticides, toxics, and air
programs. She has received two EPA Bronze
Medals. Before coming to EPA, Ms. Patton
was an Assistant Professor of biology in the
City University of New York (York College),
and did post-doctoral work at Albert Einstein
College of Medicine in New York. Ms. Patton
received her J.D. degree from Columbia
University School of Law, a Ph.D. in
Developmental Biology from the University
of Chicago, and a Bachelor's degree in
Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin.
Special
Subcommittees
Technical
Panels
Guidelines
Work Groups
RISK ASSESSMENT
FORUM
RISK ASSESSMENT
COUNCIL
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
FTS 475-6743
COM 202-475-6743
15
-------
Risk Assessment Forum
Functions
EPA's Risk Assessment Forum is responsible for
scientific and science policy analysis of
precedent-setting or controversial risk assess-
ment issues of Agency-wide interest. The
primary objective is to promote Agency consen-
sus on risk assessment and to ensure that this
consensus is incorporated into appropriate
guidance for Agency scientists and managers.
To fulfill this purpose, the Forum assembles risk
assessment experts from throughout the Agency
to study and report on the issues formally and
from an Agency-wide scientific perspective.
Program Activities
Forum activities include developing scientific
analyses, risk assessment guidance, and risk
assessment methodology for use in ongoing and
prospective Agency actions; using scientific and
technical analysis to propose risk assessment
positions for Agency programs; and fostering
consensus on these issues. .Generally, the Forum
focuses on generic issues fundamental to the risk
assessment process, analysis of data used in risk
assessment, and on developing consensus
approaches. Peer review and quality assurance of
completed risk assessments or review of non-
scientific risk management issues are not
standard Forum functions. Risk Assessment
Forum reports and actions are referred to the
Risk Assessment Council for consideration of
policy and procedural issues, and Forum
scientific analyses become Agency policy upon
recommendation by the Risk Assessment
Council.
As the administrative arm of the Forum, the
ORD's Forum Staff is responsible for coordinat-
ing and implementing the work of the Forum.
Accordingly, the staff assists and contributes to
scientific analyses, coordinates all activities
involving the Forum and its Technical Panels,
and manages all interaction between the Forum
and senior EPA management, peer reviewers,
and the public. At any one time, the Staff is
working with a total of 100-150 participants on
Technical Panels, Colloquia, and Workshops
from all parts of the Agency. In addition, the For-
um-sponsored Guidelines Implementation Pro-
gram involves a separate group of approximately
75 people, again from all parts of the Agency.
Issues
The issues before the Risk Assessment Forum
vary as risk assessment issues become
prominent or controversial within the Agency or
in the larger scientific community. Issues
currently before the Forum fall into three
general categories:
Carcinogen Risk Assessment. Recently
concluded or ongoing Forum analyses on
carcinogen risk assessment include:
the relevance of data on rat kidney tumors to
human cancer risk assessment;
policy guidance on the use of neoplastic
nodules found in rat liver tissue;
guidance on the use of non-tumor end points
for assessing cancer risk in follicular cells of
the thyroid gland;
toxicity equivalency factors for dioxins other
than 2,3,7,8-TCDD, and the possible use of
such factors for PCBs and PAHs;
general topics under study for revisions of
EPA's carcinogen risk assessment
guidelines (classification system weight-of-
evidence scheme, policy on use of benign and
malignant tumors, etc.).
Health Effects Other Than Cancer. Recently
completed or ongoing Forum projects relating to
health effects other than cancer include.
risk assessment guidelines for male
reproductive effects;
risk assessment guidelines for female
reproductive effects;
a report on cholinesterase inhibition as an
adverse toxicologic effect;
risk assessment guidelines for neurotoxic
effects;
amendments of EPA's 1986 guidelines for
developmental toxicity (additional guidance
16
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Risk Assessment Forum
on use the of data on maternal toxicity and
on quantification for developmental effects);
workshop report on the use of one- and two-
generation reproduction studies;
developmental and reproductive toxicity
studies involving dermal exposure; and
general risk assessment guidelines for
health effects other than cancer.
Exposure Guidance. Ongoing Risk
Assessment Forum projects on exposure issues
include:
exposure measurement guidelines to
supplement EPA's exposure guidelines
issued in 1986;
exposure validation models; and
guidance on standard factors for use in
exposure assessment.
Ecological Risk Assessment. New guidance
on ecological risk assessment is being developed
for peer and public review during 1991. Three
areas are under study:
aquatic populations,
terrestial populations, and
aquatic communities.
17
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Senior Official for Research and Development
Cincinnati
WMt ¦iik
IE-: d
1 , i m
I #
i
Steven D. Lutkenhoff is the Acting Senior
Official for Research and Development at the
Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental
Research Center in Cincinnati, OH. He
previously served as the Director of the
Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office
where he was also the Deputy Director from 1984
to 1987. Mr. Lutkenhoff came to the agency in
1972 as a research scientist for the Health Effects
Laboratory and worked in that position until he
went to ECAO as a staff physiologist in 1979. He
began his career as a medical laboratory
technician at St. Luke Hospital. He is the
recipient of the Bronze Medal and is a member of
numerous professional organizations. Lutkenhoff
is a graduate of Thomas More College with a B.S.
in Biology.
Office of the Senior Official for
Research and Development
FTS 684-7951
COM 513-569-7951
Support and Public Affairs
Office
FTS 684-7966
COM 513-569-7966
Functions
The Office of the Senior Official for Research and
Development-Cincinnati is a field element of the
Immediate Office of the Assistant Administrator for
Research and Development (AARD). The Office is
the official spokesperson for ORD and the Agency in
Cincinnati and has the lead responsibility for
coordinating with regional offices, with Headquar-
ters, and with program offices on all appropriate
matters. The Office also has the lead responsibility
for the planning and coordination of the Federal
Technology Transfer Act and the outreach programs
at the Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental
Research Center (AWBERC) including local Con-
gressional affairs, public affairs, and community
and academic relations and training, media
relations, international and domestic visitors,
intergovernmental relations, support services, and
related programs.
Specifically, the Office is responsible for initiating
and directing programs of:
Academic Relations
Congressional Relations
Federal Technology Transfer Act
ORD Training
Public Affairs and Community Outreach
Regulatory Compliance of AWBERC
Support Services
Technical Assistance
18
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Senior Official for Research and Development
Research Triangle Park
Elizabeth ("Billie") J. Hudson is the Acting
Senior Office of Research and Development
Official (SORDO) at the Environmental
Research Center in Research Triangle Park, NC.
From 1978 to 1990, she was Senior Program
Analyst with the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), where
she was concerned with the analysis of public
policy issues and Congressional relations. From
1968 to 1978, Ms. Hudson managed the (NIEHS)
Public Information Office; from 1967 to 1968,
she was a budget analyst at NIEHS. She holds a
B.A. degree in Sociology and Psychology from
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
and awarded the Loomis Scholarship Key. She
received several meritorious performance
awards from the Department of Health and
Human Services and won the Award of
Excellence from the International Technical
Publication Competition.
Senior Official for Research
and Development
FTS 629-2821
COM 919-541-2821
Director, Research and
Development Services Staff
FTS 629-4780
COM 919-541-4780
Functions
The Office of the Senior Official for Research and
Development at Research Triangle Park is the
official spokesperson for the Office of Research and
Development and coordinates issues of mutual
concern among RTP laboratories and offices,
regional offices, headquarters, and program offices
on matters that affect ORD/RTP. The office is
responsible for planning and coordinating external
affairs programs, technical support, community
outreach and public affairs programs, academic
relations and training, media relations,
international and domestic visitors, and inter-
governmental relations. The office manages
programs for the EPA-RTP offices and laboratories,
including medical monitoring, cooperative research
ventures, and buildings and facilities requests.
The office identifies opportunities for solving
community environmental problems; coordinates
such administrative and resources development
services for ORD/RTP laboratories and offices as
awards, EPA Women's Program, and Equal
Employment Opportunity; serves as a National
Computer Center focal point; administers facility
and space allocations for ORD-RTP; represents
ORD in labor-management relations; administers
support contracts that provide for on-site services
common to the ORD-RTP laboratories; conducts an
Environmental Compliance Program for ORD-RTP,
conducts an Occupational Safety and Health
Program and a Radioactive Materials Licensing and
Compliance Program, and coordinates outside audit
visit, Freedom of Information requests, and
Confidential Business Information.
19
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Office of Modeling, Monitoring Systems and Quality Assurance
Rick A. Linthurst is the Director of the
Office of Modeling, Monitoring Systems and
Quality Assurance. Mr. Linthurst joined the
Agency in 1985 as Director of the Acid
Deposition Aquatic Effects Research Pro-
gram. Before joining the Agency, he was the
Director of Ecological Services for Kilkelly
Environmental Associates and managed the
Acid Deposition Research Program at North
Carolina State University. He has received
two Bronze Medals. Mr. Linthurst received
his Ph.D. degree in Botany and a Master's
degree in Ecology at North Carolina State
University and a Bachelor of Science degree
in Biological Sciences from Lebanon Valley
College in Pennsylvania.
j FY90 BUDGET:
896,000,000 :
: PERSONNEL:
455 :
DIRECTOR
FTS 382-5767
COM 202-382-5767
Quality Assurance Management
Staff
FTS 382-5763
COM 202-382-5763
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH
FTS 684-7301
COM 513-569-7301
Program Operations
Staff
FTS 382-5761
COM 202-382-5761
Modeling and Monitoring Systems
Staff
FTS 382-5776
COM 202-382-5776
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory
Las Vegas, NV
FTS 545-2525
COM 702-798-2525
Atmospheric Research and
Exposure Assessment
Laboratory
Research Triangle Park, NC
FTS 629-2106
COM 919-541-2106
20
-------
Office of Modeling, Monitoring Systems and Quality Assurance
Functions
The Office of Modeling, Monitoring Systems and
Quality Assurance (OMMSQA) is responsible for:
characterizing the sources, atmospheric and
environmental transformations and pathways,
and the physical, chemical, and biological
properties of pollutants stressing human and
ecological systems;
quantifying human and ecosystem exposure to
pollutants and to support exposure assessments
essential to the Agency's risk assessment
program;
determining the status and trends in pollutant
concentrations and ecosystem condition;
developing models to estimate the atmospheric
sources, transport, fate, and concentrations of
pollutants for use in exposure and risk
assessments and in developing effective control
strategies for risk reduction;
developing the measurement techniques,
analytical tools, and quality assurance protocols
necessary to assess pollutant exposure and
ecosystem condition;
developing and supporting policies, procedures,
and management systems to assure the quality of
environmental data; and
generating research tools and environmental
data to predict air pollutant source to receptor
relationships and to conduct hazard and exposure
assessments for developing risk management
strategies to verify their effectiveness.
In carrying out these responsibilities, the Office:
identifies research, development, demonstration,
and service needs and priorities;
establishes program policies and guidelines;
administers program plans including objectives and
estimates of resources required;
assigns program responsibility and resources to the
laboratories;
reviews program progress and assures timeliness,
quality and responsiveness of outputs.
Program Activities
Air
National Ambient Air Quality Standards -
Evaluate and standardize monitoring systems
for measuring criteria air pollutants and
develop quality assurance procedures. Develop
a data base to support the development and
evaluation of secondary (welfare) national
ambient air quality standards, especially air
pollutant effects on visibility reduction and
material damage.
New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and
State Implementation Plans (SIPs) - Develop
and evaluate monitoring methodology in
support of NSPS and SIPs, including methods
for remote monitoring, compliance, and quality
assurance. Develop and evaluate air quality
models for assessing the effectiveness of
abatement control strategies on reducing
ambient air pollutants, including ozone and
particulate matter.
Hazardous Air Pollutant Regulatory Activities
- Develop and evaluate monitoring method-
ology for hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Also,
assess the effects of human exposure to HAP.
Determine the concentrations, transformation
products, and removal rate of HAPs in the
atmosphere.
Mobile Source Pollutant Regulatory Activities -
Determine population exposure to mobile source
pollutants. Characterize the tailpipe and evap-
orative emissions of motor vehicles using gas-
oline, methanol, and ethanol to determine the
effects of driving conditions and seasonal
conditions (winter vs. summer) on motor vehicle
emissions.
Indoor Air Quality Research - Investigate
sources, exposures, health effects and
mitigation of pollutants in indoor air with other
federal agencies through the Committee on
Indoor Air Quality (CIAQ).
Stratospheric Ozone - Analyze air models to
predict the influence of increasing ultraviolet-B
(UV-B) radiation on ambient ozone formation in
urban areas. Determine UV-B changes at the
earth's surface and exposure of humans, plants,
and animals. This work is an integral
21
-------
Office of Modeling, Monitoring Systems and Quality Assurance
component of ORD's stratospheric ozone
program.
Global Warming - Develop and evaluate
statistical methods and air quality models to
detect and predict the impact of the emissions of
trace gases on climate and air quality levels.
This work is an integral component of ORD's
global climate program.
Acid Deposition - Determine the status and
trends of wet and dry deposition in urban and
non-urban areas and provide quality assurance
for measurements. Determine effects of acid
deposition on various ecosystems (surface
waters and forests) and on cultural resources
(metals and painted surfaces). Develop
simulation models (e.g., RADM) and use as
assessment tools.
Water Quality
Water Quality Based Approach - Permitting.
Provide assurance that ambient water quality
monitoring data for regulation setting,
enforcement, or compliance purposes are
scientifically valid and legally defensible.
Obtain precision and accuracy data for each
monitoring method. Promulgate "Analytical
Methods for the Analysis of Pollutants" as
required by Section 304(h) of the Clean Water
Act.
Waste Water Treatment Technology - Provide
quality control materials and calibration
standards for regulated CWA analytes.
Evaluate performance of EPA, EPA Contractors
Grantee, state and local laboratories. Evaluate
and revise data quality criteria and develop
reference materials.
Drinking Water
Drinking Water Technology - Provide
contaminant monitoring procedures to assure
compliance with maximum contaminant levels
pursuant to Section 1401 of the Safe Drinking
Water Act and provide quality assurance/
quality control programs for on-site evaluation
and certification of drinking water monitoring
laboratories. Support laboratories and offices
involved with data collection. Develop methods
and analytical procedures to produce
measurement systems for chemical, radio-
chemical, and microbiological analysis. Develop
and distribute QC and PE samples for drinking
water laboratory certification program.
Groundwater - Develop measurement systems,
methods for locating abandoned wells,
geophysical methods to detect and evaluate
underground movement of fluids from injection
wells, quality control procedures and guidelines
to support Agency-wide QA program, and
methods for well head protection.
Hazardous Waste
Waste Identification - Develop analytical
techniques for hazardous waste characteriza-
tion. Develop and evaluate subsurface mon-
itoring methods for use at RCRA waste sites.
Quality Assurance - Support quality assurance
of the RCRA data generated by the EPA
regional offices, contractors and state and local
agencies.
Releases - Provide aerial photography, satellite
imagery, and multispectral scanner support to
assist regional offices in Spill Prevention,
Control and Counter-measure (SPCC) surveys,
planning, and emergency response. Develop and
evaluate procedures for external monitoring
around underground storage tanks (UST),
determining active leaks and the boundaries for
corrective action, and UST cleanup progress.
Pesticides
Health: Markers, Dosimetry, and Extrapolation
- Evaluate the use of biomarkers in monitoring
of pesticide exposure and support the operation
of the pesticides and industrial chemical
repository.
Exposure Monitoring - Monitor dietary, non-
dietary and residential exposure scenarios to
investigate human exposure to pesticides.
Radiation
Manage Off-Site Radiation Monitoring Program
for DOE including hydrologic and human
surveillance monitoring. Maintain quality
assurance support program for measurement of
ionizing radiation contaminants in air, water,
milk and food.
22
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Office of Modeling, Monitoring Systems and Quality Assurance
Multimedia Planning
Manage EPA's Quality Assurance Program, the
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Program (EMAP), and exposure research.
Conduct management systems reviews;
implement the data quality objectives process;
and manage an Agency-wide QA training
program.
Toxic Substances
Analytical Methods Development for Toxic
Substances - Develop immunoassays for mea-
surement of organic compounds in biological
and environmental samples and investigate
new separation procedures for analysis
including chemometric approaches.
Health: Markers, Dosimetry, and Extrapolation
- Evaluate DNA and protein adducts for use in
human exposure monitoring studies.
Exposure Monitoring Systems Development -
Develop predictive models for human exposure
and characterize human activity patterns.
Biotechnology/Microbial and Biochemical
Pesticides Control Agents - Develop guidelines
and processes for monitoring the release of
genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMS)
in the environment. Determinate half-life in
bacterial aerosols.
Support - Provide quality assurance and
reference standards and develop guidelines to
govern routine exposure and environmental
monitoring for toxic chemicals.
Superfund
Provide techniques and procedures for site and
situation assessments. Provide monitoring
techniques and procedures for site assessment;
geophysical methods; remote sensing; soil
sampling methods and survey designs.
Assist in site-specific monitoring and
characterization of Superfund investigations.
Provide quality assurance/quality control
support for the Superfund Contract Laboratory
Program; provide assessment and improvement
of methods to evaluate Superfund sites; and
provide an independent QA laboratory to
support monitoring activities.
Under the Superfund Innovative Technology
Evaluation (SITE) program, evaluate systems
for characterizing and assessing contamination
at Superfund sites.
Issues
Expanding Environmental Characterization
Research
Environmental characterization is essential to
determining what pollutants are released into the
environment, their transport, transformation
products, and fate. This information is the founda-
tion of hazard identification and consequently the
risk assessment process. Unfortunately, the increas-
ing pressure to investigate pollutants of visible
importance has eroded efforts to identify potentially
damaging pollutants as is needed to guide mon-
itoring, assessment, and dose-response research.
OMMSQA develops methods and quality assurance
programs for environmental characterization. It has
maintained only a modest program in this research
area that includes source characterization,
atmospheric transport, transformation, and
pollutant fate modeling, media characterization,
and methods development. To remain on the cutting
edge of remote characterization techniques and
analytical chemistry will require increased
attention to characterization studies and state-of-
science analytical instrumentation.
In emphasizing environmental measurement and
monitoring methods research, OMMSQA will
revitalize the methods development programs and
will support environmental trends monitoring. The
long-term goal of this research is to ensure that in-
house capabilities are maintained to continue
meeting the methods development needs of the
program offices and regions.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Program
The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Program (EMAP) assesses the nation's ecological
resources by focusing on national- and regional-
scale conditions over extended periods of time. It
helps determine the extent, magnitude, and location
of deteriorating or improving environmental condi-
tions and monitors the status and trends in
representative ecological resources at risk from
environmental stresses. The data derived will
indicate whether serious changes are occurring and
23
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Office of Modeling, Monitoring Systems and Quality Assurance
whether single or multiple pollutants are
responsible.
EMAP monitors conditions in near-coastal systems,
wetlands, inland surface waters, forests, and other
terrestrial ecosystems. It monitors exposure related
to air pollution and acidic deposition, habitat loss
and modification, nonpoint source pollutant impacts
to surface water and estuaries, and climate change.
Estuaries and forests were selected as part of the
pilot surveys because of strong interagency
commitments and because estuarine watersheds are
primary recipients of pollution. During all phases of
the EMAP effort, OMMSQA will work with other
Agency offices and federal agencies such as the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), the U.S. Department of the Interior
(USDI), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USD A).
Exposure
The Agency relies on exposure assessment
conducted by OMMSQA to regulate chemicals and
appropriate resources. In human exposure,
emphasis is placed on the need for measuring
personal exposure through monitoring of media that
contact the target and measurements of the
biomarkers of exposure. This approach involves the
measurement or estimate of total exposure, the
measurement of the contribution of each route of
exposure, and the apportionment of the exposure
among the sources.
Areas of human exposure research are: (1)
characterization and classification; (2) design of
monitoring systems to assess exposure trends; (3)
use of models and surrogate systems to develop the
science of predicting exposures to pollutants; and (4)
improvement of the process of conducting exposure
assessments. These research areas will be
incorporated into the major components of the
exposure research program, that is, methods
development, measurement and data collection,
modeling, and exposure assessments.
Ecological risk assessments also depend on exposure
and effects modeling techniques to evaluate chem-
ical effects and exposure scenarios. Enhanced capa-
bilities are needed to predict ecological exposure,
especially for multiple chemicals, at various eco-
logical levels of integration. Researchers are
developing methods for determining chemical and
environmental characteristics of exposure of indiv-
idual plants and animals to environmental pollu-
tants under field conditions. Future emphasis will
be placed on modeling population, community, and
ecosystem exposures to single and multiple
pollutants.
OMMSQA will exchange information on the results
of their efforts with other federal agencies, non-
federal groups, and state organizations involved in
environmental research. A data base management
system will be devised to handle the data obtained
from these sources.
Atmospheric Sciences Research
OMMSQA's atmospheric sciences research models
the movement and deposition of atmospheric
pollutants. Research information enhances EPA's
capabilities to evaluate the human and ecological
effects of atmospheric pollutants. One objective is to
develop local, regional, and global predictive
models for assessing alterations in air quality and
air pollutant exposures that result from changes in
ecosystem management and regulatory decisions. In
addition, OMMSQA research evaluates air quality
resulting from global climate change, modeling
techniques that describe atmospheric physical
processes affecting buoyant and dense gas pollution
dispersion under unique meteorological situations,
terrain features, and source configurations.
24
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Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment Laboratory
Gary J. Foley is the Director of the
Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assess-
ment Laboratory at Research Triangle Park,
NC. He has served as Staff Director for ORD's
Acid Deposition Research Program and
Acting Division Director, Energy and Air, for
ORD's Office of Environmental Processes and
Effects Research. Mr. Foley began his career
with EPA in 1973 as a Senior Chemical
Engineer. Before joining the Agency, Mr.
Foley served as a Project Manager for the
American Oil Company. He received his Ph.D.
in Chemical Engineering from the University
of Wisconsin, Madison. Mr. Foley has been
awarded 3 Bronze Medals by EPA.
$43,625,000
165
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL:
Program Operations
Staff
FTS 629-1357
COM 919-541-1357
Program Design and
Integration Staff
FTS 629-2188
COM 919-541-2188
DIRECTOR
FTS 629-2106
COM 919-541-2106
Quality Assurance
FTS 629-2198
COM
919-541-2198
Atmospheric
Sciences
Modeling
FTS 629-4542
COM
919-541-4542
Exposure
Assessment
Research
FTS 629-2346
COM
919-541-2346
Methods
Research &
Development
FTS 629-2454
COM
919-541-2454
Chemical
Processes &
Characterization
FTS 629-2194
COM
919-541-2194
25
-------
Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment Laboratory
Functions
The Atmospheric Research and Exposure
Assessment Laboratory (AREAL), Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina, conducts
intramural and extramural research programs,
through laboratory and field research, in the
chemical, physical, and biological sciences designed
to:
characterize and quantify present and future
ambient air pollutant levels and resultant
exposures to humans and ecosystems on local,
regional, and global scales;
develop and validate models to predict changes
in air pollution levels and air pollutant
exposures and determine the relationships
among the factors affected by predicted and
observed changes;
determine source-to-receptor relationships
relating to ambient air quality and air pollutant
exposures, developing predictive models to be
used for assessments of regulatory alternatives
derived from these relationships, directly or
indirectly;
provide support to program and regional offices
and to state and local groups, in the form of
technical advice, methods research and
development, quality assurance, field
monitoring, instrument development, and
modeling for quantitative risk assessment and
regulatory purposes;
develop and carry out long-term research in the
areas of atmospheric methods, quality
assurance, biomarkers, spatial statistics,
exposure assessment, and modeling research to
solve cutting edge scientific issues relating to
EPA's mission; and
collect, organize, manage, and distribute
research data on air quality, human and
ecosystem exposures and trends for program
and regional offices, ORD, the scientific
community, and the public at large.
The Laboratory is composed of the following major
components: Office of the Director, Program Design
and Integration Staff, Program Operations Staff,
Chemical Processes and Characterization Division,
Methods Research and Development Division,
Exposure Assessment Research Division, Quality
Assurance Division and the Atmospheric Sciences
Modeling Division.
26
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Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory - Cincinnati
Thomas A. Clark is the Director of the
Environmental Monitoring Systems
Laboratory. He previously served as its
Deputy Director from 1985 to 1988. From
1973 to 1981, Mr. Clark worked in the Quality
Assurance Division of EMSL-RTP in various
supervisory positions and also served as
Deputy Director of that Laboratory from 1981
to 1985 before moving to Cincinnati. He was
awarded a Bronze Medal in 1982 and 1986.
Mr. Clark began his career as an Analytical
Chemist at the Matheson Company in
Norwood, Ohio. He has a Bachelor's in
Chemistry from Xavier University.
: FY90 BUDGET:
$12,175,000 ;
i PERSONNEL:
98 :
DIRECTOR
FTS 684-7301
COM 513-569-7301
Project Management
FTS 684-7325
COM 513-569-7325
Development and Evaluation
FTS 684-7325
COM 513-569-7325
Organic Chemistry
FTS 684-7315
COM 513-569-7315
Parasitology and Immunology
FTS 684-7385
COM 513-569-7385
Aquatic Biology
FTS 684-8114
COM 513-569-8114
Virology
FTS 684-7334
COM 513-569-7334
Inorganic Chemistry
FTS 684-7372
COM 513-569-7372
Bacteriology
FTS 684-7384
COM 513-569-7384
Program Operations Staff
FTS 684-7330
COM 513-569-7330
Quality Assurance Research
FTS 684-7325
COM 513-569-7325
Chemistry Research
FTS 684-7309
COM 513-569-7309
Senior Science Advisor
FTS 684-7306
COM 513-569-7306
Microbiology Research
FTS 684-7218
COM 513-569-7218
27
-------
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory- Cincinnati
Functions
The Environmental Monitoring Systems Labora-
tory - Cincinnati (EMSL-Cincinnati) has as its
primary mission to conduct research in
development, evaluation, and standardization of
chemical and biological methods for environmental
assessments; to conduct research for detecting,
identifying, and quantifying microbial pathogens
found in environmental media; and to operate the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Quality Assurance (QA) Program for maintaining
the scientific credibility of the Agency's water,
wastewater, and solid wastes/Superfund/ toxics data
bases.
Developed and standardized methods are used to
identify inorganic and organic pollutants and to
detect and identify bacteria, viruses, parasites, and
aquatic organisms in the environment. Analytical
methods for effluent compliance monitoring [304(h)]
are improved, modified, and updated on a regular
basis. These methods include procedures for
inorganic, organic and biological pollutants.
Research is conducted on biotechnological methods
for determining the occurrence, distribution,
transport, and fate of human pathogenic parasites
in the environment. Methods are developed and
evaluated for the detection, enumeration, and
identification of indicator and pathogenic bacteria
in environmental media. Methods for sample
handling, transport, and preservation are also
developed. Field methods and advanced state-of-the-
art approaches are developed to be applicable to
drinking water, ambient water, raw and treated
wastewaters, sediments, sludges, and biological
samples.
The QA program involves method confirmation and
validation studies to establish the precision and bias
of USEPA's selected analytical methods, QA
manuals and guidelines, quality control (QC)
samples, and calibration standards for all analytes
regulated under water and waste programs.
Performance evaluation studies and laboratory
certification activities are conducted to evaluate
and report on the competency of analysts and
laboratories. A QA monitoring program is
maintained for both biology and chemistry, which
evaluates the adequacy of promulgated analytical
methods and procedures.
28
-------
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory - Las Vegas
Robert N. Snelling is Acting Director of the
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory,
Las Vegas, NV, where he had previously served
as Deputy Director since 1985. From 1970 to
1985, Mr. Snelling held various technical and
managerial positions within EPA. A career
Public Health Service Officer commissioned in
1963, Mr. Snelling began his professional
activities as an instructor in Environmental
Radiological Health at the Taft Engineering
Center in Cincinnati. He received a Master's
degree in Sanitary Engineering from the
University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor's degree
in Civil Engineering from Tufts University.
FY90 BUDGET:
$32,993,000
PERSONNEL:
161
Radioanalysis
FTS 545-2136
COM 702-798-2136
Field Monitoring
FTS 545-2158
COM 702-798-2158
Exposure
Monitoring Program
FTS 545-2203
COM 702-798-2203
Dose Assessment
FTS 545-2368
COM 702-798-2368
Remote and Air
Monitoring
FTS 545-2260
COM 702-798-2260
Ecosystems
Monitoring Program
FTS 545-2203
COM 702-798-2203
Aquatic and
Subsurface
Monitoring
FTS 545-2368
COM 702-798-2368
DIRECTOR
FTS 545-2525
COM 702-798-2525
Methods Research
FTS 545-2609
COM 702-798-2609
Quality Assurance
Research
FTS 545-2383
COM 702-798-2383
OA and Methods
Development
FTS 545-2103
COM 702-798-2103
Technology
Transfer and
Technical Support
FTS 545-2270
COM 702-798-2270
Program
Management and
Support
FTS 545-2564
COM 702-798-2564
Nuclear Radiation
Assessment
FTS 545-2305
COM 702-798-2305
Advanced Monitoring
Systems
FTS 545-2237
COM 702-798-2237
Environmental
Photographic
Interpretation
Center
FTS 557-3110
COM 702-798-3110
Exposure Assessment
Research
FTS 545-2203
COM 702-798-2203
29
-------
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory - Las Vegas
Functions
The Environmental Monitoring Systems Labor-
atory-Las Vegas develops methods, systems and
strategies for monitoring the environment with the
primary purposes of assessing the exposure of man
and other receptors in the environment to polluting
substances, characterizing the status of environ-
mental quality, and identifying the trends in
environmental quality.
The Laboratory develops and applies field
monitoring techniques, analytical methods, and
remote sensing systems for monitoring environ-
mental pollutants. It field tests, demonstrates, and
applies these systems, and initiates transfers of
operational systems to Agency user organizations.
It provides technical support to Agency, regional
and program offices in response to their requests for
pollutant monitoring, testing and surveillance
assistance.
The Laboratory develops and operates quality
assurance programs for radiation, hazardous
wastes, and toxic/pesticide monitoring. This
includes the development and maintenance of
reference standards, preparation of performance
evaluation materials, and the conduct of
performance audits for EPA as well as other federal,
state, and local laboratories.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding with the
Department of Energy, the Laboratory collects
radiological surveillance data and performs
pathways research to determine the actual and
potential radiation exposure to man and his
environment from past and present testing of
nuclear devices.
30
-------
Office of Environmental Engineering and Technology Demonstration
Alfred W. Lindsey is the Director of the
Office of Environmental Engineering and
Technology Demonstration. He has been the
Deputy Director of the Office of Environmen-
tal Engineering and Technology Demonstra-
tion and the Hazardous and Industrial Waste
Division, Office of Solid Waste. He has held
various hazardous waste management
positions in EPA. Before coming to EPA, he
held positions dealing with pollution control,
quality control, process engineering, and
product development. He received a Bachelor's
degree in Pulp and Paper Technology from
North Carolina State University and did
graduate work at Drexel University in
Environmental Engineering and at George
Washington University in Environmental
Management.
$102,000,000
347
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL:
DIRECTOR
FTS 382-2600
COM 202-382-2600
Risk Reduction
Engineering
Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH
FTS 684-7418
COM 513-569-7418
Program
Management
Staff
FTS 382-2583
COM 202-382-2583
Program
Development
Staff
FTS 382-5747
COM 202-382-5747
Air and Energy
Engineering
Research Laboratory
Research Triangle
Park, NC
FTS 629-2821
COM 919-541-2821
31
-------
Office of Environmental Engineering and Technology Demonstration
Functions
The Office of Environmental Engineering and
Technology Demonstration (OEETD ) is responsible
for planning, managing, and evaluating a
comprehensive program of research, development,
and demonstration of cost effective methods and
technologies to:
Control and manage hazardous waste
generation, storage, treatment and disposal;
Provide innovative technologies for response
actions under Superfund and technologies for
control of hazardous waste spills;
Control environmental impacts of public sector
activities including publicly-owned waste water
and solid waste facilities;
Improve drinking water supply and system
operations, including improved understanding
of water supply technology and water supply
criteria;
Characterize, reduce, and mitigate indoor air
pollutants including asbestos and radon; and
Characterize, reduce, and mitigate acid rain
precursors and other air pollutants from sta-
tionary sources.
OEETD is also responsible for the development of
engineering data needed by the Agency in
reviewing pre-manufacturing notices relative to
assessing potential release and exposure to
chemicals, treatability by waste treatment systems,
containment and control of genetically engineered
organisms, and the development of alternatives to
mitigate the likelihood of release and exposure to
existing chemicals.
In carrying out these responsibilities, the Office;
Develops program plans and manages the
resources assigned to it;
Implements the approved programs and
activities;
Assigns objectives and resources to the OEETD
laboratories;
Conducts appropriate reviews to ensure the
quality, timeliness, and responsiveness of
outputs; and
Conducts analyses of the relative
environmental impacts of engineering methods
and control technologies and strategies.
The Office of Environmental Engineering and
Technology Demonstration is the focal point within
the Office of Research and Development for
providing liaison with the Department of Energy on
issues associated with clean coal and energy
development. It is also the focal point within the
Office of Research and Development for liaison with
the rest of the Agency on issues relating to
engineering research and development, and control
of pollution discharges.
Program Activities
Air
SOx and NOx control technologies (LIMB,
ADVACATE, REBURNING)
Hazardous air pollutant control technologies
Indoor air source characterization and control
technologies
Ozone attainment - control of VOC emissions
from products
Global Climate - Stratospheric Modification
Water Quality
Municipal sewage innovative and alternative
wastewater and sludge technologies
Toxicity treatability protocols for wastewater
treatment processes
Storm and combined sewer overflow control
technologies
Drinking Water
Disinfection technologies, including evaluation
of by-products
Water quality problems in distribution systems,
e.g., lead solder
VOCs, pesticides, and radionuclides treatment
technologies
Hazardous Wastes/Superfund
Pretreatment technologies for land disposal
Waste minimization technologies and
clearinghouse
Land disposal technology, including air
emissions
Incineration of hazardous wastes and municipal
solid wastes
Cleanup technologies for leaking underground
storage tanks
32
-------
Office of Environmental Engineering and Technology Demonstration
Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation
program (SITE)
Evaluate cleanup technologies for Superfund
sites
Municipal solid waste and sludge innovative
technology evaluations (MITE)
Evaluate technologies for sludge and municipal
solid waste disposal
Pesticides
Personal protection technology for applicators
Radiation
Radon mitigation technologies for schools and
homes
Toxic Substances
Toxicity assessment methodology for pre-
manufacturing notices
Asbestos abatement technologies for schools
and tall buildings
Risk management for genetically engineered
microorganism manufacturers
Issues
Municipal Solid Waste Research Redirection
The nation's mounting problem of how to manage
municipal solid waste (MSW) requires reevaluation
of MSW practices and identification of new,
innovative technologies for management of waste
material. A major challenge in the near future will
involve determining how to effectively incorporate
these needs in reauthorization legislation for
RCRA. It is clear, however, that the law must
encourage the evaluation of alternative MSW
practices relating to source reduction and recycling
which can reduce the amount of residuals for
disposal, and to conserve raw materials and land
disposal capacity. New technologies for waste
management associated with combustion and
composting also need to be investigated. Technical
information and guidance for use by municipal
officials, designers, engineers, and owners and
operators responsible for solid waste management
need to be developed.
To accomplish these goals, EPA has begun the
Municipal Waste Innovative Technology Eval-
uation (MITE) program, which is evaluating new,
privately developed technologies. Goals for the
MITE program are to foster development of
improved product substitution, provide up-to-date
cost/effectiveness information on innovative new
equipment and techniques for managing wastes,
and accelerate commercialization of these
techniques and technologies.
Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation
(SITE) Demonstration Program
The SITE demonstration program represents a
unique partnership between the USEPA and
technology developers. The objective of this program
is to encourage the use of improved technologies for
the permanent remedy of uncontrolled hazardous
waste sites through development of objective cost
and performance information on developing and
emerging cleanup technologies. The program has
focused along three lines: (l)a full-scale demonstra-
tion program; (2) an emerging technologies develop-
ment program; and (3) innovative technologies
development within the USEPA. Thirty-eight
technologies have been selected for demonstration,
fourteen of which are completed. An additional ten
or more new technologies will be selected in 1991.
The emerging technologies program has selected
fifteen technologies that are currently undergoing
testing. A third solicitation has been made, and 17
technologies are undergoing review. As part of the
innovative technologies program, three tech-
nologies developed by EPA have been selected for
transfer to commercial use that will benefit both the
hazardous waste industry and the American public.
EPA will enter into a partnership with commercial
users to further develop and commercialize these
systems. A major focus of the SITE program is the
rapid dissemination of demonstration results to the
EPA regions and states via the Superfund
Clearinghouse.
To make the SITE program more timely,
institutional barriers within EPA that cause time
delays in conducting demonstrations have been
minimized or eliminated. Now that results of the
demonstrations are becoming available, new means
are being used to transfer this information to the
regions, states, and individuals making cleanup
decisions. To date, numerous publications have been
prepared and disseminated, including technology
demonstration evaluation reports, applications
analysis reports, videos, and various other
brochures and posters. New and innovative ways to
encourage further development of new technologies
that can ultimately be demonstrated in the program
need to be put into action. The EPA funds should be
leveraged with state and other federal agency
programs in order to attract more technologies at a
lower cost to EPA.
33
-------
Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
Frank T. Princiotta is the Director of the Air
and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
(AEERL), Research Triangle Park, NC. He
has served as a Division Director of ORD's
Office of Environmental Engineering and
Technology Demonstration. Prior to going to
EPA Headquarters in 1975, he was Chief of
AEERL's Engineering Test Section.
Princiotta's career includes engineering
positions with Hittman Associates and the
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission's New York
Operations. EPA has awarded him a Gold
Medal, three Bronze Medals and the
President's Rank of Meritorious Executive.
Princiotta has a Bachelor's degree in
Chemical Engineering from City College of
New York.
$23,150,000
97
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL:
DIRECTOR
FTS 629-2821
COM 919-541-2821
Stratospheric
Ozone Protection
Branch
FTS 629-2828
COM 919-541-2828
Radon Mitigation
Branch
FTS 629-4113
COM 919-541-4113
Organics Control
Branch
FTS 629-2818
COM 919-541-2818
Emissions and
Modeling Branch
FTS 629-2612
COM 919-541-2612
Indoor Air Branch
FTS 629-2746
COM 919-541-2746
Gas Cleaning
Technology Branch
FTS 629-3091
COM 919-541-3091
Global Warming
Control Branch
FTS 629-2973
COM 919-541-2973
Combustion
Research Branch
FTS 629-2477
COM 919-541-2477
Program Operations Office
FTS 629-2921
COM 919-541-2921
Pollution Control Division
FTS 629-2915
COM 919-541-2915
Global Emissions and
Control Division
FTS 629-7610
COM 919-541-7610
34
-------
Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
Functions
The mission of the Air and Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory (AEERL) is to research,
develop and demonstrate methods and technologies
for controlling air pollution from stationary sources.
Among these stationary sources are electric power
plants, manufacturing and processing industries,
and incinerators. The Laboratory does not deal with
pollution from mobile sources, or nuclear power
plants.
Staffed primarily by engineers, the Laboratory
creates and improves air pollution control
equipment, seeks means of preventing or reducing
pollution through changes in industrial processes,
develops predictive models and emissions
inventories, identifies and assesses the importance
of air pollution sources, and conducts fundamental
research to define the mechanisms by which
processes, equipment, and fuel combustion produce
air pollution.
Currently, AEERL is concentrating its efforts in
eight main program areas, which are described
briefly below.
Acid Rain: This program focuses on developing
innovative controls for acid rain precursors,
(SO2 and NOx) including the Limestone
Injection Multistage Burner; developing models
that will identify the best possible control
alternatives for various scenarios, and
developing inventories of acid rain precursor
emissions,
Air Toxics: Emphasis is placed on developing
technologies and pollution prevention
approaches to reduce emissions of volatile
organic compounds (VOCs); identifying sources
of VOCs; developing improved designs that will
achieve better control of woodstove emissions;
and providing direct technical assistance to
state and local agencies through the Control
Technology Center (CTC) which has extensive
information on existing technologies applicable
to a variety of air pollution sources.
Hazardous Wastes: The primary goal of this
program is to study the fundamental
combustion mechanisms that influence thermal
destruction of hazardous wastes. Included are
studies of metal aerosols from waste
incineration, failure modes in a small pilot-scale
rotary kiln, and small pilot-scale studies of
fluidized-bed incineration.
Indoor Air Quality I Radon: Research is
currently concentrating on (1) developing and
demonstrating technologies for reducing the
entry of naturally-occurring radon into houses,
schools and other public buildings; (2) studying
building materials and consumer products as
sources of indoor air pollution; and (3)
evaluating indoor air control options.
Municipal Waste Combustion: Work focuses on
evaluating techniques to minimize pollutant
formation during combustion, and determining
the effectiveness of various devices in
controlling air pollution from municipal waste
incinerators.
Ozone Non-Attainment: This program supports
ORD's overall ozone nonattainment strategy by
developing innovative technologies, mitigation
strategies and process modifications, and
improving existing technologies which will
prevent or reduce the emission of nitrogen
oxides and VOCs.
Stratospheric Ozone: In cooperation with
industry, AEERL evaluates, identifies, and
recommends substitute products and new
industrial processes which will replace ozone
depleting substances that are now in use. The
current emphasis is on alternatives for home
and commercial refrigeration systems.
Global Climate Change: This program is
evaluating mitigation options for greenhouse
gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide)
including innovative technological solutions to
the problem. Also planned are inventories of
emissions that are contributing to global
climate change.
35
-------
Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory
E. Timothy Oppelt is the Director of the Risk
Reduction Engineering Laboratory. Mr. Oppelt
has held managerial positions in EPA since 1979
in such diverse components as the Municipal
Environmental Research Laboratory, Hazardous
Waste Engineering Research Laboratory and the
Waste Management Division of Region V EPA,
Mr. Oppelts's academic degrees are: Bachelor's
in Civil Engineering and Master's in Sanitary
Engineering from Cornell University; and a
MBA from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio.
He holds EPA's Bronze and Silver Medals.
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL:
$65,800,000
223
Biosystems
FTS 684-7629
COM 513-569-7629
Toxics Control
FTS 684-7509
COM 513-569-7509
Thermal Destruction
FTS 684-7504
COM 513-569-7504
Releases Control
FTS 340-6635
COM 513-569-6635
Organics Control
FTS 684-7342
COM 513-569-7342
Technical Support
FTS 684-7406
COM 513-569-7406
DIRECTOR
FTS 684-7418
COM 513-569-7418
Physical/Chemical
T reatment
FTS 684-7655
COM 513-569-7655
Pollution Prevention
Research
l~TS 684-7529
COM 513-569-7529
Systems and Field
Evaluation
FTS 684-7460
COM 513-569-7460
Microbiological
T reatment
FTS 684-7234
COM 513-569-7234
Site Demonstration and
Evaluation
FTS 684-7696
COM 513-569-7696
Office of Program
Operations
FTS 684-7418
COM 513-569-7418
Inorganics and
Particulates Control
FTS 684-7370
COM 513-569-7370
Municipal Solid Waste
and Residuals
Management
FTS 684-7836
COM 513-569-7836
Drinking Water
Research
FTS 684-7201
COM 513-569-7201
Waste Minimization
Destruction and
Disposal Research
FTS 684-7546
Water and Hazard-
ous Waste Treat-
ment Research
FTS 684-7601
Superfund
Technology
Demonstration
FTS 684-7861
COM 513-569-7861
36
-------
Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory
Functions
The mission and function of the Risk Reduction
Engineering Laboratory (RREL) is to provide an
authoritative, defensible, engineering basis in
support of the policies, programs and regulations of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with
respect to drinking water, hazardous wastes,
pesticides, Superfund, toxics, and wastewater.
Research and technical assistance/support are
conducted in the following specific areas:
Drinking Water: Engineering solutions for the
treatment, distribution, and preservation of
public drinking water supplies.
Hazardous Wastes: Research in incineration,
land disposal practices, and determining
existing and emerging alternatives for treating,
detoxifying, volume reduction and waste
minimization of hazardous materials and
municipal solid wastes.
LUST Trust Fund Technical Support: Technical
assistance on corrective action on sites assess-
ment, decision tools and cleanup technologies to
LUST Trust Fund administrators and
implementors.
Pesticides: Technical support to the Office of
Pesticide Programs for technological alter-
natives for disposal of cancelled and suspended
pesticides, and provision of data and guidance
on the capabilities of protective clothing for
reducing working exposure to pesticides.
Superfund: Technologies for response and
remedial action for supporting enforcement
actions and protecting personnel involved in
cleanup. Superfund Innovative Technology
Evaluation (SITE) program to enhance
development and demonstration of innovative
technologies as alternatives to containment.
The Superfund Technical Assistance Response
Team (START) provides engineering and
scientific assistance to regional offices, program
offices, and others on the cleanup of hazardous
wastes, particularly those associated with
Superfund sites.
Toxics Chemical Testing and Assessment:
Alternatives for regulating the manufacture
and use of existing chemicals (including asbes-
tos); assessing release and exposure in review of
Premanufacturing Notices (PMNs) for new
chemicals; and techniques and devices to
contain and destroy genetically engineered
organisms.
Wastewater (Municipal and Industrial): Cost-
effective methods for the prevention, treatment,
and management of municipal wastewater and
sludges, urban runoff, and industrial processing
discharges.
Municipal Waste: Primarily oriented toward
reducing the pollutant release from municipal
land disposal facilities and uncontrolled waste
disposal sites. Program areas include surface
capping, flexible membrane liners and other
non-soil materials; bottom liners and soil liners.
Pollution Prevention: Provides technical
foundations for encouraging the development
and adoption of production, recycling and
treatment processes that result in the reduction
of volume or hazardous nature of wastes
generated.
37
-------
Office of Environmental Processes and Effects Research
Courtney Riordan is the Director of the
Office of Environmental Processes and Effects
Research. His prior experience with EPA
includes Director, Office of Acid Deposition,
Environmental Monitoring and Quality
Assurance; Acting Assistant Administrator,
Office of Research and Development; Director,
Office of Monitoring Systems and Quality
Assurance; Associate Director, Office of Air,
Land, and Water Use. Mr. Riordan received a
Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from
Northeastern University in Boston, a Ph.D. in
Regional Planning and Systems Analysis
from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York,
and a J.D. from George Washington
University.
i FY90 BUDGET:
$92,600,000 i
: PERSONNEL:
461 :
DIRECTOR
FTS 382-5950
COM 202-382-5950
Terrestrial & Ground Water
Effects Staff
FTS 382-5600
COM 202-382-5600
Robert S. Kerr
Environmental
Research
Laboratory
Ada, OK
FTS 743-2224
COM
405-332-8800
Environmental
Research
Laboratory
Athens, GA
FTS 250-3134
COM
404-546-3134
Quality Assurance
Officer
FTS 382-5975
COM 202-382-5975
Program Operations Staff
FTS 382-5962
COM 202-382-5962
Marine, Freshwater & Modeling
Staff
FTS 475-8930
COM 202-475-8930
Environmental
Research
Laboratory
Corvallis, OR
FTS 420-4601
COM
503-757-4601
Environmental
Research
Laboratory
Duluth, MN
FTS 780-5702
COM
218-720-5500
Environmental
Research
Laboratory
Gulf Breeze, FL
FTS 686-9011
COM
904-932-5311
Environmental
Research
Laboratory
Narragansett, Rl
FTS 838-6001
COM
401-782-3000
38
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Office of Environmental Processes and Effects Research
Functions
The Office of Environmental Processes and Effects
Research (OEPER) is responsible for the admin-
istration of a broad range of ecological research
programs. These programs are structured to provide
the scientific data and technological methods
necessary to understand, predict, and control the
entry and movement of pollutants into the environ-
ment and to determine the effects of such substances
on organisms and ecosystems. The information and
research products resulting from these programs
are directly applicable to fulfilling the Agency's
regulatory responsibilities.
Research is conducted within the full realm of
environmental media-atmosphere, soil, ground
water, surface water, and coastal and marine
waters. Major areas of study include toxic
substances, hazardous waste, pesticides, acid
deposition, biotechnology, global climate change,
stratospheric ozone, wetlands, water quality,
ecological risk assessment, and status of critical
ecological resources-particularly coastal ecosys-
tems. The office actively provides technical support
in environmental science and technology to regions
and states in order to assist in problem solving and
to transfer information and technology to local
users.
Program Activities
Global Warming - The potential effects of a
global warming induced by radiatively important
trace gases are both drastic and uncertain. The
range of consequences may well affect all factors
of human existence, including air and water
quality, distribution or even survival of
vegetation types and wildlife, shifts or loss of
marine and freshwater fisheries, and productiv-
ity of agricultural and forested lands. The Global
Climate Change Research Program will
investigate and estimate the likely magnitude,
timing and regional expressions of these effects,
including their relationships to sources and sinks
of the trace gases associated with climate change.
Stratospheric Ozone - For the newly ratified
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the
Ozone Layer to be successful on a global scale, it
is essential that EPA provide scientifically
credible input into the risk characterization and
scientific assessment mandated by the Protocol
and supported by the United States. The
Agency's research and development program
plays a vital role in generating the scientific
information that is critically important for the
risk assessments and regulations being promul-
gated by policy-makers both domestically and
internationally.
Water Quality Based Approach - In the
transition from a technology-based control of
toxics to a Water Quality Based Approach
(WQBA), many problems/issues have been
addressed but others still remain. The research
supporting the WQBA to the permitting of
pollutant discharges into freshwater, estuarine
and marine aquatic environments has two major
approaches: (1) developing water quality criteria
for individual contaminants, adapting the criter-
ia to site-specific conditions, and developing mod-
eling techniques to relate criteria to allowable
discharges; and (2) developing methods for
evaluating the toxic components of complex
effluents and predicting maximum safe chronic
contaminant levels using environmental
endpoints.
Marine, Estuaries and Great Lakes -
Methodologies and information are needed for
the development of responsive and scientifically
valid ocean disposal (ocean dumping and dis-
charge through outfalls), estuarine and Great
Lakes programs. Research focuses on developing
methodologies for predicting contaminant move-
ment and fate, exposure, and effects of con-
taminants on organisms, communities, and eco-
systems for sediment, freshwater, marine, and
estuarine environments to permit better eval-
uation of pollutant impacts and make regulatory
decisions.
Ground Water - There is much uncertainty as to
the exposure and the effects on humans and to
contaminated groundwater. Contaminants that
pose a hazard to human health and the environ-
ment are being identified and analyzed as an
ongoing activity; studies on the fate and trans-
port of contaminants will also continue. There is
a continuing need to understand the relationship
of ground-water contamination to the human and
ecological health issues to decrease the uncer-
tainties linking contaminants to health.
The clean-up and restoration of contaminated
ground water is an issue of prime importance.
One mode of clean-up uses natural processes,
such as bacterial degradation of contaminants.
The successful manipulation of natural processes
39
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Office of Environmental Processes and Effects Research
for ground water clean-up requires ongoing
research and development.
Waste Characterization - This research,
conducted under the hazardous waste program, is
designed to produce fully integrated suites of
waste test methods, chemical component
transformation and transport property data bases
and multimedia pollutant fate and exposure
models such that defensible "risk-based" (either
human or environmental) decisions as to
listing/delisting or land disposal restrictions can
be made, e.g., the recent Toxicity Characteristic
Leaching Procedure (TCLP) promulgation for
defining hazardous wastes. Research results are
also directly applicable to the development and
evaluation of RCRA site closure and cleanup
strategies as well as Superfund site remediation
planning and evaluation.
Ecological Systems
Field Validation: Field validation studies are
conducted to determine if laboratory methods,
results and simulation models reflect the true
impacts of pesticides and toxic substances in
natural situations. These studies in marine/
estuarine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats,
incorporate data on biotic responses, interactions
and on ecological processes that prove or disprove
laboratory approaches and findings and form the
basis for suggestions on alternative or modified
evaluative approaches.
Ecotoxicity: To evaluate toxic substances under
TSCA and to register pesticides under FIFRA it
is necessary to understand how the toxicant
moves into or through the biotic and the physical
portion of an ecosystem, the duration of exposure
of the biota, the mode of toxicological action, the
residues, the response of the receptor biota,
ecosystem composition and processes and the
eventual dispersion of the toxicant in the general
matrix where the biota reside. The components of
the research program that address these
problems are development of testing schemes and
protocols, physiological experimentation, expo-
sure studies, and comparative toxicological and
ecosystem level studies.
Risk Assessment: When pesticides or toxic
substances are used or accidentally released into
the environment there is a need to be able to
evaluate the risks to our ecosystems. Research is
providing validated methods, predictive
mathematical models, exposure and effects data,
applications and consultations. Using these tools,
quantitative assessments can be conducted for a
given situation that indicate the degree of risk
that can be expected. This information factors
into Agency regulatory decisions.
Reducing Uncertainties in Risk Assessment
(RURA): There is a need for improved risk
assessments across many programs. This
research proposes to incorporate monitoring and
trend status with ecological evaluations of
selected critical ecosystems and thus be able to
predict the impacts (risk) of cumulative and
multiple contaminant sources on ecosystem
structure and function. Presently, only risk for
portions of systems can be determined or
predicted. To ensure that predictions and
findings are reliable, extensive lab and field
studies must be started to quantify the
uncertainties in the key components of risk
assessments such as hazard exposure and
response assessment and risk characterization.
Major future focus and improvements must be at
the ecosystem level.
Biotechnology Risk Assessment: The development
of the biotechnology industry has raised many
questions about potential adverse effects on
ecology and ecosystems as a result of industrial
utilization and release of genetically engineered
organisms. The Agency is presently involved in
establishing regulations for use of such
organisms under TSCA and FIFRA. The research
program is providing the Agency with methods
for assessing the potential risk resulting from
introducing engineered microorganisms into the
environment. The three program areas being
investigated are: (1) exposure - detection and
enumeration under field conditions, transport in
the environment, survival and colonization,
genetic exchange; (2) effects on ecosystem
processes, on higher organisms (animals and
plants); and (3) risk control - design of field
release, mitigation of adverse effects in field
situations.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Program (EMAP): To prevent unwanted or
irreversible damage to our ecosystems, EPA must
know their current status, be able to determine
trends in their health, and be in a position to
manage these systems to realize continued
benefits. Research is proposed that will classify,
characterize and monitor status and trends of
40
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Office of Environmental Processes and Effects Research
important ecosystems and their subclasses.
Additionally, ecological research will commence
on agricultural, forest, freshwater wetlands, near
coastal and water quality limited stream/lake
systems. Studies would include selecting systems
and critical indicator endpoints, identifying
hazards, assessing exposure, and applying state-
of-the-art approaches for risk evaluations and
reduction at regional levels. This information,
augmented by other data bases, may be applied to
determine management options.
Structure Activity Relationships (SARs) -
Chemical evaluations of chemicals for TSCA and
FIFRA can require extensive time and resources.
An alternate, more rapid approach is to compare
the chemical with those of its chemical class
having known similar molecular structure and
chemical activity. Using a computerized data
base and SAR models has proven to be of great
value for the Agency. The data base and the
system are undergoing expanded application to
accommodate increasing numbers of new
chemicals, revaluation of old chemicals and
enhancements to handle complex SARs for
evaluating the fate and toxicity of chemicals in
the environment. Many of the models will be
available to States and Regional EPA offices in
the coming year over the Office of Information
Resource Management Network. A new program
for the development of advanced SAR techniques,
particularly in the area of quantitative molecular
similarity analysis, is being planned to further
decrease the man-hours involved in chemical
evaluations.
Acid Deposition - EPA's Acid Deposition
Research Program includes research to 1)
estimate emissions from manmade sources, 2)
understand atmospheric processes, 3) establish
deposition monitoring data bases, 4) understand
and quantify aquatic effects, 5) understand and
quantify terrestrial effects, 6) understand and
quantify the effects on materials, and 7) evaluate
control technologies (to fulfill the needs
expressed in the Energy and Security Act of 1980,
Title VII).
In 1990, EPA in conjunction with the National
Acid Precipitation Assessment Program
(NAPAP), an interagency research coordination
and assessment group chaired by the Admin-
istrator of EPA, will produce a final assessment
of the sources, extent, and magnitude of
environmental effects due to acid deposition, and
the scientific uncertainties associated with acid
deposition cause-effect relationships. The 1990
assessment will provide a better basis upon
which to evaluate the needs for as well as the
effectiveness and efficiencies of proposed
abatement and control programs (in accordance
with the Acid Precipitation Act of 1980, P.L. 96-
294).
Issues
Stratospheric Ozone
For the Montreal protocol to be successful on a
world-wide basis, it must be demonstrated to China,
India, and other non-signatory, newly industrial-
ized and lesser developed countries that depletion of
stratospheric ozone will have an impact on their
citizens and that reasonable cost alternatives to
harmful chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are available.
Some depletion of the ozone layer has already
occurred, and the level of depletion may increase
even if a total phase-out of regulated CFCs occurs.
Research is required to provide impact scenarios for
mitigative options, to develop technological options
for CFC substitutes, and to assess the environ-
mental risk associated with CFC substitutes.
Global Warming
Although research to date has suggested that a rise
in the earth's temperature will occur, we only know
what the average change may be. We must develop
the ability to predict climatic changes on regional
levels. In addition, changes of the magnitude
predicted will have dramatic effects on air and
water quality. We must develop a sound scientific
understanding of the mechanisms and subsequent
potential implications of global climate change so
that we can prepare to adjust both our regulatory
and non-regulatory strategies to be responsive to
different fundamental environmental conditions.
As a major partner in the Committee on Earth
Sciences, EPA has the responsibility for guiding the
development of the ecological and environmental
response component at the Federal Global Change
Research Program. Its laboratories must play a
strong leadership role in this effort.
Ground Water Research
The Department of Agriculture and the U.S.
Geological Survey have joined in a coordinated
research program to understand and evaluate how
41
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Office of Environmental Processes and Effects Research
agricultural management systems and natural
factors affect ground-water contamination. EPA has
been invited to join this cooperative program; our
involvement will depend on the levels of funding.
The Agency needs to make sure that improved
cleanup technologies resulting from ongoing
research are implemented as soon as possible.
Currently, millions of dollars are being spent
annually on cleaning up contaminated ground
water by pumping out the liquid and treating it
chemically, physically, or biologically on the
surface. Not only is this expensive, but recent
studies have indicated how ineffective this
technique can be. Many organic contaminants bind
tightly to soil particles and resist removal when the
contaminated ground water is pumped.
Pollution situations such as these might best be
remedied by treating the contaminants in situ, that
is, right in the soil matrix without attempts at
excavation or pumping, by using microorganisms
for biodegradation. Such bioremediation techniques
are potentially applicable to hazardous waste and
Superfund sites and to leaking underground storage
tank contamination situations, In-situ bioremedia-
tion process development using natural and possibly
engineered organisms someday, should be a major
new research thrust of the Agency.
Waste Characterization
Waste characterization research of the future must
be carefully coordinated with the Office of Solid
Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) needs
such that both organic and metallic components of
wastes are adequately considered, that combined,
multiple chemical pollutant risks are appropriately
factored into the "characteristics" definition process
and that an appropriate suite of endpoints upon
which to base the risk-driven "characteristics," e.g.,
human cancers, non-cancerous human impacts, and
ecological impacts, efforts for waste management
are established.
Ecological Systems
The successful determination of the ecological
status and future trends in biological systems
requires a management commitment of resources
for periods of 10 or more years. This commitment is
necessary because perturbations in biological
systems often are of long-term developmental
duration. In order to accomplish these objectives,
extramural assistance from other governmental
programs and academic institutions will be
required. This will be compatible with EPA
research efforts being coordinated through EMAP.
Marine Estuaries and Great Lakes
The current ocean disposal research program
responds to program office and regional needs as
they relate to ocean dumping and to needs
associated with discharges through ocean outfalls.
Congress passed a ban on the ocean dumping of
sewage sludge and industrial wastes. Although this
ban does not impact the ocean dumping of dredged
material, ocean dumping monitoring activities, or
activities associated with the discharge of wastes
through ocean outfalls, it is expected that additional
attempts will be made to reduce ORD's entire ocean
disposal research program.
Water Quality Based Approach
Recent amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA)
and the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) have
required EPA to expand or start new programs and
regulatory efforts. These requirements will place
many demands on the associated research pro-
grams, and some of these demands will not be met.
For example, the CWA Amendments require
significant involvement in non-point sources (NPS)
of pollution. Currently, ORD does not have a NPS
research program. This will continue to be an
important issue.
Acid Deposition
The question of acid rain control has been a major
environmental issue during the 1980's, with
significant implications relative to U.S. - Canadian
relationships. Significant research progress has
been made on this issue, most notably a 10-year
U.S. interagency effort-the National Acid Precipit-
ation Assessment Program (NAPAP)-scheduled for
completion in 1990. We know more about this issue
now than we have known in the past. The most
comprehensive assessment will be the 1990 NAPAP
assessment. Significant environmental and econom-
ic implications are involved in any decisions of how
to control acid deposition. However, in order to
obtain maximum environmental benefits from
minimal costs, acid rain research will need to be
continued even after a national acid rain control
program is implemented. Such research will need to
address:
42
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Office of Environmental Processes and Effects Research
updates of emissions inventories
verification, maintenance and application of
emissions, deposition, and effects models
deposition and environmental effects and trends
monitoring.
Biotechnology Risk Assessment
The use ofbioengineered organisms is a unique and
rapidly evolving technology, and the research
program has evolved correspondingly to meet the
Agency's need in evaluating a diverse array of
biotechnology products. With the introduction of
transgenic plants (genes from a wide variety of
organisms are being inserted into crop plants),
questions of human health and impact on ecosys-
tems arise necessitating continued cooperation
among regulatory agencies.
43
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Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory
Clinton W. Hall is the Director of the
Environmental Research Laboratory, Ada,
Oklahoma, in which capacity he has served
since 1980. From 1971 to 1979, Mr. Hall
served in many Agency programs. Before
joining EPA, he was a hydrologist for the
Defense Intelligence Agency. He received a
Bachelor's degree from the University of
Delaware and a Master's degree in
Groundwater Geology from the University of
Connecticut. He participated in Advanced
Graduate Study in Geophysics/ Geochemistry
at Florida State University. He was awarded
the EPA Bronze Medal in 1978.
Telephone numbers are FTS.
The commercial number for all
sections is 405-332-8800.
FY90 BUDGET: $9,150,000
PERSONNEL: 54
DIRECTOR
743-2224
Extramural Activities and Evaluation
743-2216
Processes and Systems Research
743-2210
Subsurface Systems
743-2334
Application and Assistance
743-2308
Subsurface Processes
743-2314
Extramural Activities and
Assistance
743-2212
44
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Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Laboratory
Functions
The Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research
Laboratory (RSKERL) serves as U.S. EPA's center
for ground-water research, focusing its efforts on
studies of the transport and fate of contaminants in
the subsurface, development of methodologies for
protection and restoration of ground-water quality,
and evaluation of the applicability and limitations
of using natural soil and the subsurface processes
for the treatment of hazardous wastes. The
Laboratory has a long history of research
responsibilities related to the use of soils and
subsurface for waste treatment and to the protection
of the soil, ground water and surface water. These
responsibilities have included the development and
demonstration of cost-effective methods for land
treatment of municipal wastewaters, animal pro-
duction wastes, and petroleum refining and petro-
chemical wastes, as well as the development of
technologies for the protection of ground-water
quality.
RSKERL carries out research through in-house
projects and cooperative and interagency agree-
ments with universities, national laboratories, and
other agencies. RSKERL currently has over 40
ongoing or planned extramural projects at
approximately 25 research institutions in 20 states.
An examination of the environmental legislation
that relates to ground-water quality protection
reveals four common regulatory or management
requirements:
Establishment of criteria for location, design,
and operation of waste disposal activities to
prevent contamination of ground water or
movement of contaminants to points of
withdrawal or discharge.
Assessment of the probable impact of existing
pollution on ground water at points of
withdrawal or discharge.
Development of remediation technologies which
are effective in protecting and restoring ground
water quality without being unnecessarily
complex or costly, and without unduly
restricting other land use activities.
Regulation of the production, use, and/or
disposal of specific chemicals possessing an
unacceptably high potential for contaminating
ground water when released to the subsurface.
These requirements translate into a need for
definitive understanding of the physical, chemical
and biological factors that control the transport and
fate of contaminants in the vadose and saturated
zones of the subsurface environment. The mission of
the RSKERL is to develop that data base.
45
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Athens
Rosemarie C. Russo is the Director of the
Environmental Research Laboratory at
Athens, GA. She started with the Agency in
1978 as a Research Chemist at Duluth and
later became Associate Director for Research
Operations. Her career includes: Adjunct
Professor of Chemistry and Associate Director
of Fisheries Bioassay Laboratory at Montana
State University; Senior Research Chemist,
Colorado State University; Assistant
Professor, Gettysburg College; and Instructor,
University of Minnesota-Duluth. She received
her Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the
University of Minnesota-Duluth and her
Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from the
University of New Hampshire.
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL:
$10,750,000
Biology
FTS 250-3103
COM
404-546 -3103
Chemistry
FTS 250-3145
COM
404-546-3145
Measurements
FTS 250-3183
COM
404-546-3183
Assessment
FTS 250-3160
COM
404-546-3160
DIRECTOR
FTS 250-3134
COM 404-546-3134
Office of Research
Operations
FTS 250-3127
COM 404-546-3127
Office of Program
Operations
FTS 250-3430
COM 404-546-3430
Center for
Exposure
Assessment
Modeling
FTS 250-3130
COM
404-546-3130
46
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Athens
Functions
The Environmental Research Laboratory at Athens
conducts and manages fundamental and applied
research to predict and assess the human and
ecological exposures and risks associated with
conventional and toxic pollutants in water and soil.
The research focus is predictive ecological science.
This research identifies and characterizes the
natural biological and chemical processes that affect
the environmental fate and effects of specific toxic
substances, such as pesticides or metals. The results
are applied in state-of-the-art mathematical models
for assessing and managing environmental
pollution problems.
Lab-developed data and assessment techniques
support EPA's major programs in hazardous waste,
pesticides, toxics, Superfund, and water quality.
Staff expertise includes chemistry, computer
science, ecology, engineering, and microbiology.
EPA's Center for Exposure Assessment Modeling
(CEAM), an internationally known center of
modeling expertise located at the Athens Lab,
provides models, training, and support in exposure
evaluation and ecological risk assessment. CEAM
assists the Agency and states in environmental
risk-based decisions concerning the protection of
surface water, soil, groundwater and air.
47
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Corvallis
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL:
$30,825,000
72
Thomas A. Murphy is the Director of the
Environmental Research Laboratory at
Corvallis, Oregon. He has been in Agency
programs since 1970, including Nonpoint Source
Division and Air, Land, Water Use. From 1967-
1970 he was with the Federal Water Quality
Administration. He received a Master's degree
in Zoology and a Ph.D. degree in Biology from
Yale. He received a Bachelor's degree in Biology
and Chemistry from Knox College, and a
certificate in animal physiology from Glasgow
University.
DIRECTOR
FTS 420-4601
COM 503-757-4601
Ecotoxicology
FTS 420-4625
COM 503-757-4625
I
Ecological Assessment
Team
FTS 420-4679
COM 503-757-4679
'
Biotechnology Team
FTS 420-4661
COM 503-757-4661
Terrestrial
FTS 420-4634
COM 503-757-4634
Ozone Team
FTS 420-4621
COM 503-757-4621
Global Biogeochemistry
Team
FTS 420-4673
COM 503-757-4673
Global Effects Team
FTS 420-4791
COM 503-757-4791
Ecological Statistics
Team
FTS 420-4666
COM 503-757-4666
Regional Effects
Team
FTS 420-4666
COM 503-757-4666
FTS 420-4666
COM 503-757-4666
Watershed
Aquatic Monitoring
Team
FTS 420-4666
COM 503-757-4666
Terrestrial Monitoring
Team
FTS 420-4666
COM 503-757-4666
i
Wetlands Team
FTS 420-4666
COM 503-757-4666
48
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Corvallis
Functions
The Corvallis Laboratory conducts research and
assessment on the effects of pollutants and other
human stresses on inland ecological systems that
include: plant and wildlife populations; soils and
other microbial systems; forests, grasslands and
agricultural systems; wetlands; watersheds; and
regional landscapes. It also develops and evaluates
methods for mitigating effects on and restoring
inland ecological systems. The Laboratory provides
the Agency's primary scientific expertise in
terrestrial ecotoxicology and terrestrial, watershed
and regional ecology. Current Laboratory activities
include:
effects of atmospheric pollutants, such as ozone,
acid rain and air toxics on forests, crops,
watersheds, and surface waters
effects of global climate change and
stratospheric ozone depletion on ecological
systems
effects of toxic chemicals on wildlife and plants
effects of genetically engineered organisms and
microbial pest control agents on terrestrial
ecological systems
hazardous waste site ecological impact
evaluation
evaluation of cumulative wetland loss
mitigation of wetland loss
uptake, movement and metabolism of chemicals
in plants
regional analysis of ecosystem conditions and
trends
49
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Duiuth
Gil man D. Veith has been the Director of the
Environmental Research Laboratory at Duiuth
(ERL-D) since 1987. He was Associate Director
of Research from 1984 to 1987; Chief, Toxic
Substances Research Branch, from 1981 to
1984; and Research Chemist from 1972 to 1981.
He began his career as an Assistant Professor of
the Water Chemistry Program at the
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.
He currently serves on the Agency Risk
Assessment Council, The Science Career
Review Board, the Council of Great Lakes
Managers, and the OECD Hazard Assessment
Advisory Board. Mr. Veith received his
Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Augustana
College and his Ph.D. in Water Chemistry from
the University of Wisconsin. He has authored
or co-authored over 50 scientific papers in
analytical chemistry and predictive toxicology.
FY90 BUDGET: $10,900,000
PERSONNEL: 88
Regulatory
Ecotoxicology
Research
Branch
FTS 780-5511
COM
218-720-5511
Ecosystem
Response
Research
Branch
FTS 780-5552
COM
218-720-5552
Landscape
Ecology
Research
Branch
FTS 780-5523
COM
218-720-5500
Large Lakes
and Rivers
Research
Station
FTS 378-7704
COM
313-675-2245
Monticello
Ecological
Research
Station
FTS 777-2491
COM
612-295-5145
Predictive
Toxicology
Research
Branch
FTS 780-5574
COM
218-720-5574
Associate Director for
Research Operations
FTS 780-5610
COM 218-720-5610
Associate Director for
Program Operations
FTS 780-5549
COM 218-720-5549
DIRECTOR
FTS 780-5550
COM 218-720-5550
50
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Duluth
Functions
The Environmental Research Laboratory at Duluth
(ERL-D) conducts research to advance our
fundamental understanding of aquatic toxicology
and freshwater ecology. Its mission is to develop a
scientific basis for EPA to create environmental
policies concerning the use of freshwater resources.
To accomplish this, ERL-D has a lead role in a wide
variety of key research programs.
ERL-D developed the methods and guidelines and
wrote all of EPA water quality criteria. Recognizing
that criteria lag far behind the number of toxic
chemicals in the environment, ERL-D created the
toxicity-based permit process which is now imple-
mented nationwide. Our regulatory ecotoxicologists
have recently accented the lead role in the design of
sediment quality criteria.
The ecosystem response group seeks to quantify
dose-response relationships and indirect effects of
stresses on freshwaters. Specialized methods
involving microcosms, mesocosms, streams, ponds,
wetlands, and small lakes are used to provide the
basis for models and extrapolation techniques. The
knowledge has been incorporated into testing
protocols for pesticides registration.
Our landscape ecology program specializes in the
diagnosis of ecosystem dysfunction and developing
indicators of ecosystem health. As EPA moves closer
to programs for better management practices from a
watershed perspective, we expect to provide much of
the guidance to protect and improve water quality.
The Great Lakes Research Program managed by
ERL-D has turned completely to science for lake-
wide management planning.
Chemical safety evaluations in the form of risk
assessment remains the focus of our predictive
toxicology program. A complete array of
computerized models for structure-toxicity relation-
ships, pharmacokinetic extrapolations, dynamic
toxic effects, and mixture toxicity are being
developed.
Studies to determine the ecological significance and
adequacy of existing laboratory-derived hazard
assessments for protecting aquatic life are being
conducted. A new thrust seeks to validate low-cost
fish models in the classification of chemical
carcinogens.
51
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Gulf Breeze
Robert Everett Menzer was named Director
of the Environmental Research Laboratory at
Gulf Breeze in November 1989. Before this
appointment he had served as Professor and
Director of the Graduate Program in Marine-
Estuarine-Environmental Sciences and Direc-
tor of the Water Resources Research Center at
the University of Maryland, College Park. Mr.
Menzer's research has focused on the
metabolism and environmental fate of pes-
ticides, particularly organophosphorus com-
pounds. He received his Bachelor's degree in
Chemistry from the University of Penn-
sylvania, Master's degree in Entomology from
the University of Maryland, and Ph.D. in
Entomology and Biochemistry from the
University of Wisconsin.
FY90 BUDGET:
$8,275,000
PERSONNEL:
57
Program Support Staff
228-9226
I
Ecotoxicology
228-9300
Microbial Ecology &
Biotechnology
228-9260
DIRECTOR
228-9208
Telephone numbers are FTS.
The commercial number for all
sections is 904-932-5311
Research Support Staff
228-9223
Pathobiology
228-9272
52
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Gulf Breeze
Functions
The Environmental Research Laboratory at Gulf
Breeze develops and analyzes scientific data on the
impact of toxic and hazardous materials released in
marine, estuarine, and near-coastal environments.
Scientific investigations primarily involve chemical
compounds and biological products regulated by
EPA's Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances, the
Office of Water Programs, and the Office of Solid
Waste and Emergency Response.
Laboratory scientists conduct research to develop
principles and applications of ecotoxicology,
including measurement and prediction of fate and
effect of chemicals on species and ecosystems; to
evaluate and define mechanisms that affect
biodegradation and accumulation of toxicants in
aquatic food webs; and to determine effects of
carcinogens, mutagens, and teratogens in aquatic
species. This research leads to the development and
evaluation of test systems and biological indicators
in the marine and estuarine environments. The
definition of procedures and evaluation of protocols
for biological treatment of hazardous wastes are
also a part of the Laboratory's research. Methods
are under development to apply laboratory
observations to field situations and to evaluate
potential risks from the release of biotechnological
products in the marine environment. An important
aspect of the Laboratory's research is to define the
health status of bays, estuaries, and wetlands in the
Gulf of Mexico and Southeastern United States.
Information from laboratory research is used to
establish guidelines, standards, and strategies for
management of hazardous materials in the near-
coastal marine environment, to define and predict
its ecological health, and describe cause(s) of
aberrant conditions or changes in its ecological
status.
53
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Narragansett
Norbert A. Jaworski has been the Director of
the Environmental Research Laboratory in
Narragansett, Rhode Island, since 1986. From
1970 to 1985, he was the director of several
Agency research laboratories, including
Corvallis, OR; Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina; and Duluth, Minnesota. Before joining
the Agency, he was a deputy director in the
Department of Interior. He received a Ph.D.
degree in Water Resources Management from
the University of Michigan and Bachelor's and
Master's degrees in Civil Engineering from the
University of Wisconsin (Madison). He has
written over 50 publications and technical
reports. He has received an EPA Gold Medal and
the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive.
FY90 BUDGET: $13,250,000 I
PERSONNEL: 71 :
FTS 838-6001
COM 401-782-3000
DIRECTOR
Research and
Administrative
Services Staff
FTS 838-6005
COM 401-782-3001
Environmental
Monitoring and
Assessment Program
(EMAP)
FTS 838-6037
COM 401-782-3181
Pacific Ecosystems
Branch
COM 503-867-4040
FTS 838-6002
COM 401-782-3010
Exposure Branch
FTS 838-6007
COM 401-782-3008
Effects Branch
FTS 838-6154
COM 401-782-3010
Ecosystems Branch
54
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Environmental Research Laboratory - Narragansett
Functions
The Environmental Research Laboratory at
Narragansett, Rhode Island, along with its Pacific
Coast laboratory in Newport, Oregon, is the
Agency's National Marine Environmental Quality
Research Laboratory. The Laboratory's research
supports primarily the EPA Office of Water, Office
of Emergency and Remedial Response, and the
Office of Air and Radiation. The Laboratory's efforts
respond to legislative requirements of the Clean
Water Act, the Marine Protection, Research and
Sanctuaries Act, and the Superfund Reauthoriza-
tion Act. Major emphasis is placed on providing the
scientific base for environmental criteria, waste
disposal practices, environmental analysis/impacts,
assessments, and marine and estuarine risk
assessments for regulatory activities of responsible
offices.
The Laboratory's principal themes are:
Environmental Chemistry, Transport and Fate,
Biological and Ecological Effects, Biomonitoring,
Ecological Risk Assessment, and Multidisciplinary
Information Management.
The Laboratory is responsible for the following
research program areas: (1) marine and estuarine
disposal, discharge of (and recovery from) complex
wastes, dredged material, and other wastes; (2)
water use designation and derivation of criteria for
marine and estuarine water and sediment; (3)
environmental assessment of ocean disposal and
discharges of waste and wastewaters; (4) technical
and research support for evaluating remediation
options at proposed and designated marine/
estuarine superfund sites; and (5) research on the
effects of global warming and the depletion of
stratospheric ozone on marine systems. Technical
assistance, technology transfer, and investigations
of an emergency nature, e.g., spills of toxic
materials, also are provided to aid EPA offices in
evaluating environmental threats posed by
toxicants, other pollutants, and physical modifica-
tions along the Mid- and North Atlantic Coast, the
West Coast, and other geographic locations.
Technical assistance is also provided to other
federal agencies, states, municipalities, and
industry.
55
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Office of Health Research
Ken Sexton received a Bachelor's degree from
the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master's
degree in both Environmental Engineering and
Sociology from Washington State University and
Texas Tech University, respectively. His Sc.D. in
Environmental Health Sciences is from Harvard
University. From 1983 to 1985, Mr. Sexton was
Director of the Indoor Air Quality Program for
the State of California, and from 1985 to 1987, he
was Director of Scientific Review at the Health
Effects Institute in Boston, MA. He has
published extensively in the scientific literature
on human exposures to air pollution.
! FY90 BUDGET:
$57,525,000 :
: PERSONNEL:
297 :
Environmental
Health Research
Staff
FTS 382-5893
COM 202-382-5893
DIRECTOR
FTS 382-5900
COM 202-382-5900
Health Effects
Research
Laboratory
Research Triangle
Park, NC
629-2281
& Cincinnati, OH
FTS 684-7401
COM 202-684-7401
Program Operations
Staff
FTS 382-5891
COM 202-382-5891
56
-------
Office of Health Research
Functions
The Office of Health Research (OHR) is responsible
for planning, implementing, and evaluating a
comprehensive, integrated human health research
program. This program:
documents adverse effects to man from
environmental exposure to pollutants which
ORD uses to support the Agency's regulating
activities;
develops test systems, methods, and protocols;
conducts laboratory and field research studies;
develops interagency programs which
effectively use pollutants;
offers technical assistance to the regions and
program offices;
develops health science policy for the Agency;
and
provides a focal point for the effects of human
exposure to environmental pollutants.
The Program Operations Staff:
administers the ORD planning, reporting and
review system;
develops management systems necessary to
support programs, personnel and budgets of the
office and associated laboratories;
reviews plans, progress, and resources for
compliance with ORD, Agency and legislative
requirements; and
recommends planning and programming
activities of the office to the Office of
Administration and Resources Management
and the Office of Policy, Planning and
Evaluation.
The Environmental Health Research Staff:
plans, manages, and evaluates research
programs dealing with health impacts of
exposures to criteria and non-criteria air
pollutants, emissions from mobile sources,
drinking water, and ambient water pollutants,
solid and hazardous wastes and toxic chemical
substances (including pesticides) and
Superfund;
develops health research policy, priorities and
program plans;
determines resource allocations to carry out the
health research program;
provides program implementation guidelines to
the Health Effects Research Laboratory;
assures effective integration of all laboratory
health research activities; and
reviews laboratory management practices and
research activities to determine progress toward
program objectives.
provides health research information and
advice to steering committees, regulation
review committees, interagency committees,
and domestic and international organizations
which request such assisstance.
Program Activities
The Office of Health Research (OHR) supports a
research program that has three main goals: 1)
Develop, improve and validate toxicological test
methods for use by the Agency's programs,
2) Produce dose-response data that will allow the
Agency to perform the necessary risk assessments,
and 3) Conduct a research program to improve the
Agency's ability to assess health risks from
environmental exposures. These three goals serve
as the core around which each of the media specific
programs are planned and implemented. Below is a
brief description of the health issues which are
being addressed in OHR's research program.
Air
In the air health research program major efforts
are being directed at providing dose-response
data for use in quantifying the health risk
resulting from exposure to the criteria
pollutants. This research is being conducted
using animal toxicology studies and both
human clinical and epidemiological studies and
both human clinical and epidemiological studies
57
-------
Office of Health Research
and develops data describing the effects of
exposure to these pollutants on pulmonary
function, changes in host defense functions
(immunotoxicity), cardiovascular disease, and
neurological function. Research is also
developing better methods to determine the
deposition of pollutants in the lung in order to
improve our risk assessment capabilities.
Research on hazardous air pollutants is focused
on determining the potential mutagenic and
carcinogenic hazard of VOC's and mixtures of
air pollutants. The indoor air health effects
research program is focusing on developing
methodology and data to evaluate the effects,
both cancer and non-cancer, from exposure to
combustion emissions from kerosene heaters,
wood stoves, environmental tobacco smoke, and
other sources of indoor air pollution.
Water
The drinking water health effects research
program primary focus is to determine the
health effects from the use of various drinking
water disinfectants (chlorine, chloramine,
ozone). Epidemiology studies are being planned
and conducted to determine the relationship
between water disinfection and both cancer and
reproductive effects. These methods are used to
identify and isolate the biologically active
components or chemicals from drinking water
concentrates for further in depth health
characterization. Dose-response studies are also
being conducted on drinking water disinfection
by-products to support the development of
drinking water standards.
Pesticides and Toxics
The pesticides and toxic substances research
program develops test methods for determining
the health effects from pesticides and
commercial chemicals, developing both animal
and human biomarkers to improve our
understanding of exposure-dose relationships
and to apply these methods in biochemical
epidemiology studies, research to determine the
potential health effects from microbial
pesticides and genetically engineered
organisms and research to develop structure
activity relationship models to support TSCA
section 5.
Hazardous Waste/Superfund
The hazardous waste health research program
is developing a test methodology for comparing
the potential cancer and non-cancer health risks
from hazardous waste incineration and
municipal waste combustion.
Finally, the health effects Superfund research
program is conducting research to develop test
methods to screen and evaluate the potential health
hazard from exposure to waste mixtures.
58
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Health Effects Research Laboratory
Lawrence W. Reiter has been the Director of
the Health Effects Research Laboratory since
April 1988. Prior to being named Director of the
Laboratory, Mr. Reiter was Director of HERL's
Neurotoxicology Division. Earlier in his career,
he was responsible for centralizing the neuro-
toxicology research program for the Agency and
received an EPA Bronze Medal in 1979 for his
role in this effort. Mr. Reiter has also received
two Special Achievement Awards and the
Agency's Scientific and Technological Achieve-
ment Award. Mr. Reiter serves on the editorial
board of three professional journals and is an
internationally recognized neurotoxicologist
who has been involved in a variety of activities
to define and implement national priorities for
environmental health research in this area. He
earned his Ph.D. in Neuropharmacology from
the University of Kansas Medical Center in
Kansas City. Before joining EPA in 1973 as a
research pharmacologist, he was post-doctoral
fellow and lecturer in environmental toxicology
at the University of California-Davis.
! FY90 BUDGET:
$47,300,000 :
: PERSONNEL:
280 :
DIRECTOR
HERL
FTS 629-2281
COM 919-541-2281
Program
Support
Office
Administrative
Program
Information
Staff
Operations
Management
Staff
Staff
Neuro-
toxicology
Division
Genetic
Toxicology
Division
Program Managers
Associate
Associate
Associate
Associate
Director for
Director (or
Director for
Director for
Air and
Hazardous
Toxics and
Water
Radiation
Waste and
Superfund
Pesticides
Research
and
Regulatory
Support
Division
Environmental
Toxicology
Division
Developmental
Toxicology
Division
Human
Studies
Division
59
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Health Effects Research Laboratory
Functions
The Health Effects Research Laboratory (HERL)
investigates human health effects resulting from
exposure to environmental pollutants. Staffed by
health scientists with expertise in environmental
medicine, physiology, epidemiology, statistics, bioc-
hemistry, neurotoxicology, reproductive toxicology,
teratology, perinatal toxicology, geriatric tox-
icology, pulmonary toxicology, immunotoxicology,
cardiovascular toxicology, genotoxicology, hepato-
toxicology, and other target organ toxicologies,
HERL is the focal point for toxicological, clinical,
and epidemiological research within EPA. HERL
establishes cooperative research projects with
academic and other scientific institutions which
facilitate EPA's efforts in understanding health
effects of environmental pollutants. This research
program develops and applies biological assays,
predictive models, and extrapolation methods which
are the basis for the Agency's health risk
assessments.
The HERL research program anticipates Agency
future needs and enables the Office of Health
Research to direct environmental health issues.
HERL conducts research which enables the Agency
to better determine toxicological hazard, define
dose-response relationships, and estimate human
exposure characteristics in support of the Agency's
risk assessment and guideline development. HERL
researchers address public health issues in response
to program office requests and environmental
emergencies. HERL gives advice on its research
results to offices for criteria development and
scientific assessments in support of regulatory and
standard setting activities.
HERL interprets and integrates scientific
information used in the determination of human
health risks to the Agency. It responds to changing
requirements for technical assistance to other ORD
offices, program offices, regions, senior Agency
managers, Agency workgroups, and interagency
task forces. Through the active involvement of its
scientific staff with Agency research and advisory
committees, other Agency offices, and through
interaction with academic and other independent
scientific bodies, the laboratory assists in the
formulation of health science policy for the Agency.
HERL provides the leadership in the development of
national and international environmental health
research efforts.
HERL consists of five research divisions. While
most of the research facilities are located in the
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, HERL has
several branches in Cincinnati, Ohio. Also HERL
has one of the nation's few sophisticated human
inhalation exposure facilities which is located on
the campus of the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill.
60
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Office of Health and Environmental Assessment
William H. Farland is the Director of the
Office of Health and Environmental
Assessment. He has been with EPA since
1979, and served as Deputy Director, Health
and Environmental Review Division, Office of
Toxic Substances, before joining ORD in 1986
as Director of the Carcinogen Assessment
Group. He received a Ph.D. and Master's
degree from the University of California, Los
Angeles, and a Bachelor's degree in Biology
from Loyola University. He was a National
Cancer Institute Postdoctoral Fellow
(National Research Service Awardee), at the
University of California, Irvine, California,
and Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton,
New York.
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL:
$21,000,000
136
DIRECTOR
FTS 382-7315
COM 202-382-7315
Technical
Information
Staff
FTS 382-7345
COM 202-382-7345
Program Operations
Staff
FTS 382-7311
COM 202-382-7311
Program Liaison
Staff
FTS 382-7323
COM 202-382-7323
Environmental
Criteria
and
Assessment Office
Research Triangle
Park, NC
FTS 629-4173
COM 919-541-4173
Environmental
Criteria
and
Assessment Office
Cincinnati, OH
FTS 684-7531
COM 513-569-7531
Human Health
Assessment Group
FTS 382-5898
COM 202-382-5898
Exposure
Assessment Group
FTS 475-8909
COM 202-475-8909
A
61
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Office of Health and Environmental Assessment
Functions
The Office of Health and Environmental
Assessment (OHEA) is EPA's focal point for the
scientific assessment of the degree of risks imposed
by environmental pollutants in varying exposure
situations on human health and ecological systems.
OHEA occupies a critical position in the Office of
Research and Development (ORD) between: (1) the
researchers in other ORD components who are
generating new findings and data, and (2) the
regulators in the EPA program offices and regions
who must make regulatory, enforcement, and
remedial action decisions. In support of its mission
to provide the Agency with assessments of risk to
human health and the environment, OHEA carries
out three functions:
Prepare human health risk assessments that
serve as the scientific basis for regulatory and
enforcement decisions within the Agency.
Help promote Agency-wide coordination and
consistency of risk assessments through the
preparation of guidelines; by providing expert
advice, reviews, and data analysis; and by
participating in the regulatory decision process.
Plan and conduct research to reduce
uncertainties in risk assessment. As the
primary client for the results of this research,
OHEA in cooperation with other offices, plans
research projects that are carried out by other
ORD organizations (e.g., Health Effects
Research Laboratory) as well as through its own
selected extramural projects.
Program Activities
Air
Evaluate research findings concerning health
effects of hazardous air pollutants, including
background information on physical and
chemical properties, sources, emissions, trans-
port and transformation, and ambient concen-
trations. Such assessments also evaluate the
effects of motor vehicle emissions, fuels, and
additives.
Review criteria for setting National Ambient
Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur
oxides, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides,
ozone and other photochemical oxidants, carbon
monoxide, and lead.
Assess risks from indoor air pollutants. This
includes updating and revising the Indoor Air
Pollution Information Assessment and the
Indoor Air Reference Data Base; determining
the extent of population exposure to indoor air
pollutants; and developing biological contam-
inant measurement methods.
Water
Assess the health effects of exposure to drinking
water contaminants by evaluating scientific
data describing the physical and chemical
properties, the pharmacokinetics, the health
effects in animals and humans, and the
mechanisms of toxicity.
Assess the risk of human exposure to toxic
chemicals, and evaluate site-specific health
hazards for ambient waters as required by the
states and EPA.
Provide risk assessment methodologies for
chemicals and pathogens in support of
regulatory decision making on the use and
disposal of municipal sludge.
Hazardous Waste
Provide health and environmental effects docu-
ments to support RCRA 3001 listing decisions
and the land disposal restriction program in the
form of reference dose documentation.
Develop methods for assessing risks from
hazardous and municipal waste treatment and
disposal techniques and waste minimization
options.
Develop PC-based systems that will permit risk
assessors to conduct risk assessments and assess
options for corrective measures.
Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals
Assist the Office of Pesticide Programs in health
risk assessments for cancer, mutagenicity,
reproductive, and developmental effects, and
exposure assessment.
Assist the Office of Toxic Substances in health
risk assessments for cancer, mutagenicity,
reproductive, and developmental effects, and in
exposure assessment to support decision-making
under TSCA (i.e., existing chemicals program,
PMN review, and test guidelines and test rules
development).
Develop risk assessment methods for cancer/ non-
cancer effects in humans caused by exposure to
environmental chemicals.
Multimedia
Provide guidance and support for exposure and
risk assessment regulatory decision-making by
62
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Office of Health and Environmental Assessment
EPA through risk assessment guidelines, the
Risk Assessment Forum, and the Integrated Risk
Information System (IRIS).
Plan and fund extramural research to reduce
uncertainty in risk assessments through the
validation of assumptions about route-to-route
and species-to-species extrapolations, dose-rate
effects, dose-response models, biomarkers, and
gender equivalence, and by evaluating methods
for improving carcinogen risk assessment.
Manage Agency-wide workgroups that provide
consensus information on Reference Doses (RfDs)
or Agency agreed-upon Risk Estimates of
Carcinogenicity (RECs) for IRIS.
Superfund
Review site-, chemical-, and situation-specific
risk assessments to assist the program offices and
regions in evaluating Superfund alternative
courses of action.
Operate the Technical Support Center for health
and risk assessments to provide guidance and
information to regional and state offices
associated with the Superfund program.
Provide site- and chemical-specific health assess-
ments to support needs for the remedial planning
and cost recovery efforts.
Provide chemical-specific data on carcinogenicity
and chronic effects to support program office
activities necessary to adjust, by regulation, the
Reportable Quantities (RQs) for hazardous sub-
stances. These include listings in association
with Section 3001 of RCRA, designation of Ex-
tremely Hazardous Substances as CERCLA
Hazardous Substances, support for designation of
new substances, and review of old RQ
calculations.
Conduct research to fill information and
assessment gaps that exist in the various phases
of the Superfund public health evaluation process
in the areas of reproductive and developmental
toxicity, pharmacokinetics, exposure assessment
methods, and assessment of chemical mixtures.
Issues
OHEA's role has been evolving from being the
primary EPA office performing chemical-specific
risk assessments to an office that is a major force in
assuring consistency and high scientific quality in
the risk and exposure assessments conducted in
other parts of the Agency, especially in the regions.
In addition, OHEA's role of being both a planner of
and a client for risk assessment-related research
conducted throughout EPA has been expanding.
The risk assessments prepared by OHEA are
becoming multi-media, multi-effect documents.
This evolution will continue, and OHEA must seek
ways of successfully fulfilling these broader
responsibilities in order to help keep EPA in the
forefront of this developing field of science.
Issues Related to Conducting Risk Assessments
OHEA's initial assessment of lead developed as
part of the office's mandate to prepare Criteria
Documents for the National Ambient Air Quality
Standards Program. From that work we began to
recognize that the adverse effects of lead on
neurological and intellectual development can be
seen at lower and lower doses-to the point that lead
can be considered a non-threshold pollutant for
those effects. OHEA's work on the lead criteria
document brought about its involvement in several
other areas such as:
the development of the Maximum Contaminant
Level in drinking water for the Drinking Water
Criteria Document,
involvement in the congressionally-mandated
study of effects of lead in children and in
demonstration projects for its removal from soils
in urban areas,
the request from the Department of Housing and
Urban Development to provide assistance in
removal of lead-based paint from homes, and
the principal role in evaluating whether lead
should be considered a suspect carcinogen, and
whether the critical health effect is its
carcinogenic potential or its neurological effects.
OHEA is likely to see changes in emphasis in the air
medium. OHEA is continuing work on assessing
risks from acid aerosols in support of OAQPS'
consideration of acid aerosols as another criteria
pollutant. More work is being requested in the area
of indoor air as we realize that risks from exposure
to indoor air pollutants may be greater than the
risks from exposure to ambient outdoor air. Finally,
we are likely to see major amendments to the Clean
Air Act in 1990, which will cause a significant
increase in OHEA work, on a timetable, in the area
of hazardous air pollutants.
Issues Related to Risk Assessment Research
OHEA influences research efforts to reduce
uncertainties in risk assessment. It provides
63
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Office of Health and Environmental Assessment
direction to such research and must work with other
ORD offices to incorporate research results into its
ongoing agenda of risk assessment documents, its
assessment guidelines, and the databases used
throughout the Agency. ORD is pursuing research
efforts in understanding ecological risk and in
improving exposure assessment. Pharmacokinetics,
model validation, and reducing the uncertainty in
exposure assessment are areas of future research.
OHEA pursues research to understand the effects
and interactions of chemical mixtures and complex
exposures and is using this information to develop
techniques for assessing risks from such mixtures
and exposures. We are cooperating with other ORD
offices in assessing environmental risk and
developing techniques for comparing risks of
different remedial strategies and risk reduction
techniques across media, and across different health
and environmental effects.
OHEA is an important client for research conducted
by the other ORD offices and seeks to be effective in
helping to plan needed research to be conducted by
ORD. The ultimate result of such enhanced
planning will be research findings that are better
targeted to the needs of the risk assessors.
Issues Related to Providing Guidance and
Consistency to Agency Risk Assessment Activities
OHEA has provided scientific leadership to Agency
workgroups developing risk assessment guide-
lines under the Risk Assessment Forum. Five
guidelines were published in 1986. Still underway
are: additions and amendments to the existing
guidelines (exposure measurement, developmental
toxicity amendments, carcinogen guideline
revisions), and new efforts in reproductive toxicity,
neurotoxicity, quantitative assessment of chronic
effects, and development of guidelines for assessing
ecological risk.
The conduct of risk assessment has become more
and more decentralized as many of the remedial and
regulatory programs have shifted to site-specific
concerns, e.g., hazardous waste facilities and
Superfund site cleanups. As a result, a critical issue
is managing the flow of risk assessment
information. Five such activities are illustrative:
OHEA manages the Integrated Risk
Information System (IRIS) which provides
consensus risk assessment information to those
conducting risk assessments. That management
has included chairing the Reference Dose (RfD)
and Cancer Risk Assessment Verification
Endeavor (CRAVE) Workgroups, which
verify the information, develop the consensus
profiles, and support users. A workgroup has
been established to develop methods for, and
begin verifying inhalation Reference Concen-
trations (RfCs). The IRIS database started as an
E-Mail based system, was recently made
available on TOXNET (the National Library of
Medicine's Toxicology Data Network), and is
being converted to a PC-based system. Currently,
there are about 400 different chemicals on the
system.
OHEA works with OAQPS in managing the Air
Risk Information Support Center (AirRISC).
AirRISC assists state and local air pollution
control agencies and EPA regional offices on
technical matters pertaining to health, exposure,
and risk assessment for toxic air pollutants. Its
primary goal is to obtain information and,
provide assistance in the review and
interpretation of that information.
OHEA chairs the governmental advisory group
to, and is the major source of funding for, the
National Academy of Sciences' Committee on
Risk Assessment Methodology (CRAM).
CRAM will address the inconsistencies,
limitations, and uncertainties in risk
assessments conducted by different government
agencies by using NAS' auspices to resolve key
scientific issues, uncertainties, and problems in
using risk assessment at the highest level of
scientific credibility.
OHEA has provided the lead on the
Developmental and Reproductive Toxicol-
ogy (DART) Database, a literature database
that includes citations from reproductive and
developmental toxicology. The database is an
outgrowth of a narrower one on teratology alone
(the Environmental Teratology Information
Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory), and is
accessible through the National Library of
Medicine's TOXNET system.
OHEA is starting up a new Technical Support
Center for Health and Risk Assessment for
Superfund to provide a contact point for
dissemination of health and risk assessment
information to regional and state officials and
private organizations involved in Superfund. It is
one of five such centers ORD operates.
64
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Exposure Assessment Group
Michael A. Callahan has been the Director
of the Exposure Assessment Group since 1986.
His prior experience at EPA includes
positions in the Office of Toxic Substances and
the Office of Water. He began his career as a
chemist with the U.S. Army Research and
Development Center. He has been awarded
three EPA Bronze Medals for Commendable
Service. He received a Master's degree in
Organic Chemistry from George Washington
University and a Bachelor's degree in
Chemistry from Northwestern University.
DIRECTOR
FTS 475-8909
COM 202-475-8909
Exposure Assessment
Methods
Exposure Assessment
Applications
Functions
The Exposure Assessment Group provides
advice on the exposure characteristics and
factors of agents that are suspected of causing
detrimental health effects; provides state-of-the-
art methodology, guidance, and procedures for
exposure determinations; and prepares
independent assessments of exposure and
recommendations concerning the exposure
potential of specific agents.
The Exposure Assessment Group consists of two
branches:
The Exposure Assessment Application Branch
is responsible for performing exposure
assessments, applying exposure assessment
methods to site-specific cases, reviewing
Regional Superfund risk assessments, and
reviewing exposure assessments prepared by
other organizations.
The Exposure Assessment Methods Branch is
responsible for developing methods for use in
exposure assessments, chairing Agency-wide
work groups on subjects such as guidelines
development and related Risk Assessment
Forum topics, performing exposure assessments,
and reviewing exposure assessments prepared
by other organizations.
These branches provide state-of-the-art
methodology, guidance, and procedures as well
as plan and execute research in the area of
exposure assessment.
65
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Human Health Assessment Group
In February 1990, Hugh West McKinnon was
appointed the Director of the Human Health
Assessment Group, where he had been serving
as Acting Director since August 1989. He
received his medical degree from the University
of Virginia in 1977. Prom July 1987 to June
1989, he was a General Preventive Medicine
Resident in the School of Hygiene and Public
Health at the Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore and received a Master of Public
Health degree from that university in 1988. He
was appointed as Medical Officer in the Office of
Health Research in 1978 and served as the
Acting Director of that office from November
1985 to May 1987. He has professional
memberships in the American Public Health
Association, the Association of Preventive
Medicine Residents, and the Federal Physicians
Association.
Carcinogen
Assessment
Statistics and
Epidemiology
Genetic
Toxicology
Assessment
Reproductive and
Developmental
Toxicology
Carcinogen
Assessment
Toxicology
DIRECTOR
FTS 382-5898
COM 202-382-5898
66
-------
Human Health Assessment Group
Functions
The Human Health Assessment Group provides
state-of-the-art methodology, guidance, and proce-
dures for the evaluation of carcinogenic, mutagenic,
reproductive, and developmental effects; assures
quality and consistency in the Agency's scientific
risk assessments; makes recommendations on
testing requirements (research) needed for adequate
risk assessments; prepares independent assess-
ments of risk and makes recommendations
concerning the nature and extent of health hazards
associated with specific substances; and, plans and
executes research in the areas of carcinogenicity,
mutagenicity, and reproductive and developmental
effects.
The Group is composed of four branches:
The Carcinogen Assessment Toxicology Branch is
responsible for advising the Agency's program
offices on the health-hazard potential from
suspected cancer-causing agents as interpreted from
animal toxicology and pathology data.
The Carcinogen Assessment Statistics and
Epidemiology Branch advises the Agency on the
health-hazard potential from suspected cancer-
causing agents as interpreted from epidemiology
data and defines and interprets dose-response
relationships from both epidemiologic and animal
data.
The Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology
Branch is responsible for advising the Agency on
the health risks associated with suspected
reproductive and developmental toxicants as
interpreted from in vitro experimental animal and
human data.
The Genetic Toxicology Assessment Branch advises
the Agency on the health risks associated with
suspected genotoxins and provides assessments of
the mechanism of action for other branches.
67
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Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office - Cincinnati
Christopher T. DeRosa is the Acting
Director of the Environmental Criteria and
Assessment Office in Cincinnati, OH (ECAO).
He previously served as Group Leader, Acting
Branch Chief and Branch Chief of the Chem-
ical Mixtures Assessment Branch of ECAO
from 1984 to 1989. After receiving his Ph D in
biology from Miami University, Oxford, OH,
he served as an instructor and then Assistant
Professor at the University of Virginia until
1980 when he joined ECAO due to a growing
interest in the applied aspects of ecologic and
environmental health research. From 1982 to
1984 he briefly returned to teaching as
Assistant Professor of botany and zoology at
the University of Maine. He has been the
recipient of the Bronze Medal three times, and
many special achievement awards for con-
tinued superior performance, and is a member
of numerous professional organizations in-
cluding the Society for Risk Analysis and the
Ecological Society of America.
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL:
$5,200,000
DIRECTOR
FTS 684-7531
COM 513-569-7531
Word Processing Unit
FTS 684-7575
COM 513-569-7575
Technical Information Unit
FTS 684-7532
COM 513-569-7532
Chemical Mixtures
Assessment Branch
FTS 684-7534
COM 513-569-7534
Methods Evaluation and
Development Staff
FTS 684-7544
COM 513-569-7544
Systemic Toxicants
Assessment Branch
FTS 684-7523
COM 513-569-7523
FTS 684-7254
COM 513-569-7254
IRIS User Support
Superfund Technical Support
Center
FTS 684-7300
COM 513-569-7300
University of Cincinnati Co-
operative Agreement
FTS 684-7531
COM 513-569-7531
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Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office - Cincinnati
Functions
The Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office
(ECAO) is responsible to the Office of Health and
Environmental Assessment (OHEA) primarily for
preparing criteria and assessment documents and
developing risk assessment methodology and
guidelines in support of program needs and
schedules in the conduct of Agency regulatory
activities. The ECAO serves as an ORD focal point
to collect, evaluate, and assess literature generated
by researchers (nationally and internationally) and
to provide research information of the best possible
quality to those in EPA and those in Congress
charged with the responsibility for making
regulatory and legislative decisions regarding
control of environmental pollution in the United
States.
The primary function of the ECAO consists of (1)
preparation and publication of new or revised
criteria documents when needed as input for setting
environmental standards, (2) preparation and
publication of scientific assessment documents/
health risk assessment reports, which will serve as
a basi.-; for decisions by the EPA Administrator
regarding the listing of pollutants for standards and
control under various legislative authorities, and (3)
the development of risk assessment methods, which
provide guidance for evaluating potential risks to
human health from exposure to environmental
pollutants.
The Chemical Mixtures Assessment Branch
(CMAB) provides support for the development
of background documentation and technical
support necessary in the formulation of human
health risk assessment activities for Agency
program offices as mandated by both CERCLA
and RCRA. These assessments establish the
basis for regulatory activities associated with
the potential human exposure to environmental
pollutants, particularly chemical mixtures.
The Systemic Toxicants Assessment Branch
(STAB) provides support for the development of
background documentation necessary in the
formulation of human health risk assessment
activities for Agency program offices as
mandated by CWA, SDWA, and CAA. These
assessments establish the basis for regulatory
activities associated with the potential human
exposure to environmental pollutants, particu-
larly systemic toxicants.
The Methods Evaluation and Development Staff
(MEDs) coordinates the development of risk
assessment methods for chemical mixtures and
systemic toxicity and reviews new methods in
response to identified Agency needs. MEDs also
coordinates the Agency's Integrated Risk
Information System (IRIS). This activity helps
ensure that the Agency's risk assessments
remain credible and that state-of-the-art
methods are continuously evaluated.
ECAO research efforts address risk characterization
that assimilates information derived from all areas
of risk assessment. Risk characterization
conclusions are then used by the program offices in
making risk-based management conclusions. The
current risk assessment techniques are
incorporated into the decision-making process. In
addition, new methods for risk assessment or
improvements to existing methods are needed by
program offices because more sophisticated risk
management questions are being asked. Further,
ECAO provides the scientific basis and rationale for
many of the Agency's criteria and standards,
thereby relating directly to the priorities of the
program offices. By synthesizing all existing
scientific information into estimates of risk, the
research needs and priorities of the program offices
are better defined.
During the next 3 to 5 years, ECAO will initiate
efforts to more accurately describe the health effects
of chemicals or mixtures of chemicals in under-
standable and accessible documentation; credibly
estimate the health risk of such chemicals or
mixtures at expected environmental exposures;
improve the current risk assessment techniques and
develop new methods for risk assessment based in
part on program office needs; and offer technical
assistance to federal, state or local governments,
academia, foreign organizations or the general
public as applicable.
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Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office - Research Triangle Park
Lester D. Grant has been the Director of the
Environmental Criteria and Assessment
Office in Research Triangle Park (ECAO-
RTP) since 1978. While with EPA, he has
been awarded two EPA Bronze Medal awards
and one EPA Gold Medal award. From 1970 to
1980, he rose from Instructor to Associate Pro-
fessor in the Department of Psychiatry and
Anatomy at the University of North Carolina
School of Medicine, where he also served as
Associate Director of the Neurobiology Pro-
gram and as Co-Director of a major environ-
mental toxicology research program. His
educational background includes a Bachelor's
degree (Social Psychology/ Pre-medicine) from
the University of Pittsburgh and Masters/
Ph.D. degrees (Organizational/ Physiological
Psychology) from Carnegie-Mellon Univer-
sity. Mr. Grant received specialty training in
neurobiology before joining the University of
North Carolina faculty.
FY90 BUDGET:
PERSONNEL
$5,250,000
DIRECTOR
FTS 629-4173
COM 919-541-4173
Environmental Media
Assessment
FTS 629-4173
COM 919-541-4173
Technical Services
FTS 629-3797
COM 919-541-3797
Hazardous Pollutants
Assessment
FTS 629-4173
COM 919-541-4173
i
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Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office - Research Triangle Park
Functions
The Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office
at Research Triangle Park is primarily responsible
for preparing criteria and other assessment
documents for use in Agency regulatory activities.
The primary activities consist of preparing and
publishing (1) revised or new criteria documents
when prescribed by legislation or requested by
national decision-makers, (2) health and environ-
mental assessment documents that serve as a basis
for decisions by the EPA Administrator regarding
the regulation and control of pollutants, and (3)
special health-related reports as required by the
Agency's various legislative activities or as espec-
ially requested by other governmental authorities.
The office also has the lead responsibility for
managing the integrated ORD Indoor Air Research
Program. The ECAO-RTP carries out these
functions through its Environmental Media
Assessment Branch, Hazardous Pollutant Assess-
ment Branch, and Technical Services Staff.
The Environmental Media Assessment Branch
develops broad (usually multi-disciplinary)
assessments of widespread pollutants or classes of
pollutants. These assessments require substantial
evaluation and integration of information not only
on health effects, but also on ecological or other
environmental effects. Additionally, they include
background information on sources, emissions,
transport and fate, and exposure aspects. Activities
include the preparation of air quality criteria
documents and the preparation or review of cross-
media pollutant assessments.
The Hazardous Pollutant Assessment Branch
conducts detailed assessments of health effects
associated with air pollutants. A principal activity
is the development of inhalation reference
concentrations (RfCs) for air pollutants subject to
regulation by the Clean Air Act, the Superfund
Amendment and Reauthorization Act, states, and
regions. An inhalation reference concentration is an
estimate of continuous exposure to the human
population that is likely to be without appreciable
risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime. The
HPAB also exercises a leadership role in the Air
Risk Information Support Center (Air RISC) jointly
supported by OHEA and OAQPS which provides a
hotline and technical assistance to regions, states,
and local agencies needing toxicological or risk
assessment information quickly. Primary HPAB
research interests are reduction of uncertainty in
the RfC methodology.
The Technical Services Staff provides literature
searches and retrieval, reference verification, and
bibliographic database management; editing and
graphics services; information and records
management support; conference support services,
and distribution and printing. TSS also maintains
docket and project files, and assures ECAO-RTP
conformance to Agency and ORD policies for peer
and administrative review, ADP and quality
assurance.
Management of the ORD Indoor Air Research
Program consists of coordinating related research
activities within ORD and those of other federal
agencies. Included is the preparation of various
materials in conjunction with the Office of Air
Programs such as the Report to Congress and indoor
air public awareness documents. Specific activities
within ECAO include the development of a risk
characterization methodology and the indoor air
Reference Bibliography with over 4400 citations.
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