UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region II, New York, New York 10278
DATE: November 15, 1989
SUBJECT: Risk Assessment Review
William J.Jkfszyn
Deputy Regional Admin is*

FROM
WilliamFarland
Director
Office of Health and Environmental Assessment
Attached is a copy of the Risk Assessment Review, a bimonthly
publication that is a cooperative effort between the Office
of Research and Development and the Regional Risk Assessment
Network.
The Review serves as a focal point for information exchange
among the EPA risk assessment community on both technical and
policy issues related to' risk assessment. It is currently in
its fourth year of publication and we are pleased at the
positive feedback we've received on the Review's usefulness
to staff across the Agency.
Thanks to all of you who continue to contribute articles and
are involved with production efforts. If you have an article
to contribute or any suggestions for further issues, contact
one of the Committee members listed on page 1 of the Review.
Attachment

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October 1989
Highlights
•	Inhalation Reference Dose (RfDj) 	 p. 1
•	ORD Regional Scientist Activities
Region VIII 	 p. 1
•	Superfund Guidance on Soil Cleanup Levels p. 1
•	Use of Toxic Release Inventory Data in
Region III 	 p. 2
I. Special Features
Inhalation Reference Dose (RfDi)?
by Annie Jarabek (FTS 684-4847)
Michael Dourson (FTS 382-7891)
You've heard of inhalation RfDs in the corridors of the
EPA building, but do such creatures exist? A recent
issue paper by the Risk Assessment Forum suggests
that the Agency not use TLV-based inhalation values for
risk assessment decisions. So what is left for risk
assessment scientists to offer when their managers are
faced with the ever-present and necessary risk manage-
ment decision?
But wait! Since March of 1988, the Reference Dose
(RfD) Work Group has been arguing both the
implementation of the interim methods for the estimation
of inhalation RfDs and, perhaps more importantly,
whether or not to verify individual values. The document,
"Interim Methods for Development of Inhalation Ref-
erence Doses," has now been published. The document
provides a detailed discussion of factors that determine
inhaled dose, including respiratory anatomy and physi-
ology, and the physicochemical properties of the inhaled
pollutant. Issues related to the evaluation of study design
and the generation and characterization of inhalation
exposures are also discussed. Dosimetric adjustments
and approaches for estimating human equivalent
concentrations, which are used to operationally derive
RfDi's when extrapolating risk from animal exposure
scenarios, are described for respiratory and extrares-
piratory effects of both particulate and gaseous agents.
Guidance on use of human data, choice of toxicity
studies, application of uncertainty factors, and the min-
imum data criteria for RfD; development is also included.
As of July 31,1989, 11 inhalation RfD values have been
verified. (So why aren't they on IRIS?) In order to assist
in the understanding of how inhalation RfDs are
estimated, a consistent format is being created for IRIS.
Since up to four different equations can be used to
estimate an inhalation RfD (depending on whether the
toxin is a particle or gas, and whether it causes
respiratory or extrarespiratory toxicity), this is not an
easy task. Look to IRIS by the end of the calendar year
tor the first group of values.
ORD Regional Scientist Activities in Region VIII
by Dick Moraski (FTS 564-7537)
This is the third in a series of articles on the Regional
Scientist Program operated out of the Regional
Operations Staff, ORD (see 7/11/89 and 9/12/89 Review
issues).
Risk Assessment Review Committee
Bill Farland - ORD, FTS 382-7317
Sally Edwards - Region I, FTS 835-3696
Maria Pavlova - Region II, FTS 264-7364
Marian Olsen - Region II, FTS 264-5682
Suzanne Wuerthele - Region VIII, FTS 564-1714
Dana Davoli - Region X, FTS 399-2135
As the ORD Regional Scientist assigned to Region VIII
(Denver, Colorado), I believe my major responsibility is
to provide ORD support to the region. When I speak of
the region, I include not only the regional EPA office but
the states within the region. As a result, my experiences
in the region have been varied and interesting. In this
article, I describe, by example, some of the varied
activities performed by an ORD Regional Scientist.
In the past year, I have worked with Ken Lloyd, the
director of the Region VIII Institute, to create a Region
VIII Institute/ORD seminar series which has featured and
will continue to feature speakers from both ORD head-
quarters and the laboratories on topics ranging from
EPA's research on biomarkers of exposure to new
models being developed for risk assessment activities.
Last June at the request of the region, a national
conference on Environmental Management of Biomass
Combustion and Utilization was held in Denver. This
conference organized with ORD support focused on an
important issue facing many regions of the country - the
environmental impact resulting from the combustion of
biomass, namely, wood and vegetation. The conference
provided a forum for determining the state of the art of
environmental management of biomass combustion
including the utilization of wood as a heat source, forest
fires, and the combustion of vegetative residues for land
clearing in agricultural operations. Over 30 speakers
presented papers during the two-day conference,
including speakers from the U. S. Department of
Agriculture, the states of Colorado and Arizona, the
Wood Heating Alliance, the National Wood Energy
Association, and the Solar Energy Research Institute.
(see ORD p 2)
II. Headquarters
Superfund Soil Lead Cleanup Levels
by Marlene Berg (FTS 475-9494)
The Toxics Integration Branch (OERR) has developed
guidance (OSWER Directive 9355.4-02) on soil lead
cleanup levels for Superfund sites. The guidance, which
applies for remedial actions at fund- and enforcement-
lead sites, will be used until agency guidance now being
developed is available. OSWER guidance is based on
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations
of 500 to 1,000 ppm soil lead and is to be used for
residential settings to protect young children in direct
contact with soil lead. Copies of the guidance can be
obtained by calling the Superfund Docket at (202) 382-
3046. [,Editor's note: We anticipate that more information
on the agency approach will be published in a future
inssue of the Review./
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ORD (Continued from p. 1)
During the past year, I have traveled to most of the
states in the region and have held discussions with state
environmental leaders about the Research and
Development program and looked at ways of bringing
Research and Development services to the states in
areas of greatest need. During this year, I will continue
to work with the states to strengthen the relationships
formed while fulfilling commitments already made.
Region VIII is the lead region for Air and the back-up
region for Research and Development. Consequently, I
have worked with Jack McGraw, the Deputy Regional
Administrator, and Irv Dickstein, the Air and Toxics
Division Director, to identify, prioritize, and present
regional air research needs before the appropriate
research committee. Last year the ten Regional Air and
Environmental Services Division Directors were polled to
determine which initiatives the regions could support.
Areas of particular concern were identified and included
such research areas as criteria pollutant non-attainment,
development of real-time monitoring and remote sensing
methods, and the evaluation of the health effects of
alternative fuels. In addition, we have supported the work
of John Wise, Deputy Regional Administrator of Region
IX and the Lead Region representative for Research and
Development in putting forward the total regional voice
and agenda before senior management in Washington.
Requests for short-term, quick response Research and
Development support have been numerous. In most
cases, work done in response to those requests has
been helpful in supporting the regional decision-making
process. Recently, such a request was made of the
Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office (ECAO) in
Cincinnati to provide a determination of the proper
lifetime health advisory for diisopropyl
methylphosphonate (DIMP). The review concluded that
the current lifetime health advisory was adequate and
could be applied with a high degree of confidence. To all
those colleagues throughout ORD who have contributed
to these efforts, I thank you for your support and
cooperation.
Each region is awarded $50,000 to perform research
with ORD laboratories identified by the region. The ORD
Regional Scientist serves as facilitator of the process to
identify projects and ORD laboratories to do the
research. An ORD initiative that has won support from
the regions has been the Regional Applied Research
Effort (RARE). Two proposals from Region VIII have
been funded during this past year. These are the
Crested Butte Wood Stove Study and the Evaluation of
Leak Detection Screening Techniques for Underground
Storage Tanks. This first study is designed to
characterize the emissions of existing and new
technology stoves in home use at high altitudes; to
determine the air pollution benefits for an entire
community of converting all existing stoves to high
technology; to characterize the emissions of best
technology stoves at high altitudes; and to develop and
validate a short, less costly emissions test that is
capable of measuring particulate emissions from stoves
in home use. The objectives of the second study are to
identify which screening techniques to detect leaking
underground storage tanks work best under different
conditions and to gather baseline data for future
reference and budget planning for identifying problem
areas and for site closure, enforcement actions, and real
estate transactions.
Contact the ORD Regional Scientist in your region with
your specific technical assistance needs. The ORD
Regional Scientists are: Region I, Greg Kew FTS 835-
3397; Region III, Norm Kulujian, FTS 597-9336; Region
V, Louis Blume, FTS 353-3405; Region VI, George
Keeler, FTS 255-2252; Region VII, Dermont Bouchard,
FTS 757-2800; Region VIII, Dick Moraski, FTS 564-7537
and Region IX, Spence Peterson, FTS 399-2146.
III. Around the Regions
Use of Toxic Release Inventory Data in
Region III
Region III has developed a five-step approach for
analyzing the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data which
incorporates available toxicological data to prioritize
geographic areas, industries, and chemicals of most
concern within the region. The approach uses both
cancer potency and toxic reference dose information
contained in EPA's Integrated Risk Information System
(IRIS).
The first step is to calculate the total release from all
sources by county, SIC code, and chemical name. The
data for sodium sulfate is then removed and a regional
ranking is developed.
The second step involves an analysis of the top ten
counties to determine whether the ranking is the result
of a single source or multiple sources. The results of this
analysis may then be used for geographic studies or for
contacting the source in an effort to reduce emissions
under the pollution prevention program.
Step three involves comparing the available data on
cancer potency and toxic reference dose with the
information in IRIS. This results in a combined list of
chemicals that is relatively manageable (around eighty)
which can be further analyzed. The potency factor and
reference dose are normalized to the "worst" chemical
in the resulting list, and a relative potency and toxicity
factor is generated for the chemical. These relative
factors are multiplied by the total emission for each
chemical, and the resulting products are then ranked.
This ranking provides the region with a list of chemicals
which are of highest concern based upon their potency
and toxicity. This lists differs considerably from the
ranking based solely on total emissions.
Building on this list, step four then identifies the sources
of the highest chemicals of concern from the potency
and toxicity lists. Again, the relative potency and toxicity
factors are applied to the total release data, and a list of
the highest sources of concern is generated by media
(air, water and land). These lists are given to the
appropriate programs for their consideration and use in
developing inspection schedules, permitting decisions,
and enforcement activities. In addition, the locations of
the sources of highest concern have been incorporated
into the region's Geographic Information System (GIS)
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for comparison to the highest ranked counties, from
step 2.
Step five looks at the industry of highest concern, SIC
code 2800, and applies the same technique as in step 3.
A list of chemicals with the highest volume of emissions
for the region is generated, and the toxicological data is
applied. Again, the resulting ranking using the toxico-
logical data is significantly different from the total
emissions ranking, with several chemicals not in the top
fifteen of the total emissions lists, at or near the top of
the list using the toxicological data.
Region III is interested in establishing this approach as
one method for evaluating TRI data which helps to
answer questions regarding specific chemicals or
sources and their relative harm. The region realizes that
anything short of a full-scale risk assessment that incor-
porates actual release, exposure, and pathway data,
does not provide an accurate answer to most questions.
However, it is incumbent on the region to establish a
risk-based approach to analyzing the TRI data.
Contact: Jeffrey J. Burke, FTS 597-1177
IV. Announcements
Society for Risk Analysis Forum on Risk of
Extreme Events
On December 12 and 13, 1989, the Society for Risk
Analysis will host a forum on Risk of Extreme Events at
the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. The
Forum will consist of seven lectures that address the risk
assessment/management process, which comprises
both quantitative/empirical and qualitative/normative
analyses, focusing on risk of extreme and catastrophic
events and on various applications.
Lectures and speakers at the forum are:
•	The Process of Risk Assessment and Management,
Focusing on Extreme and Catastrophic Events by
Dr. Haimes. The lecture will address the process of
risk assessment and management, focusing on the
trade-offs that must be made among all costs,
benefits, and risks, and the centrality of extreme and
catastrophic events.
•	Recent Advances in Quantitative Risk Assessment
by Dr. B. John Garrick. Dr. Garrick's work has been
primarily in the area of risk assessment for nuclear
power, space systems, and chemical process plants
and facilities. This lecture will highlight the major
advances in quantitative risk assessment during the
last decade.
•	Treatment of Risk in Program Management by
General Alton D. Slay. This lecture will discuss the
elements of risk associated with management of
major acquisition programs of the Department of
Defense and NASA, including methods of exposure.
® Risk-Cost Trade-off Analysis and Methodology for
the Quantification of Risk of Extreme Events with
Applications by Dr. Haimes. This lecture will focus
on the importance of addressing extreme and
catastrophic events explicitly, and within the overall
risk-based decision-making process, where trade-
offs among costs and risks can be generated and
evaluated. Applications include dam safety,
transportation, and aerospace problems.
•	Quantitative Risk Assessment with Applications by
Dr. B. John Garrick. This lecture will consist of a
brief overview of the thought process of probabilistic
risk assessment and a detailed discussion of three
applications: nuclear power plant, a system
associated with manned space flight, and a
chemical process facility.
•	Risk Assessment of Extreme Events: Uncontrolled
Release of Toxic Chemicals by Dr. Betty Anderson.
This lecture will address the implications of extreme
events that involve toxic chemical releases and, in
particular, address the qualitative and quantitative
data that are needed as a basis for making
immediate judgments about emergency relief and
the longer term potential health and ecological risks
associated with these potential events.
•	Risk-Cost Trade-off Analysis and Methodology for
the Quantification of Risk of Extreme Events with
Applications by Dr. Haimes. This lecture is a
continuation of the previous lecture.
The course fee for the forum is $275. Accommodations
are available from the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, One
Bethesda Metro Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20814. The
hotel reservation number is (301) 657-1234. For further
information, please contact Kristi Jacobs of the Society
for Risk Analysis at 8000 Westpark Drive, Suite 400,
McLean, Virginia 22102. Kristi can be reached at (703)
790-1745 or FAX (703) 790-9063.
Environmental Change and Public Health - The
Next 50 Years
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of
Public Health will host a Symposium on "Environmental
Change and Public Health: The Next 50 Years," on
January 21-24, 1990, at the Omni Europa Hotel in
Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The purpose of the sympo-
sium is to bring together academicians, researchers,
policy makers, and practitioners of environmental
science and public health.
The goals of the symposium are:
•	To create a shared recognition that major changes
in the environment and human habitat are expected
to occur during the next 10-50 years;
•	To identify the potential impacts of these changes
on public health, and its policies, priorities, and
institutions as they exist today;
•	To propose and debate public policies that would
most effectively promote health and prevent disease
under these changing conditions and, as far as
possible, would prevent adverse changes from
occurring in the first place;
•	To identify research needs and assessment
activities that would improve understanding of the
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environmental changes themselves, of their public
health impacts, and of appropriate policy and
behavioral responses; and
•	To explore how the School of Public Health can
pursue the needed research and assessment
activities and can encourage the adoption of needed
policies.
The themes of the symposium include:
•	Global-scale changes, e.g., global atmospheric
change and climate modification caused by
increasing emissions resulting from population
growth, increasing energy demand, and the need for
greater agricultural production.
•	Community-to-nation-scale changes worldwide, e.g.,
continued loss of ecosystems and biodiversity due
to expansion and development; increased
concentrations of, and more frequent exposure to,
toxics and hazardous pollutants caused by air
pollution and declining water availability and quality;
and increased exposure to hazardous and common
wastes, all resulting from increased urbanization,
industrialization, technological changes, and eco-
nomic trends.
•	Proximate-scale changes, e.g., changes in home
and workplace environments leading to increased
exposures to air pollutants, biohazards and toxics
caused by changes in building practices, poor
maintenance, new materials availability, and waste-
disposal practices.
The program registration fee is $125. For further
information on the symposium, please contact Annette
Parker, the Program Coordinator, or Brenda Mauer,
Registrar (HCE609). Office of Continuing Education,
U.N.C. School of Public Health, CB #8165, Miller Hall,
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-8165 or (919) 966-
4032. Accommodations are available from the Omni
Europa Hotel in Chapel Hill, and they can be reached at
(919) 968-4900.
Sixth Annual Conference of the Air Resources
Information Clearinghouse - Global
Atmospheric Change and Public Health
The Center for Environmental Information, Inc., will host
the Sixth Annual Conference of the Air Resources
Information Clearinghouse titled Global Atmospheric
Change and Public Health, on December 5 and 6, 1989,
at the Washington Plaza Hotel in Washington, OC.
Predicted effects of global atmospheric change will have
strong influences on public health, directly and
indirectly, as change results in modification of the
biosphere's land, air, and water resources. These public
health problems, in turn, have major economic
implications and raise significant issues of public policy
and international relations.
This conference will bring together in a public forum the
health, scientific, policy, and information communities to
address these issues. The conference program is
organized into the following areas:
•	to examine potential public health impacts;
•	to assess available information sources and define
information needs; and
•	to identify areas of research priorities.
The registration fee for the meeting is $250. Room
reservations are available from the Washington Plaza
Hotel at 800-424-1140. For additional information, please
contact: Center for Environmental Information, Inc., 99
Court Street, Rochester, New York 14604-1824 or (716)
546-3796.
Risk and Decision-Making Courses Scheduled
The following is the schedule for the Risk and Decision-
Making Course through December:
November 1
Region III
Region II
Region VIII -
November 2-4 (Albany, NY)
November 15-17 (New York City)
November 29-30
December 5-7 (Laramie, WY)
Following is the schedule for the Risk Communication
Workshop through December:
Region III
Region V
November 2
November 13-14
December 12-14
Region VI - December 7
Contact: Marian Olsen (FTS 264-5682)
Contacts:
Jerome Puskin
Linda Tuxen
Dorothy Patton
Dick Hill
Don Barnes
Dean Hill
Sally Edwards
Marian Olsen
Jeffrey Burke
Elmer Akin
Milt Clark
Jon Rauscher
Bob Fenemore
Suzanne Wuerthele
Arnold Den
Dana Davoli
OAR-RAD
ORD-OHEA
ORD-RAF
OPTS
SAB
NEIC
Region I
Region II
Region III
Region IV
Region V
Region VI
Region VII
Region VIII
Region IX
Region X
FTS 475-9640
FTS 382-5949
FTS 475-6743
FTS 382-2897
FTS 382-4126
FTS 776-8138,
FTS 835-6396
FTS 264-5682
FTS 597-1177
FTS 257-2234
FTS 886-3388
FTS 255-6715
FTS 757-2970
FTS 564-1714
FTS 454-0906
FTS 399-2135
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Need Help?
If your office needs help in finding information or
assistance on a specific risk assessment problem,
you can announce that need on the Risk
Assessment/Risk Management Bulletin Board now
available on E-Mail. Your colleagues from other
offices who have information or advice will be able
to contact you with assistance. For assistance in
posting announcements or reading entries on the
Bulletin Board, contact Electronic Mail User's
Support at FTS 382-5639. Your colleagues from
other offices who have information or advice will be
able to contact you with assistance.	
If you would like to receive additional copies of this
and subsequent Reviews or to be added to the
mailing list contact:
CERI Distribution
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
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