UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region II, New York, New York 10278
DATE: Juty 23, 1990
SUBJECT: (Risk Assessment Reviews
FROM: William J. Mrf&zyhsfe^f'P.E.
Deputy Regional Administrator
William Farland, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Health. and Environmental Assessment
Attached is a copy of the Risk Assessment Review, a bimonthly
publication that is a cooperative effort between the Office
of Research and Development and the Regional Risk Assessment
network.
The Review serves as a focal point for information exchange
among the EPA risk assessment community on both technical and
policy issues related to' risk assessment. It is currently in
its fourth year of publication and we are pleased at the
positive feedback we've received on the Review's usefulness
to staff across the Agency.
Thanks to all of you who continue to contribute articles and
are involved with production efforts. If you have an article
to contribute or any suggestions for further issues, contact
one of the Committee members listed on page 1 of the Review.
Attachment
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June 1990
Highlights
Regional Applied Research Effort - Extension of
EPA Regional Needs/ORD Coordination p. 1
News from the Risk Assessment Forum ... p. 1
Revised Version of Risk'Assistant p. 3
Happenings at the Science Advisory Board p. 5
Standardized Exposure Parameters for
Trespassers and Recreational Scenarios p. 5
OIRM Report on Risk Modeling with GIS p. 5
ORD Newsletter on Ecological Risk p. 6
Environmental Health Risk Education for Youth:
Curricula, Concepts, Strategies, and
Resources Meeting p. 7
I. Special Features
Regional Applied Research Effort - Extension
of EPA Regional Needs/ORD Coordination
By Gregory Kew (FTS 835-3397)
This is the seventh in a series of articles describing
activities of the Regional Scientist Program operated by
the Regional Operations Staff, Office of Technology
Transfer and Regulatory Support (OTTRS)/Office of
Research and Development (ORD).
The assignment of an ORD Regional Scientist in Region
I (Boston, MA) has fostered closer ties through several
activities. Among these are referrals of specific technical
problems to ORD specialists in various disciplines,
Arranging technical document reviews, and representing
regional needs in ORD's Research Initiatives process for
longer-term planning. Also, short-term technical
information needs have been filled on issues ranging
from chemical-specific regulatory jurisdiction of various
cabinet-level departments to checking technical backup
for potential ORD press releases important to Region I.
In addition, the Regional Scientist serves as coordinator
for participation of Region I in the Regional Applied
Research Effort (RARE) that will be the focus of the
remainder of this article.
The goal of RARE is to enable ORD to respond directly
and quickly to high-priority regional applied research
needs not met in longer-term planning due to their
recent origin, site specificity, or unique character. In
addition, this effort fosters contacts and cooperation
between regions and ORD laboratories. In the near-term,
ORD anticipates this program will help alleviate scientific
and technological impediments to regional permitting
and enforcement efforts.
While it has long been ORD's policy that laboratory
directors provide regional offices with quick response
technical assistance and advice on request, for a
relatively modest investment the RARE Program
enables completion of somewhat longer and more
resource-intensive research projects that may also serve
as forerunners to areas of research needed Agency-
wide.
(see Regional p. 2)
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 330-1714
Dana Davoli - Region X, FTS 399-2135
News from the Risk Assessment Forum
by Bette L Cantor (FTS 475-6743)
Ecological Risk Guidelines Information Gathering
Meetings
The Risk Assessment Forum is sponsoring a series of
information-gathering meetings on ecological risk
assessment issues. These meetings are among several
activities undertaken to assist developing the Agency's
first set of ecological risk assessment guidelines.
The April 1990 issue of the Risk Assessment Review
(pages 1-2) contained a report on the first two meetings,
which were held March 26 and April 9. At this writing,
four more meetings have taken place. These are:
April 30 Uncertainty Issues in Ecological Hazard
Assessment
May 7 Ecological Risk Consultative Group
May 14 Meeting with Federal Agency Representatives
May 21 Uncertainty Issues in Exposure Assessment
The last meeting will take place on July 9 on the subject
of population level modeling.
Below is a summary of the past four meetings. A report
summarizing all the meetings will be available tnrough
the Federal Register in the fall of 1990.
Uncertainty Issues in Ecological Hazard Assessment
At this colloquium, participants discussed the use of
toxicity and other stress-response data in ecological risk
assessment. They also discussed current methods used
to extrapolate among species and endpoints, from
laboratory to field, and between exposure durations. Key
issues raised at the meeting were: the reliability of
various extrapolations, the pros and cons of different
extrapolation procedures, the available data sets for
aquatic and terrestrial extrapolations, and the roles of
biomarkers in predicting toxic endpoints.
Ecological Risk Consultative Group
This meeting provided an opportunity for the Science
Advisory Board (SAB) members to make suggestions
regarding the scope and content of the Guidelines.
Three questions were posed to the SAB:
1. What information, principles, and methods are
essential for inclusion in the guidelines at this time?
2. What controversial issues should be addressed,
even though they may not be resolved?
3. What controversial issues can reasonably be put
aside for the present?
(see Risk p. 2)
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Regional (continued from p.1)
Any applied research project that the region wants and
that an ORD laboratory has the expertise to carry out
can be proposed. Although the basic funding level per
region is $50K per year, the Regional Offices and
Regional Scientists are encouraged to seek matching
funds from ORD labs, EPA Program Offices, universities
or state environmental agencies that have similar
information needs. Additional administrative information
is available through Regional Scientists or Or. David
Klauder, Director of Regional Operations at FTS 382-
7667.
In FY'89 the eight funded projects from four participating
regions ranged from "Field Screening Methods for
Underground Storage Tank (UST) Sites" (Region VIII) to
"Wetland Mapping and Assessment of Comparative
Technologies" (Region III). For FY'90 approximately
fifteen additional projects are under consideration with all
regions participating through either new or carry-on
projects.
Region I has two projects that have been submitted for
funding in FY'90. The first is entitled "Development of a
Forest Canopy And Land Use Data System for Biogenic
Hydrocarbon Inventories". Biogenic hydrocarbon emis-
sions are known to be important precursors to ozone
formation in many urban areas. Consequently, estim-
ating their occurrence is important in formulating local
regulatory strategies (i.e., NOx and anthropogenic
volatile organic chemicals control) and in developing
regional episodic models of ozone events. For New
England, early 1970s forest canopy and crop cover data
presently are the latest collated information available for
modeling. This project would furnish a revised database
from 1985 data collected by USDA's Northeast Region
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) unit. FIA ground-
sampled one plot per 5,000 acres (20.2 km2) for species
present, stem diameter class, understory species, and
plot position. Aerial photo sampling was used to
determine forest area and canopy cover characteristics
(one photo per 350 acres [3.6 km2]). In this RARE
project the information will be analyzed to estimate
foliage biomass that, merged with data on crop and
urban cover, yields a total biomass estimate. Species-
specific VOC emission algorithms have been published
and can be used with regional meteorological
parameters to calculate biogenic emissions at desired
spatial and temporal intervals.
The second project for Region I involves integration of
the recently operational Global Positioning System
(GPS) for finding precise geographic location based on
Department of Defense (DoD) satellite positions, with the
Geographic Information System (GIS) that has been
operational in Region I for approximately one year. The
project will investigate use of "differential GPS" mea-
surements, comparing on-site location-finding signals to
simultaneous signals received at a base station whose
location is very precisely known, to correct for a variety
of potential error sources (including deliberate DoD
degradation of signals). The expected result may be
location errors of less than 10 feet, region-wide. Some
location information now available for resource inven-
tories. wellhead positions, and permit discharge points is
far less accurate, hundreds of yards off in some cases.
compromising reliability of some GIS analyses. Methods
developed in this project will allow virtually
instantaneous correction to within ten feet or less when a
site is revisited.
As mentioned earlier, tech support activity has always
been strongly encouraged by ORD management. Over
the last three or four years, ORD has dramatically
increased the visibility of its Technolgoy Transfer and
Technology Support activities, as evidenced by creation
of the separate Office of Technology Transfer and
Regulatory Support (OTTRS). OTTRS welcomes sug-
gestions for further improvement in tech support and
transfer activities.
News (continued from p.1)
Discussion centered on four concepts:
1. The Agency should say what it is trying to achieve
and protect when it conducts an ecological risk
assessment.
2. The guidelines should distinguish between risk
assessment and impact assessment. They should
provide paradigms for each and address the types
of problems appropriate to each.
3. The guidelines should provide a framework for
addressing uncertainty and communicating the
results to decision-makers.
4. Work group members should "bite off" a
manageable piece and recognize that guidelines
development is an evolutionary process.
Meeting with Federal Agency Representatives
The theme of this meeting concerned the nature of
ecological assessments carried out in different agencies.
Federal agency representatives were asked what prin-
ciples and approaches they would recommend for
incorporation into the guidelines.
Some of the questions posed to the participants were
how their agencies use ecological risk assessment, and
whether they use some form of the National Academy of
Sciences (NAS) paradigm. Additionally, participants dis-
cussed how their agencies select and measure end-
points. estimate hazard, and characterize uncertainty.
While agencies use many different types of ecological
assessment, most apply something similar to the NAS
paradigm. In their assessment, agencies focus on
different levels of biological organization, and have
different criteria for endpoint selection.
Uncertainty Issues in Exposure Assessment
The purpose of this colloquium was to discuss the
characteristics of the biotic and abiotic environments that
are important in conducting an ecological exposure
assessment. Participants considered a number of sci-
entific issues, including: the important routes of
exposure, how to determine the extent of exposure,
useful indicators of exposure, major sources of uncer-
tainty, and how to factor system recovery into the
assessment. There was also discussion on how activity
patterns influence exposure routes and extent, and
problems with extrapolation from the laboratory to the
field.
Health Risk Colloquia
The Risk Assessment Forum is also conducting a
number of health risk colloquia on topics of current
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interest to the Agency. A Colloquium on Children as a
Iensitive Subpopulation was held on May 10, and a
olloquium on Health Risk from Indoor Exposure to
asoline Vapors is planned for September 12 (please
check with the RAF to confirm this date).
Colloquium on Children as a Sensitive Subpop
ulation
The purpose of this colloquium was to discuss the types
of information that are available on childhood exposure
and to consider how such information could be incor-
porated into quantitative risk assessments. Questions
addressed at the colloquium were:
1. Are children innately more sensitive to some
hazards?
2. Do children have a steeper dose-response curve
than adults?
3. Do children have higher exposures than adults?
4. How can we characterize children's risk vis-a-vis
adult risk?
Some of the fundamental issues raised were: the
importance of defining the term "children," the difficulty
of designing adequate testing protocols, and the
possibilities that children, as compared with adults, may
have increased sensitivity due to longer remaining
lifespan, increased internal dose for the same external
dose, and higher sensitivity to the same internal dose. In
addition, the group considered a quantitative model for
cancer risk as a function of age.
Health Risk from Indoor Exposure to Gasoline
i/apors
¦nis colloquium is being planned to provide information
Prat can be used by EPA regional offices in formulating
procedures to reduce exposure to gasoline vapors from
leaking underground storage tanks. The colloquium will
address topics such as:
1. The identity and concentrations of volatile organic
chemicals (VOC) that have been found in leaks from
underground tanks, and methods for their measure-
ment and control,
2. Health effects of chemicals found in gasoline
vapors, and
3. Existing assessments performed by EPA scientists.
II. Headquarters
Revised Version of Risk'Assistant
by John Schaum (FTS 382-5988)
Risk'Assistant is a microcomputer-based software
system being developed by EPA in conjunction with
Hampshire Research for the purpose of conducting risk
assessments. It is designed to be applied to specific
sites and chemicals. The user enters the chemical
concentration data at the point of exposure and the
system retrieves the relevant toxicological data, provides
defaults for the various exposure parameters, and
produces a report summarizing the results and important
Sumptions. The system uses a pull down menu
rface with on-screen help covering both operational
scientific information. It requires an IBM-XT
equivalent or higher machine. The currently available
version is a Beta-type (fully operational but being
distributed primarily for review purposes), and a final
release is scheduled for late 1990. Anyone interested in
a copy should contact Hampshire Research at (703)
683-6695.
Three main components of the Risk'Assistant are
summarized below:
Quick'Risk. QUICK'RISK is a program designed for
rapid, "back of the envelope" risk calculations,
primarily for the purposes of screening or directing
further research. The user need only provide a list
of chemicals and concentrations (or estimates of the
chemical concentrations) for air, water, fish, or soil.
The system then uses a set of standard exposure
conditions to report on the risks of the chemicals at
the specified concentrations from drinking water,
inhalation, fish consumption, or soil ingestion. Both
lifetime excess cancer risks and chronic non-
carcinogenic (toxic) risks are evaluated, using
"reasonable worst case" assumptions for the
selected exposure scenarios.
Main Analyses. The main analyses program is used
to conduct more detailed exposure and risk
estimates. The user enters chemical concentration
data applicable at the point of exposure.
Risk'Assistant does not contain transport models, so
this information must be obtained via monitoring or
modeling efforts outside of the program. The
system then determines the most likely exposure
pathways associated with the contaminated media
and prompts the user for the necessary exposure
factors such as inhalation rates, exposure durations,
etc. Defaults are provided for each of these, based
largely on the Exposure Factors Handbook.
Finally the cancer and non-cancer risks are
calculated based on hazard data in internal data-
bases derived from the Integrated Risk Information
System (IRIS) and Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response's Health Effects Assessment
Summary Tables (HEAST).
Although the system does not contain transport models
it does contain some simple intermedia transfer models,
such as plant uptake, fish bioconcentration, and
volatilization from water. The current version does not
include dermal exposure pathways.
An additional feature provided in the main analyses is
the ability to automatically calculate several indices of
the uncertainty associated with the assessment. With a
few keystrokes, the user can calculate the exposures
associated with both "average" and "reasonable worst
case" parameter values, as well as other combinations
of parameter values. In addition, the system can provide
the relative contribution to exposure of each of the
scenarios selected for evaluation.
Risk'Assistant yields a separate risk estimate for each
chemical under consideration and for each route of
exposure to the chemical (oral or inhalation). The user
can readily combine these estimates to obtain an overall
estimate of the risks associated with a site, but the soft-
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ware does not automatically provide such combined
estimates, because to do so requires considerable
judgment. The toxicity of any given chemical can vary
qualitatively, as well as quantitatively, with the route of
exposure; if so, it would be inappropriate to combine risk
estimates from different exposure routes. The decision
as to which chemicals will produce additive, less-than-
additive, or more-than-additive toxic effects similarly
requires more detailed knowledge of their toxic modes
of action of these chemicals than is contained within this
software.
Databases. The database component of
Risk'Assistant allows the user to look up chemical
information directly in any of the databases, without
using the analytical programs. These databases are
automatically called up as necessary during
Risk'Assistant analyses, but a user may simply want
to report specific information about a chemical or
chemicals. The databases contained in the system
include toxic hazards (from IRIS and HEAST),
chemical properties, and chemical specific stan-
dards such as Maximum Contaminant Levels as
specified under the Safe Drinking Water Act and
National Ambient Air Quality Standards specified
under the Clean Air Act. The current database con-
sists of about 300 chemicals. The databases will be
loaded on an EPA Bulletin Board so that users can
readily obtain updates.
The object of software systems for risk assessment is to
make the process of generating or reviewing risk
assessments easier for system users. Software that is
not easy to learn or use, or that requires constant
reference to manuals or other support documents, will
do little to help risk assessors faced with a demanding
workload. Accordingly, a key emphasis in the
development of Risk'Assistant is that the software be
usable by persons with little or no computer experience,
without the need for training, and that the majority of a
user's questions can be answered in the software,
without the need to refer to manuals. The development
of technical manuals is an important part of the
Risk'Assistant effort, but the user should not need to
refer to these manuals frequently.
To avoid the need for users to rely on manuals, several
features have been added to the user interface for
Risk'Assistant (i.e., the menus by which the user enters
and retrieves information). These are described briefly
below. In addition, an effort has been made to reduce
the amount of typing required to a bare minimum and to
make the keystrokes that activate the system as obvious
as possible.
Help Screens. Each menu in Risk'Assistant has one
or more associated HELP screens, accessible by
pressing a function key. The HELP screen explains
how to select an item from a menu, change a
default value, or enter data.
Explanation Screens. In addition to HELP screens
that provide user instructions, EXPLANATION
screens tell the user why she or he is being asked
to make a choice or enter data. A brief explanation
of the relevance of a particular choice to the overall
risk assessment process is provided; if appropriate,
alternative values for data entries are given.
Reference Screens. Whenever Risk'Assistant pro-
vides a default value, a REFERENCE screen can be
called up to provide a citation for the literature
source from which the value was taken.
Notepad. Each menu in Risk'Assistant has an
associated notepad screen. By pressing a function
key, the user can call up the notepad for the menu,
and use it to explain important features of his or her
assessment, or the reasons underlying the selection
of particular values.
Novice User Pathway. The user of Risk'Assistant
has the option, at any point, of using the system in
either an "experienced user" or a "novice user"
mode. A function key toggles between the two
modes. In the "novice user" mode, each key menu
is preceded by one or more screens explaining its
place in the risk assessment process and indicating
how to make an appropriate response.
As noted above, the programs and databases contained
in Risk'Assistant are designed to serve both experts and
novices in the exposure and risk assessment process,
with the recognition that individuals with expertise in one
discipline may be charged with the responsibility of
conducting or reviewing exposure and risk assessments
that incorporate data from many different disciplines.
Potential users include regional EPA staff and their
counterparts in state and local environmental agencies
and other individuals (private, corporate) concerned with
evaluating the health risks posed by hazardous waste
sites. The primary applications are summarized below;
Generation of Risk Assessments. Risk'Assistant
produces reports that summarize the results of the
risk assessment, discuss the uncertainties and list
the references. In many cases they are of sufficient
detail to serve as is. However the user can
conveniently save the report as an ASCII file that
can be imported into any word processing program
and edited to create a more customized report. This
process will greatly automate the generation of risk
assessments and is one of the primary benefits of
the system.
Screening with QUICK'RISK. For users who need to
set assessment priorities for a large number of sites.
QUICK'RISK provides a means to accomplish the
task rapidly. The user need only specify probable
contaminant concentrations in environmental media,
and QUICK'RISK applies appropriately conservative
exposure assumptions. Although only one scenario
is considered for any medium, further detail is
probably riot needed for the initial selection of site
priorities, and QUICK'RISK provides for consistent
evaluation. Assuming that concentration estimates
were available, several hundred sites could be eval-
uated in a single day.
QUICK'RISK also provides users with the ability to
respond quickly to requests for risk information
regarding poorly characterized situations. For
example, a telephone inquiry about potential risks
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associated with water contamination could be
answered in a matter of seconds.
R Reviews of Risk Assessments Generated by Others.
In many cases, it will be important for EPA and state
staff to review risk assessments generated by third
parties (e.g., contractors or potentially responsible
parties). Risk'Assistant facilitates such reviews, by
providing data on standard procedures and
assumptions.
When a risk assessment under review deviates from
the use of standard factors, there may in many
cases be a valid reason for so doing; the assess-
ment may reflect particular conditions at or, near a
specific site. The ability to annotate findings in
Risk'Assistant provides a ready means for reviewers
to indicate the importance and/or validity of
deviations from standard procedures.
Record Keeping. Risk'Assistant will store and
retrieve data entered for every exposure and risk
assessment that has been performed and will
automatically transfer data from one program to
another, eliminating the need for repetitive data
entry. It is easy to retrieve and review information
from past assessments and to conduct multiple
assessments on the same set of data with differing
assumptions. Risk'Assistant's electronic notepad
stores any annotations concerning an assessment.
Reference. Risk'Assistant is a ready reference
source that reduces the necessity of flipping
through numerous reference books or searching
several external databases.
Copies of Risk'Assistant have been distributed to the
lead risk assessor in each region for review and
comment. Interested users in the regions are
encouraged to contact these people to borrow the disks
and install the system on their machines (5 MB of hard
disk space is required and 550 K of RAM). We welcome
any feedback on how to improve the system.
Happenings at the Science Advisory Board
(SAB)
by Don Barnes (FTS 382-4126)
SAB Tackles Two Toughies
Administrator William Reilly told members of the
Science Advisory Board (SAB) that the Agency was
tossing some hot potatoes in their lap this summer. He
was referring primarily to the review of two high profile
risk assessments generated by the Office of Health and
Environmental Assessment in ORD.
The first is an assessment of cancer and childhood
respiratory risks posed by environmental tobacco smoke
(ETS). The document, which was released in late June
and will be reviewed in September, has already drawn
the public attention (fire?) of some tobacco companies
and late-night devotees of Ted Koppel's Nightline show.
The acclaim/notoriety is due to the fact that the
document identifies ETS as a Category A carcinogen;
i.e., "known human carcinogen." The determination is
^sed upon human data, generated at relatively
Bmmonplace exposure levels.
The second is an assessment of the possible
carcinogenic risks posed by electromagnetic fields. This
document, to be released for public review review and
comment later this summer, addresses a concern that
has attracted a lot of recent public attention due to
reports in the media.
Global warming may or may not be here, but this
summer promises to be uncommonly hot for the SAB!
SAB Holds Last Meeting on Relative Risk Reduction
Strategies
On July 9 the Executive Committee of the SAB will
review the penultimate draft of the Relative Risk
Reduction Strategies report. This document critically
reviews the Agency's ground-breaking report "Unfin-
ished Business" and examines possible next steps,
including a variety of options for reducing risks posed by
some of highest risk problems.
The SAB report will contain a number of recommenda-
tions ranging from specific improvements for conducting
such comparative risk projects to explicit challenges for
improving the application of economics to environmental
problems. The report will be backed up with three hefty
appendices addressing health risks, ecology and welfare
risks, and strategic options, respectively.
Projected public release date: September 1.
Standardized Exposure Parameters for
Trespasser and Recreational Scenarios
by Anne Sergeant (FTS 475-9376)
Trespasser and recreational exposures are among the
most difficult to quantify when preparing a risk
assessment. Exposure data are seldom available, so risk
assessors must rely on best professional judgment
(BPJ). Unfortunately, this results in exposure and risk
estimates that vary widely from site to site. The work
group developing standard exposure assumptions for
use in Superfund risk assessments is looking for site-
specific examples of these two exposure scenarios in
order to identify data gaps and determine where it is
appropriate to standardize assumptions for them. The
group has prepared standard parameters for the
residential and occupational settings (these were
discussed at the 5th Annual Regional Risk Assessment
Conference in Chicago), but has received many
requests to address these two pathways as well.
Examples based on actual data are especially desired
(ANY data, including site observations, will help), but the
group also wants to hear about recurring questions that
Remedial Project Managers and other reviewers have
regarding these scenarios. To contribute examples or
learn more about the standardization effort, contact Anne
Sergeant at FTS 475-9376 or EMAIL EPA8047.
OIRM Report on Risk Modeling with
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
By Dave Rejeski (FTS 382-5625)
The Office of Information Resources Management has
just completed a report on "Risk Modeling with Geo-
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graphic Information Systems" (also see: "Risk Assess-
ment ReviewDecember 1989). The report contains
summaries of existing and planned GIS-Risk projects in
the 10 EPA regions. It also covers a number of meth-
odological issues that EPA must address if the Agency
is to make effective and credible use of the GIS tech-
nology for risk projects in the future. These issues
include: dealing with uncertainty, choosing appropriate
risk estimation approaches, equity analysis, risk commu-
nications, and the use of risk-based criteria for the
allocation of information management resources. The
report also contains a list of regional GIS and risk
coordinators and a short annotated bibliography. If you
are interested in receiving a copy of the report please
contact David Rejeski (FTS 382-5625 or EMAIL
EPA3944).
ORD Newsletter on Ecological Risk Assessment
by Michael Troyer (FTS 382-7891)
The "ECO-Exchange" is an internal Agency newsletter
that describes ORD's most recent ecological research
activities and results. The goal of this newsletter is to
enhance communications between Agency programs
and regional office staff interested in ecological issues
and ORD laboratory scientists involved in ecological
research. If you wish to receive the "ECO-Exchange,"
please contact Michael Troyer of ORD's Office of
Technology Transfer and Regulatory Support (FTS 382-
7891. EMAIL EPA8187).
III. Around the Regions
Region II
Publications of Interest
Over the past year there has been a proliferation of
newsletters published within the Agency. Two
newsletters that might be of interest to risk assessors
are listed below.
The EPA Statistician is published by the Statistical
Policy Branch in the Office of Policy, Planning and
Evaluation. The editor is John Warren. The Statistician
provides a variety of information on activities in the field
of statistics including: the availability of statistical
packages, information on the annual conference on
statistics, and model evaluation. For additional
information on the Statistician please contact John
Warren at FTS 382-2683.
The NDPD Scientific Computing Quarterly Review is
published by EPA National Data Processing Division in
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The Review's
editor is Robert Tattle and the Director of NDPD is
Donald L. Fulford. The Review covers a number of
different areas including: supercomputing applications,
hardware, scientific visualization, and vector processing.
For additional information on the Review and a
subscription, please contact Kaye Shaw, EPA/NDPD,
MD-34C, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711.
In addition, the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA)
recently published the OTA's Report Neurotoxicity:
Identifying and Controlling Poisons of the Nervous
System. The report is the first in a series of New
Developments in Neuroscience.
The report discusses the risks posed by toxic
substances that adversely affect the nervous system and
evaluated the federal research and regulatory programs
available to address these risks. OTA found that
considerably more research and testing are necessary
to determine which substances have neurotoxic poten-
tial.
For additional information on the report, please contact
the Publications Office, Office of Technology
Assessment, U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C. 20510-
08025. Telephone 202-224-8996.
Contact: Marian Olsen (FTS 264-5682)
Region VIII
Postmortem on Rotational Assignment
Last fall I had a 120-day rotational assignment in the
Human Health Assessment Group in the Office of Health
and Environmental Assessment (OHEA) in the Office of
Research and Development (ORD). Since I returned, a
number of people have asked: "Was it was worth it?"
and "How do you do it?" Is it worth it? Definitely! There
are some sacrifices involved in a rotational assignment,
such as finding a house sitter and moving or even
separating from your family. Nevertheless, I strongly
recommend that anyone who gets this opportunity take
it. Having extra regional experience makes you more
valuable to your management back home, and there are
personal benefits as well, including:
1. The chance to work on a project important to you.
Mine was a document describing, in language for
scientists who are not statisticians, the process by
which cancer risk assessment numbers are derived
("Insights into the interpretation and use of cancer
risk numbers." draft 1/18/90). You can call me at
FTS 330-1731 if you'd like a copy. I'd appreciate
comments from anyone who reads it.
2. Contacts who can help you when you go home. For
example, finding toxics information is a lot easier
now that I know which scientists in the Human
Health Assessment Group have worked on specific
chemicals or projects. Conversations I had with one
OHEA scientist I got to know on assignment made
the difference between success and failure on a
project I recently undertook.
3. An opportunity to find out what the host office is like
and how it does business. The most important thing
I discovered was that there are some experts hidden
in Waterside Mall who can be of great help to us in
the regions. Their jobs are complementary to ours:
while we get stretched a mile wide and an inch
deep, they get into a few problems in great depth.
4. A chance to take your message to the host office. In
my case. I thought that since the OHEA risk
assessors have vastly different jobs from ours, they
would be interested in learning what regional risk
assessors do and how we use their documents, and
that this might interest them in working on regional
problems. Some of them expressed amazement that
we get interviewed by the media, sign our own
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documents, and go to court, all jobs their
supervisors tend to do. As a result some have
expressed interest in visiting a regional office.
5. A break from the routine of your job.
6. A sightseeing vacation (Waterside Mall excluded).
How do you do it? I didn't have a clue about how to
make a rotational assignment happen as I considered
my own. My hosts in OHEA, especially Dr. Jean Parker,
get credit for its success. In retrospect, the following
"how tos" are my recommendations for arranging an
assignment:
1. Plan a project that is beneficial both to you and the
host office. Obviously, the project has to be
interesting enough to the host office that they will
give you space and most importantly help cover the
costs of the assignment. But the project should be
highly motivating for you as well, so you won't be
tempted to dilute your efforts with interesting but
peripheral tasks. Well meaning people who don't
understand your role may think you have come to
help them with their job. You need strong motivation
to say, "That's an interesting task which I'd normally
love to do, but my first priority is..."
2. Take responsibility for writing your own proposal. It
should clearly state the purpose and benefits of the
project, the length of time you will spend, and the
product you will produce.
This can either be the basis of or constitute a per-
formance agreement. Be sure to ask your temporary
supervisor for a letter rating your performance
based on the proposal at the end of the assignment.
3. Recruit a sponsor in the host office. It is immensely
helpful to have a "fairy godmother" in the host
office who is personally interested in your project or
in working with you. He/she can champion your
project to the management, and help work out
space, travel, money, and possibly living arrange-
ments. They can also steer you around day-to-day
problems like getting a telephone or a PC.
4. Cover your job back home. Your supervisor needs
to have essential parts of your job covered while
you're gone. If you arrange that in advance, it's
easy for him/her to give you permission to leave.
This could either be a good time to ask for help
from people for whom you've done favors in the
past, or a way to give someone an opportunity to try
out your job for a while. You might try to recruit an
OHEA risk assessor for this.
My three colleagues in the Region VIII office helped
cover the phone calls from the public part of my job,
and we also got the benefit of having Or. Winona
Victery ("Dr. AirRISC") work on a project here.
When I got back I found a gift plant and some very
handy software on my computer.
kntact: Suzanne Wuerthele (FTS 330-1731)
IV. Announcements
Environmental Health Risk Education for Youth:
Curricula Concepts, Strategies, and Resources
Meeting
On September 12-14, 1990. the Interagency Task Force
on Environmental Cancer and Heart and Lung Disease
will sponsor a meeting entitled "Environmental Health
Risk Education for Youth: Curricula Concepts, Strategies
and Resources." The meeting will be held at the Holiday
Inn Crowne Plaza, in Arlington, VA.
The Workshop on Environmental Health Risk Education
for Youth will explore concepts, curricula, and strategies
for infusing environmental health risk education into the
U.S. school system. Environmental health risk concepts
are relevant to many current educational programs
including health education; biological and physical
sciences: mathematics: and science, technology and
society classes.
This workshop will bring together educators, environ-
mental and health decision-makers and practitioners,
government agency and foundation personnel,
environmental and public interest group representatives,
and students. Through a plenary session and smaller
discussion groups, participants will help identify
resources and develop strategies to increase the
commitment to and effectiveness of environmental
health risk education in our school systems.
The workshop will set the foundation for:
Providing educators with better information on
environmental health risk issues,
Providing educators with innovative ways to
integrate basic concepts of environmental health
risk and assessment and critical thinking in
secondary school curricula (grades 7-12),
Identifying barriers to environmental health risk
education and ways to overcome them,
Providing teachers with skills and tools to help
students understand environmental health risks and
make sound personal and social choices,
Helping students meaningfully interpret environ-
mental health risks, and
Helping the environmental community better
understand the needs of schools.
Poster paper abstracts are being solicited in four areas:
analyzing the current status of environmental health risk
education; teaching concepts and critical thinking skills
in environmental health risk education; identifying and
overcoming barriers to effective health risk education;
and networking for disseminating instructional materials
and implementing programs. Abstracts must be received
at Eastern Research Group, 6 Whittemore Street, Arling-
ton, MA 02174, no later than July 18, 1990. Exhibits on
available resources for environmental health risk educa-
tion (publications, curricula, etc.) are also being solicited.
Deadline for application to exhibit is July 28, 1990.
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For further information contact the Eastern Research
Group (ERG), 6 Whittemore Street. Arlington, MA 02174,
(617) 648-7809 or the workshop chairperson: Maria
Pavlova, M.O., Ph.D., Emergency and Remedial
Response Division, Room 237, U.S. EPA Region II, 26
Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278, FTS: 264-7364.
Eighth Annual Occupational Health and Safety
Institute September 10-21,1990
The Midwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety
and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health
will sponsor the Eighth Annual Occupational Health and
Safety Institute from September 10-21, 1990, at the
University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Institute is an intensive program offering graduate
level academic credit or continuing education credit
within an interdisciplinary setting. The course offerings
include: Environmental and Occupational Toxicology;
Industrial Hygiene EngineeringHazardous Waste
Management; Risk Assessment and Risk Management;
and Principles of Management in Health Services Organ-
ization and Principles in Occupational Epidemiology"^ '
For additional information on the cours&i'ftlea^e, contact
the Program in Continuing Education, Midwest ^Center -
for Occupational Health and Safety, 640 Jackson Street,
St. Paul, Minnesota 55101 or Jeanne Ayers or Angela
Molenaar at (612) 221-3992.
One Hundred Eighteenth Annual Meeting of
the American Public Health Association
September 30 - October 4,1990
The American Public Health Association will hold its
118th Annual meeting from September 30 to October 4,
1990, in New York City. For further information on the
conference, please contact the American Public Health
Association, 1015 15th Street, N.W., Washington, O.C.
20005.
National Center for Health Statistics Holds Data
Users Conference August 15-17, 1990.
The National Center for Health Statistics Data Users
Conference will be held August 15-17, 1990, in
Rockville, Maryland. The conference provides a forum
for users to learn of current and potential applications for
the public use data sets, discuss technical and analytical
issues with NCHS staff, and exchange information with
other data users. The three-day conference program
consists of 38 workshops on specific data fields from the
many NCHS data systems, as well as sessions on
cross-cutting topical and analytical issues. Special
sessions will include Occupational and Environmental
Health.
In addition, there will be a presentation on the Center's
cognitive research program to improve the quality and
collection of national health statistics, on software devel-
opments, on the integrated survey design for NCHS data
system, and on new technologies in cartography and
graphics.
For additional information on the conference, please
contact Barbara Hetzler, NCHS, Room 1100, 6525 Bel-
crest Road, Hyattsville. Maryland or call (301) 436-7122.
Risk and Decisionmaking Courses Scheduled
The following is the schedule for the Risk and Decision-
making Course through August:
Headquarters - July 18 and 19
Following is the schedule for the Risk Communication
Workshop through August:
Headquarters - July 10 and 11
Headquarters - August 1 and 2
Contact: Jim Cole, FTS 382-2747
Contacts:
UerqrrieP.uskin
Unda Tuxen* '
DorotKyPattori
Dick Hill
Don Barnes
Deal Hill
Saily 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
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
FTS
475-9640
382-5949
475-6743
382-2897
382-4126
776-8138
835-3696
264-5682
597-1177
257-2234
886-3388
255-6715
757-2970
330-1731
556-6472
399-2135
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 W. Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268
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