UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region II, New York, New York 10278
DATE: March 27, 1991
SUBJECT: Risk Assessment Review
FROM:
P.E.
nistrator
William J. Mrrszyns
Deputy Regional Ai
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 am 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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March 1991
Highlights
•	Sixth Regional Risk Assessors Meeting		p. 1
•	Risk Training—Update	p. 1
•	Drinking Water Issues in the Western States	p. 1
•	Ecological Risk Guidelines—Update	p. 4
•	New York City Poison Control Center	p. 5
I. Special Features
Sixth Regional Risk Assessors Meetings
by Suzanne Wuerthele (FTS 330-7612)
This year's Regional Risk Assessors' Meeting will be
held from June 24 to June 27 in Denver, Colorado. The
meeting will be hosted by Region VIII and organized by the
Toxic Tetrad, aka Drs. Bob Benson, Jim LaVelle, Chris
Weis, and Suzanne Wuerthele. Mark your calendars! An
agenda will be published in the next Risk Assessment Re-
view. For specifics, please contact Suzanne Wuerthele at
FTS 330-7612.
Risk Training—Update
In the last issue of the Risk Assessment Review, the Risk
Training Committee reported on the impressive accom-
plishments of the Agency's facilitators in providing risk
training to both EPA and non-EPA staff. Unfortunately,
information on the excellent work in providing Workshops
on Risk Assessment, Management, and Communication of
Drinking Water Contamination was not available at that
time. A summary of additional information received from
Dr. J. E. Smith of the Centra for Environmental Research
Information and Dr. Ed Ohanian of the Office of Drinking
Water is provided below.
The Workshops on Risk Assessment, Management, and
Communication of Drinking Water Contamination are typi-
cally sponsored by a local section of the American Water
Works Association (AWWA) in cooperation with the U.S.
EPA Regional Office and Offices of Drinking Water and
Research and Development. The National Environmental
Health Association (NEHA) has also cosponsored the
workshops as have academic institutions such as Tulane
University. To date, and over a period of approximately five
years, 20 workshops have been held with over 2,500 at-
tendees.
The workshops are designed to give uniform and consis-
tent approaches and processes nationwide for those officials
involved in determining, communicating about, and manag-
ing drinking water contamination incidents. Lecture topics
include information on health effects of contaminants, an
approach to risk assessment, risk communication and abate-
ment of lead, biological contaminates, particulates, organ-
ics and radon; as well as corrosion control. Current regulatory
initiatives are discussed, and an update of the Office of
Drinking Water's Health Advisory Program is given. Each
workshop attendee participates in a hands-on risk assess-
ment case study designed to illustrate the elements of risk
assessment and communication.
See Update, p. 2
Risk Assessment Review Committee
Bill Farland — ORD, FTS 382-7317
Sally Edwards — Region I, FTS 835-3696
Maria Pavlova — Region n, FTS 264-7364
Marian Olsen — Region n, FTS 264-5682
Suzanne Wuerthele — Region Vm, FTS 330-1714
Dana Davoli — Region X, FTS 399-2135
II. Headquarters
Drinking Water Issues in the Western States
by Bob CantiUi (FTS 382-5546)
Ed Ohanian (FTS 382-7571)
At the biannual meeting of the Federal-State Toxicology
and Regulatory Alliance Committee (FSTRAQ held De-
cember to 6,1990, state and federal representatives learned
about the unique drinking water contamination and supply
problems faced in the western states. Participants in the 1/2-
day Western States Workshop heard presentations from
Region IX (San Francisco, California) and X (Seattle,
Washington), as well as program overviews for many states,
including Utah, Washington, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, and
New Mexico. A representative from the Indian Health
Service also spoke.
The meeting was especially enlightening for representa-
tives from the eastern states, where drinking water contami-
nation is usually anthropogenic; in contrast, drinking water
contamination in the western states is often due to naturally
occurring contaminants. The great distances between water
supplies and households also pose problems for drinking
water suppliers.
Indian Health Service. A representative from the In-
dian Health Services (IHS) detailed some of the problems
faced on reservations, or Indian lands. Approximately 18,000
homes do not have potable water. Of those homes that do
have potable water, most have wells. The wells are moni-
tored regularly and IHS works with those households that
are out of compliance to bring them into line. In most cases,
however, obtaining potable water at all is a greater chal-
lenge than providing treatment In Navajo lands, for example,
the water table is so deep that it is easier and cheaper to run
pipelines from a central supply than to dig wells. In Alaska,
some homes are so far from the water system that piping
would be too expensive, but wells are difficult to dig in the
frozen ground. A 10-year projection report to Congress
estimated that it would cost $572 million to address these
and other sanitation issues.
See Water, p. 2
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Update, continued from p. 1
Participants who have benefitted from attending this
program include regional, state, and local drinking water
regulatory personnel who work in the health and technol-
ogy areas related to the construction of new or the upgrad-
ing of existing drinking water treatment facilities, or who
must respond to contamination incidents. The program has
also attracted consultants and drinking water utility staff
actively engaged in the design, operation, and/or upgrading
of their treatment systems.
The Criteria and Standards Division of the Office of
Drinking Water worked closely with the Center for Envi-
ronmental Research Information to develop an attractive
and informative publication from the materials developed
for and presented at the subject workshops. Initially, three
thousand copies of the subject publication woe printed, and
it was displayed at the U.S. EPA Exhibit at the 1990
AWWA Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. This
document is announced in the Technology Transfer News-
letter and distributed through ORD Publications, CERI: the
Office of Drinking Water and Regional Water Supply Staff.
The control number of the document is EPA/625/4-89/024.
State, federal, and institutional cosponsors sent memo-
randa and letters to the Office of Drinking Water indicating
appreciation and satisfaction with the workshops and stating
that they filled a need. Continued training requests show the
workshop's importance. Cooperating organizations like
NEHA and the local AWWA organizations enthusiastically
welcomed the idea of the workshop, desired to see it happen,
and put forth the necessary effort to make it happen.
At the workshops more than half of the participants
filled out evaluation forms. All indicated that the workshop
met their expectations, many said it was one of the best
programs that they had ever attended, and several asked for
additional programs of this type. Currently, requests from
the state of Louisiana, Region VI, and NEHA are being
honored. Region IV also has a request in. (See Announce-
ments for schedule for next two courses).
Water, continued from p. 1
Region IX (San Francisco). A representative from Re-
gion IX outlined several issues raised in a comparative risk
report for the region. According to the report, the primary
problem in Region IX is microbial contamination: 400,000
people in the region are exposed to one or more biological
microbes each year in drinking water contamination inci-
dents. One-half of the incidents are due to high colifarm
counts in groundwater sources. Few state resources are
available for studying this problem, so state and EPA
scientists are collaborating to examine the microbial con-
tamination and enforce existing limits.
Radon is the second most important issue, potentially
causing up to 70 cancer cases per year. Trihalomethanes
(THMs) and other contaminants, such as lead, copper, and
chlorine are considered lesser problems.
California. The California Department of Health Ser-
vices (DHS) Drinking Water Toxicology Program conducts
surveys of water supplies for chemical contaminants and
also develops drinking water standards. These standards are
used as cleanup levels for chemical spills and leaks and for
proposed-use assessments. California has primacy under
the Safe Drinking Water Act to promulgate Maximum
Contaminant Levels (MCLs), Health Advisories, Recom-
mended Public Health Levels (RPHLs, described below),
and Action Levels (ALs).
California has adopted federal MCLs for 34 organic
chemicals (including DBCP and other pesticides), as well
as the MCLs for aluminum and uranium. The state will
continue to adopt EPA's MCLs within 2 years of their
publication in the Federal Register. The Department of
Health Services will also develop new state water quality
regulations in the next several years, including standards for
coliform, groundwater disinfection, and a surface water
treatment rule.
The state is also promulgating new Recommended Pub-
lic Health Levels (RPHLs). RPHLs are chemical-specific,
health-based values, similar to EPA's Maximum Contami-
nant Levels Goals (MCLGs), but, unlike MCLGs, RPHLs
never equal zero. RPHLs are always equal to or lower than
the state's MCL (which in turn may be lower than EPA's
MCL), and pose no known or anticipated health effects,
with uncertainty factors. RPHLs for carcinogens are set at
levels that pose no significant risk (usually 10"6) for cancer.
The state Office of Drinking Water is reevaluating the
existing enforcement structure for small water systems (those
with IS to 200 service connections). Many small, privately
owned systems were established during a 1970's building
boom in southern California. Under a new plan, the state
will take the systems from the private owners and will
contract with county governments to enforce state regula-
tions.
Finally, a new regulation will certify laboratories to test
drinking water for additives, and the state will also initiate a
testing requirement for all water treatment devices sold in
California.
Region X. Arsenic has been found in wells in all of the
states in Region X, a regional representative reported. One
area, around Granite Falls, Washington (about 65 miles
northeast of Seattle), has had a serious problem with arsenic
in drinking water wells. Although there are mines in the
area, investigators concluded that the cause was not mining,
but a vein of sulfide-bearing mineralized rock, from which
arsenic is transported by ground water primarily through or
on top of the bedrock. Washington state is creating a
Science Advisory Board made up of state, regional, and
federal agency representatives to examine this issue.
Arizona. The acting chief hydrologist for the Arizona
Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) described a
method for predicting groundwater contamination by agri-
cultural pesticides. The model uses a chemical-specific
Retardation Factor to compare relative migration rates
through soil. In this way, DEQ can evaluate various dis-
posal options for their potential effects on underlying
groundwater.
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The state is also proposing new Human Health-Based
Guidance Levels (HBGLs) for contaminants in drinking
water and soil. HBGLs do not take feasibility, cost, or
offsetting human health benefits into account, and are based
on ingestion risk only. So far, 230 HBGLs have been
proposed.
New Mexico. Representatives from New Mexico ex-
plained that three community water supplies in New Mexico
exceed the MCL for nitrates. Sixty-one additional systems
have nitrate levels greater than 5 mg/L and are receiving
special monitoring. The Health and Environmental Depart-
ment (HED) has been unable to identify the source of
contamination but has initiated enforcement action with the
treatment systems.
In other monitoring studies, HED has also found radium
at 5 pCi/ml in wells. Since it will be difficult to supply
alternate water supplies to the affected populations, treat-
ment will be needed for those water supplies. Resources to
finance high-technology treatment systems and operator
training are lacking, however, so the state will wait until
EPA promulgates the new standard before taking any action.
Nevada. Nevada does not have a toxicologist or risk
assessor on staff, therefore the state's FSTRAC representative
was very interested in input from the other states. The
representative listed current drinking water contamination
issues in the state, including:
•	Volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
•	Nitrate contamination in noncommunity systems.
•	A state lead contamination control initiative requiring
all school districts to test for lead in their schools'
drinking water.
•	Radon, which the U.S. Geological Survey found at a
mean concentration of 2,000 pCi/L in 136 water sup-
plies. Since aeration is not feasible for urban areas,
Nevada will have trouble meeting EPA's proposed
MCL.
•	Arsenic, a long-standing problem in one area of Ne-
vada. One community affected by the naturally occur-
ring high levels refuses to pay for treatment, although
the state is required to enforce existing standards.
FSTRAC members discussed this issue at length and
suggested some ways to address the problem.
Hawaii. The Hawaii Health Department's wellhead pro-
tection program is crucial to Hawaii's drinking water supply,
explained Hawaii's representative. He reviewed the re-
quirements for a comprehensive engineering report, part of
Hawaii's attempt to standardize and set guidelines for water
supply system development Strict guidelines for the report
require the engineer to address a wide range of issues, such
as possible contamination scenarios, hydnogeologic charac-
teristics of the area, and the type of treatment works pro-
posed. The guidelines force the developer and engineer to
consider water quality issues before proceeding with con-
struction.
Washington. Fifty-five percent of the organic contami-
nants occurring in Washington state drinking water supplies
are not regulated by EPA, a finding that led to a proposal for
State Advisory Levels (SALs) for those contaminants. A
SAL is a concentration that "when exceeded, indicates the
need for further assessment" to determine whether the
chemical actually poses a threat to human health. A SAL
cannot exceed the RfD, nor can it pose greater than lfr5
health risk. SALs take ingestion, dermal, and inhalation
exposure into account. The adjustment for multiple routes
of exposure varies on a case-by-case basis.
Utah. The Utah Department of Health (DOH) repre-
sentative described two studies conducted in Utah in antici-
pation of future EPA rules. The first was an occurrence
study for disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in large water
systems (serving more than 100,000 people). Based on
preliminary results, DOH developed alternative methods
for reducing total DBPs, such as removing DBP precursors
before treatment; oxidizing the precursors; or removing the
DBPs themselves after treatment Future studies will exam-
ine DBP trends in smaller systems, pilot-test proposed best
available technologies, determine whether there is a rela-
tionship between trihalomethanes and other DBP concen-
trations, and evaluate the impacts of raw water quality and
treatment processes on DBP production.
The second research project was a pilot test of methods
for removing Giardia and Cryptosporidium from drinking
water. In many Utah drinking water treatment systems,
filter backwash water is recirculated through the system and
used as raw water. DOH examined the effect this practice
has on the treatment of Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Re-
searchers found that if ozonation is used, twice as much
disinfection is needed for the backwash water as for the raw
water. DOH will also research alternative analytical meth-
ods for pathogens, conduct occurrence and co-occurrence
surveys for microbes, and study the impact of raw water
quality on backwash water quality and disinfection effi-
ciency.
FSTRAC Electronic Seminar Series Underway. The
workshop participants were pleased to learn that several
states are conducting research projects. In an effort to allow
more people to participate in FSTRAC discussions and to
promote information exchange among the states, FSTRAC's
Toxicology and Risk Assessment Subcommittee will sponsor
an electronic seminar series to discuss water issues and state
research projects. Tentative topics include radon, arsenic,
and fluoride in drinking water, determining unreasonable
risk to health, dermal and inhalation exposure to drinking
water contaminants, and the proposed MCL for lead.
The next FSTRAC meeting will be held in April 1991 in
Washington, D.C. To obtain more information about
FSTRAC or upcoming electronic seminars, contact Edward
Ohanian (WH-550D) at the Office of Drinking Water, U.S.
EPA, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460 or FTS
382-7571.
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Ecological Risk Assessment Guidelines
by Bill van der Sehalie (FTS 475-6743)
For more than two years an Agency workgroup has been
studying issues and developing plans for new risk assess-
ment guidelines for ecological effects ("ecorisk guidelines").
The workgroup is part of the Risk Assessment Forum,
which is responsible for all other Agency-wide risk assess-
ment guidelines.
Currently, the aim the of workgroup is to develop three
different papers for Agency and public review during 1991.
The papers include:
•	An ecological assessment "framework" report, devel-
oped initially by a headquarters workgroup, will pro-
vide broad interim guidance on the basic principles of
ecological risk assessment It is expected that this
report will propose a paradigm for ecological effects
assessments comparable to the National Academy of
Sciences paradigm upon which the existing health risk
guidelines are based.
•	A series of case studies, developed initially by six
"sectional" workgroups in different EPA regions, will
offer guidance in the form of model ecological assess-
ments for a range of different contexts.
•	A long-term plan for definitive guidelines will be de-
veloped by a "planning" workgroup, composed of
members of the other workgroups as well as other
scientists. The group will draw from and contribute to
work underway in ORD's Ecological Monitoring and
Assessment Program (EMAP).
The Forum and Council are making 1991 an intensive
"kick-off" year to develop preliminary materials and to
create momentum. Major milestones include peer review
workshops for each project in the spring and Federal Reg-
ister notices seeking public comment in the fall. The pro-
posed workshop schedule and descriptions are summarized
below:
Strategic Planning Workshop—Roseathiel School of
Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami,
Miami, Florida, April 30 - May 2,1991
The workshop will be held to discuss the major issues
related to the development of subject-specific ecorisk as-
sessment guidelines. Issue papers will be prepared and
discussed at the workshop, and a report will be prepared
that will include recommendations for specific guidelines to
be developed, supporting scientific rationale and feasibility,
and recommendations for research that may be required to
develop the guidelines. The final workshop report will
provide necessary technical support for subsequent Agency
recommendations concerning the development of future
ecorisk guidelines. Workshop participants will include
ecologists, ecotoxicologists, and risk assessors from the
Agency as well as other governmental agencies and aca-
demia.
The workgroup chairs are Jack Gentile (Office of Re-
search and Development) and Dave Mauriello (Office of
Toxic Substances). The workshop chair is Mark Harwell
(University of Miami).
Framework Report—Sheraton Potomac, Potomac,
Maryland, May 14-16,1991
A headquarters workgroup has drafted a report that
describes the general principles of ecorisk assessment The
report includes a proposed ecorisk assessment paradigm
comparable to the National Academy of Sciences paradigm
that is used as a basis for Agency human health risk
assessment guidelines. Topics include how to plan an ecorisk
assessment, as well as hazard assessment, exposure assess-
ment, and risk characterization. This report will foster a
consistent Agency approach to ecorisk assessments, will
help identify important issues and key research needs, and
will form the basis for the subsequent development of more
detailed and specific ecorisk guidelines.
The report has recently been revised based upon com-
ments received from Agency personnel and a limited num-
ber of outside experts. At the workshop, scientists from
academia, other federal and state agencies, and industry will
provide a full peer review of the document After revision
and Agency review, the final report will be published for
public comment in the Federal Register in the fall of 1991.
The workgroup chairs are Sue Norton (Office of Re-
search and Development) and Don Rodier (Office of Toxic
Substances). The workshop chair is Jim Fava (Batelle Co-
lumbus Division).
Case Study Workshops—
Part 1 - Bethesda Holiday Inn, Bethesda, Maryland
May 29-31,1991.
Part 2 - Southwind Center Hotel, Dallas, Texas
June 4-6,1991.
Part 3 - Region X Office, U.S. EPA, Seattle, Wash-
ington, June 11-13,1991.
Part 4 - Radisson Cherry Hill Inn, Cherry Hill, New
Jersey, June 18-20,1991.
Case studies illustrating the "state-of-the-practice" in
ecorisk assessment are being compiled by six Agency
workgroups chaired by personnel from the regions, envi-
ronmental research laboratories, and headquarters. Case
studies selected for inclusion in the report will represent a
wide range of program tasks and ecosystem types. Individual
case studies will be compiled into an overall report that will
include a description of each case study, a "tools" section
that will contain a cross-referenced listing of ecorisk meth-
ods, models, and assessment schemes used in the case
studies, and a discussion section that will review case study
issues related to ecorisk assessment, risk management and
research needs. The case studies report will provide interim
assistance in performing ecorisk assessments until additional
specific ecorisk guidelines can be developed.
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The purpose of the workshops is to provide peer review
of each of the 20 case studies being prepared by the work-
groups; from 4-7 case studies will be reviewed at each of
the four workshops. Broad issues in ecorisk assessment
identified from the case studies will also be identified and
discussed. Case studies will be revised based on comments
and recommendations received at the workshops, and they
will be published as part of the final case studies report
The overall workgroup chair is Ron Landy (Office of
Technology Transfer and Regulatory Support). Contributors
to each workshop are:
Part 1 - Skip Houseknecht
(Office of Pesticide Programs)
Greg Susanke
(Office of Pesticide Programs)
Part 2 - Jon Rauscher (Region VI)
Jim Clark
Dan Vallero, ( Atmospheric Research and
Exposure Assessment Laboratory,
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina)
Jerry Stober (Region IV)
(Environmental Research Laboratory,
Gulf Breeze, Florida)
Part 3 - Pat Cirone (Region X)
Randy Bruins (on detail to Region X)
Part 4- Milt Clark (Region V)
Steve Broderius
(Environmental Research Laboratory,
Duluth, Minnesota)
- Harvey Simon (Region II)
Ron Preston (Region III)
The workshop chair (all parts) is Charles Menzie (Menzie,
Cura and Associates).
Progress of the different workgroups and future activi-
ties will be provided in future issues of the Risk Assessment
Review.
m. Around the Regions
Region II New York City Poison Control Center
Mike Watson's account in last month's Risk Assessment
Review of his rotation through the Rocky Mountain Poison
Control Cents' duplicated my experience with the New
York City Poison Control Cents' (NYCPCC) prior to join-
ing EPA. My duties at the center included tackling the
myriad of occupational and environmental exposures that
crossed the NYCPCC's path.
Occupational investigations included everything from
an outbreak of lead poisoning at a scrap metal recycling
cents to illnesses reported by toll collectors at the Triborough
Bridge (that to this day remain of unknown etiology). On
the environmental front, the NYCPCC grappled with ques-
tions of risk relating to PCB-containing transformer fires
and explosion of asbestos-lined steam systems. Risk com-
munication skills improved whenever a consumer product
was recalled.
The organization of the NYCPCC is very similar to
Rocky Mountain's. All the activities that Mike Watson
detailed (journal club, lectures, rounds, follow-ups, etc.) are
incorporated into the NYCPCC's training programs. Both
centers offer outstanding learning experiences.
The training modules at the NYCPCC are typically one
month in duration and attended mostly by physicians train-
ing in emergency medicine; however, anyone with sufficient
scientific background and a desire to obtain hands-on training
in clinical toxicology can become a candidate (schedule
permitting).
As Mike Watson indicated in his article, risk assumes
many forms. Poison control centers necessarily focus on
acute risks. This focal point might offer a different perspec-
tive to risk assessors involved in chronic toxicity.
Contact: Mark Maddaloni (FTS 264-5348)
Publications of Interest
The eighth update of EPA's "Risk Assessment, Man-
agement and Communication: A Guide to Selected Sources"
was published by the Office of Pesticides and Toxic Sub-
stances (EPA/560/7-90-007). The bibliography includes
references gathered from the environmental, medical, and
scientific literature included in the following databases:
ABI/Inform, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Conference
papers Index, Environline, Life Science Collection, Maga-
zine Index, NTIS, PAIS International, and NLM's Toxline
and Medline. The citations cover documents added to those
collections during the period from April 1989 to November
1989.
The document is subdivided into Risk Assessment, Risk
Management, and Risk Communication. The table of con-
tents lists further divisions of each- of these categories.
Citations are arranged alphabetically by title, with the ex-
ception of the chemical-specific references; These citations
are grouped alphabetically by chemical name. Abstracts in
this guide have been shortened or eliminated if the content
of the article is adequately reflected in the title.
Copies of the document are available from the National
Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road,
Springfield, Virginia 22161 or (703) 487-4650 or 800-336-
4700 (outside Virginia). Additional information on the
document is also available from Ms. Lois Ramponi, Head
Librarian, Office of Toxic Substances Chemical Library
TS-793, U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C.
20460 or EMail EPA7565.
Contact: Marian Olsen (FTS 264-5682)
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IV. Announcements
Risk and Decision-Making Courses Scheduled
The following is the schedule for the Risk Communica-
tion Workshops through May:
April 1 -2	Region II (New York)
April 23 - 25	Region IX (San Francisco)
May IS -16	Region VII (Kansas City)
May 21 - 23	Region IX (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Contacts: Jim Cole (FTS 382-2747)
Marian Olsen (FTS 264-5682)
Health Effects of Air Pollution; Impact on
Clean Air Legislation Meeting—
March 25-27,1991
The Society for Occupational and Environmental Health
will hold its annual conference March 25-27,1991, at the
Hyatt Regency-Crystal City, Crystal City, Virginia. This
year's conference is titled "Health Effects of Air Pollution:
Impact of Clean Air Legislation."
The purpose of the conference is to examine how current
scientific knowledge can be integrated into the implemen-
tation of clean air legislation. The conference will provide
new information and a forum for discussion of government
policy, public health strategies, and critical research on air
pollution.
The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency-
Crystal City Hotel at Washington's National Airport For
reservations contact the Hyatt Regency at (703) 418-1234.
For additional information on the conference, contact
the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health at
6728 Old McLean Village Drive, McLean, Virginia 22101.
Modeling Workshop—Introductory Water
Quality Modeling with the Water Quality
Analysis Simulation Program Model—WASP4,
April 8-12,1991
This workshop is sponsored by the Center for Exposure
Assessment Modeling, U.S. EPA, Environmental Research
Laboratory, Athens, Georgia
This workshop has been developed to introduce begin-
ner model users to the basic concepts that underlie water
quality modeling. The primary objective of the course will
be to teach the basic concepts of applying the WASP4
model and the use of hand calculations and model simula-
tions to answer proposed water quality concerns. The
workshop will acquaint the participants with the basic
knowledge and theory of die WASP4 system of models.
Participants will review the theory used in the models.
The WASP4 model is a dynamic model that consists of
several components:
•	TOX14 is a state-of-the-art fate and transport model for
organic chemicals, which considers both first order and
second order degradation processes as well as sorption.
•	EUTR04 is an eight-state variable eutiophication model,
which considers NH4, N03, organic/inorganic phos-
phorus, and organic nitrogen.
The WASP4 system of models has been applied to
lakes, rivers, and estuaries throughout the world.
For additional information on the course, please contact
Ms. Joyce A. Wool, ASci Corporation, c/o U.S. EPA, ERL,
College Station Road, Athens, Georgia 30613-7799. The
phone number is (404) 546-3324 or FTS 250-3325.
Surgeon General's Conference on Agricultural
Safety and Health—April 30 - May 3,1991
On April 30 • May 3,1991, CDC's National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will sponsor the
Surgeon General's Conference on Agricultural Safety and
Health in Des Moines, Iowa. Its purpose is to build coalitions,
disseminate information, and encourage action to prevent
injury and disease related to agriculture. The conference
theme, "FarmSafe 2000: A National Coalition for Local
Action," emphasizes the need to establish a national agenda
that will guide local health strategies for reducing risks in
agriculture through the 1990s. Topics include surveillance,
research, and intervention.
Additional information and applications for a poster
session are available from the Executive Secretary, Program
Planning Committee, NIOSH, Mailstop D-37,1600 Clifton
Road, N.E., Atlanta Georgia 30333; telephone (404) 639-
2376; FAX (404) 639-2196.
Workshops on Risk Assessment,
Communication and Management of Drinking
Water Contamination—May 7-9,1991
These workshops update, improve upon, and continue a
very successful program that was begun five years ago (see
lead article). They are typically sponsored by a local section
of the American Water works Association (AWWA) in
cooperation with the local environmental health association
and/or state water supply program, a local university and
the U.S. EPA Regional Office and Offices of Drinking
Water and Research and Development The program is
designed to provide uniform and consistent approaches and
processes nationwide for those officials involved in deter-
mining, communicating about, and managing drinking wa-
ter contamination incidents. Lecture topics include
information on health effects of contaminants, an approach
to risk assessment risk communication, and abatement of
lead, biological contaminations, particulates, organics, and
radon; as well as corrosion control. Current regulatory
initiatives are discussed, and an update of the Office of
Drinking Water's Health Advisory Program is given. Each
workshop attendee participates in a hands-on case study
designed to illustrate the elements of risk assessment
communication, and management.
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Other topics may be included upon request by a program
sponsor. An example is "Recognizing and Controlling
Biofilms in the Distribution System."
Participants who can benefit from attending this pro-
gram include regional, state, and local drinking water regu-
latory personnel who work in the health and technology
areas related to the construction of new or the upgrading of
existing drinking water treatment facilities, or who must
respond to contamination incidents. The program should
also be of interest to consultants and drinking water utility
staff actively engaged in the design, operation, and/or up-
grading of their treatment systems.
Two workshops are presently scheduled. The first will
be held May 7-9, 1991, in Alexandria, Louisiana, and
includes an extra day to discuss the topic of biofilm control
The second workshop will be held in conjunction with the
national meeting of the National Environmental Health
Association (NEHA) in Portland, Oregon, which goes from
June 22 to 27,1991. It will be a two-day, post-conference
workshop to be held June 27-28,1991.
There is a small registration fee. Additional information
can be obtained by contacting: Jim Smith, U.S. EPA-CERI,
26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268.
Jim can be reached at (513) 569-7355.
Risk Symposium Set for June in Washington,
D.C.—June 24-25,1991
"Regulating Risk: The Science and Politics of Risk" will
be discussed at a conference sponsored by the National
Safety Council, June 24-25,1991, at the Sheraton Wash-
ington Hotel, Washington, D.C. The symposium is being
conducted in cooperation with the ILST-Risk Science In-
stitute.
The conference will help government, business, special
and public interest groups, the scientific and academic
communities, and the media better understand complex
issues of health, safety, and risk to the environment in
society.
Conference sessions will address major issues and prob-
lems in risk, the role of science in understanding risk,
regulatory and legislative views and responses to risk is-
sues, the public's perceptions of risk and how these views
affect public policy; and how to manage risk.
Featured speakers will include F. Henry Habicht II,
Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator,
and Dr. Allan Bromley, Assistant to the President of the
United States for Science and Technology.
Registration details and additional information can be
obtained by contacting Sophie LoBue at (312) 527-4800,
ext. 8132.
The National Safety Council is a not-for-profit, non-
governmental public service organization dedicated to both
on- and off-the-job safety.
The ILSI-Risk Science Institute is a public, non-profit
foundation dedicated to improving the scientific basis of
risk assessment and public health decisions.
National Conference on Integrated Water
Information Management—August 5-9,1991
The U.S. EPA, U.S. Geological Survey and the Multi-
State Fish and Wildlife Information Systems Project will
host a National Conference on Integrated Water Information
Management, August 5-9,1991, at the Claridge Casino
Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The conference will include both technical sessions and
demonstrations of systems illustrating the sharing and/or
integration of physical, chemical, and biological informa-
tion about aquatic and groundwater environments. Partici-
pants are encouraged to submit abstracts for papers to be
presented at the conference and/or a description of demon-
stration or poster sessions that will be on display in the
exhibition hall.
Technical papers may include:
•	Studies or summaries of projects that demonstrate the
sharing and/or integration of physical, chemical, and
biological data to study aquatic, groundwater, or ter-
restrial environments.
•	Projects or studies that demonstrate the use of physical,
chemical, or biological data from two or more sources
to solve environmental problems.
Exhibits may include:
•	Actual computer demonstrations of models, databases,
or other automated systems that store/retrieve/analyze
environmental data.
•	Poster sessions that summarize projects or data systems
that use physical, chemical, and biological data in the
analysis of aquatic, groundwater, or terrestrial environ-
ment
Submit abstracts of 500 words or less describing the
proposed exhibits by April 5, 1991, to Cynthia Warner,
U.S. EPA, Assessment and Watershed Protection Division
(WH-553), 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460.
Please include the investigator's address and daytime phone
number and any special needs for equipment or space
beyond 4'x8'x8'. Applicants will be notified by May 10,
1991, of the committee's decision.
Measuring, Understanding, and Predicting
Exposures in the 21st Century—
November 18- 21,1991
The first annual meeting of the International Society of
Exposure Analysis sponsored by the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry and the U.S. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency will be held November 18-21,1991,
in Atlanta, Georgia.
The purpose of the conference is to enable scientific
exchange and discussion of exposure methods for use in the
merged science of exposure analysis and continued profes-
sional growth. Discussion will be encouraged on technical
presentations and posters.
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The program will include plenary sessions, technical
papers, posters, and exhibits on the following topics:
•	Advances in monitoring methods in determining expo-
sure;
•	Measurement of exposure including microenvironmen-
tal monitoring (with a special emphasis on characteriz-
ing exposure around hazardous waste sites), total
exposure monitoring (all media and routes), indoor
studies, and monitoring design protocols;
•	Modeling exposures including microenvironmental,
activity patterns, consumer products, media-specific,
multimedia, and source apportionment models,
•	Dose including development and validation, biomarkers
measurement, and pharmacokinetic modeling,
•	Status and trends of human exposure including descrip-
tive studies of exposure to chemicals and field studies
of exposure in the population over time periods,
•	Exposure assessment in environmental policy and miti-
gation, including exposure pathway analysis, risk as-
sessment, and risk management, and
•	Multimedia exposures with specific case studies.
•	Measuring, understanding and predicting exposures for
environmental epidemiology
Abstracts are invited and should include the title,
authors), and the institution where the work was performed.
The text should be 300 words or less, and it must include an
introduction (rationale), methods, results, and discussion.
Acceptance will be based upon demonstrating new woik,
data synthesis, or knowledge of significant interest
For additional information on the conference, please
contact Gerry Akland (MD-75), Technical Program Chair-
man, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
27711. Hie deadline for submissions is April 1,1991.
FTS 475-9640
FTS 382-5949
FTS 475-6743
FTS 382-2897
FTS 382-4126
FTS 776-8138
FTS 835-3696
FTS 264-5682
FTS 597-1177
FTS 257-1586
FTS 886r3388
FTS 255-6715
FTS 757-2970
FTS 330-1731
FTS 484-1018
FTS 399-2135
If you would like to receive additional copies of this and
subsequent Reviews or to be added to the mailing list con-
tact
CERI Distribution
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
Need Help?
If your office needs help in finding irtformation 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 informa-
tion or advice will be able to contact you with assis-
tance. For assistance in posting announcements or
reading entries on the Bulletin Board, type PRPOST at
the > prompt and identify RISK as the Category. Your
colleagues from other offices who have information or
advice will be able to contact you with assistance. For
additional information please contact Marian Olsen at
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
Jonjtauscher
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
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