United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA's 2008
Report on the
Environment
presents indicators
that help answer
important questions
about human health
and the environment
www.epa.gov/roe

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were peer-reviewed

against an indicator

definition and

criteria to ensure

that they are

useful, objective,

transparent, and

scientifically reliable.
 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's

 2008 Report on  the Environment (ROE)
 presents an extensive set  of indicators on environmental status and
 trends to EPA and to interested scientists and members of the public.
 The ROE:
   Helps EPA and the public assess the condition of human health and
   the environment and how it is  changing over time.
 • Provides valuable input  to EPA's planning and strategic thinking.
 • Creates  partnership opportunities for monitoring and reporting
   environmental condition.
 The 2008 ROE, available at www.epa.gov/roe:
   Asks questions about environmental trends that are important
   to EPA.
   Answers these questions, to the extent possible, using high quality
   indicators.
   Discusses the critical indicator gaps, limitations, and challenges that
   prevent the questions from  being fully answered.
 EPA is committed to keeping the  ROE current and relevant by adding
 new indicators and updating indicators as new data  become available.
 Inside the ROE

 WATER
 •  Extent and/or condition
   of fresh surface waters,
   ground water, wetlands,
   and coastal waters
 •  Drinking water quality
 •  Condition of recreation-
   al waters and consum-
   able fish and shellfish
AIR
• Outdoor and indoor air
  quality
• Greenhouse gas emis-
  sions and concentrations

LAND
• Land cover and
  land use
• Chemicals used on the
  land
• Wastes and contami-
  nated land
HUMAN EXPOSURE
AND HEALTH
• Human exposure
  to environmental
  contaminants
• U.S. health status
• Human disease and
  conditions for which
  environmental  contami-
  nants may be a risk
  factor
ECOLOGICAL
CONDITION
• Extent, distribution,
  diversity, biological
  balance, ecological
  processes, and critical
  physical and chemi-
  cal attributes of the
  nation's ecological
  systems
• Biomarkers of expo-
  sure to environmental
  contaminants in plants
  and animals

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The ROE Questions
The 23 ROE questions ask about trends in:
  Stressors to air, water, and land and
  their effects on human health and the
  environment.
  Human exposure and health and the
  condition of the environment.
For example: What are the trends in...
  .... outdoor air quality and their effects
  on human health and the environment?
  ....the quality of drinking water and their
  effects on human health?
  .... land cover and their effects on
  human health and the environment?
  ....human exposure to environmental
  contaminants?
  ....the extent and distribution of the
  nation's ecological systems?
The ROE Indicators
To answer these questions, the ROE
presents 86 environmental indicators that:
  Meet high standards for quality,
  objectivity, and transparency.
  Are based on measurements of
  environmental and human health
  conditions over time.
  Present trends when adequate data are
  available or establish reliable  national
  baselines when they are not.
  Are national (and in some cases
  regional)  in coverage.
  Underwent extensive public comment
  and  peer review.
EPA's Report on the
Environment represents
a commitment by EPA
to continually improve
the quality and quantity
of information  available
on the condition of
human health  and the
environment and how it
is changing over time.
Additional Information and Updates
Visit www.epa.gov/roe to access:
• The underlying data, metadata, references, and peer review documentation for
  the ROE indicators.
• EPA's 2008 Report on the Environment: Highlights of National Trends, which
  presents highlights  of the ROE for the interested public.
• Future updates of the ROE indicators.

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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Center for Environmental Assessmen.
Washington, DC 20460

Official  Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300

EPA/600/F-08/002
May 2008
www.epa.gov
                   For more information, contact:


                     Denice M. Shaw, Ph.D (ROE Project Lead)
                   National Center for Environmental Assessment
                       Office of Research and Development
                       U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                             Washington, DC 20460
                                ROE@epa.gov
   Recycled/Recyclable-Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks -
Postconsumer, Proces

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