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EPA Progress Report 2010
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mmental Protection Agency
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2010 EVA Scientific Publications
Lu, L. AND T. L. GREAVER. A global perspective on below-ground car-
bon dynamics under nitrogen enrichment- Journal. ECOLOGY LETTERS.
Blackwell Publishing, Maiden, MA, (13):819-828, (2010).
Bar-Han, A., J. R. Johnson, A. DenBleyker, L. Chan, G. Yarwood, D.
HITCHCOCK, AND J. P. PINTO. Potential Ozone Impacts of Excess
NO2 Emissions from Diesel Particulate Filters for On- and Off-Road
Diesel Engines. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT
ASSOCIATION. Air & Waste Management Association, Pittsburgh, PA,
60:977-992, (2010).
DUTTON, S. J., B. Rajagopalan, S. Vedal, AND M. P. Hannigan. Tempo-
ral Patterns in Daily Measurements of Inorganic and Organic Speciated
PM2J in Denver. ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier Science
Ltd, New York, NY, 44(7):987-998, (2010).
Hansen, C., T. LUBEN, J. SACKS, A. Olshan, S. C. JEFFAY, L. F.
STRADER, AND S. D. PERREAULT. The effect of ambient air pollu-
tion on sperm quality. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research
Triangle Park, NC, 118(2):203-209, (2010).
us sylva
Science and Environmental Epidemiology . Nature Publishing Group,
London, Uk, 20(1):101-111, (2009).
GEORGE, B. J., D. A. WHITAKER, R. C. GILLIAM, J. SWALL,
AND R. W. WILLIAMS. Relationship Between PM2.5 Collected at
Residential Outdoor Locations and a Central Site. JOURNAL OF AIR
AND WASTE MANAGEMENT. Air & Waste Management Association,
Pittsburgh, PA, 60(9):1094-1104, (2010).
Niu, J., P. E. Rasmussen, A. Wheeler, R. W. WILLIAMS, AND M. Che-
nier. Evaluation of Airborne Particulate Matter and Metals Data in Per-
sonal, Indoor and Outdoor Environments using ED-XRF and ICP-MS
and Co-located Duplicate Samples. ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT.
Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 44(2):235-245, (2010).
RODES, C. E., P. A. Lawless, J. W. Thornburg, R. W. WILLIAMS,
AND C. W. CROGHAN. DEARS Particulate Matter Relationships
for Personal, Indoor, Outdoor, and Central Site Settings for a General
Population. ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier Science Ltd,
New York, NY, 44(11): 1386-1399, (2010).
Avery, C. L., K. T. Mills, R. W. WILLIAMS, K. A. McGraw, C. Poole,
R. L. Smith, AND E. A. Whitsel. Estimating Error in Using Residen-
tial Outdoor PM,. Concentrations as Proxies for Personal Exposures:
System Version 4.7. Geoscientific Model Development. Copernicus
Publications, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, 3(l):205-226, (2010).
GODOWITCH, J. M., G. POULIOT, AND S. T. RAO. Assessing
Multi-year Changes in Modeled and Observed Urban NOx Concentra-
tions from a Dynamic Model Evaluation Perspective. ATMOSPHERIC
ENVIRONMENT. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 44(24):2894-
2901, (2010).
Book Chapter
Alvarez, D. A. AND T. L. JONES-LEPP. Sampling and Analysis of
Emerging Pollutants. IChapter 11, Y Li, K. Migliaccio (ed.), Water
Quality Concepts, Sampling, and Chemical Analysis. CRC Press - Taylor
& Francis Group, LLC, Boca Raton, FL,, 199-226, (2010).
Environmental Verification Product
MCKERNAN, J., A. Dindal, AND T. Kelly. Test/QA Plan for Verifica-
tion of Ozone Indicator Cards. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-10/034, 2009.
Paper in Non-Agency Proceedings
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Institute of Env
Triangle Park
OWENS, B. O. End<
ease. Clinical Bit
43(15):1183-1188, (201
providing a wealth of "influential scientific information" and "highly
Influential scientific assessments" to the Nation. This work is represented
n papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, government
eports, books and book chapters, and presentations shared at scientific
(*Source, EPA Science Inventory: www.epa.gov/si)
OGY. Informa Healthcare USA, New York, NY, 22(S1):1-19, (2010).
JAOUI, M., E. CORSE, M. LEWANDOWSKI, J. H. OFFENBERG, T.
E. KLEINDIENST, AND E. O. EDNEY Formation of Organic Tracers
forlsoprene SOA under Acidic Conditions . ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRON-
MENT. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 44(14): 1798-1805, (2010).
Wood, E. C., M. R. Canagaratna, S. C. Herndon, T. ONASCH, J. H.
KROLL, C. E. KOLB, D. R. WORSNOP, W. Knighton, R. L. SEILA, M.
Zavala, L. T. Molina, P. F. DECARLO, J. JIMENEZ, A. J. Weinheimer,
D. J. Knapp, B. Jobson, W. C. Kuster, AND E. J. Williams. Investigation
of the Correlation between Odd Oxygen and Secondary Organic Aerosol
in Mexico City and Houston. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Co-
pernicus Publications, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, 10(18):8947-8968,
(2010).
Baxter, L. K., R. J. Wright, C. J. Paciorek, F. LADEN, H. H. SUH, AND
J. LEVY. Effects of Exposure Measurement Error in the Analysis of
Health Effects from Traffic-Related Air Pollution. Journal of Exposure
McCoy, K. Hirschboeck, J. Callegary, C. van Riper III, AND F. Gray.
Developing an Ecosystem Services online Decision Support Tool to
Assess the Impacts of Climate Change and Urban Growth in the Santa
Cruz Watershed; Where We Live, Work, and Play. ENVIRONMENT,
DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY. Springer, New York, NY,
2:2044-2069, (2010).
ERWAY, M., J. Schrlau, S. Usenko, L. Ackerman, K. Hageman, A.
Schwindt, L. Geiser, H. Taylor, W. Hafner, D. Campbell, N. Rose, S. Si-
monich, D. Jaffe, C. Schreck, M. Kent, T. Blett, AND D. H. LANDERS.
Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project Database. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/C-10/001,
2010.
FOLEY, K., S. J. ROSELLE, W. APPEL, P. BHAVE, J. E. PLEIM, T. L.
OTTE, R. MATHUR, G. SARWAR, J. O. YOUNG, R. C. GILLIAM, C.
G. NOLTE, J. T. Kelly, A. GILLILAND, AND J. O. BASH. Incremental
Testing of the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) Modeling
ersed Chemicals Using i
presented at American >• ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H
Scientific Meeting, Seattle, WA, February 25, 2010.
BARRETT, W. M. "Development and Validation of a Model to Predict
Aerosol Breathing Zone Concentrations During Common Outdoor
Activities." Presented at The 13th Annual OSC Readiness Training
Program, Orlando, FL, February 01-04, 2010.
DIGIULIO, D. C. AND R. T. WILKIN. "Impact of CO2 Intrusion into
USDWs, the Vadose Zone, and Indoor Air." Presented at DOE/EPA Col-
laborative Review, Pittsburgh, PA, March 23 - 24, 2010.
GULLETT, B. K. "Baloon-lofted pollutant sampling of open burning
and open detonation: abstract." Presented at 2010 Stationary Source
Sampling and Analysis of Air Pollutants Conference, Panama City, FL,
March 07 - 12, 2010.
GULLETT, B. K. "An Aerostat-lofted emission sampler for open and
diffuse combustion sources." Presented at NC Fire Environment Work-
ing Group, Raleigh, NC, August 26, 2010.
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&ER&
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
.
EPA's integrated research programs
provide the solid, scientific foundation
the Agency needs to fulfill its mission to
safeguard human health and protect the
natural environment.
No other research organization in the
world offers the depth and breadth
of science and engineering expertise
represented by EPA's workforce. From
nanomaterials a billionth of a meter in
size to the global dynamics of climate
change, EPA scientists and engineers
are engaged in investigations that,
collectively, cover every scale of our
environment and focus on the links
between the environment and human
health.
EPA conducts research that addresses
the highest priority science needs of
the Nation. The work performed by
EPA scientists and their partners from
colleges and universities, sister Federal
and state agencies, EPA regional and
program offices, and a host of other
environmental and human health
organizations improves the air we
breathe, the water that sustains us, and
the land upon which we live.
Today, EPA's integrated, transdisciplinary
research program is building on 40 years
of scientific achievement to help families
and communities realize a brighter, more
sustainable future.
Table of Contents
The Path Forward: Sustainabi/ity Message from the
Assistant Administrator Paul T. Anastas, Ph.D.
Air, Climate, and Energy
Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Human Health Risk Assessment
EPA Research: It All Starts with Science
Homeland Security
Serving Partners, Regions, and Communities
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From the Assistant Administrator for the
0/fice of Research and Development, Paul T. Anastas, Ph.D.
The Path Forward: Sustainability
In January 2010,1 took
office as the Assistant
Administrator for the
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's
Office of Research
and Development
(ORD)and
Science Advisor to
Administrator Lisa
P.Jackson. It was
a special honor to
return to EPA, where I
started my career as a
staff chemist 20 years
ago.
Because of my history with EPA, I knew first
hand that I was re-joining an Agency known
for producing excellent, innovative science
and research across the entire spectrum of
environmental disciplines. EPA's expert scientists
and engineers work at locations across the country
to understand how environmental issues—from
nanoparticles smaller than the width of a human
hair to far-reaching, complex systems such as
global climate change—can impact all Americans.
Among science organizations around the world,
the breadth and diversity of EPA's research is
unmatched.
There is no doubt that science and research are
critical to advancing EPA's mission to protect
human health and the environment. Administrator
Lisa P. Jackson has said time and again that science
is the backbone of EPA. Indeed, the Agency
depends upon its scientists and engineers to
inform all of its decisions with rigorous research,
analysis and assessments of the highest caliber.
We provide the sound scientific basis for Agency
actions that benefit the lives of all Americans, every
day.
In 2010, while continuing to advance the kinds of
cutting-edge research that are the hallmark of
EPA, we also took ambitious steps to ensure that
we are as effective as we can be for the American
people. These steps, known collectively as the
"Path Forward," have ensured that all of EPA's
scientific work is conducted in a way that advances
the goal of sustainability. In its common definition,
sustainability means meeting the needs of the
current generation while preserving the ability of
future generations to meet their needs. At EPA,
it means doing all that we can to not only protect
Americans today, but also to ensure a healthy
environment for our children, their children, and
beyond. Achieving this ambitious goal will require
the best minds to work together across disciplines
in an atmosphere of innovation and creativity.
It will also require broad thinking and a holistic,
"systems" perspective to ensure that our science
and research today can advance EPA's mission into
the future.
We are doing just that. By bringing together
experts from nearly every environmental
discipline, we are building upon our demonstrated
excellence in measuring, monitoring and
assessing environmental problems to inform and
empower sustainable solutions. In 2010, we broke
down traditional scientific silos by forging truly
transdiciplinary research areas. We established
programs to encourage transformative innovations
that simultaneously reduce environmental risk
and grow the economy. We developed new
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ways to communicate and maximize our
impact, and we engaged with experts,
stakeholders, and communities like
never before. We embraced the goal of
sustainability and, as a result, are more
effectively conducting research for human
health and environmental protection
across the United States.
This year also marked EPA's 40*
anniversary. In honor of this important
milestone, we paused to recognize some
of the major EPA research discoveries that
have saved lives and improved the health
and well-being of all Americans—landmark
studies on the impacts of second-hand
tobacco smoke, lead in gasoline, and air
pollution, just to name a few. In 2010,
we added to that proud history with
significant accomplishments in six broad
areas of research: Air, Climate, and Energy;
Sustainable and Healthy Communities;
Safe and Sustainable Water Resources;
Chemical Safety for Sustainability;
Human Health Risk Assessment; and
Homeland Security. At the same time, we
also engaged in cutting edge research to
inform issues of national significance.
Just a few of EPA's scientific achievements
from the past year include:
• Agency scientists, at the request
of the U.S. Congress, developed a
strategic research plan to study the
potential effects hydraulic fracturing,
a stimulation process used during
drilling operations, could have on
drinking water resources when used for
extracting natural gas supplies.
• EPA scientists quantified the harmful
environmental impacts of mountaintop
mining on Appalachian streams,
supporting comprehensive new
guidance issued by the Agency to
protect the health of local communities.
• Throughout the year, EPA celebrated 40
years of clean air science in support of
the Clean Air Act, highlighting findings
and outcomes that have led to longer
lives and healthier communities.
• Working with colleges and universities,
EPA regional offices, sister federal
agencies, states, local communities,
Tribes, and others stakeholders, EPA
scientists and engineers cultivated
a number of important partnerships
throughout the scientific community.
• The Agency's extramural program
provided more than 66 million dollars
in research grants, graduate and
undergraduate fellowships, and other
awards.
• EPA's Homeland Security Research
program, along with partners from the
Department of Energy, received a 2010
"R&D 100 Award" from R&D Magazine
for developing CANARY, innovative
water quality software that enhances
a water system's ability to detect
when there has been intentional or
unintentional contamination.
• The next generation of environmental
scientists and engineers were
recognized and rewarded with the 7th
Annual EPA P3 Awards.
• Building on cutting-edge design
developed by EPA engineers and their
partners, Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
joined Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton to announce a major new
partnership to improve indoor air quality
for millions of women and children
through the design of cleaner, more
efficient cookstoves.
• EPA researchers contributed science
toward the revised National Ambient
Air Quality Standards, a set of science-
based standards for protecting human
health from air pollution.
In the midst of this important work, EPA
and its federal partners answered the
call when the Deepwater Horizon oil
rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Our
scientists, engineers, and experts from
across the country mobilized immediately
to do what was necessary to protect
the lives, communities, and ecosystems
of our fellow citizens. EPA laboratories
on the Gulf coast became important
response-team hubs, EPA scientists were
central to informing emergency response
strategies, and EPA studies provided the
first toxicology tests on oil dispersants
available for use in response to the BP
oil spill. I am proud to work in an Agency
that was able to rise to unprecedented
challenges with the highest level of
scientific integrity.
Whether engaged in crisis response,
cutting-edge innovation, or our path
toward sustainability, EPA scientists
spent 2010 working to advance the
Agency's mission. In 2011 and beyond,
we will continue to serve Americans by
conducting the science and research
needed to protect their health and their
environment.
Thank you,
Paul T. Anastas, Ph.D.
Assistant Administrator
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This Progress Report is dedicated to
Patrick Harrington Hurd
October 16,1983 -January 17, 2011
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA Progress Report 2010
Office of Research and Development
Air, Climate, and Energy
American communities face serious
health and environmental challenges
from air pollution and the growing effects
of climate change, both of which are
intricately linked with energy options.
Building on 40 years of achievement
in air pollution research that has led
to landmark outcomes—including
healthier communities and longer life
expectancies—EPA researchers are
exploring the dynamics of air quality,
global climate change and energy as a set
of complex, yet interrelated, challenges.
This section highlights some of EPA's many
achievements advancing Air, Climate and
Energy science during 2010, includin;
year-long celebration of 40 years of clean
air science achievements in support of the
Clean Air Act that brought researchers,
stakeholders and the public together to
explore past achievements and emerginj
research efforts; the announcement of a
major new partnership to develop clean
cookstoves for the developing world; the
launch of a major near-roadway study
investigating the links between local air
pollution and asthma; the development of
a model illuminating how controlling man-
made sources of air pollution also may
reduce compounds released into the air
from vegetation; and much, much more.
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Since the establishment of EPA
in 1970 and passage of the Clean
Air Act Amendments the same
year, EPA's Clean Air Research
has provided the scientific
information, tools and technology
to reduce and control air
pollution.
Air, Climate, and Energy
Celebrating the Past, Looking to the Future: Air Science 40
EPA provided a year-long look at clean air science achievements and ongoing research.
2010 marked two important milestones in
the nation's history of protecting human
health and the environment: the 40*
Anniversary of the establishment of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
the passage of the landmark Clean Air Act.
The Agency celebrated both occasions
through the Air Science 40 program, a
series of lectures, Webinars, and other
public events centered on science
communication and highlighting how
advances in clean air and human health
science have contributed to cleaning up
the nation's air and improving the health
of its citizens.
Throughout the year, Air Science 40
programs highlighted four decades
of clean air science accomplishments.
Leading EPA scientists and their partners
also shared ongoing research efforts
to develop a deeper understanding
of the complex, often far-reaching,
new challenges the Nation and local
communities face in managing air quality.
Emerging issues, such as the multitude
of pollutants in the air, and the complex
interactions between air quality and a
changing climate, were explored and
shared by leading experts.
To kick off the celebration, EPA's Clean
Air Research Program co-sponsored an
international conference on the latest
science exploring the connections
between health risks, sources of air
pollution and their emissions, and how
those risks might be minimized. Air
Pollution & Health: Bridging the Gap From
Sources to Health Outcomes was held
March 22-26, 2010, and was sponsored
by EPA and its partners, the American
Association for Aerosol Research, and the
Air and Waste Management Association.
Following the kickoff in San Diego, Air
Science 40 continued with Congressional
briefings, regional presentations, and
a seminar and Webinar series. Each
event provided the opportunity for EPA
scientists and their partners to share the
latest research efforts and findings that
are adding to a 40-year foundation of
achievement.
A series of Webinars and presentations
was conducted by investigators from
EPA-supported Particulate Matter (PM)
Research Centers. The PM Centers are
leading research institutes focused on
exploring the links between particulate
matter and human health effects.
Presentations in the series included:
• Extrapulmonary Effects of Ambient
Ultrafne Particles: Controlled Clinical and
Animal Studies (Mark Frampton, M.D.,
lead investigator, Rochester PM Center)
• Ultrafine Particles and Immediate
Responses of the Cardiovascular System
(Annette Peters, Ph.D., lead investigator,
Rochester PM Center)
• Novel Exposure Scenarios to Define the
Health Effects of Particle Sources (Petros
Koutrakis, Ph.D., Director, Harvard
PM Center, and John Godleski, M.D.,
Associate Director, Harvard PM Center)
• Environment Interactions in the
Association of Air Pollution With
Cardiovascular Disease (John Godleski,
M.D., Associate Director, Harvard PM
Center, and Joel Schwartz, Ph.D., lead
investigator, Harvard PM Center)
• Geographical Differences In PM Health
Effects, Composition, and Toxicity
(Patrick Breysse, Ph.D., Director, lead
investigator, Hopkins Center for PM
Research)
• Building Science for a Multipollutant
Future: The Health Effects Institute
(HEI) Strategic Plan (Dan Greenbaum,
President, HEI, and Robert O'Keefe, Vice
President, HEI)
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Air, Climate, and Energy
EPA Air Science 40 Seminars
The EPA Air Science 40 Seminars, co-
sponsored by EPA and its partners,
featured a number of presentations
highlighting important clean air research
findings that were shared with members
of Congress and leading scientists.
Seminars included:
• Air Quality in a Changing Climate
What the Future Holds for
the Air We Breathe
Co-sponsored by the American
Geophysical Union
• Clean Air for All?
Air Quality Across Social and Spatial Lines
Co-sponsored by the American
Thoracic Society
• Air Pollution—A Matter of the Heart
How Polluted Air Causes
Cardiovascular Disease
Co-sponsored by the American
Heart Association
• Breathe Cleaner, Live Longer
Understanding Air Pollution
After 40 Years
Co-sponsored by the American
Heart Association
Since the establishment of EPA in 1970 and
passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments
the same year, EPA's clean air research has
provided the scientific information, tools,
and technology to reduce and control air
pollution. 2010 was a year to celebrate
those accomplishments and look toward
the future.
AIR SCIENCE 40
Better Burning, Better Breathing: Cleaner Stoves
EPA and partners will continue the effort to develop safer, lower emission solid-fuel cookstoves.
On September 21, 2010, EPA Administrator
Lisa P. Jackson joined Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton and a number
of partners to announce a major effort
to combat problems associated with
cookstoves. Speaking at the Clinton Global
Initiative in New York, Secretary Clinton
announced that the U.S. Government
was pledging $53.32 million—including a
$6 million contribution by EPA—for the
Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.
Led by the United Nations Foundation,
the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
aims to save lives, improve livelihoods,
empower women and combat climate
change by creating a thriving global
market for clean and efficient household
cooking solutions. The Alliance's goal
is to create the market and distribution
conditions necessary for 100 million
households to adopt clean cookstoves by
2020.
EPA's involvement was in part sparked
by ongoing research conducted by EPA
scientists and engineers who tested a
number of household cookstoves and fuel
combinations for performance and air
pollution emissions. The work was done to
support the Partnership for Clean Indoor
Air (PCIA), an association of more than 370
organizations contributing their resources
and pooling their collective expertise to
reduce smoke exposure from cooking and
heating practices. PCIA was launched in
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Air, Climate, and Energy
Better Burning, Better Breathing: Cleaner Stoves,
2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg.
The objectives of the EPA study under the
Partnership were threefold:
1. Determine if some cookstove designs
have improved fuel efficiency and
lowered pollutant emissions as
compared with traditional "three-stone
fire" (three stones placed around a fire
to hold up a pot) found in many kitchens
in the developing world.
2. Provide useful cookstove performance
and emissions information to PCIA
partners and others supplying stove
technology to developing countries.
3. Compare test results using the Water
Boiling Test protocol with those of a
PCIA partner, Aprovecho Research
Center in Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Research results from the study, presented
in the paper "Solid-Fuel Household
Cookstoves: Characterization of
Performance and Emissions" (B/omass and
B/oenergy Journal, February 2009,33(2))
showed that some stoves currently used
in the field offer the benefits of improved
fuel efficiency and lower pollutant
emissions compared with traditional
cooking methods. Stoves with lighter, less
dense materials exposed to the heat of the
fire tended to cook faster with better fuel
efficiency and lower pollutant emissions.
The study provided an independent
evaluation of 14 stove/fuel combinations
with an emphasis on modern cookstoves
designed to reduce harmful emissions
and improve fuel efficiency. It illustrated
the importance of testing stoves,
and presented useful information for
improving the design of stoves. Test
results using the latest stove technology
had not been reported in the peer-
reviewed scientific literature before. The
study also showed that stove-testing
results can be replicated between
laboratories, and offered
recommendations for improving the ability
to replicate results.
As part of the newly announced Global
Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, EPA
researchers and engineers will continue
to advance their work, teaming up with
partners across the globe to address
critical areas such as stove testing and
evaluation, cookstove design innovations,
and health and exposure assessments to
calculate the benefits of improved stoves.
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Exploring the Links Between Air Pollution and Asthma
EPA scientists and partners teamed up to examine road-related air pollution and susceptibility to asthma.
Can living near a highway make you
more susceptible to asthma attacks? EPA
scientists, together with partners from
the University of Michigan, teamed up in
2010 to examine this question through
the Near-Road Exposures to Urban Air
Pollutants Study (NEXUS).
Beginning in the fall of 2010, scientists
began conducting a comprehensive
asthma trigger study that will collect and
use data from more than 60 children
living in Detroit who suffer from asthma.
Scientists will look at the mixture of
pollutants that originate from Detroit-
area highway traffic to determine how the
pollution affects children with asthma.
Data collected from air near major
highways, as well as in homes and schools,
will shed light on the mixture of air
pollutants that affect asthma and overall
health.
EPA scientists are working with partners
from the University of Michigan and
scientists from across several scientific
fields to track air pollution over its entire
lifecycle, from identifying its various
sources to its ultimate effects on human
health.
Building on lessons learned from past
EPA-led research on near-roadway air
pollution, NEXUS will include studies of
air pollutant sources, near-roadway air
pollution levels and behaviors, and indoor
air quality. During the study, scientists also
will compare the toxicity of various air
pollutants and conduct an epidemiological
analysis of the health effects of air
pollution.
In addition to Detroit's many heavily
travelled highways, researchers will
be able to look at pollution from other
sources, including coal-fired power
plants, metal refineries, and other heavy
industries. They will also be able to
examine the mix of airborne substances
(including mold, pet dander and tobacco
smoke) in study participants' homes and
at several schools to compare those levels
with the measurements taken at outdoor
ambient air quality sampling sites.
The NEXUS project is already providing a
major benefit to the local community. The
project has created financial opportunities
for Detroit residents, employing
community members in data-gathering
efforts and participant interviews. The
training that participants receive will
prepare them for future work in scientific
research.
Furthermore, families participating in the
study are being given access to the data
collected from their homes. Researchers
are working with a partner community
group—Community Action Against
Asthma—to help participant families gain
access to health care and information to
help them reduce asthma triggers in their
homes.
When NEXUS' data-collection phase
ends in 2011, scientists plan to look for
epidemiological patterns so they can
answer such questions as: What pollutants
are most strongly associated with asthma?
The data also will help scientists test and
improve air quality models. By linking data
from the ambient sites with data collected
from Detroit homes and schools, scientists
will be able to better determine how the
ambient air is contributing to residents'
overall exposure to pollutants, and how to
better predict health effects caused by air
pollution.
Knowing which chemicals are the most
harmful will allow policymakers to make
better-informed decisions about clean air
policies in their communities; targeting
specific chemicals, for example, makes
it easier for industry to comply with new
clean air regulations.
Partnerships at Work:
To help determine the
significance of near-road
emissions/exposures and related
health risks from mobile sources,
EPA grantees developed a
testing facility that allows for a
controlled inhalation exposure to
freshly diluted and mixed diesel
exhaust.
11
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Air, Climate, and Energy
Air Pollution: Modeling the Mix
EPA modelers and partners show how controlling man-made sources of air pollution also may reduce
compounds released into the air from vegetation.
EPA researchers have discovered that
controlling man-made sources of air
pollution will have the added benefit of
also reducing air pollution formed from
compounds released from trees and
plants.
Trees and plants release more than just
oxygen into the atmosphere as a result of
photosynthesis. They also release a variety
of gases that contribute to air pollution. In
fact, the planet's vegetation accounts for
about two-thirds of the pollutants known
as volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
emitted globally.
In the study, published in the May 15,
2010, issue of Environmental Science &
Technology, EPA researchers and partners
quantified for the first time how emissions
from vehicles, industry and power plants
interact with natural emissions from
vegetation to change the composition and
makeup of chemicals in the air...for the
worse.
The implications of the study are
considerable, suggesting that if people can
control man-made sources of emissions,
they can indirectly affect the formation of
naturally derived atmospheric pollutant
particles.
Using computerized air quality modeling,
investigators conducted simulations of
natural and human-related pollution in the
United States. When scientists took man-
made pollutants out of the simulation,
there was a 50 percent drop in pollutants
from trees and plants in the Eastern
United States. These pollutants, known
as secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), are
produced by sunlight when VOCs from
trees, plants, cars, or industrial emissions
interact with other airborne chemicals.
SOAs are important for the formation of
two regulated air pollutants, particulate
matter and nitrogen oxide, a greenhouse
gas.
The study suggests that roughly one-
half of the "natural" SOAs in the Eastern
United States form only when there is
enough man-made pollution around.
The model can guide the development of
strategies that can control atmospheric
chemistry. Over the last 40 years, similar
12
EPA research efforts to develop a better
understanding of clean air science have
led directly to policies widely credited with
better air quality, which in turn reduces
hospitalizations, worsening levels of
asthma, cardiac events, and even deaths.
The research also can guide EPA to
develop more refined and focused
standards and strategies for effectively
and efficiently decreasing pollution. This is
just a first step in gaining an understanding
of the complexity of the atmosphere. The
research may have implications for future
air pollution management strategies as
well.
Scientists predict climate change will
stimulate the growth of trees and plants
and extend growing seasons, resulting in
even more emissions from natural sources.
By controlling man-made emissions, the
impact of emissions from trees and plants
maybe reduced.
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Air, Climate, and Energy
Expanding Atmospheric Modeling Capabilities
to Protect Human Health and the Environment
EPA scientists incorporate cutting-edge science and meteorology into a widely-used air quality model.
In 2010, EPA scientists worked to
incorporate cutting-edge air quality
science and meteorology and additional
capabilities into the Agency's popular
Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ)
model, which has been used around the
world for more than 10 years to protect
human health .
Slated for release in September 2011,
version 5.0 of CMAQ adds a new
online capability—namely a "coupled
meteorology-chemistry option" —to
the air quality model that is used by
EPA and states for designing emission
control strategies needed to meet and
maintain the National Ambient Air Quality
Standards. An earlier version of the model
is used by the National Weather Service
to produce daily U.S. ozone air quality
forecasts.
The "coupled model" will better
represent the physical and chemical
processes occurring in the real world
by properly simulating the feedbacks
between meteorology and air chemistry
so scientists can better understand not
only how weather conditions affect the
chemistry, but also how air chemistry can
affect and change weather conditions.
In this new modeling framework,
meteorology data are updated on the fly,
allowing scientists to use the model to
look at smaller, finer resolution settings,
such as individual towns and cities.
Furthermore, while CMAQ has been used
to assess air pollution problems at regional
and continental scales, this new coupled
model will allow researchers to expand the
spatial scale to the northern hemisphere,
thereby helping to answer questions
about the intercontinental transport of
air pollution and interactions between air
quality and climate change.
As CMAQ is already used world wide to
help shape air quality management, the
anticipated updates will enable regulators
to better protect human health and the
environment.
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Air, Climate, and Energy
Modeling Shows Influence of Climate Change on Ozone Air Pollution
EPA partners show how climate change may offset some of the benefits of emissions reductions programs.
As we face the reality of global climate
change, the need for new advances
in modeling systems and methods for
assessing the impacts of climate on
air quality is increasing. Robert Harley
and his colleagues at the University of
California, Berkeley, recently used the
CMAQ modeling system to assess these
impacts on future air quality in California.
This research, which is funded through the
EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR)
grant program, led to new insights about
the relationship between air pollution and
climate change.
Harley and his team of scientists show
that climate change has the potential to
offset some of the benefits of emissions
reductions programs. The CMAQ
system was used to simulate changes in
tropospheric ozone levels resulting from
future changes in pollutant emissions.
By 2050, technological changes and an
aggressive set of emissions controls are
predicted to decrease ozone pollution.
The magnitude of that decrease, however,
is significantly reduced when the effects
of climate change are considered. In fact,
ozone levels are predicted to increase in
the San Francisco Bay area.
This EPA-funded research is helping air
quality managers plan to meet health-
based air quality standards in the future.
Poor air quality and high ozone levels
already exist in many regions of California,
and higher temperatures predicted with
climate change could make this problem
worse. Existing regulations may need
updating to ensure public health is
protected on a warmer planet.
Harley's work also explored the effect of
higher temperatures on VOC emissions.
Cars and other mobile sources are the
dominant anthropogenic source of VOCs in
California, and the research team
two important types of vehicle-related
pollution: tailpipe emissions and liquid fuel
evaporation. The relative importance of
evaporative sources could increase in the
future as maximum daily temperatures
rise.
The research demonstrates several
possible influences of climate change on
air pollution, and the need to consider
these effects in air quality management.
The air quality assessment approach
developed by Harley's group can be
utilized by local and state regulators
to meet national air quality standards
effectively and efficiently.
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Air, Climate, and Energy
2010 Accomplishments - In Brief
Air, Climate, and Energy
EPA-Funded Particulate Matter (PM)
Research Center Assesses Ultrafine
PM Health Effects
EPA-funded research at the Rochester
PM Research Center and the Southern
California Particle Center found that
ultrafine particulate matter (UFP) is easily
transported throughout the body beyond
the cardiopulmonary system. Tissue
and cell analysis shows evidence for the
translocation of UFP to the liver, kidneys
and central nervous system. Exposure
to concentrated airborne PM led to
inflammatory responses and oxidative
stress in key organs. Surprisingly, there
is potential for UFP to cross into the
circulatory and lymphoid systems, which
could allow the particles to reach sensitive
sites, such as the heart, spleen and bone
marrow.
Age and disease were found to be critical
modifying or susceptibility factors.
Researchers also found that impacts on
the circulatory system could be worse
for those with atherosclerotic vascular
disease, such as that seen in type 2
diabetes. The Rochester Center's 2010
report, Assessment of Ambient UFP Health
Effects: Linking Sources to Exposure and
Responses in Extrapulmonary Organs,
integrates the results of many of the
Center's PM health effects studies to
show that ultrafine particles can cause
significant health effects in the respiratory,
vascular and cardiac systems—especially
in older adults and people with
atherosclerotic vascular disease.
Developing Methods for More Refined
Measurements of Air Pollutants
Three EPA-funded research efforts led
to the development of technologies for
the continuous measurement of PM
composition. Results will provide new
techniques for state and local air pollution
monitoring networks and for conducting
intensive field studies. Accomplishments
include:
• A new mobility spectrometer developed
by an EPA grantee at the University
of California, Davis, that can analyze
distributions of molecular ions, charged
particles and macromolecules or
molecular clusters. The device, called
Cross Flow Ion Mobility Spectrometry
(CF-IMS), is lightweight, low cost and
can analyze the composition of the gas
phase continuously with high-mobility
resolution.
• An EPA grantee at the Georgia Institute
of Technology tested a cost-effective
monitor that measures water-soluble
components of urban aerosol. A
potassium and a sodium ion-selective
micro-electrode was integrated with a
Particle-lnto-Liquid-Sampler for online
measurements and deployed near a
prescribed burn in rural Georgia. New
techniques for detecting the water-
soluble metals iron sulfate and copper
were also tested successfully. Results
from the trace metals tests showed an
improvement in measurement sensitivity
and temporal variability over the
traditional filter-based approach.
EPA-Funded Researchers Map
Heat-Related Trouble Spots
EPA-funded researchers used a novel
approach to develop a map showing
where people are more vulnerable to
dangerous heat waves.
Although heat waves and hot weather are
known to lead to increased deaths and
illness, what is not well understood is why
some people are affected more strongly
by heat than others. With the frequency of
heat waves expected to increase in much
of the world due to climate change, the
links between heat and health become
especially important.
I5
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Air, Climate, and Energy
Air, Climate, and Energy
2010 Accomplishments- In Brief, Cont'd.
A team of EPA grantees collaborated to
map vulnerability to heat in the United
States by analyzing 10 "vulnerability
factors, " including demographic data, air
conditioning prevalence, vegetation cover,
and diabetes prevalence, in nearly 40,000
census tracts across the United States.
The results of the study, which were
published in Environmental Health
Perspectives, (Reid CE, O'Neill MS,
Gronlund CJ, Brines SJ, Brown DC, et al.,
2009 "Mapping Community Determinants
of Heat Vulnerability") identified some of
the most vulnerable areas of the country,
providing critical insight to guide further
research and the formulation of strategies
to protect public health.
EPA Partners Develop Models and
Strategies for Smart Growth in a
Changing Climate
Adopting "smart" urban planning
strategies is a non-traditional pollution
control strategy that has received
attention from EPA grantees. Land use
management and transportation policies
are tools that state and local officials can
employ to help mitigate the effects of
climate change on air pollution.
In addition to developing air quality
metrics for evaluating different growth
development strategies, here are some of
the critical findings:
• Road pricing and urban growth
boundary policies could reduce vehicle
miles traveled and ozone precursor
emissions in Austin, Texas.
• A new model for developing sustainable
communities was applied to a county
in North Carolina to demonstrate
neighborhood "livability" and air quality.
• Regional scale modeling predicted
future transportation needs and land
use to evaluate the impacts of climate
change and, the built environment, and
transportation technology choices on
air quality across the upper mid-western
U.S. The results confirmed substantial
benefits from the Tier-l I vehicle
emissions regulations through 2050
and that smart growth strategies could
result in significant improvements to air
quality in the future.
Climate Change Predicted to Increase
Flooding and Waterborne Disease
Risk
Research conducted by EPA grantees
investigated how climate change will
impact waterborne disease risk in the
Great Lakes region. The study focused
on how heavy precipitation events
are expected to change during the 21st
century. These heavy precipitation events
are associated with flooding and sewer
overflow conditions that are conducive to
the spread of waterborne disease.
The researchers calculated that the
occurrence of precipitation events heavy
enough to cause sewer overflow into Lake
Michigan would increase by 50% to 120%.
This could have a great impact on the
beaches of Lake Michigan, especially their
availability for recreational use. Similarly,
given that Lake Michigan is a drinking
water source for millions of people, this
suggests another way in which climate
change threatens human health.
16
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA Progress Report 2010
Office of Research and Development
v
Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Seeking sustainable solutions to the complex
problems facing our nation's drinking water
and water resources is vital to supporting
healthy humans, ecosystems and economies.
EPA's safe and sustainable water re sources
research provides the science and
innovative technologies the Agency—and
the Nation—needs to maintain drinking
water sources and systems, as well as
to protect the chemical, physical and
biological integrity of our water. EPA
scientists and engineers help provide
sustainable water infrastructure, deliver
safe drinking water, manage stormwater,
and remove and treat wastewater,
allowing its sustainable and safe reuse.
This section highlights some of the many
accomplishments that EPA scientists and
researchers made in 2010 to advance
safe and sustainable water re sources,
including: the launch of a scientific
program to explore the potential impacts
of a stimulation method used to harvest
natural gas known as hydraulic fracturing,
the release of two major reports on the
environmental impacts of mountaintop
mining, the publication of a manual to
help localities protect coral reefs, a major
update to a widely used tool for helping
protect the nation's rivers and streams,
and much more.
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Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Hydraulic Fracturing: Drill ing for Answers
At the request of the U.S. Congress, EPA researchers prepared to lead an extensive scientific evaluation of
the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources.
A convergence of factors, including
rising energy prices, the national security
benefits of developing new domestic
energy supplies, and an economic
downturn — have sparked great interest
in expanding natural gas development.
What's more, natural gas burns cleaner
and emits less greenhouse gas per unit of
energy than other fossil fuels.
With those factors already in place, a
stimulation process known as hydraulic
fracturing, commonly referred to as
"fracking," has made it possible and
profitable to unlock natural gas reserves
from underground geologic formations
that were previously considered
economically unfeasible for natural gas
development.
Hydraulic fracturing creates or enlarges
cracks in subterranean rock formations.
Crews send drilling shafts into the ground,
and then inject a mixture of water (millions
of gallons per well), chemicals and
"proppants" (typically sand, or other small
particles, to hold open the cracks) into the
shaft at high pressure. The injected fluid
cracks or enlarges fissures in the rock,
allowing natural gas to flow into the well
and up to the surface.
The practice of hydraulic fracturing,
however, has raised concerns about its
potential impact on the environment and
human health, particularly on water quality
and drinking water. Important questions
about hydraulic fracturing include:
• What impact does removing the large
amounts of water needed for high-
pressure drilling have on a watershed
and/or an aquifer?
• What potential impacts do associated
activities and materials—such as
chemicals and drilling muds, large
amounts of wastewater, and fractured
underground rock—have on water
quality and underground drinking water
supplies?
In 2010, the U.S. Congress requested
that EPA formulate a plan to provide the
science needed to answer these and other
questions related to hydraulic fracturing.
To meet that request, EPA's Office of
Research and Development (ORD) began
to design a hydraulic fracturing research
study. EPA scientists, engineers, and
science policy experts worked together
to define the most pertinent research
questions, identify gaps in existing data,
and illuminate research priorities. They
also built a robust process to incorporate
stakeholder input, including public
meetings in locations close to, or in
communities potentially impacted by,
hydraulic fracturing activities.
To elicit ideas and suggestions from
EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB), the
Agency's ORD produced the document,
Scoping Materials for Initial Design of EPA
Research Study on Potential Relationships
Between Hydraulic Fracturing and
Drinking Water Resources. The SAB is an
independent, external federal advisory
committee called upon to provide expert
council to the Agency regarding technical
matters.
The SAB advised EPA on the scope of a
hydraulic fracturing study, identified key
research questions and provided input
for making stakeholder involvement
an integral component of the research
program.
EPA is now implementing the hydraulic
fracturing study plan.
18
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Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
EPA Advances Science of Mountaintop Mining Impacts
EPA researchers release two 2010 reports to support the Agency's new guidance for mountaintop mining.
On April 1, 2010, EPA announced a set of
actions the Agency was taking to further
clarify and strengthen environmental
permitting requirements for Appalachian
mountaintop removal and other surface
coal mining projects.
EPA issues permits for such actions in
coordination with other federal and state
regulatory agencies, including the Army
Corps of Engineers.
The scientific underpinning for the new
guidance was led by EPA research outlined
in two reports released for public comment
and submitted for peer review by the EPA
Science Advisory Board in 2010:
• The Effects of Mountaintop Mines and
Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems of the
Central Appalachian Coalfields;
• A Field-based Aquatic Life Benchmark
for Conductivity in Central Appalachian
Streams,
Mountaintop mining is a form of surface
coal mining in which the natural vegetation
from the upper topography of a mountain
is removed, and then heavy equipment
and explosives are used to level the upper
sections to expose seams of coal. The
sections of the mountain that are removed
(called "overburden") to access the coal
are pushed into the adjacent valleys for
disposal.
The new guidelines clarified actions
that EPA was implementing to protect
Appalachian ecosystems in accordance
with its mandate to uphold and enforce the
Clean Water Act. The Effects of Mountaintop
Mines and Valley Fills on Aquatic Ecosystems
of the Central Appalachian Coalfields
provides a state-of-the-science assessment
on the ecological impacts of mountaintop
mining and valley fill operations. EPA
researchers identified and reviewed some
277 citations—including books, conference
proceedings, journal articles, reports,
theses/dissertations and other sources—to
present a single-volume assessment of
the latest science available on the aquatic
impacts associated with mountaintop
mining.
The analysis identifies five key impacts
directly related to mountaintop mining and
valley fill:
1. Springs, intermittent streams, and small
perennial streams are permanently lost
with the removal of the mountaintop
and from burial underfill.
2. Concentrations of major chemical ions
are persistently elevated downstream.
3. Degraded water quality reaches levels
that are acutely lethal to standard
laboratory test organisms.
4.Selenium concentrations are elevated,
reaching concentrations that have
caused toxic effects in fish and birds.
5. Macroinvertebrate and fish communities
are consistently and significantly
degraded.
The second report, A Field-Based Aquatic
Life Benchmark for Conductivity in Central
Appalachian Streams, provides the scientific
basis for using a field-data-derived,
conductivity-based measurement as the
benchmark for water quality to protect
aquatic organisms living in Appalachian
surface waters.
Conductivity is a measure of the level
of salinity (salt) in the water. Because
mountaintop mining operations can raise
the salinity levels of nearby streams,
measuring it provides an indication of
the impacts on water quality by those
operations. EPA scientists conducted
more than 2,000 field samples to derive
!9
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Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
EPA Advances Science of Mountaintop Mining Impacts,
a conductivity benchmark that protects
95 percent of the genera (sets of similar
and closely related species) of aquatic
organisms living in streams in central
Appalachia.
Key findings of the report include:
• Concentrations of salts as measured by
conductivity are, on average, 10 times
higher downstream of mountaintop
mines and valley fills than in un-mined
watersheds.
• The increased levels of salts disrupt
the life cycle of freshwater aquatic
organisms, and some cannot live
in these waters. Water with high
salt concentrations downstream of
mountaintop mines and valley fills is
toxic to stream organisms.
• There are higher levels of the chemical
selenium downstream of mining sites.
Selenium exceeded the level established
by EPA to protect aquatic life at more
than one-half of the sites surveyed
downstream of mountaintop mines and
valley fills.
• By plotting the conductivity levels at
which organisms are no longer observed
in streams, EPA can determine a level of
conductivity that results in their loss.
• A conductivity benchmark (300
microSiemens per centimeter) that
protects 95 percent of the genera of
aquatic organisms living in streams in
central Appalachia.
The two reports were produced to
provide the best available science on the
environmental impact of mountaintop
mining. "We will continue to work with all
stakeholders to find a way forward that
follows the science and the law," said
Administrator Lisa P.Jackson.
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Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Sustaining a National Treasure: EPA Released Manual to Help Protect Coral Reefs
EPA researchers produced a comprehensive guide on how to use Clean Water Act biological criteria to enhance
coral reef protection.
Coral reefs are the largest living structures
on the planet and have greater biodiversity
than rainforests. They also are one of the
most threatened marine ecosystems. Coral
reefs are sensitive environments because
of their highly specific requirements for
temperature, salinity, oxygen, light, and
nutrients. Pollution, disease, climate
change, physical contact, and habitat
destruction threaten these fragile
ecosystems.
The President's Ocean Action Plan (2004)
required EPA to develop the tools and
knowledge necessary to protect coral
reefs from land-based pollution using coral
reef biological criteria, a tool to protect
biological integrity under the authority
of the Clean Water Act. This became
the motivation behind the 2010 EPA
publication, Coral Reef Biological Criteria:
Using the Clean Water Act to Protect a
National Treasure.
The publication was produced to provide
information on the biological health of
reefs to coral reef managers and other
stakeholders, including residents living
near reefs, tourists, fishermen, marine,
and land-based industries, conservation
and environmental groups, research
organizations and educational institutions.
It serves as a comprehensive guide on how
to use the Clean Water Act and biological
criteria to enhance coral reef protection
efforts. The manual walks coral reef
managers through the steps they should
take to protect reefs and links back to
what they already are doing.
A year in the making, the manual compiles
an array of research performed by EPA
scientists, research that is continuing
to better facilitate development and
implementation of coral reef biocriteria by
geographic jurisdictions.
The research team that developed Coral
Reef Biological Criteria: Using the Clean
Water Act to Protect a National Treasure
worked closely with EPA's Office of Water,
working off the Agency's Ocean Survey
Vessel BOLD to complete many of the
reef assessments required to develop
biocriteria approaches.
To further the Agency's efforts to protect
coral reefs, EPA marine biologists and
other researchers are continuing their
work. Current efforts include research
divers assessing the condition of reef
corals, fish, sponges, and benthic
21
invertebrates in the waters of the
Caribbean Sea surrounding Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This work will
help to identify organisms and establish
measurement criteria that are responsive
to human activities or disturbances
in the watersheds that drain into the
waters containing reefs. Previous surveys
have supported approaches to regional
condition reporting for coral reefs, which
have a patchy distribution.
Coral reefs have declined as much as 20
percent over the last 40 years and maybe
as much as So percent in the Caribbean
Sea. They are a national treasure and a
vital ecosystem to protect. EPA's 2010
report and the research to develop
biocriteria to help protect reefs is a
promising development in protecting
these national treasures.
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Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Updated Online Resource Helps Protect Waterways
EPA researchers update tool that helps scientists from states and tribes find out what is harming plant and
animal life in streams, rivers, and wetlands.
What's ailing your stream? CADDIS can
help you find out. CADDIS is an EPA
website developed to help scientists
and engineers conduct cause and effect
assessments in aquatic systems. The
online application uses EPA's Stressor
Identification (SI) process, supporting
information, and other assessment tools
to help scientists systematically evaluate
the causes of harm to plants and animals
in aquatic habitats. In some instances, the
process produces a clear-cut answer. In
other cases, it points to several possible
explanations and suggests additional tests
that can narrow down the possibilities.
Scientists sample the insects and other
tiny creatures that live in a body of water
as one way of evaluating its health. The
kinds of creatures that live in healthy
environments are different from those
that live in troubled areas, so these counts
serve as an indicator of whether or not all
is well.
A new, enhanced version of CADDIS was
released in September 2010. This release
contains new content in each part of the
site, and has been reorganized into five
volumes, or topic areas:
• Volume 1: Stressor Identification—
includes a new causal assessment
background section, providing
information on the CADDIS causal
approach, causal concepts, and causal
history.
• Volumes: Sources, Stressors &
Responses—includes new stressor
modules for ammonia, herbicides,
insecticides, pH (low and high), and
physical habitat, as well as a new source
module for urbanization.
• Volume 3: Examples & Applications
(Examples, Databases)—includes new
analytical examples, illustrating the
use of different data analysis methods;
provides new case studies, summarizing
completed causal assessments; and
provides a summary of how different
states have used causal assessment
techniques in their systems.
• Volume 4: Data Analysis (Analyzing
Data)—includes new information on
selecting an analytical approach, basic
principles and issues, exploratory data
analysis, basic analyses and advanced
analyses.
• Volumes: Causal Databases (Candidate
Causes, Databases)—provides an
expanded Interactive Conceptual
Diagram application that allows users
to view, create and collaborate on
22
conceptual diagrams, as well as use
those diagrams to access and link
supporting literature.
Examples of improvements include the
new CADDIS module on urbanization,
which focuses on a source of impairment
rather than a specific stressor. It provides
background information on urbanization
in streams and presents scenarios that
investigators should consider if they
suspect that urban development is
significantly affecting stream quality.
The update provides case studies that
walk users through the assessments that
different states have performed, and an
interactive tool for building conceptual
diagrams and linking these diagrams to
evidence published by other researchers.
CADDIS helps state agencies improve the
condition of streams and other bodies of
water by helping them pinpoint the causes
of problems so that remedial actions can
be targeted where they will do the most
good. By providing expanded guidance
and resources, the 2010 release of CADDIS
will enable watershed managers to better
protect the health of our nation's waters.
Visit the CADDIS Web site at www.epa.
gov/caddis.
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Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
2010 Accomplishments - In Brief
EPA Christens New Great Lakes
Research Vessel (RV)
On August 6, 2010, EPA Assistant
Administrator for Research and
Development, Dr. Paul Anastas, joined
Congressman Jim Oberstar in the
christening of the Lake Explorer II, a new
vessel to support EPA research in the
Great Lakes area.
The vessel was commissioned as the RV
Lake Explorer II to support EPA research
in the Great Lakes—a vast region with
more than 10,000 miles of shoreline.
The Great Lakes are the largest surface
freshwater system on earth, and provide
water for drinking, transportation, power,
recreation, and many other uses.
The Lake Explorer II will be used to
conduct applied and exploratory research
on environmental stressors affecting
water quality and the biological integrity
of the lakes. Stresses on the lakes include
toxic and nutrient pollution, invasive
species, habitat degradation, air pollution,
and runoff from farm chemicals on
agricultural lands.
Modeling Tool Helps Beach Managers
Protect Swimmers' Health
Every year, thousands of Americans swim
at recreational beaches. When water is
polluted, swimmers can become ill from
exposure to waterborne pathogens. To
reduce the number of illnesses, beach
managers needed quicker ways to
determine when beaches are unsafe for
swimming and should be closed.
During 2010, EPA scientists developed two
important tools to protect beachgoers:
• "Virtual Beach," a mathematical
modeling tool to help beach managers
predict concentrations of Escherichia
coli, Enterococcus and other indicators
of waterborne pathogens at beaches.
The tool uses local data such as wave
height, water temperature and rainfall
to develop a model that can forecast
microbial concentrations 24- to 48- hours
in advance.
• A new DMA extraction method for
determining the amount of pathogens
present in water. The new method uses
quantitative polymerase chain reaction
technology to extract and quantify
Enterococcus bacteria DMA, a fecal
indicator, from water samples.
Responding to Aging Water
Infrastructure
EPA scientists and engineers evaluate
and demonstrate innovative technologies
and improve the cost effectiveness of
operation, maintenance, and replacement
of aging and failing drinking water and
wastewater treatment and conveyance
systems.
During 2010, EPA began a long-term
assessment of permeable surfaces to
address urban stormwater management.
The research is being conducted at the
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Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
2010 Accomplishments- In Brief, Cont'd.
Porous Pavement Parking Lot and Rain
Garden Demonstration Site located at the
Agency's laboratory facilities at the Edison
Environmental Center in Edison, New
Jersey.
At the Demonstration Site, EPA replaced a
43,ooo-square-foot section of parking lot
with three different types of permeable
pavement and planted several rain
gardens with different types of vegetation.
Over the next decade, EPA researchers
will evaluate the effectiveness of each
pavement type and the rain gardens in
removing pollutants from storm water.
They also will measure how each type of
permeable pavement helps water filter
back into the ground.
Responding to the Need for Improved
Microbial Source Tracking (MST)
Assays
In 2010, EPA completed initial assessments
of molecular assays for identifying
different sources of fecal contamination in
source waters (i.e., human, bovine, avian).
Findings demonstrate that some assays
are more robust than others in detecting
species-specific indicators of pollution.
Also, there are within-species factors
(e.g., diet) that affect a particular assay's
ability to uniquely identify sources of fecal
contamination. Efforts are ongoing to
more fully develop and assess MST assays
in terms of specificity and sensitivity.
National Aquatic Resource Surveys
Technical Support
EPA scientists and engineers provided
technical support on a monitoring design,
condition indicators, and field manuals
for the first assessment of the biological
condition of the nation's wetlands
conducted by the Agency's Office of
Water.
These efforts were key for the
development of the National Wetland
Condition Assessment, the first
comprehensive, statistically valid scientific
assessment of the condition of the
nation's wetlands. The assessment's
design creates a link between EPA and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the
national assessments of wetland condition
and the changes in that condition through
time.
24
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA Progress Report 2010
Office of Research and Development
Sustainable and Healthy Communities
How can we meet today's needs without
compromising those of future generations?
More specifically, how can people protect
our shared environment in a way that
fosters human- health and well-being,
is socially just and promotes economic
prosperity?
Providing the science to answer the
questions posed above is at the heart of
EPA's sustainable and healthy communities
research. Agency researchers and their
partners from across a wide spectrum of
investigative fields are working together
to form a deeper understanding of the
balance between the three pillars of
sustainability—environment, society, and
economy. Their transdisciplinary work will
provide the decision tools and data that
communities need to make proactive,
strategic decisions aimed at a prosperous,
more environmentally sustainable future.
This section highlights some of the many
accomplishments that EPA scientists and
researchers made in 2010 to advance
sustainable and healthy communities,
including: embarking on a major new
initiative to incorporate sustainability
into all EPA programs, historic efforts to
advance environmental justice through
science and collaboration, the publication
of a book featuring the link between
ecosystem sustainability and international
stability, and more.
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Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Sustainability for the Next 40 Years—and Beyond
National Academies study to explore incorporating sustainabi/ity into EPA decisions.
As part of the activities to commemorate
EPA's 40* anniversary, Administrator Lisa
P.Jackson announced on November 30,
2010, that the National Academies, at the
request of the Agency, has launched a
study to strengthen the scientific basis for
incorporating sustainability concepts into
EPA's decision making.
The National Academies have convened
the leading scientific experts in the Nation
to build upon 25 years of sustainability
science and provide an operational
framework for sustainability that can be
incorporated into the work of EPA.
The National Academies' National
Resource Council (NRC) study will build
on existing work that EPA's Office of
Research and Development has conducted
by strengthening the analytic and scientific
basis for sustainability as it applies
to human health and environmental
protection within the Agency's decision-
making process.
The study and report, which are to be
completed by September 2011, will cover
such questions as:
• What should be the operational
framework for sustainability for EPA?
How can the EPA decision-making
process, rooted in the risk assessment/
risk management paradigm, be
integrated into this new sustainability
framework?
What scientific and analytical tools are
needed to support the framework?
What set of strategic metrics and
indicators should EPA build to
determine if sustainable approaches are
or are not being employed successfully?
Which assessment techniques and
accounting protocols should the
Agency adopt to inform ongoing
efforts to improve Agency sustainability
practices and procedures?
Innovative thinking and sustainable
approaches will be the best tools to
confront new environmental challenges as
they arise. The announcement of the study
and the report it will generate, known as
The Green Book, mark EPA's commitment
to innovative thinking, methods, and
approaches that will give the Agency the
ability to tackle current and emerging
environmental challenges, and prepare
the Nation to address, and perhaps even
prevent, those challenges that cannot be
foreseen.
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Sustainable and Healthy Communities
EPA Hosts Historic Meeting, Sponsors Symposium to
Advance Environmental Justice
Agency joins federal partners to advance a healthy environment and economy for all.
In September 2010, EPA Administrator Lisa
P. Jackson and White House Council on
Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley
reconvened the Interagency Working
Group on Environmental Justice (EJIWG)
in a meeting held at the White House.
The meeting demonstrated the Obama
administration's dedication to ensuring
that all Americans have strong federal
protection from environmental and health
hazards.
This historic gathering marked a
recommitment to advancing the mandate
of Executive Order 12898, "Federal
Actions to Address Environmental Justice
in Minority Populations and Low-Income
Populations," which states that each
agency, with the law as its guide, should
make environmental justice a part of its
mission.
In addition to Jackson, attendees at the
meeting included Attorney General Eric
Holder, Department of Justice; Secretary
Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior;
Secretary Shaun Donovan, Department
of Housing and Urban Development;
Secretary Ray LaHood, Department of
Transportation; Administrator Martha
Johnson, General Services Administration;
Carol Browner, Senior Advisor to the
President on Energy and Climate Change;
John Holdren, Director of the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy;
Melody Barnes, Director of the White
House Office of Domestic Policy; and
representatives from the following federal
agencies: Labor, Health and Human
Services, Energy, Education, Homeland
Security, Commerce, Army, Agriculture,
and Defense, among others.
The role of the EJIWG is to guide, support
and enhance federal environmental
justice and community-based activities. By
coordinating the expertise and resources
of federal government agencies, the
EJIWG works to identify projects where
federal collaboration can support the
development of healthy and sustainable
communities. The EJIWG also will seek
opportunities to provide green jobs and
training in communities in need and
promote a clean energy economy.
Scientific understanding of environmental
exposures and effects is essential for
supporting EJIWG's mission.
EPA, together with its partners
and collaborators, began to lay
the groundwork to advance that
understanding back in March, 2010 when
its Office of Research and Development
co-sponsored a scientific symposium
that featured presentations from several
leading researchers in the human health
and health disparities fields, as well as
community activists from across the
country.
Specific science recommendations
developed by symposium participants
included:
1. Develop and institute a new research
approach/scientific framework that
reflects a more holistic view of the
environment and health, and produces
results that can inform policies to
address environmental justice concerns
and environmental health disparities.
2. Incorporate community perspectives
in the development of EPA's science/
research agendas, as well as in data
collection and the performance of
exposure/risk assessments and risk
management decisions.
3. Increase funding for community-based
participatory and transdisciplinary
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Sustainable and Healthy Communities
EPA Hosts Historic Meeting, Sponsors Symposium to
Advance Environmental Justice,
research, with a specific focus
on research that will benefit
disadvantaged, underserved, and
environmentally overburdened
communities.
4. Advance the practice of risk assessment
and management: incorporate social
and other kinds of vulnerabilities,
address cumulative impacts and
multiple stressors, encourage the use of
qualitative data, incorporate community
knowledge and perspectives and
account for groups that are not
represented by national data.
EPA's science symposium and the historic
meeting of the Interagency Working Group
on Environmental Justice in 2010 marked
the beginning of what are now ongoing
efforts to advance environmental justice
and support those efforts through the
best available science. Those efforts will
continue well into the future.
Sustainable Ecosystems Support Peace and Security
EPA researchers play a key role in an international workshop and new book on the link between
environment and worldwide human welfare.
Environmental problems do not respect
national boundaries.
Pollutants released into the air in one
country can cause acid rain to fall in
another. Contamination of a river as it
flows through one nation can lead to
fish kills or human disease in the next
nation downstream. Gases emitted in one
country can contribute to climate change
worldwide. An act of ecoterrorism that
poisons food in one nation could lead to
outbreaks of disease or food shortages in
numerous nations in the global food chain.
Thus, the environment is crucial to
human welfare not only locally but
also internationally, and threats to
the environment are threats to good
relationships among nations.
EPA researchers played a key role in the
publication of a 2010 book about the
connections between healthy ecosystems
28
and international stability. Achieving
Environmental Security: Ecosystem
Services and Human Welfare presents
the proceedings of a major international
workshop on ecosystem services held at
The Pell Center for International Relations
and Public Policy at Salve Regina University
in Newport, Rhode Island, in 2009.
The workshop was sponsored and led
by EPA scientists working with the
United Nations Environment Programme
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Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Sustainable Ecosystems Support Peace and Security,
(UNEP)andthe North Atlantic Treaty
Organization's (NATO) Science for Peace
and Security Programme.
For the international workshop,
experts from five continents and 20
nations came together to share their
observations and research in a wide
variety of fields, including agriculture,
architecture, environmental linkages to
poverty, humanitarian aid, environmental
management, natural disasters, remote
sensing, computer modeling and public
policy as they relate to ecosystem services
and human health. The topics covered
ranged from climate change to sustainable
building design to the importance of
natural landscapes to the potential impact
of ecoterrorism on the food supply.
NATO has long supported scientific
programs that promote world peace
and security. Its many projects in this
area include efforts to protect fragile
ecosystems, counter man-made pollution
and ecoterrorism, and assess the risks
from natural disasters.
From EPA's perspective, one of the
principal benefits of the workshop and
new book is that they draw attention
to the value of ecosystem services. EPA
wants the public to understand that these
types of services can be as important—
and valuable—as the kind of resources to
which it is easier to attach dollar signs.
EPA is the first federal agency to devote a
national research program to developing
a deeper scientific understanding on how
ecosystem services support human well-
being.
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Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Sustainable and Healthy Communities
2010 Accomplishments - In Brief
Progress Report: Land Research
Program Science Applications
Through Partnerships
In 2010, EPA released Land Research
Program Science Applications Through
Partnerships: A Progress Report 2005-2009.
The report presents examples of research
conducted by EPA scientists between
2005 and 2009 that have contributed
to addressing complex environmental
cleanup issues at hazardous waste sites.
The report highlights six research
areas that EPA scientists and engineers
have contributed to: (1) groundwater
contamination; (2) contaminated
sediments; (3) site characterization;
(4) landfills; (5) underground storage
tanks; and (6) materials management.
The report illustrates EPA's research
outcomes that have led to improved
remediation and mitigation of pollution
at hazardous waste sites and reduced the
cost of cleanup, including:
• Saving more than $100 million to
remediate contaminated groundwater
as a result of partnering with site
managers across the country to use
improved technologies.
Assisting states with contaminated
sediment assessment and remediation
problems by applying new
methodologies. The methods have
been included in state guidance for
hazardous waste cleanup.
Applying statistical methods for site
characterization in state guidance
documents.
Transferring an alternative cover
technology for landfills to states,
counties and federal agencies to
provide a cost-effective alternative
to traditional landfill covers. The
technology transfer is estimated to
have saved more than $200 million.
Providing new methods and models to
states to better assess and remediate
leaking gasoline and gasoline additives
from underground storage tanks.
Supporting EPA's Regions and Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response
(OSWER) with technical reports and
guidance on material management
issues.
For a copy of the report, go to: www.epa.
gov/landscience/partnerships/index.htm.
EPA Hosts Major Conference on
Children's Environmental Health,
Announces Support for the Next
Generation of Children's Centers
On October 19 and 20, 2010, EPA
hosted Protecting Children's Health for a
Lifetime: Environmental Health Research
Meets Clinical Practice and Public Policy.
The objective of the Washington, DC,
conference was to bring grantees, federal
and professional organizations together to
explore the relationship between research,
clinical applications and policy implications
in the field of children's environmental
health.
The meeting launched the next phase
of the joint EPA/National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Centers for Children's Environmental
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Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Sustainable and Healthy Communities
2010 Accomplishments - In Brief, Cont'd.
Health and Disease Prevention Centers
(Children's Centers) program, including 12
new research grants over the next 5 years
for a combined total of nearly $60 million.
EPA and NIEHS are funding six new grants
for large multidisciplinary research (5-year)
Centers and six new grants for (3-year)
"Formative Centers."
The meeting brought together Children's
Centers researchers and the North
American network of the Pediatric
Environmental Health Specialty Units
(PEHSU) to present research findings and
identify common areas of interest and
potential collaborative opportunities.
An important outcome of the meeting
was the focus on promoting better
communication within the scientific
community and with the general public.
Presenters included Children's Centers
researchers, PEHSU directors, Ruth Etzel
of the World Health Organization, Ken
Cook, President of the Environmental
Working Group, and keynote speaker
Annie Murphy Paul, author of the book
Or/gins: How the Nine Months Before Birth
Shape the Rest of Our Lives.
Developing a National Atlas of
Sustainable Ecosystem Services
Understanding and quantifying the many
ways in which ecosystems support and
benefit people is a major challenge.
Without this understanding, communities
may collectively make decisions about land
use and development that inadvertently
diminish or destroy some of these vital
"ecosystem services."
EPA scientists, in collaboration with the
National Geographic Society, the U.S.
Geological Survey, the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, NatureServe, the
City College of New York and others, are
developing a National Atlas of Ecosystem
Services for the contiguous United States.
A demonstration intranet version of the
Atlas was completed in 2010.
The Atlas also will allow users to see the
effects of different land use choices and
how nearby, remote, and downstream
communities can be affected by local
activities. When the full version is
completed, the Atlas will provide an easy-
to-use, Web-based mapping application
that allows users to explore a visual
representation of the benefits their
31
communities reap from nature, and learn
how these benefits can be conserved and
enhanced for a sustainable future.
Developing Community-Based Models
Community groups have a vested interest
in knowing what environmental pollutants
they may be exposed to locally, but often
lack information and tools to help them
fully understand, prioritize, and address
those risks. Communities also are faced
with the challenge of guiding growth
and land-use decisions in a manner that
sustains the environment and provides
quality of life for residents.
EPA scientists are developing community-
based models and tools to assist
communities with sustainable land-use
decisions and identifying and prioritizing
decisions about environmental pollutant
exposures and risks. Two community-
based models were developed in 2010,
including the Community-Focused
Exposure and Risk Screening Tool
(C-FERST) and the Regional Vulnerability
Assessment (ReVA).
C-FERST is a Web-based tool that brings
together environmental exposure and
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Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Sustainable and Healthy Communities
2010 Accomplishments - In Brief, Cont'd.
health-related information. The tool
includes maps of demographic data,
environmental concentrations and
human exposures for identifying "hot
spots" and communities at risk. During
its development, EPA scientists are
listening to residents and local officials in
communities to make sure the information
in C-FERST is useful. Primary users of
C-FERST during 2010 were EPA scientists
working with partner communities. Next
steps involve establishing a foundation
and a design geared to the general public.
The ReVA tools compile many kinds of
spatially explicit data and model results
and apply new analytical techniques,
allowing the user to step back and
evaluate the effects of land use decisions
on local and regional ecosystems.
EPA Launches a Collaborative
Website for Integrated
Environmental Modeling
In July 2010, EPA launched a new online
tool for scientific collaboration and
knowledge sharing, the Integrated
Environmental Modeling Hub (iemHUB).
Built by Purdue University with support
from the Agency, iemHUB allows
environmental researchers to analyze
environmental problems and combine
environmental models so that a better
understanding of the environment can
be developed—everything from keeping
beaches clean to predicting climate
effects.
EPA uses integrated modeling assessments
to inform decision-making in support of
its broad mission of protecting human
health and safeguarding the environment.
With the website, the Agency is providing
a state-of-the-art resource to the
environmental modeling community.
The iemHUB supports the development
of integrated models and their use in
conducting research and informing the
decision-making process.
The iemHUB was released by the EPA-
supported Community of Practice for
Integrated Environmental Modeling
(CIEM). The Community of Practice is
an informal collaborative organization
that was established by EPA and other
scientists to advance the state-of-the-
science and technology related to
integrated modeling.
More information on iemHUB isatwww.
iemhub.org.
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United States
c"vironmental Protecti
ency
PA Progress Report 2010
vffice of Research and Development
Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Chemical safety is a major priority of EPA
and its researchers. Moving toward a safer
and more sustainable environment requires
producing new and existing chemicals in safer
ways and that are nontoxic. It means having
the information and methods needed to make
better informed, more timely decisions about
chemicals. The challenges are formidable:
tens of thousands of chemicals currently are
in use and hundreds more are introduced
every year. Many of these chemicals have not
been evaluated thoroughly for potential risks
to human health and the environment. Also,
the consequences of use over a chemical's
life cycle (from production to disposal) are
not thoroughly evaluated. EPA's research
on chemical safety is geared to meet this
challenge.
Using innovative approaches, EPA scientists
and their partners are embracing the
principles of green chemistry—the design
of chemical products and processes that
reduce or eliminate the use or generation
of hazardous substances—to produce safer
chemicals. They also are integrating a diversity
of scientific disciplines to develop new
prediction techniques, pioneering the use of
innovative technologies for chemical toxicity
testing and designing tools to advance the
management of chemical risks.
Chemical safety for sustainability includes
research in computational toxicology,
nanotechnology, endocrine disrupting
chemicals, human health, and pesticides.
This section highlights some of the many
accomplishments that EPA scientists and
researchers made in 2010 to advance
chemical safety for sustainability, including:
key support to the federal response to the
tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, major
accomplishments in the management of
chemical risk, achievements from EPA's high-
tech Computational Toxicology Research
Program, bringing top scientists together to
advance the science of perfluoroalkyl acids,
the release of two case studies exploring
the broad environmental and human
health impacts of nanomaterials, advances
in endocrine disrupters research, the
understanding of dioxin toxicity, and more.
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Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Crisis Science: All Hands on Deck
EPA scientists provide key support to the federal response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
On April 20, 2010, the mobile offshore
drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, located
some 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana,
exploded into flames. Eleven crew
members were killed, 17 were injured, and
what would prove to be the worst oil spill
in history had begun.
Overnight, EPA staff scientists and
engineers became highly sought-after
experts to inform and help formulate
the oil spill-related activities of the
National Response Team, an organization
comprised of 16 federal departments
and agencies tasked with responding to
oil and hazardous substance pollution
events. EPA provided full support to the
U.S. Coast Guard, which served as the
National Incident Commander for the
federal response, leading and coordinating
emergency and containment activities.
The first priority following the release
of oil into the Gulf of Mexico was
protecting public health. EPA scientists
mobilized to monitor air quality and assess
environmental conditions for potential
air and water contamination. To provide
Gulf Coast residents with the latest
information, Agency scientists frequently
collected and updated environmental data
and posted it on the EPA website.
In addition to setting up emergency
environmental monitoring operations,
EPA researchers developed sampling
approaches and Quality Assurance Plans
to support data collection and ensure
the transfer of reliable information for
assessing environmental exposures and
effects of the oil spill. Their work provided
the Agency with support to identify and
evaluate likely exposure pathways through
which released and dispersed oil, as well
as oil dispersant, could reach people and
"ecological receptors" such as plankton,
fish, wildlife and coastal vegetation.
EPA experts provided science to support
Coast Guard decisions on cleanup and
mitigation activities. A critical priority was
to provide information on oil dispersants.
EPA-led studies provided the first
comprehensive, standardized toxicology
tests, including evaluations of potential
endocrine-disrupting activity, on oil
dispersants available for use in response to
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The tests were conducted to ensure
that decisions about dispersant use in
the Gulf of Mexico were grounded on
the best available science. EPA began its
own scientific analysis of eight dispersant
products on the National Contingency Plan
Product Schedule, a list of dispersants and
other mitigating substances and devices
that may be used to remove or control oil
discharges.
The overall goal of actions taken in
response to the unprecedented release of
oil into the Gulf of Mexico was to minimize
the known threat the released oil posed
to the environment. Spill management
strategies, practices, and technologies
that were implemented include the use of
sorbents, floating booms, and skimming
operations to mechanically remove oil
from the water; burning the oil in place;
and applying dispersants.
Based on their ongoing work to support
immediate and near-term remediation
efforts, EPA researchers have begun
designing sampling and analysis plans that
can support long-term assessments of
the incident, as well as the efficacy of the
remediation and the recovery of the area.
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Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Computational Toxicology Research
EPA scientists pioneer the use of high-tech computer technologies to advance the science of toxicology.
Tens of thousands of chemicals currently
are in commerce, and hundreds more
are introduced every year. With so
many chemicals, the pace and cost of
traditional, animal-based toxicity tests
have meant that only a small fraction of
chemicals have been adequately assessed
for potential risk.
EPA's Computational Toxicology Research
Program (CompTox) is working to change
that. Together with their partners,
CompTox researchers are working to
revolutionize how chemicals are assessed
for potential toxicity to humans and the
environment. The CompTox Research
Program conducts innovative research
that integrates advances in molecular
biology, chemistry, and computer science
to more effectively and efficiently rank
chemicals based on potential risks.
CompTox accomplishments during 2010
included:
• EPA Screened 1,000 Chemicals Using
ToxCast™
EPA's ToxCast™ program was
launched in 2007 to develop a cost-
effective approach for prioritizing
the thousands of chemicals that
need toxicity testing. ToxCast™
uses advanced science tools to
help understand how human body
processes are impacted by exposure
to chemicals and to determine which
exposures are most likely to lead
to adverse health effects. ToxCast™
started screening 1,000 chemicals
from a broad range of sources,
including drugs donated from
pharmaceutical companies, "green"
chemicals and chemicals in cosmetics
and other consumer products.
International Partnership for
Enhancing Chemical Safety Established
EPA and the European Chemicals
Agency (ECHA) forged a partnership
in 2010 that will promote enhanced
technical cooperation on chemical
management activities.
EPA will provide regulatory data
(excluding confidential business
information) and research from
ToxCast™ to ECHA, and in return,
ECHA will share the approaches
and chemical data being used
under the Registration, Evaluation,
Authorization, and Restriction of
Chemicals (REACH) law that was
enacted by the European Union in
June 2007.
• EPA and Partners Collaborated to
Improve Chemical Screening
EPA, the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences
National Toxicology Program (NTP),
and the National Institute of Health
Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC)
welcomed the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) to the Tox2i
collaboration. Tox2i merges federal
agency resources (research, funding
and testing tools) to develop ways
to more effectively predict how
chemicals will affect human health and
the environment. The collaboration
was established in 2008 to develop
models that will be able to better
predict how chemicals will affect
humans.
• EPA Opened Access to Chemical
Information
EPA released the online Toxicity
Reference Database (ToxRefDB), a
tool that allows scientists and others
to search and download thousands of
toxicity testing results on hundreds
of chemicals. The database includes
30 years and some $2 billion worth of
testing results that were previously
found primarily as paper documents.
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Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Embracing Change: The Next Generation of Risk Assessment
EPA developed new risk assessment practices to match the pace of scientific innovations.
In 1953, James Watson and Francis Crick
presented the structure of the DMA helix
in a scientific paper. Just 57 years later,
scientists are predicting genetic diseases
and developing treatment for previously
incurable ailments.
There is no doubt that our basic
understanding of disease and its causes
is changing at an astonishing speed. New
findings in microbiology and genetics are
announced on an almost daily basis, and
while this is excellent news in terms of
human and environmental health, it also
is important to ensure that a framework is
in place to interpret these groundbreaking
discoveries.
EPA is aware of this need and is leading
a collaborative effort among several
federal and state agencies to advance
the science of risk assessment through
greater incorporation of new knowledge in
molecular biology. EPA's Next Generation
Risk Assessment (NexGen) was launched
in 2010.
New NexGen tools will evaluate toxicity
at a molecular level and are intended to
support both traditional risk assessment
and green chemistry approaches.
The NexGen project is part of the larger
EPA national research effort to develop
Chemical Safety for Sustainability (CSS),
the science and methods needed to
produce safer chemicals using principles
of green chemistry. CSS aims to increase
our knowledge about the potential
health effects of chemicals currently
manufactured and to develop improved
sustainable management strategies to deal
with chemicals that pose risks to humans
and wildlife.
EPA held a NexGen workshop in November
2010, at its research campus in Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina, to elicit
input from experts on several early-stage
health effects assessments, or prototypes.
Expert comments were used to refine the
prototypes and help identify key points for
a subsequent workshop held in February
2011.
The Agency is developing a better idea of
how to proceed in the future and how to
best adapt modern risk assessment to the
ever-evolving science that is behind it.
The Environmental Protection
Agency is embarking on an
exploration of the new science
and methods that are ripe for
incorporation into currently
emerging and future risk
assessments.
This program—Advancing
the Next Generation of Risk
Assessment (NexGen)—is a
collaborative effort among
EPA's Computational
Toxicology Program,
the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences
and National Toxicology
Program, the Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention and Agency for
Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry, the National Human
Genome Research Institute,
and the State of California's
Environmental Protection
Agency.
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Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Nanomaterial Case Studies
EPA researchers are leading the effort to study the broad Implications of nanotechnology.
EPA is leading scientific efforts to
understand the potential risks to humans,
wildlife, and ecosystems from exposure to
nanomaterials—those having at least one
dimension between 1 and 100 nanometers
(nm). They often have novel or unique
properties that can arise from their small
size.
Through innovation and discovery, EPA
scientists and their partners are studying
the unique properties of nanomaterials,
determining their potential impacts,
and developing approaches to evaluate
any risks. They also are exploring how
nanomaterials can be used effectively to
clean up contaminants released into the
environment.
In 2010, EPA released two case studies
to be used as part of a larger process
to identify what is known and, more
importantly, what is not yet known that
could be of value in assessing the broad
implications of certain nanomaterials.
Nanomaterial case studies EPA released in
2010 include:
• Nanomaterial Case Studies: Nanoscale
Titanium Dioxide in Water Treatment
and in Topical Sunscreen (Final),
released in November 2010, considers
two specific applications of nanoscale
titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2): (1) as
an agent for removing arsenic from
drinking water, and (2) as an active
ingredient in topical sunscreen.
The intent of these case studies is
to characterize the current state of
knowledge on the environmental
impacts of nano-TiO2 as used in these
two specific applications, as well as
areas where information is missing.
Note that some information gaps
are specific to nano-TiO2 either as a
drinking water treatment agent or
as an ingredient in topical sunscreen.
Other gaps may pertain more
broadly to nano-TiO2 irrespective of
its application, and still other gaps
may pertain even more widely to
nanomaterials in general. In this way,
the case studies are expected to be
used in developing research strategies
that will support comprehensive
environmental assessments of
nanomaterials.
In August 2010, EPA released
the External Review Draft of the
Nanomaterial Case Study: Nanoscale
Silver in Disinfectant Spray. This case
study does not represent a completed
or even a preliminary assessment
of nano-silver (nano-Ag); rather, it
uses a comprehensive environmental
assessment that starts with the
product life cycle but encompasses
fate and transport processes in various
environmental media, exposure-dose
characterization, and ecological and
health effects as well as other direct
and indirect ramifications of both
primary and secondary substances or
stressors associated with a nanoscale
silver.
Each chapter in the external draft
report includes lists of questions that
reflect information gaps in that portion
of the document. Some of these
knowledge gaps or research needs
are specific to the use of nano-Ag in
disinfectant spray; others may relate
more broadly to nano-Ag irrespective
of its application, while still others may
apply more widely to nanomaterials
in general. Readers are encouraged
to consider the questions listed
throughout the document and offer
specific comments on how individual
questions or research needs might be
better expressed.
37
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Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Providing Answers to Chemical Safety Concerns
EPA brought top scientists together to share information about per/Iuoroa/ky/ acids.
EPA brought together leading researchers
studying perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs)—a
class of chemicals the Agency has
identified as potential threats to human
health and the environment—at the
3rd Biennial PFAA Days Workshop, held
June 8-10, 2010, at the Agency's research
facilities in Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina. The workshop provided an
opportunity to share recent findings and
to explore potential partnerships.
PFAAs and their derivatives are used
in hundreds of consumer applications,
including fabric and carpet coatings
(offering stain resistance), lubricants,
fire-fighting foam, denture cleaners and
personal products such as shampoo.
In 2009, EPA issued provisional health
advisories for two of the chemicals—PFOA
and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS)—in
drinking water and developed action
plans to address several other chemicals,
including the long-chain PFAAs of new
concern.
EPA has one of the largest groups of
scientists in the world studying PFAAs,
providing expertise in many disciplines.
More than 60 articles in peer-reviewed
publications have been produced by
EPA researchers over the past 4 years to
improve the understanding of the health
and environmental impacts of these
chemicals.
EPA research highlights at the workshop
included determining where PFAAs go in
the environment after they are released.
EPA researchers have developed analytical
methods that enable scientists and water
quality managers to determine if PFAAs
are in the environment and at what
concentration.
EPA scientists are testing consumer
products in 12 categories to evaluate
whether companies are reducing PFOA
content in their products under the
program. Preliminary observations show
a significant reduction of PFOAs in mill-
treated stain-resistant carpeting and some
carpet treatment products. Other product
categories are showing mixed trends. An
interim report will be published in late
2011.
EPA researchers are identifying biological
activity on how PFAAs cause reproductive
and developmental effects in rodents.
Application of biologic methods is needed
38
to understand potential toxic effects.
Researchers are examining how PFAAs
may interact with nuclear receptors,
specific proteins that can alter genetic
code and are important to the normal
development of an embryo/fetus and
maintenance of homeostasis (the body's
ability to regulate biological processes) in
adults.
In addition, EPA researchers are exploring
whether PFAA exposure plays a role in
the incidence of obesity and metabolic
syndrome. The chemicals are being
studied because of their potential ability
to influence energy metabolism (how
biological fuels such as fat and sugar are
being stored or converted into energy).
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Chemical Safety for Sustainability
EPA Endocrine Disrupter Research
EPA scientists investigate chemicals that may Interfere with the endocrine system to advance risk assessment
and support efforts to protect human health and the environment.
EPA's endocrine disrupter research
program was established to address
the many industrial chemicals and
pesticides that may interfere with the
normal functioning of human and wildlife
endocrine systems. Environmental
chemicals that disrupt the endocrine
system have the ability to cause a variety
of problems with development, behavior,
and reproduction.
EPA research addresses exposures
to pesticides, toxic chemicals, and
environmental mixtures of chemicals
that interfere with the function of the
endocrine system. Major accomplishments
in 2010 include:
• Development of a Short-Term
Screening Method for Thyroid
Toxicants
EPA endocrine studies on thyroid
toxicants provided scientific support
to the Agency's updated policy
that incorporates faster, less costly
screening studies into decision
making. The findings provided support
to waiving the requirement for
developmental neurotoxicity studies
for chemicals with known thyrotoxic
properties.
Development of a New Approach for
Testing Environmental Chemicals for
Thyroid Hormone Disruption
EPA scientists developed a new
approach for testing environmental
chemicals for thyroid hormone
disruption using thyroid gland explant
cultures from tadpoles of the African
clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), an
aquatic species commonly used in
research.
A New Approach for Identifying
Chemicals That Disrupt Male
Reproductive Development
EPA scientists developed a new
approach, using a short-term in
vivo screening assay, for identifying
phthalate esters (chemicals commonly
used to make plastics flexible)
that disrupt male reproductive
development. The assay measures
alterations in fetal rat testis endocrine
function and gene expression levels
after five days of treatment. It is
able to predict the adverse effects
of the chemicals in long-term,
multigenerational studies. The new
approach reduces the use of animals,
shortens the timeframe for hazard
identification, and provides data
39
that are useful for quantitative risk
assessments for this class of toxicants.
Toxicity Testing of Oil Dispersants after
BP Spill
Following the BP spill in the Gulf
of Mexico, EPA scientists tested
the acute toxicity and endocrine
disrupting activity of eight potential
oil dispersants. Tests were conducted
using sensitive aquatic organisms
found in the Gulf such as mysid
shrimp (Mysidopsis bah/a). Results
confirmed that the dispersant used
for cleanup, Corexit 95003, was no
more or less toxic that the available
alternatives. Some of the dispersants
tested contained endocrine-active
contaminants; however, results
showed that none of the eight
dispersants displayed significant
endocrine-disrupting activity via
the androgen or estrogen signaling
pathway. (For more information on
EPA research to support emergency
response efforts in the Gulf of Mexico,
see Crisis Science: All Hands on Deck, on
page 34 of this report.)
*
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40
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA Progress Report 2010
Office of Research and Development
Human Health Risk Assessment
Human health risk assessment at EPA is
focused on advancing the understanding
of the effects that exposure to pollutants
have on key biological, chemical and
physical processes that affect human
health.
Risk assessments by EPA scientists and
their partners provide the foundation for
the Agency's actions to protect public
health and the environment. EPA's human
health risk assessment efforts generate
health assessments used to determine
the potential risk to public health from
exposures to environmental contaminants.
This section highlights some of the many
accomplishments that EPA scientists and
researchers made in 2010 to advance
human health risk assessment, including:
ushering in the "next generation" of risk
assessment science, the release of an
extensive database that provides both a
powerful new resource to scientists and
a new level of transparency to the public,
final integrated science assessments
for carbon monoxide and the National
Ambient Air Quality Standards, and more.
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Human Health Risk Assessment
A New Era for EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)
The Agency advances the management of chemical risks.
Over its 40-year history, EPA has embraced
the critical role of providing timely,
high-quality, and accessible human
health risk information on environmental
contaminants, especially about
contaminants that may endanger the
American public. Today, a central aspect
of that role is the Agency's Integrated Risk
Information System (IRIS) program.
IRIS is a human health assessment
program that evaluates risk information
on health effects that may result from
exposures to environmental contaminants.
Through the IRIS program, EPA provides
the highest quality science-based human
health assessments to support the
Agency's regulatory activities to protect
the public.
The IRIS database includes more than
540 chemical substances and contains
crucial information on ways human
health is impacted by exposure to those
substances in air, water, and land from
contaminated sites and from products.
Combined with specific exposure
information, government and private
entities use IRIS to help characterize public
health risks of chemical substances in a
site-specific situation, thereby supporting
risk management decisions designed to
protect public health.
In 2010, EPA continued to implement
a revamped and greatly improved IRIS
process to ensure the scientific quality,
integrity, transparency and timeliness of
EPA's effort to manage chemical risks.
The IRIS development process includes a
streamlined review schedule, ensuring that
the majority of assessments are posted on
IRIS within 2 years of the assessment start
date.
Ten final IRIS assessments were released
in 2010, and significant progress was made
on a number of draft assessments—
exceeding the average productivity of the
program over the last 3 years.
The 10 final IRIS assessments released in
2010 were:
• Chloroprene
• Cis-i,2-dichloroethlyene
• Pentachlorophenol
• 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane
• Trans-i,2-dichloroethylene
• Hydrogen cyanide and cyanide salts
• 1,4-Dioxane
• Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether
(EGBE)
• Carbon tetrachloride
• Acrylamide
For more information and to access the
updated IRIS program, visit: www.epa.
gov/iris/index.html.
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Human Health Risk Assessment
HERO Streamlines EPA Science Assessments, Marks Milestone in Transparency
An Agency database provides open access to state-of-the-science information used for science assessments.
EPA took a major step in advancing open
government and transparency when it
announced the launch of the Health and
Environmental Research Online (HERO)
database in March 2010.
HERO is an open and accessible
online database built from a wealth of
scientific literature and information. EPA
researchers designed the database to
provide sophisticated search capabilities
and elegant access, review, and analysis
of the ever-growing body of scientific
literature on which they rely. This includes
peer-reviewed journals and literature, as
well as technical bulletins, conference
proceedings, and other sources that can
provide the latest scientific findings as
well as insight into emerging directions
and trends, yet may be lost in less robust
databases.
The database includes more than 300,000
scientific articles. For each reference,
HERO contains:
• Reference type.
• Citation elements: author's
name, title, year of publication,
source. Depending on the type of
reference, the citation also may
include volume, page numbers,
URL, etc.
• Abstract or brief description.
• Topic areas that describe the
reference (e.g., carbon monoxide,
asthma).
• Assessment(s) in which the
reference was used, if relevant.
Note that HERO contains
references considered for use in
assessment development, not just
those references actually used.
• For "key" studies: objective,
quantitative extracted study data.
HERO provides EPA researchers with a
powerful tool to inform the development
of risk assessments. The Agency uses risk
assessments to integrate exposure and
health or ecological effects information
into a characterization of the potential
for health hazards in humans or our
environment. The process is highly
interdisciplinary, drawing from such
diverse fields as biology, toxicology,
ecology, epidemiology, engineering,
geology, statistics, and the social sciences
to create a rational framework for
evaluating environmental hazards.
HERO is an "evergreen" database,
meaning it employs mechanisms to
continuously incorporate new science
publications. Added references are sorted,
43
classified and made available through
HERO. These efforts keep EPA scientists
and others abreast of the rapidly growing
body of scientific literature, and help them
to meet their mission of assessing state-
of-the-science findings to protect human
health.
In addition to supporting Agency
researchers, HERO provides the public
with an easy way to search and analyze
the scientific literature underlying risk
assessments used to support EPA decision-
making. The database's systematic,
comprehensive search and screening
techniques are transparent and open,
and the HERO website incorporates
opportunities and mechanisms to facilitate
public and stakeholder participation
in the identification of key research.
As such, the release of HERO in 2010
marked a key milestone in EPA's open
government directive to conduct business
with transparency, participation, and
collaboration.
For more information and to participate,
visit the HERO Web site at: http://cfpub.
epa.gov/ncea/hero/.
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Human Health Risk Assessment
EPA Human Health Risk Assessments
2010 Accomplishment - In Brief
EPA released the following final Integrated
Science Assessments in 2010:
• Integrated Science Assessment (ISA)
for Carbon Monoxide (CO)
On January 29, 2010, EPA announced
the release of the final Integrated
Science Assessment (ISA) for Carbon
Monoxide (CO). The report presented
EPA's latest evaluation of the scientific
literature on the potential human health
and welfare effects associated with
ambient exposures to CO.
CO is one of six principal (or criteria)
pollutants for which EPA must establish
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS) to protect public health,
including for "sensitive" populations
such as asthmatics, children, and the
elderly. Periodically, EPA reviews the
scientific basis for these standards
by preparing an ISA. The ISA and
supplementary annexes, in conjunction
with additional technical and policy
assessments, provide the scientific
basis for EPA decisions on the adequacy
of the current NAAQS and the
appropriateness of possible alternative
standards.
Together with the final ISA for
Particulate Matter (PM), which was
released in late 2009, the completed
CO assessment led to the posting of the
revised and fully implemented NAAQS
process.
Perspectives on the Application
of Mechanistic Information in
Chemical Hazard and Dose-Response
Assessments
On September 29, 2010, EPA released
a project summary called, Perspectives
on the Application of Mechanistic
Information in Chemical Hazard and
Dose-Response Assessments. The
summary lists several EPA articles
reviewing approaches for applying
mechanistic information in human
health risk assessment and exploring
opportunities for progress in this area.
The report was the result of an EPA-
initiated multidisciplinary project to
critically review methods for applying
mechanistic information in human
health risk assessment and to explore
strategies for progress in this area.
The project examined approaches
for interpreting observed effects in
laboratory animals and their human
relevance based on hypothesized
modes of action. In addition, a critical
aspect of the project was to explore
44
issues pertinent to toxicity-pathway
based risk assessment.
Potential for Incorporation of Genetic
Polymorphism Data in Human Health
Risk Assessment
On September 19, 2010, EPA released
a project summary called, Potential for
Incorporation of Genetic Polymorphism
Data in Human Health Risk Assessment.
The summary lists several EPA articles
that evaluated the potential impact
of genetic polymorphisms in 10
metabolizing enzymes on the variability
in enzyme function across ethnically
diverse populations.
The work presented focuses on the
contribution of genetic polymorphisms
to the variability in host metabolism
and defense mechanisms by evaluating
polymorphisms in 10 enzyme systems,
including three Phase I metabolic
enzymes (CYP2E1, CYP2D6, PONi),
four Phase II metabolic enzymes
(SULTs, UGTs, GSTs, NATs), and three
detoxification enzymes (ALDH2, EH,
NQO1).
An Exposure Assessment of
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers
(PBDEs)
On May 24, 2010, EPA released the
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EPA Human Health Risk Assessments
2010 Accomplishments - In Brief, Cont'd.
Human Health Risk Assessment
final report An Exposure Assessment of
Polybrominated D/phenyl Ethers (PBDEs).
The report provides a comprehensive
assessment of exposure to this class
of persistent organic pollutants, often
used as flame retardants, for people
living in the United States. Individual
chapters address: the production, use,
and lifecycle of PBDEs; environmental
fate; environmental levels; and human
exposure.
An Approach to Using Toxicogenomic
Data in U.S. EPA Human Health Risk
Assessments: A Dibutyl Phthalate Case
Study
On January 13, 2010, EPA announced
the availability of a final report titled,
An Approach to Using Tox/cogenom/c
Data in U.S. EPA Human Health Risk
Assessments: A Dibutyl Phthalate
Case Study. The report features the
application of genomic technologies
(e.g., transcriptomics, genome
sequence analysis) to study effects of
environmental chemicals on human
health and the environment.
It describes an approach to evaluating
toxicogenomic data for use in risk
assessment and a case study of dibutyl
phthalate (DBP). A multidisciplinary
team of scientists developed the
approach for utilizing genomic data in
risk assessment and performed the DBP
case study.
The principles of the approach include
examining the genomic and toxicity
data sets together, defining a set of
questions to direct the evaluation, and
performing new analyses of genomic
data when relevant. The report includes
the development of exploratory
methods and preliminary results from
genomic data analyses. In addition,
recommendations, research needs
and future directions for applying
genomic data to risk assessment were
identified. The approach and case
study may be used as a template for
evaluating and analyzing genomic data
in future chemical assessments as well
as by researchers performing genomic
studies for use in risk assessment.
Draft Scientific Report on Dioxin
Toxicity Released
EPA released a draft scientific report, EPA's
Reanalysls of Key Issues Related to Dioxin
Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments for
independent external review and public
review and comment.
45
The public release of the draft scientific
report marked a significant milestone
toward the completion of the Agency's
dioxin reassessment. It provides EPA's
response to the key recommendations
and comments included in the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS) 2006
report. In addition, the report includes
new analyses on potential human
effects that may result from exposure
to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
(TCDD).
This comprehensive human health and
exposure risk assessment on dioxin,
one of the most toxic environmental
contaminants, aims to protect the health
of the American public.
Health Science Information on
Formaldehyde and Trichloroethylene
(TCE) Toxicity
EPA completed a comprehensive
examination of the health science
information on formaldehyde and
trichloroethylene (TCE) toxicity and
released external review drafts for public
comment. Formaldehyde is important
both to public health and to a number
of upcoming residual risk rulemakings
under the Clean Air Act. TCE is one of the
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Human Health Risk Assessment
EPA Human Health Risk Assessments
2010 Accomplishments- In Brief, Cont'd.
most common pollutants of concern at
Superfund sites in the United States and
also can be found in drinking water and air
emissions.
Development of a Short-Term
Screening Method for Thyroid
Toxicants
EPA endocrine studies on thyroid toxicants
provided scientific support to the
Agency's updated policy that incorporates
faster, less costly screening studies into
decision-making. The findings provided
support to waiving the requirement for
developmental neurotoxicity studies
for chemicals with known thyrotoxic
properties.
Development of a New Approach for
Testing Environmental Chemicals for
Thyroid Hormone Disruption
EPA scientists developed a new approach
for testing environmental chemicals for
thyroid hormone disruption using thyroid
gland explant cultures from tadpoles of
the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis),
an aquatic species commonly used in
research.
A New Approach for Identifying
Chemicals That Disrupt Male
Reproductive Development
EPA scientists developed a new approach,
using a short-term in vivo screening assay,
for identifying phthalate esters (chemicals
commonly used to make plastics
flexible) that disrupt male reproductive
development. The assay measures
alterations in fetal rat testis endocrine
function and gene expression levels after 5
days of treatment. It is able to predict the
adverse effects of the chemicals in long-
term, multigenerational studies.
The new approach reduces the use of
animals, shortens the timeframe for
hazard identification, and provides data
useful for quantitative risk assessments for
this class of toxicants.
46
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How does the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency meet its mission to safeguard human health
and protect the environment?
It all starts with science.
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD)—
the science arm of the Agency—is forging a path
forward toward a sustainable future. ORD research
is conducted under the following integrated
research areas.
Air, Climate, and Energy
American communities face serious health and
environmental challenges from air pollution and the
growing effects of climate change, both of which are
intricately linked with energy options.
Building on 40 years of achievement in air pollution
research that has led to landmark outcomes—
including healthier communities and longer life
expectancies—EPA researchers are exploring
the dynamics of air quality, global climate change
and energy as a set of complex, yet interrelated
challenges.
Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Seeking sustainable solutions to the complex
problems facing our nation's drinking water and
water resources is vital to supporting healthy humans,
ecosystems and economies.
EPA's safe and sustainable water resources research
provides the science and innovative technologies the
Agency—and the Nation—need to maintain drinking
water sources and systems, as well as to protect
the chemical, physical and biological integrity of our
water. EPA scientists and engineers help provide
sustainable water infrastructure, deliver safe drinking
water, manage stormwater, and remove and treat
wastewater, allowing its sustainable and safe reuse.
Sustainable and Healthy Communities
How can we meet today's needs without
compromising those of future generations? More
specifically, how can people protect our shared
environment in a way that fosters human health and
well-being, is socially just, and promotes economic
prosperity?
Providing the science to answer the questions
posed above is at the heart of EPA's sustainable and
healthy communities research. Agency researchers
and their partners from across a wide spectrum of
investigative fields are working together to form a
deeper understanding of the balance between the
three pillars of sustainability—environment, society
and economy. Their transdisciplinary work will
provide the decision tools and data that communities
need to make proactive, strategic decisions aimed at a
prosperous, more environmentally sustainable future.
48
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Sustainability: the True North of EPA Research
Providing elegant, innovative solutions that help society meet its own needs while preserving the ability of future generations to meet their
own—sustainability—is the True North of EPA research.
EPA's Integrated Transdisciplinary Research approach transcends traditional scientific boundaries, bringing together researchers and users of
research in search of sustainable solutions to today's most pressing environmental and related human health challenges.
Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Chemical safety is a major priority of EPA and
its research. Moving toward a safer and more
sustainable environment requires producing new and
existing chemicals in safer ways. It means having the
information and methods needed to make better
informed, more timely decisions about chemicals.
The challenges are formidable: tens of thousands of
chemicals currently are in use and hundreds more are
introduced every year. Many of these chemicals have
not been thoroughly evaluated for potential risks
to human health and the environment. In addition,
the consequences of use over a chemical's life cycle
(from production to disposal) are not thoroughly
evaluated. EPA research on chemical safety is geared
to meet this challenge.
Using innovative approaches, EPA scientists and
their partners are embracing the principles of green
chemistry to produce safer chemicals. They also
are integrating a diversity of scientific disciplines to
develop new prediction techniques, pioneering the
use of innovative technologies for chemical
toxicity testing and designing tools to advance the
management of chemical risks. Chemical Safety for
Sustainability includes research in computational
toxicology, nanotechnology, endocrine disrupting
chemicals, human health, and pesticides.
Human Health Risk Assessment
Human health risk assessment at EPA is focused
on advancing the understanding of the effects
that exposure to pollutants have on key biological,
chemical, and physical processes that affect human
health.
What EPA scientists and their partners learn provides
the foundation for the Agency's actions to protect
public health and the environment. EPA's human
health risk assessment efforts generate health
assessments that are used to determine the potential
risk to public health from exposure to environmental
contaminants.
Homeland Security
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11,
2001, EPA was directed to tap its collective scientific
and technical expertise to help protect human
health and the environment from the effects of
terrorist incidents. EPA was charged with helping
to decontaminate buildings and large public areas,
protect our nation's water supply, and rapidly
provide reliable information to key decision- makers,
stakeholders and impacted communities on analytical
methods and human health risks.
EPA's Homeland Security Research Program supports
the Agency's leadership role in remediating chemical,
biological, or radiological (CBR) contamination from
weapons of mass destruction. The program also
conducts research on drinking water and wastewater
systems as the Agency is the federal sector lead
for water infrastructure. Many of EPA's homeland
security research products and technologies have
broader environmental and health protection
applications.
49
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50
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA Progress Report 2010
Office of Research and Development
Homeland Security
Following the terrorist attacks of September
11, 2001, EPA was directed to tap its
collective scientific and technical expertise
to help protect human health and the
environment from the effects of terrorist
incidents involving chemical, biological, and
radiological (CBR) contamination. EPA was
charged with helping to decontaminate
buildings and large public areas, protect our
Nation's water supply, and rapidly provide
reliable information to key decision- makers,
stakeholders and impacted communities on
analytical methods and human health risks.
EPA's homeland security research helps
provide the science and technology that
directly supports the Agency's leadership
role in remediating CBR contamination,
homeland security attacks, or accidental
releases. The program also conducts research
on drinking water and wastewater systems,
as the Agency is the sector lead for water
infrastructure. Many of EPA's homeland
security research products and technologies
have broader environmental and health
protection applications.
This section highlights some of the many
accomplishments that EPA scientists and
51
engineers made during 2010 to advance
homeland security research, including:
testing the effectiveness of various
decontamination technologies during
the recovery phase after a terrorist event
involving radiological contamination,
receiving a prestigious R&D 100 Award for
threat-detection software developed to help
protect the Nation's drinking water supplies,
developing performance specifications
for materials to mitigate the spread of
radioactive contamination following a dirty
bomb explosion, and more.
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Homeland Security
EPA Leads National Exercise for Response and Recovery from
"Dirty Bomb" Scenario
Agency scientists provided key support for the Liberty RadEx exercise—a major simulation of testing,
cleanup, and recovery phases following a deliberate radiation attack.
In 2010, EPA emergency response
managers from Regions 3, 4, and 5 led
an extensive training exercise to prepare
for responding to and recovering from
a terrorist attack in an urban setting
involving the detonation of a "dirty bomb"
containing radiological materials.
The Liberty RadEx Exercise (LRE) was
a National Tier 2 Full-Scale Exercise
sponsored by EPA and co-sponsored
by the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection, Bureau
of Radiation Protection and the City
of Philadelphia Office of Emergency
Management. Over 1000 individuals
participated in LRE representing, 35
federal, state, and local agencies; nine
community groups; 14 private businesses;
two universities; and scientists and
observers from six foreign countries.
They were involved in both field drills and
training exercises held from April 27 to 29
in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Most exercises to date have focused on
crisis response during the immediate
aftermath of a terrorist attack. EPA
researchers supported Region 3 in the
planning and design of LRE as an exercise
for developing and practicing the critical
remediation and recovery actions that
are needed in the weeks and months
after the initial lifesaving phase of a
response covering a large population and
geographic area.
The scenario in LRE was built around the
potential aftermath of a suicide attack,
launched from a van, loaded with 3,000
pounds of ammonium nitrate mixed with
diesel fuel and radioactive Cesium-137. EPA
researchers participated in multiagency
planning workgroups and provided
expertise and technical support to help
define the critical, long-term issues that
would have to be addressed following
such an explosion. They ensured that
the latest research and technology were
available to all participants in the exercise.
During LRE, EPA scientists and engineers
also served as "controllers" or
"evaluators." Controllers challenged
participants by adding complexities known
as "injects" (such as sudden changes
in the incident or the discovery of new
information) to practice simulations and
exercises. Evaluators determined whether
all activities were performed successfully
and in accordance with plans, policies,
procedures, and agreements.
52
The drill also provided a real-world
opportunity to apply, demonstrate
clean-up technologies in the field that
had previously been tested in research
laboratories. For example, during the drill,
participants were able to apply strippable
coatings for radioactively contaminated
surfaces, in a subway station and a
decontamination foam at the Philadelphia
Fire Department Training Academy's
building.
EPA researchers and their partners used
LRE events to further develop and test
a new tool that integrates contaminant
plume maps with Geographic Information
System data. This tool estimates
the quantities and activity levels of
contaminated waste and debris, including
building debris and outdoor materials
such as asphalt and soil. Officials in
charge of cleanup decisions applied these
estimates to evaluate trade-offs between
decontamination and disposal options.
EPA researchers also learned valuable
lessons about their role in the response to
a large incident as part of the overall EPA
response community, providing technical
support to the exercise players as they
would provide technical support to the
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Homeland Security
EPA Leads National Exercise for Response and Recovery from
"Dirty Bomb" Scenario, contu
incident command in a real event.
Lessons learned from LRE help to inform
how all levels of government, business,
and community organizations can
work together to meet the challenges
associated with long-term cleanup and
community recovery following a dirty
bomb attack.
EPA Researchers and Partners Win R&D too Award for CANARY
Award-winning software helps Nation protect drinking water supplies.
EPA researchers and their collaborators
from the Department of Energy were
recognized with a 2010 "R&D 100 Award"
from R&D Magazine for CANARY—
software they developed to improve the
security of drinking water systems. The
software, in conjunction with a network of
sensors, can rapidly detect contamination,
providing critical information to support
decisions and actions taken to protect
human health from tainted drinking water.
R&D 100 Awards are given annually to
the 100 most technologically significant
products introduced in the past year.
CANARY software is being piloted in five
U.S. cities (Cincinnati, New York, Los
Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco)
and Singapore using data sets that are
unique to each system. Based on data
analysis performed by CANARY, the pilot
utilities can better detect when they need
to alert their customers to a hazardous
level of contamination in their drinking
water supply. This in turn enables them
to incorporate new guidelines into their
emergency response and consequence
management plans.
CANARY software evaluates standard
water quality data such as free chlorine,
pH and total organic carbon overtime,
and uses mathematical and statistical
techniques to identify the onset of
anomalous water quality incidents.
Before using CANARY for the first time,
historical utility data must be used to
determine the natural variation of these
water quality parameters. This allows the
water utility to adapt CANARY to work
accurately at multiple locations within the
water distribution system and helps utility
operators to understand any expected
false alarm rates associated with CANARY
and contamination incident detection.
The CANARY software allows for:
• The use of a standard data format
for input and output of water
quality and operations data;
• The ability to select different
detection algorithms (CANARY
contains three different
mathematical approaches for
analyzing the data);
• The ability to select various
water utility and location-specific
configuration options;
• An online operations mode and an
offline evaluation mode;
• The ability to generate data needed
to establish performance metrics
(e.g., false alarm rates).
CANARY assists water utilities in
understanding the significance of large
volumes of water quality data. It can
automatically review incoming data
regarding anomalous conditions and
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Homeland Security
EPA Researchers and Partners Win R&D too Award for CANARY,
alert the water utility if further action is
required. Not only can CANARY detect
anomalous conditions resulting from
contamination incidents, but it also can
detect unexpected "normal" events, such
as a sensor malfunction or a pipe break.
The CANARY software is not intended to
replace commercially available software
but to supplement existing software
and motivate commercial development
of similar products. It is hoped that
the release of CANARY also will lead to
additional research and development in
this field.
As a free software tool, CANARY is
available worldwide to drinking water
utilities striving to provide safe water to
their customers. To date, more than 600
users in 15 countries have accessed the
software.
Rapid Detection Methods Help Speed Recovery From Radiological Contamination
EPA researchers developed new methods to expedite analysis of water samples.
In 2010, EPA published a compendium of
methods for rapidly detecting selected
radionuclides in drinking and surface
water. The methods were developed for
laboratories that would support EPA's
response and recovery actions following
a radiological or nuclear incident such as
the detonation of an improvised nuclear
device or a radiological dispersal device
("dirty bomb").
EPA homeland security researchers
collaborated with the Agency's Office
of Radiation and Indoor Air to develop
the rapid analytical methods. The new
methods reduce the sample processing
time from days or weeks to just 8 to 38
hours.
Methods were developed for five
radionuclides that could be used in a
radiological dispersion incident and are
difficult to detect in the field using hand-
held instruments. They are: americium-241,
plutonium-238 and plutonium-239/240,
isotopic uranium, radiostrontium
(strontium-go), and radium-226.
In addition to expedited analysis, EPA
researchers developed the new methods
to provide quantitative results that meet
measurement quality objectives for the
intermediate and recovery phases of a
nuclear or radiological incident.
Laboratories can now get results back to
the field more quickly, helping responders
and decision-makers develop cleanup
strategies. In addition, after cleanup
has been completed, the new methods
provide data that can be used for
determining when the site is safe again for
public use.
:
The new methods will be added to EPA's
"Selected Analytical Methods (SAM)
for Environmental Remediation and
Recovery" in the fall of 2011.
For more information, please visit: http://
www.epa.gov/nhsrc/news/newso8igio.
html.
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Homeland Security
Performance Specifications for Materials for Mitigating Radioactive Contamination
EPA researchers develop performance specifications for coatings and other products that can be applied.
After a dirty bomb (a radiological dispersal
device) has been detonated, wind, weather
and both vehicle and pedestrian traffic can
increase the spread of contamination. As
contaminants migrate and bind to nearby
surfaces, they can become more difficult to
decontaminate.
Working in collaboration with the American
Society for Testing and Materials,
(ASTM) International Subcommittee £54.03
on Decontamination, EPA researchers
developed performance specifications
(ASTM £2731) for materials available
to mitigate the spread of radioactive
contamination following a dirty bomb
detonation. The materials—"coatings
and other products"—can be applied to
exterior surfaces in an urban environment
to mitigate the spread and binding
behavior of radiological contamination.
Adequate preparation and development of
effective mitigation and decontamination
technologies will ensure the most
rapid and effective recovery from a
radiological event, as well as provide
a measure of deterrence. Products
described in the ASTM Standard would
be principally used by federal, state and
local government emergency responders
and response planners, decontamination
service providers and those interested
in protecting and recovering from
radiological terrorism.
Provisional Advisory Levels for Interim Recovery Actions
EPA researchers advanced the development of health-based advisory levels for high-priority hazardous
chemicals and warfare agents.
During 2010, EPA researchers advanced the
development of health-based provisional
advisory levels (PALs) for high-priority
hazardous chemicals and chemical warfare
agents in ambient air and drinking water.
To date, EPA has developed PALs for more
than 100 priority chemical agents. A total
of about 1,800 acute, short- and long-term
values have been derived for potential
ingestion and inhalation exposures.
The development and application of PALs
will facilitate effective risk management
and risk communication decisions to
minimize the adverse impact of threat
agents to the general public. PALs also will
be used for emergency exposure planning
at federal, state and local levels.
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United States
Environmental Protectio
ency
EPA Progress Report 2010
Office of Research and Development
Building
Partnerships,
Serving Regions,
and Supporting
Communities
EPA supports the Nation's leading
scientists and engineers to facilitate
the pursuit and dissemination of
high-quality research to build a
strong scientific foundation for
Agency actions and decisions. In
addition, EPA researchers cultivate
and maintain partnerships with
research colleagues at colleges and
universities across the world, at
sister federal and state agencies,
and other entities throughout the
scientific community.
The Agency's extramural research
program funds research grants,
graduate and undergraduate
fellowships and large research
centers through a competitive
solicitation process and
independent peer review. These
programs engage the Nation's best
scientists and engineers in targeted
research that complements EPA's
own outstanding intramural
research programs.
EPA is also one of 11 federal
agencies that participate in the
Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) program, enacted in 1982
to strengthen the role of small
business in federal research and
development, create jobs, and
promote technical innovation.
EPA's SBIR program awards funds
to innovative small businesses that
have novel concepts for products
and technologies that will help spur
economic growth while advancing a
more sustainable future.
EPA scientists partner directly with
Agency regional offices to bring
the collective expertise of Agency
scientists and engineers to bear
on high-profile environmental and
related human health challenges.
This section highlights some of
the many accomplishments that
EPA made in 2010, such as building
partnerships and supporting EPA
regions and communities, including:
inspiring the next generation of
environmental engineers and
scientists through the 6th Annual
Student Design Competition for
Sustainability, the 2010 EPA Tribal
Science Forum, and a number
of grants and awards that are
helping to stimulate a vibrant and
sustainable economic recovery and
advance the Nation's commitment
to science and technology
leadership.
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
When Students Compete for Sustainability, Everybody Wins!
Student engineers and scientists competed for the Best Sustainable Design at the Annual National Sustainable Design Expo.
On April 24 and 25, 2010,42 teams of
budding scientists and engineers from
colleges and graduate schools from across
the country gathered on the National
Mall in Washington, DC, at the Sixth
Annual National Sustainable Design Expo
to showcase their innovative designs for
advancing environmental sustainability.
The teams competed for the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's
coveted P3 Award for sustainability.
The three "P's" in P3 stand for People,
Prosperity and the Planet. Established
in 2004, the competition is focused on
supporting innovative designs that benefit
people, promote prosperity and protect
the planet while advancing sustainability in
both the developed and developing world.
The competition has two phases. In phase
I, student teams and their faculty advisors
submit research proposals for a chance
to earn up to $10,000 in seed money to
research and develop their design projects
during the academic year.
All phase I grantees are invited to the
National Mall in Washington, DC, each
spring to present their projects at the
National Sustainable Design Expo. Each
design is reviewed by a panel of judges
convened by the American Association for
the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The
panel's evaluations are passed on to EPA
officials, who then award the prestigious
EPA P3 Award.
The P3 Award brings with it the
opportunity to receive up to $75,000 in
additional funding to advance designs
from the prototype phase to the
marketplace.
The winning 2010 P3 teams and their
innovative sustainable designs were:
• Appalachian State University
Biomass Gasification for Agricultural
Energy Sources and Soil Enrichment
• Clarkson University
Farm Waste to Energy: A
Sustainable Solution for Small-Scale
Farms
• Clarkson University
Sustainable Year-Round Food
Production in Cold Climates
• Clemson University
SEED: Emergent Container Housing
Initiative—Solutions for the
Caribbean
• Cornell University
Dose Controller for AguaClara Water
Treatment Plants
• Drexel University
Alkali-Activated Slag Cement (AASC)
as a Sustainable Building Material
• Humboldt State University
Smoothing the Peaks: Smart Outlets
to Reduce Brownouts on Micro-
Hydroelectric Mini-Grids in Bhutan
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
When Students Compete for Sustainability, Everybody Wins!
North Carolina Agricultural
and Technical State University
Enhancing Urban Sustainability
Through the Application of
Permacu/ture Principles
Roger Williams University
Development of Alternative Power
to Drive a Partitioned Aquaculture
System for Intensive Food Fish
Production
Texas A&M University
Horizontal Hybrid Solar Light Pipe:
An Integrated System of Daylight
and Electric Light
University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign
Virus Removal in Slow-Sand Filters
for Rural Mayan Communities
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
Evaluation of Chitosan Coagulation
as a Sustainable Method for Point
of Use Drinking Water Treatment in
Developing Countries
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University (Virginia Tech)
A Sustainable Approach to Nitrate
Reduction Combining a Riparian
Zone With a Stream Denitrifying
Biofilm
• Wellesley College, Harvard
University, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, and
Qinghai Normal University
A Comprehensive Platform for
Rural Energy Optimization in the
Himalayan Region
The announcement of the winning teams
was not the only highlight of the year for
EPA's P3 Award Competition. Micromidas,
a small business founded by former P3
winning students that now employs 26
people, was selected as one of the Top 50
Water Innovation Leaders by the Artemis
Project. In addition, 2010 was the first
full year of educational service for The
Learning Barge, a floating field station and
classroom designed by a 2007 P3 team
from the University of Virginia that created
seven new green jobs.
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
EPA Co-hosted the 2010 National Tribal Science Forum
Mother Earth: Indigenous Knowledge and Science to Promote Positive Change.
The National EPA-Tribal Science Council
co-hosted its second National Tribal
Science Forum in partnership with the
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and
Chippewa Indians. The 2010 National
Tribal Science Forum took place June
6-10, 2010, at the Grand Traverse Resort
and Spa, owned by the tribe and located
near the tribal complex in Traverse City,
Michigan. The forum theme was Mother
Earth: Indigenous Knowledge and Science
to Promote Positive Change.
More than 225 attendees representing
more than 60 American Indian tribes
and Alaska Native villages; tribal colleges
and universities; tribal organizations;
intertribal consortia; private and nonprofit
organizations; federal, state, and local
governments—as well as representatives
of EPA and other federal agencies—
participated in the 5-day event.
The Forum was structured around the
concept of the Circle of Life, or Medicine
Wheel, a powerful symbol that has
many meanings to the First Nations and
American Indian tribes across America.
Four knowledge tracks—Air, Water, Earth,
and Community Health—aligned to four
directions of the Circle provided the basic
concepts around which participants shared
Western and traditional tribal knowledge.
Climate change was an overarching theme
among the knowledge tracks.
The purpose of the Forum was to provide
platforms to discuss issues of vital interest
to Indian Country. The Forum:
• Showcased tribal science through
cutting-edge research and case
studies.
• Promoted native science and
highlighted progress being made
in environmental and health
programs on tribal lands.
• Highlighted tribal science success
stories through presentations,
exhibits and a poster session.
• Provided opportunities for
technical training in high-
priority areas identified by tribal
governments and Tribal Science
Council members.
• Facilitated networking and the
sharing of knowledge among
native scientists and environmental
professionals from throughout
Indian Country.
Linked scientists and other
attendees with Native American
students so they could talk, listen,
and "hear their environmental
voices."
The range of activities at the Forum
included scientific presentations,
intensive professional trainings,
poster presentations, a local
field trip, a film screening and
networking sessions.
60
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Partnerships: Serving the Regions and Tribes
Bringing science and expertise to meet high-priority local science needs.
EPA has ten regional offices across the
country, each of which is responsible for
meeting the Agency's mission to protect
human health and the environment in the
states and territories within its region. To
support those efforts, Agency scientists
and engineers form partnerships with their
colleagues in the states and territories to
effectively respond to the high-priority,
near-term research needs of regional
offices.
Annually, the Agency makes funds
available to each EPA region to develop
research topics, and working partnerships
are established to coordinate all necessary
interactions between regions and
scientists and other technical staff across
the Agency. Such partnerships: (1) provide
the regions and communities across
the Nation with near-term research on
high-priority localized needs; (2) improve
collaboration between regions and Agency
laboratories and research centers; (3) build
the foundation for ongoing and future
scientific interactions; and (4) develop
useful tools for state, local and tribal
governments to address near-term and
emerging environmental challenges.
EPA Regions
GUAM
TRUST TERRITORIES
AMERICAN SAMOA
NORTH MARINA ISLANDS
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Highlights From 2010 EPA Regional Science Partnerships
Region 1 (New England)
• Agency researchers continued
to evaluate the unique cultural
exposure pathways of the
Penobscot tribe in Maine to assess
potential public health threats
of ongoing traditional practices,
such as gathering medicinal plants,
fishing, and harvesting wild duck
and turtle meat. The contaminant
exposure assessments resulting
from the study are expected to
inform tribal, federal, state and
local decision-makers in restoring
a healthy, functioning ecosystem
to further strengthen the
environmental, economic and social
integrity of the Penobscot Nation.
• EPA researchers are partnering
with colleagues from the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS), the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS), and numerous states and
municipalities to address the issue
of Pharmaceuticals in low flow
situations on the Assabet River.
What is learned from this study has
the potential to set a precedent for
future federal discharge permits in
the state.
Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto
Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight
Tribal Nations)
• New York City Department
of Health's recent Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey
found that the geometric mean
of blood mercury concentrations
in the 1,811 adult New Yorkers
tested were three-times that of
the national estimate. In response
to that alarming finding, Region 2
and Agency scientists measured
mercury and PCBs in the 20 most
commonly consumed fish and
shellfish products sold in New York
City's New Fulton Fish Market, the
Nation's largest wholesale fish
market.
Results from the collaborative study
were used to support and inform
the content of New York City's "Eat
Fish, Choose Wisely" public health
campaign on dietary guidelines for
the City's 8 million residents.
Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic)
• Since 2006, EPA scientists have
provided scientific support
for enhanced review of 79
mountaintop valley fill permit
62
applications based on the potential
impacts of total dissolved solids
on aquatic species. The permit
decisions supported by the research
results, including monitoring and
mitigation technology options, will
have a major environmental impact
on the Appalachian region.
Region 4 (Southeast)
• EPA's Region 4 partnered to
sponsor the EPA Regional Science
Workshop on Using Treated
Graywater as an Environmental
Solution in Atlanta on May 18-20,
2010.
The workshop brought together
experts from EPA, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention,
other federal and state agencies,
academia and the private sector to
discuss and understand available
science, and determine what
additional science is needed to
inform the Agency's research
agenda and, ultimately, policy
direction related to graywater.
The workshop resulted in a
consensus to pursue three primary
research areas: (1) research
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Highlights from 2010 EPA Regional Science Partnerships,
to support the development
of metrics and tools that are
needed to undertake urban
water sustainability assessments;
(2) research to provide better
measures/indicators of graywater
treatment performance, human/
environmental impact and ways
to cost-effectively achieve safe
reuse; and (3) research to enable
sociological, economic and
regulatory reforms.
Region 6 (South Central)
• EPA researchers provided key
support during emergency
response activities after the
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the
Gulf of Mexico.
Region 7 (Midwest)
• Region 7 and Agency scientists
collaborated and coordinated
in the monitoring, assessment
and mitigation of unknown CO2
intrusions in homes located north
of Wichita, Kansas. Region 7
worked with Agency scientists and
the local community to help notify
homeowners of the potential
critical health effects caused by
oxygen depletion and is carrying
out a continuous monitoring effort
to assist with understanding the
potential sources and causes of
CO2 intrusions.
Region 7 Superfund Remedial
Project Managers (RPMs) found
that groundwater samples
collected at remediation sites
contained binary mixtures of
both the chemical oxidants used
for in situ treatment and the
contaminants being treated. These
binary mixtures fouled laboratory
equipment, had to be diluted to
the point that data were often
unusable, and the concentrations
of the contaminants were not
representative of site conditions.
Agency scientists and other staff
collaborated on a research project
to test potential permanganate
neutralization methods. As a
result of the collaboration, a safe,
novel preservative (ascorbic acid)
was identified that effectively
neutralized oxidants in samples.
More than 3,000 sites using or
considering permanganate as
a remediation technology will
63
benefit from this research by
informing better short- and long-
term groundwater remediation.
The research results will directly
benefit residential and community
groundwater supply resource
protection near hazardous waste
sites.
Historical mining, milling, and
smelting activities have impacted
residential properties and
communities with contamination.
Multiple collaborative applied
research projects between
Agency researchers and Region
7 are addressing issues, including
a multistate, one-watershed
cleanup plan for: a 2,500-square-
mile area; a county-wide point-
of-use drinking water system
effectiveness evaluation; a city-
wide surface and near-surface
residential soil exposure study; a
city-wide educational and social
outcomes study; and a site-wide
soil stockpile leaching study.
The results of these activities
will assist in reducing exposure
to contaminants and better
protecting residents and
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Highlights From 2010 EPA Regional Science Partnerships,
communities. Both urban and
rural residents and communities
will benefit from increased
effectiveness and efficiencies of
remedies addressing historical
mining, milling and smelting
contamination.
Region 8 (Mountains and Plains)
• In Libby, Montana, Region 8 staff
members have teamed up with
Agency researchers to perform
Libby amphibole-specific human
health assessments to support
several site-specific baseline
assessments for risk. Agency
technical staff performed analytical
studies to support in vitro and in
vivo toxicity studies and laboratory
in vitro and in vivo studies. A
Region 8 toxicologist developed
a dosimetry model for improved
exposure-response evaluations
from Libby amphibole-exposed
populations.
Region 8 and Agency researchers
are addressing specifically
children's risk, collecting exposure
data that include exposure
scenarios targeted to children's
activities, as well as conducting
laboratory experiments with young
rats exposed to Libby amphibole
material.
Region 8 and Agency scientists
initiated a research project to study
the green roof on the Agency's
Regional Headquarters building.
The research evaluated green
roof technology for biological
performance and its effectiveness
as a best management practice for
stormwater control and to mitigate
the heat island effect in the region.
In addition to providing air and
water quality benefits and reducing
heating and cooling needs, the
green roof is expected to reduce
peak flow and runoff volumes from
rain and snowmelt events to mimic
a more natural landscape. This will
minimize harmful impacts from
concentrated stormwater runoff to
the nearby South Platte River.
Green roof data collected will
be added to the list of best
management practices to help
mitigate the environmental
impacts of stormwater runoff from
developed and developing areas
and improving the health of the
Nation's impaired waterways.
Region 9 (Pacific Southwest)
• EPA scientists worked with
partners in Region 9 and the U.S.
Geologic Survey (USGA) to publish
a standard operating procedure
(SOP) (Collection of Pyrethoids
in Water and Sediment Matrices:
Development and Validation of a
Standard Operating Procedure)
that could be followed to collect
field samples in order to accurately
monitor pyrethoid chemicals in the
water.
Pyrethroids are the most common
insecticides used in agricultural
areas and the urban marketplace.
Because they are highly toxic to
aquatic organisms, it is important
that they be accurately measured
in the environment. This can be
a challenge because pyrethroid
insecticides stick to the surfaces
of collection containers, leading to
inaccurate field samples that then
confound analytical and toxicity
test results. Working together,
the research team provided
standardized sample collection
protocols for accurate pyrethroid
;• :
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Highlights From 2010 EPA Regional Science Partnerships,
assessments, and results were
used to prepare a USGS Scientific
Investigations Report that included
the Standard Operating Procedures
forpyrethroid sampling.
Region 10 (Pacific Northwest)
• Agency researchers are conducting
a study to evaluate the fate and
effects of leachate contamination
in Alaska's tribal drinking water
sources, which helps characterize
pathogens and toxins within
Alaska's 200-plus tribal open dumps.
Alaska's open dumps contain mixed
solid and hazardous wastes and are
underlain by permafrost, which may
act as a liner or seal. This project will
help develop and implement best
management practices that can be
used to improve the environmental
conditions.
Rural residents in Washington
State's Yakima Valley, including
the Yakama Tribe and a large
population of migrant/seasonal
farm workers, are using drinking
water from private wells that
exceed the Federal Safe Drinking
Water Maximum Contaminant
Level for nitrate. Some wells also
exceed health-based benchmarks
for pesticides, metals, and bacterial
contamination.
Region 10 and Agency scientists
partnered with colleagues from
the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, the
Indian Health Service, and state
agencies as well as the local health
district to address the issue. The
approach they are using includes
conducting area-wide sampling
to outline the extent of the
contamination, identify agricultural
or other contaminant sources, and
support mitigation actions.
Results so far have included the
development of a unique CIS
mapping method to target sample
collection for identifying source
contributions in agricultural
settings. The partnership effort
will further determine measures
to protect public health and may
contribute to voluntary changes
and, if necessary, support for EPA
enforcement actions.
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Stoking the Nation's Economic Engine:
EPA's Small Business Innovation Research Awards
Agency awards spur economic growth while supporting green Investments.
There are approximately 25 million small
businesses in the United States today.
As the leading source of employment
growth, these firms have generated 60 to
So percent of net new jobs over the past
decade and are responsible for developing
most of the country's new technologies.
Today, EPA is helping to tap the economic
engine and creative energy of small
businesses to help meet environmental
challenges while they help lead an
economic recovery.
In 2010, EPA awarded 4.855 million to 45
small businesses to develop innovative,
sustainable technologies to protect human
health and the environment. These efforts
will help improve air quality, protect water,
work to decrease the effects of climate
change, and support green jobs.
The award-winning businesses, located in
16 different states, focused on several key
environmental research areas: increasing
the efficiency of green building materials
and systems; manufacturing innovation;
prevention, monitoring and control using
nanotechnology; reducing greenhouse
gases; new treatment technologies
for drinking water; improving water
infrastructure; reducing emissions from
small air pollution sources, vehicles
and biofuels production facilities;
new approaches for cleaning up and
monitoring hazardous waste sites; and
new tools for homeland security systems.
EPA's SBIR program was established
to ensure that new technologies are
developed to solve priority environmental
problems. EPA is one of 11 federal agencies
that participate in the SBIR program,
enacted in 1982 to strengthen the role of
small businesses in federal research and
development, create jobs and promote
technical innovation in the United States.
In 2010, Ecovative Design, a previous
EPA-supported SBIR winner, was selected
as a Technology Pioneer by the World
Economic Forum (WEF). The award
recognized the development of a patent-
pending material platform that uses crop
wastes as the raw material to produce a
strong and fast-growing resin that is an
alternative to expanded polystyrene (EPS)
used in the multibillion dollar protective
packaging market.
Ecovative leveraged more than $6 million
in venture capital funds as a result of its
EPA SBIR award, and has created more
than 20 new green jobs.
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
AccuStrata, Inc.
AdvR, Inc.
Aerodyne Research Inc.
Air Quality Design, Inc.
AlburtyLab, Inc.
AquaBioChip, LLC
Aspen Products Group, Inc.
Ghana Labs, Inc.
Coating Systems
Laboratories, Inc.
Light Curable Coatings
Defiant Technologies, Inc.
Eltron Research Inc.
Enchem Engineering, Inc.
Excellims Corporation
Filtrexx International, LLC
Fusion Coolant Systems, Inc.
Instrumental Polymer
Technologies, LLC
IntAct Laboratories, LLC
Development of Intelligent Process Control for Thin Film Solar Panel
Manufacturing
Fiber Based Return Signal CO2 Sensing System for Sequestration Site
Monitoring
PM 2.5 Emissions Reduction for Two-Stroke Engines
Combined Gas and Particle Measurement System
A Hydrosol Concentrator for Improved Measurement of Microbial
Pathogens in Drinking Water
Inexpensive, Rapid and Comprehensive Virulence and Marker Gene
(VMG) Analyzer for Waterborne Pathogens
Reduction of Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions from Commercial
Kitchens
Nanoporous Metal Organic Framework Filters for Removal of Gaseous
Pollutants
Antimicrobial-Coated Granular Filter Media for Drinking Water Treatment
Pigmented Solvent-Free Corrosion-Resistant UV Coating System
Handheld Detection System forTCE and PCE
Low-Cost Retrofit Emissions Control in Off-Road Sources
Advanced Mixed Oxidation and Inclusion Technology
Compact High Resolution Electrospray lonization Ion Mobility
Spectrometer for Online Water Monitoring
Performance and Design Development for Compost Technology
Used in Green Infrastructure, Green Building, and Urban Storm Water
Applications
Through-Tool Drilling with Supercritical CO2 Metal Working Fluids
Silane-Terminated Aliphatic Polycarbonate Dendrimer Solutions for
Environmentally Green Coatings
Bio-Electrochemical Systems for Ethanol Waste water Treatment
^^^^^^^B
$70,000
$69,984
$70,000
$69,676
$69,972
$70,000
$70,000
$70,000
$70,000
$69,997
$70,000
$69,999
$70,000
$70,000
$68,510
$70,000
$70,000
$46,770
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Intelligent Optical
Systems Inc.
IntelliMet, LL
Interdisciplinary Design
Collaborative, LLC
Lao K, LLC
Lynntech Inc.
Lynntech Inc.
Membrane Technology and
Research Inc.
Mobius Technologies, Inc.
NEI Corporation
Smart Polymers Research
Corporation
TDA Research Inc.
Technology Specialists
Technova Corporation
Voxtel, Inc.
Wireless Industrial
Technologies, Inc.
Distributed Optical Fiber Sensor for Long-term Monitoring of
GroundwaterTrichloroethylene Levels
Economic Capture of CO2 with Amines and Ionic Liquids Tethered in the
Gas Phase
Residential Energy Optimization Algorithms
Mill Trials of a Novel Formaldehyde-Free Soy-Based Wood Adhesive for
Making Plywood
Efficient Distributed Energy Generation System
Improved Heterogeneous Catalyst for the Transesterification of
Triglycerides to Biodiesel
Novel Membrane Process to Utilize Dilute Methane Streams
Development of Micronized Polyurethane as a Comprehensive, 100
Percent Recycled Resin for Green Building Materials and Systems
Self-Healing Corrosion-Control Coatings: An Enabling Technology To
Restore Aging Water Infrastructure and Permit Alternative Water Use for
Cooling
Quantum Dot/Aptamer Real-Time Flow Sensor
Thermochemical Biofuels Production from Biomass Waste Materials
Development of a Simple, Robust, and Inexpensive Alkalinity Sensor
Value-Added Use of Milled Mixed-Color Waste Glass as a Supplementary
Cementitious Material in Environmentally Friendly and Energy-Efficient
Concrete Building Construction
Real-time Detection and Identification of Chemical, Biological, and
Explosive (CBE) Agents With Low False Alarm Rates
Wireless Instrumentation for Control of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by the Aluminum Industry; Measurement and Monitoring of Current
Distribution in Aluminum Reduction Cells
^^^KK^^u^H
$70,000
$69,479
$66,890
$69,975
$70,000
$70,000
$70,000
$69,760
$69,996
$69,999
$70,000
$69,660
$70,000
$69,996
$70,000
68
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Omega Optics, Inc.
Applied Sciences, Inc.
Bridger Photonics, Inc.
Dr. Ben Curatolo, Inc. d.b.a.
Light Curable Coatings
Ecovative Design, LLC
Fuss & O'Neill
KWJ Engineering, Inc.
InnovaTech, Inc.
Ion Signature Technology, Inc.
Scientific Methods, Inc.
IDA Research Inc.
Down to Earth Energy
(formerly Mountain Creek
Enterprises)
Photonic Crystal Slot Waveguide Spectrometer for Monitoring of
Volatile Organic Compounds in Groundwater and Hazardous Pollutants
in Air
Nano-Enhanced Composite Electrodes for Electrostatic Precipitators
Hand-Held Sensor for Remotely Mapping Carbon Dioxide Pollution
Sources
Chromium-Free Corrosion-Resistant Hybrid UV Coatings
Development and Demonstration of a Low Embodied Energy,
Construction Material that Replaces Expanded Polystyrene and Other
Synthetic Materials
Development and Commercialization of Granular Activated Carbon
Microbial Fuel Cells f or Wastewater Treatment and Power Generation
Reagentless Field-Usable Fixed-Site and Portable Analyzer for
Trihalomethane (THM) Concentrations in Drinking Water
Retrofit Air Pollution Control Filter for Restaurant Underfired
Charbroilers
Development of an In Situ Thermal Extraction Detection System (TEDS)
for Rapid, Accurate, Quantitative Analysis of Environmental Pollutants in
the Subsurface
Rapid Concentration of Viruses from Water
A Portable Microreactor System to Synthesize Hydrogen Peroxide
Commercialization of Solid Acid and Base Catalysts Derived from Biochar
Optimized to Produce Biodiesel from Low Cost Oils
$70,000
$224,985
$225,000
$224,998
$225,000
$225,000
$224,713
$224,996
$224,786
$224,987
$225,000
$225,000
\
69
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
EPA Extramural Research Grants and Fellowships for 2010
EPA funds research grants and graduate fellowships in numerous environmental science and
engineering disciplines through its Science To Achieve Results (STAR) program.
The STAR program engages the Nation's
best scientists and engineers in targeted
research that complements EPA's own
outstanding intramural research program
and those of Agency partners in other
federal agencies. Grants are awarded
through a competitive solicitation process
and independent peer review. Current
Agency-supported research includes
work on drinking water, water quality,
global change, ecosystem assessment and
restoration, human health risk assessment,
endocrine disrupting chemicals, pollution
prevention and new technologies,
children's health, socio-economic research,
and the health effects of particulate
matter.
In addition, through this same competitive
process, EPA periodically establishes
large research centers in specific areas
of national concern. Currently, centers
focus on children's environmental health,
hazardous substances, particulate matter,
and estuarine and coastal monitoring.
During 2010, EPA's grants program
awarded 103 new grants and processed
incremental funding to continue to support
critical ongoing projects. This $97.5 million
investment in research supports broad
goals of the Agency across the areas of
drinking water; air pollution and global
change; global change impacts on oceans,
aquatic ecosystems, and air pollution;
ecosystems; and human health.
Grants to Support Air, Climate, and Energy Research
Grants awarded for environmental and
human health research in the areas of Air,
Climate, and Energy during 2010 include
the following:
• EPA awarded $32 million for
four new Clean Air Research
Centers (CLARC). The centers will
conduct research addressing the
problem of multiple pollutants
and health impacts across life
states, among susceptible and
vulnerable populations, and across
communities (environmental justice
issues), and will study health effects
from cardiovascular and pulmonary
problems to neurological and
inflammation outcomes.
The four CLARCs are:
-Emory University and Georgia
Institute of Technology, Atlanta,
GA. This center will combine
novel measurement techniques
with air pollution models to
provide an assessment of the
health risks of air pollution
mixtures.
-Michigan State University,
East Lansing, Ml. This center
will focus on the effects of fine
particulate matter and ozone on
cardiovascular health by looking
at important subpopulations at
risk.
-University of Washington,
Seattle, WA. This center
will integrate exposure,
epidemiological, toxicological,
clinical, and statistical sciences to
study the cardiovascular hazards
of recent and aged roadway
emissions.
-Harvard University, Boston,
MA. This center will investigate
the effects of short- and long-
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Grants to Support Air, Climate, and Energy Research,
Cont'd.
term exposures to individual
pollutants, pollution sources,
and multipollutant mixtures on
the brain, cardiovascular system,
inflammation, birth weight/
growth, and cardiovascular
disease.
The Multi-Ethnic Study of
Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution
(MESA Air) is a $33 million, 10-year
prospective epidemiology study
to investigate the link between
long-term exposure to air pollution
and cardiovascular disease. This
unprecedented study continues to
investigate the impacts that fine
particles in air pollution has on the
health of a diverse group of more
than 6,000 participants.
EPA awarded 12 new research
projects that will advance
understanding of air pollution
emission inventories. Results of
this work are critical for improving
the ability to accurately model
pollution in the air that we breathe.
The new projects provided a
research portfolio addressing
scientific needs in four specific
areas:
1. Transportation - Projects
investigating emissions from
mobile sources and roadways will
provide critical input needed for
the latest generation of aerosol
modules in air quality models.
The research will enable links
between transportation activity
and road vehicle emissions, as
well as emissions from ships,
which significantly impact air
pollution in port areas.
2. Animal operations and
ammonia - Because ammonia
emissions are one of the areas of
greatest uncertainty in current
emission inventories, projects will
contribute to developing better
tools for generating ammonia
emission inventories from cattle,
swine and chicken operations.
Additional modeling experiments
will improve the national
ammonia emission inventory and
test the effectiveness of control
strategies.
3. Technique development-New
strategies for analyzing data to
develop emission inventories and
new measurements will provide
insight into missing or uncertain
sources. New laboratory
and modeling research that
addresses the comparability of
measurements from different
laboratory systems will
strengthen the comparability of
data and impact how emissions
are reported.
4. Coarse PM - An emission
inventory for coarse PM,
including details about the
biological component of the
particles, will be developed. This
area is of particular concern in
current health studies addressing
coarse PM and is a high-priority
scientific need of the Agency
program offices.
Three new projects will
investigate how global change
may impact the occurrence of
allergic airway disease. This
work will develop techniques for
better measurements of pollen,
understanding its production and
predicting where it may have the
largest health impact under future
climate scenarios.
71
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Grants to Support Air, Climate, and Energy Research,
Cont'd.
Two awards support research
on the geologic sequestration of
carbon dioxide to ensure safe and
effective storage, mitigate potential
risks and prevent endangerment of
existing and potential sources of
drinking water.
Eight new projects will investigate
how strategies to mitigate and
adapt to a changing climate will
affect air quality and air quality
management. These projects focus
on how changing transportation
infrastructure, land use,
development, and climate-focused
policies will impact the ability to
meet air quality goals.
Grants to Support Safe and Sustainable Water Research
EPA awarded ten projects, totaling
$5,365,382, under the area of advancing
public health water infrastructure
sustainability. Broadly, the Request
for Applications (RFAs) focused on
improving the effectiveness of the water
infrastructure, existing and future, for
protecting public health and maximizing
sustainability, reliability, and efficiency of
water infrastructure.
Awarded projects will:
• Develop and test new water
infrastructure system design and
operation;
• Inform public health risk
assessments associated with
distribution vulnerabilities;
• Inform quantitative relationships
between infrastructure conditions
and public health risks associated
with continuous, intermittent or
episodic water quality deterioration
or contamination; and
• Quantify the economic and energy
aspects of strategies, tools, or
concepts that prevent, mitigate and
respond to infrastructure decay.
Seven grants (listed on the following
page), funded for a total of more than
$6 million were awarded in FY2010 to
investigate the potential for the geological
sequestration of carbon dioxide to affect
underground sources of drinking water.
Injecting carbon dioxide into depleted
oil or gas fields and underground saline
aquifers is increasingly being considered
to remove large quantities of greenhouse
gas from the atmosphere and help address
climate change. This research is expected
to lead to improved designs for carbon
sequestration projects that will protect
underground drinking water supplies.
72
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Grants to Support Safe and Sustainable Water Research,
Title Amount Awarded ($)
Innovative and Integrative Approaches for Advancing Public Health
Protection Through Water Infrastructure Sustainability RFA
Emory University
North Carolina State University
Measures of Distribution System Water Quality and Their
Relation to Health Outcomes in Atlanta
An Integrated Approach to Understanding and Reducing
Fat, Oil, and Grease (FOG) Deposit Formation for Sustainable
Sewer Collection Systems
$599,429
$599,429
Advancing Public Health Protection through Water Infrastructure Sustainability RFA
Water Research Foundation
Purdue University
The University of Hawaii
University of Connecticut
University of Illinois at Champaign
University of Illinois at Urba-
na-Champaign
University of Wisconsin
University of Alabama
Evaluation of Lead Service Line Lining and Coating
Technologies
Development of Mobile Self-Powered Sensors for Potable
Water Distribution
Rapid Detection of Sewer Pipeline Problems Using Bacterial
DMA Markers and Q-PCR Technology
Enabling Potable Reuse of Wastewater Using Forward
Osmosis: A Sustainable and Affordable Alternative to Reverse
Osmosis
Toxicity of Drinking Water Associated with Alternative
Distribution System Rehabilitation Strategies
Association of Pathogens with Biofilm in Drinking Water
Distribution Systems
Evaluation of Sanitary Sewers as a Source of Pathogen
Contamination of Municipal Water Supply Wells
Water Infrastructure Sustainability and Health in Alabama's
Black Belt
$600,000
$599,997
$299,956
$300,000
$599,113
$600,000
$598,580
$598,739
73
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Grants to Support Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Three grants for a total of $6 million were
awarded under a collaborative US/UK
solicitation to assess the human health
and environmental impacts of exposure to
manufactured nanomaterials.The research
produced with the support of the grants
will help policy-makers better understand
the potential adverse environmental
and public health impacts of nanoscale
materials.
Recipients)
Rice University, Clemson University,
Edinburgh Napier University, Natural
History Museum (London), University
of Birmingham, University of California •
Davis, University of Exeter
University of Medicine and Dentistry of
New Jersey, Duke University, Imperial
College
University of Kentucky, Carnegie
Mellon University, Centre for Ecology
and Hydrology, Cranfield University,
Duke University, Lancaster University,
Rothamsted Research
Consortium for Manufactured
Nanomaterial Bioavailability &
Environmental Exposure
Risk Assessment for Manufactured
Nanoparticles Used in Consumer Products
(RAMNUC)
Transatlantic Initiative for Nanotechnology
and the Environment
Amount Awarded ($)
$2,000,000
$1,999,995
$2,000,000
Grants to Support Human Health Research
On October 19-20, 2010, EPA hosted
the "Protecting Children's Health for a
Lifetime: Environmental Health Research
Meets Clinical Practice and Public Policy"
Conference in Washington, DC. The
meeting brought together federal and
professional organizations to explore
the interplay between research, clinical
applications and policy implications in the
field of children's environmental health.
The meeting also marked the launch of the
next phase of the Children's Environmental
Health and Disease Prevention Centers
program—a partnership among EPA and
the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS)—with 12 new
grants for a total of nearly $60 million over
the next five years. Together, EPA and
NIEHS are funding six new grants for large
multidisciplinary research (5-year) Centers
and six new grants (3-year) for "Formative
Centers."
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Grants to Support Human Health Research,
Under the Understanding the Role of
Nonchemical Stressors and Developing
Analytic Methods for Cumulative Risk
Assessments RFAs, EPA awarded a total of
more than $7 million through seven grants.
Recipients)
University of Pittsburgh (Main Campus),
Harvard School of Public Health, New York
University, West Harlem Environmental
Action
University of Rochester School of Medicine
and Dentistry
University of Medicine and Dentistry of
New Jersey
University of Texas School of Public Health,
National Chiao-Tung University, University
of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Boston University
University of Texas School of Public Health,
University of North Carolina, University of
Texas Medical Branch - Galveston
Harvard School of Public Health, Channing
Laboratory
Community Stressors and Susceptibility to
Air Pollution in Urban Asthma
Combined Effects of Metals and Stress on
Central Nervous System Function
Effects of Stress and Traffic Pollutants on
Childhood Asthma in an Urban Community
Hypertension in Mexican-Americans:
Assessing Disparities in Air Pollutant Risks
New Methods for Analysis of Cumulative
Risk in Urban Populations
Analytical Strategies for Assessing
Cumulative Effects of Chemical and
Nonchemical Stressors
Effects-Based Cumulative Risk Assessment
in a Low-Income Urban Community Near a
Superfund
Amount Awarded ($)
$1,250,000
$1,250,000
$1,249,960
$1,250,000
$749,226
$555,923
$749,662
75
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Grants to Support Healthy and Sustainable Communities Research
In partnership with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, EPA awarded a number of
grants to support research on methods
that could be used to estimate the variety
of ecosystem services associated with
agricultural settings. Collectively, the
supported research aims to develop
quantitative strategies to reduce the
negative environmental impacts of
agriculture while enhancing the ecosystem
services of the land.
bfxxiTlnSiHam
ibold Expeditions
Oregon State University
Assessing Trade-Offs Among Ecosystem
Services in a Payment-for-Water Services
Program on Florida Ranchlands
Enhancing Ecosystem Services in a High
Risk Agroecosystem of the Interior Pacific
Northwest in the Face of Climate Change
and Land Use Intensification
$498,835
$500,000
EPA-supported Children's Environmental Health Science
EPA and the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences support a
series of Children's Environmental Health
Centers across the country. Researchers at
one such center, the Columbia Center for
Children's Environmental Health, published
two major findings in 2010:
• Chlorpyrifos Exposure and
Urban Residential Environment
Characteristics as Determinants of
Early Childhood Neurodevelopment,
presented in the online edition
of the American Journal of Public
Health, found that exposure to the
pesticide chlorpyrifos—banned
for use in U.S. households but
still widely used throughout the
agricultural industry—is associated
with developmental delays in early
childhood.
Prenatal Acetaminophen Exposure
and Risk of Wheeze at Age 5 Years
in an Urban Low-Income Cohort,
published in the February 2010 issue
of the journal Thorax, presents
findings that children who were
exposed to acetaminophen
prenatally were more likely to have
asthma symptoms at age 5. This
was the first study to demonstrate
a direct link between asthma
and an ability to detoxify foreign
substances in the body.
76
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
EPA and NASA Administrators Extend Environmental and
Earth Science Partnership
On April 26, 2010, EPA Administrator
Lisa P.Jackson and National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA)
Administrator Charles Bolden joined
forces at the Howard University Middle
School of Mathematics and Science to
stress the importance of science and
engineering education. The administrators
chose the Howard University Middle
School to underscore the importance of
promoting math and sciences among the
next generation of leaders.
At the event, the administrators also
signed a Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) to foster cooperation between
the two agencies in environmental and
earth sciences and applications. As two
science leaders in government, both
administrators challenged the students
to continue a pursuit of science and
excellence.
The signed MOA promotes renewed
efforts of collaboration between EPA and
NASA to improve environmental
HOWARD
and earth science research; technology;
environmental management; and the
application of earth science data, models,
and technology in environmental decision-
making. Areas of applied research and
applications expected to benefit from
this partnership include climate change,
air quality and water. The re-invigorated
partnership focuses on science leadership
to motivate continued exploration,
innovation, and protection of our home
planet.
For more information on EPA's Earth
Observations and Advanced Monitoring
Initiative, visit www.epa.gov/geoss/.
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Building Partnerships, Serving Regions, and Supporting Communities
Sharing EPA Science
EPA joined 500 science and research organizations at the USA Science & Engineering Festival.
EPA scientists and engineers shared
their work with students and families
from across the country at the inaugural
USA Science & Engineering Festival held
October 23-24, 2010, on the National Mall
in Washington, DC.
The activities associated with the festival
began with inspirational talks by "Nifty
Fifty" science ambassadors, including
EPA's Dr. Paul Anastas (Assistant
Administrator for EPA's Office of Research
and Development) and Dr. Kevin Teichman
(Deputy Administrator for Science, Office
of Research and Development) who visited
two schools in the Washington, DC, area
to share their love of science and inspire
the next generation of innovators. Nifty
Fifty scientists were carefully chosen from
hundreds of applicants for their differing
fields, talents, divergent backgrounds and
ages, and ability to convey the importance
of science to students.
The month-long celebration culminated
with the 2-day festival expo on the
National Mall in Washington, DC.
The expo featured more than 1,500
interactive stations from more than
500 of the country's top science and
engineering organizations, including EPA.
The EPA exhibit featured activities that
demonstrated the kinds of research that
Agency scientists are conducting across
the country and highlighted what that
research meant for the protection of public
health and the environment.
p* Innovative Modeling Tools Help EPA Scientists Determine Total Chemical Exposures
Using sophisticated new computer models
and methods, EPA scientists developed
an innovative set of tools to estimate
total exposures and risks people face
from chemicals encountered in everyday
activities, actions as simple as biting into an
apple or walking across a carpet.
The development of these new tools
involved linking two types of models
the Stochastic Human Exposure and
Dose Simulation (SHEDS) model and
physiologically- based pharmacokinetic
(PBPK) models. The SHEDS model can
estimate the range of total chemical
exposures in a population from different
exposure pathways (such as inhalation)
over different time periods, given a set of
demographic characteristics. PBPK models
predict how chemicals move through and
concentrate in the human body.
Combining these models, EPA researchers
created a first-of-its-kind set of tools that
scientists can employ to estimate the
total exposures and resultant doses that
78
humans experience from chemicals in their
environments.
The tools represent a breakthrough in risk
management. Now, instead of examining a
single route of exposure, scientists can look
at the comprehensive exposure "picture" in
a given population, which will prove helpful
as EPA studies the risks posed by chemicals
such as pyrethroid-based pesticides. These
models will serve as invaluable tools in
supporting decisions and actions to protect
human health and the environment from
the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals.
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2010 EVA Scientific Publications
MARK, D., M. A. MASON, R. B. MOSLEY, X. LIU, Z. GUO, AND
C. WHITFIELD. "Building air change rate due to natural ventilation
induced by open windows and door in a residential property." Presented
at IAQVEC 2010, Syracuse, NY, August 30, 2010.
BETANCOURT, D. "Characterization of Stachybotrys chartarum mi-
crobial volatile organic compounds (MVOC) emissions and mycotoxins
production on gypsum wallboard." Presented at International Conference
on Indoor Air Quality, Ventilation and Energy Conservation in Buildings,
Syracuse, NY, August 15 - 18, 2010.
MARR, D. "An analysis of the BIFMA M7.1 test method model efficacy
and uncertainty via emissions measurements." Presented at IAQVEC
2010, Syracuse, NY, August 15 - 17, 2010.
MARR, D. "The incorporation of CFD capabilities with RISK, an indoor
air quality zonal model developed by the U.S. EPA." Presented at Ameri-
can Physical Society, Long Beach, CA, November 21 - 23, 2010.
MARR, D. "Radon tracer as a multipurpose tool to enhance vapor intru-
essment and miti ation." Presented at AWMA Vai
KHAN, B. "Using thermal-optical analysis to examine the OC-EC split
that characterizes ambient and source emission aerosols." Presented at
2010 AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 13 - 17, 2010.
BALDAUF, R. W. "The effect of roadside barriers on near-road air
quality." Presented at 2010 CRC Mobile Source Air Toxics Workshop,
Sacramento, CA, November 30, 2010.
BALDAUF, R. W. "FHWA/EPAnear-road study in Las Vegas." Pre-
sented at 2010 CRC Mobile Source Air Toxics Workshop, Sacramento,
CA, November 30 - December 02, 2010.
HAGLER, G. "Current research in NRMRL on the mitigation of near-
road air pollution by vegetative and structural barriers." Presented at
NRMRL and EPA Ecology NPD web site, RTF, NC, February 15, 2010.
KIMBROUGH, E. S. "Las Vegas Part 2, Traffic analysis and study
design." Presented at Near-road general stakeholders meeting, Raleigh,
NC, March 01, 2010.
KIMBROUGH, E. S. "Las Vegas Part 1, Traffic analysis and study
design." Presented at Near-road general stakeholders meeting, Raleigh,
NC, March 01, 2010.
CIMBROUGl
Toxics
3algar
lobile Source.
KIMBROUGH, E. S. "EPA/FHWANear-Road Study-Characterization
and variability of pollutant concentrations." Presented at AAAR 2010,
San Diego, CA, March 22 - 26, 2010.
KIMBROUGH, E. S. EPA/FHWA "Near Road Study-Las Vegas imple-
mentation and experience." Presented at AAAR 2010, San Diego, NC,
March 22-26, 2010.
HAGLER, G. "How does vegetation affect pollutant transport and
disperson?" Presented at Role of vegetation in mitigating near road air
qualtiy, Research Triangle Park, NC, April 27, 2010.
HAGLER, G. "Modeling vegetation near I-40/I-85 in Mebane, NC.: Pre-
sented at Role of vegetation in mitigating near road air quality, Research
Triangle Park, NC, April 27, 2010.
BALDAUF, R. W. "Why are we concerned with near-road air qual-
ity?" Presented at Role of vegetation in mitigating near road air quality,
Research Triangle Park, NC, April 27, 2010.
HAYS, M. D. "Analytical activities at the U.S. EPA related to PM and
transportation." Presented at Transportation Technologies and Fuels
Forum, Ottawa, QC, CANADA, May 10 - 11, 2010.
iR, D. "Radon 1
"Promise. That's what research is. A promise that if we engage in this
often difficult scientific endeavor, then we will understand the world
better and be able to make the world a better place."
Paul T. Anastas, Ph.D.,
Assistant Administrator
Office of Research and Dev
oration Project:
grated PM
n , ,v E
HAYS, M. D. "Particle size distribution of metal and non-metal elements
in an urban near-highway environment." Presented at American Associa-
tion of Aerosol Science, Portland, OR, October 25 - 29, 2010.
HAGLER, G. "The effect of vegetative and structural barriers on ultra-
fine particle and carbon monoxide dispersion in near-roadway communi-
ties." Presented at American Association of Aerosol Research, Portland,
OR, October 25, 2010.
HAGLER, G. "Long-term monitoring of ultrafine and accumulation-
mode particulate matter during the Las Vegas Near-Road Study."
Presented at American Association of Aerosol Research, Portland, OR,
October 25, 2010.
SHORES, R. C. "EPA's mobile monitoring of source emissions and
near-source impact." Presented at AWMA measurements conference, Los
Angeles, CA, October 15, 2010.
Park, NC, March 01, 2010.
HAGLER, G. "Detroit mobile air monitoring research." Presented at
General stakeholders meeting (near-road research), Research Triangle
Park, NC, March 01, 2010.
HAGLER, G. "EPA/FHWA Near Road Collaboration Project: Ultrafine
particle monitoring research." Presented at Federal stakeholders meet-
ing, Research Triangle Park, NC, March 01, 2010.
HAYS, M. D. "Analytical activities at the U.S. EPA regarding organic
particulate matter." Presented at Analytica Munich, Munich, GERMA-
NY, March 24 - 26, 2010.
HAGLER, G. "Organic and elemental carbon in central Greenland air
and snow: Towards a better understanding of sources, source regions
and radiative forcing." Presented at State of the Artie, Miami, FL,
March 16-20, 2010.
Environment and Energy conference, Raleigh, NC, June 06 - 09, 2010.
THOMA, E. D. "Detection and quantification of fugitive emissions from
Colorado oil and gas production operations using remote monitoring-
-slides." Presented at 103rd Annual Conference of the Air & Waste
Management Association, Calgary, AB, CANADA, June 22 - 25, 2010.
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