National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Providing Solutions for a
Better Tomorrow
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Mission
As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Re-
search and Development, the National Risk Management Research
Laboratory (NRMRL) conducts research into ways to prevent and
reduce pollution risks that threaten human health and the environ-
ment. The laboratory investigates methods to prevent and control
pollution of air, land, and water, and to restore ecosystems. The
goals of this research are to:
(1) develop and promote technologies that protect and improve hu-
man health and the environment;
(2) characterize releases to air, water, and land, and develop engi-
neering information to inform and support regulatory and policy
decisions; and
(3) provide technical support and information transfer to ensure
implementation of environmental regulations and strategies at the
national and community levels.
In addition, NRMRL collaborates with both public and private sec-
tor partners to anticipate emerging problems and to foster technolo-
gies that reduce the cost of compliance.
Research
NRMRL has research facilities at its headquarters in Cincinnati,
Ohio, and at its locations in Research Triangle Park, North Caro-
lina; Ada, Oklahoma; and Edison, New Jersey. NRMRL's staff
includes several hundred scientists and engineers devoted to solving
a wide range of environmental problems. Information follows con-
cerning NRMRL's key research areas that support EPA's mission.
Drinking Water Protection
The U.S. has one of the safest public drinking water supplies in
the world. However, current and future challenges — like the
emergence of new waterborne diseases, varying source water qual-
ity, and increased contamination of ground water — must be met
with well-focused research activities. NRMRL's researchers develop,
investigate and improve ways to: (1) remove contaminants such as
disease-causing microorganisms and chemicals (e.g., arsenic) from
source water, and (2) monitor and manage the quality of water in
distribution systems. By responding to calls for technical assistance
at sites of waterborne disease outbreaks, NRMRL researchers help
mitigate the outbreaks while gaining insight into the need for new
or modified treatment technologies and methods to design and
operate distribution systems. Improved small-system technologies
such as membranes and onsite disinfectant generation are being
evaluated for their capability to remove or inactivate pathogens such
as Cryptosporidium.
Air Pollution
To reduce air pollutant effects on human health and the environ-
ment, NRMRL researchers characterize emissions of air pollutants
from mobile, stationary and fugitive area sources and evaluate, de-
velop, refine, and demonstrate cost-effective approaches to prevent
and control these emissions. The program also develops decision
support tools that can be used to evaluate the performance, cost
and environmental implications of various air and energy technolo-
gies. The main areas of focus are paniculate matter and associated
co-pollutants, toxic air pollutants, indoor environmental manage-
ment, global climate change and waste combustion. Efforts focus on
a wide variety of sources including landfills, animal feeding opera-
tions, power generating facilities, indoor sources, diesel vehicles, and
waste incinerators. Research products provide federal, state, and lo-
cal agencies with information they can use as they implement exist-
ing regulations and devise future air pollutant abatement strategies.
The information is also useful for those industries required to meet
environmental standards and building owners, school districts, and
the general public who are attempting to reduce exposure indoors.
NRMRL is also collaborating with other laboratories to understand
the characteristics (chemical and physical) and toxicity of particu-
late matter emitted from various combustion processes. This will
help risk managers to target reduction strategies at those sources
with the greatest potential for inducing health effects. The control
technology program is focused on evaluating integrated solutions
that can simultaneously reduce multiple air pollutants. For example,
NRMRL is investigating and testing options that can enhance mer-
cury capture at coal-fired power plants using existing technologies
such as scrubbers to reduce sulfur oxide emissions.
Pollution Prevention and Sustainability
Research at NRMRL helps to develop and demonstrate pollution
prevention and recycling approaches as well as resource recovery
and reuse technologies. NRMRL research includes "green chemis-
try" projects where investigators are exploring the substitution of
cost-effective, ecologically-friendly processes for traditional chemical
processes. NRMRL engineers continue to design and refine soft-
ware that enables manufacturers to make process changes that can
improve environmental performance. One such software tool works
in concert with commercial process simulators to enable design of
processes and solvent mixtures with the least adverse environmental
impact. Membrane and adsorption processes are also being studied
by NRMRL researchers to improve recovery of reusable chemicals
and metals from manufacturing waste streams. From pollution
prevention research, sustainability and sustainable development
have evolved in NRMRL as new research topics in their own right.
Sustainability is the planning and use of resources in communities
so that they will be available at equal or greater levels for future gen-
erations. Sustainable development is the approach that a community
chooses to implement in an effort to remain sustainable. NRMRL
researchers are studying and developing tools that facilitate sus-
tainability; beyond this, they are evaluating the benefits such tools
provide if applied through community-based environmental protec-
tion programs. Pollution prevention solutions, including material
and energy efficient technologies viewed from a life cycle perspective
(i.e., resource use and environmental impacts of the entire life span
of a product), will be essential to meeting sustainable development
goals. A full understanding of potential environmental impacts can
help local decision makers and stakeholders plan for cost-effective
yet resource-efficient approaches to community projects.
Contaminated Media Remediation
To help clean up the more than one thousand hazardous waste sites
that are currently on the National Priorities List, as well as leaking
underground storage tanks, oil spills and sediments, NRMRL is
developing tools and technologies to understand and remediate con-
taminants. For example, NRMRL researchers are developing models
to assess the fate, transport, and transformation rates of contami-
nants in soil and ground water. NRMRL scientists and engineers
are also demonstrating methods for containment and remediation
of contaminants from these sites. Biological methods being inves-
tigated include the use of microorganisms and plants to degrade or
take up contaminants in soils and ground water. Chemical methods
include the use of additives to bind with and reduce the danger of
metals in soil. Chemical methods are being combined with physical
methods to treat and control contaminants in soil, sediments and
ground water. NRMRL researchers are also evaluating how natural
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NRMRL's Research Facilities
Cincinnati, Ohio
• Land Remediation & Pollution Control Division
• SustainableTechnology Division
•TechnologyTransfer & Support Division
•Water Supply &Water Resources Division
I^Environ mental Technology Verification Staff
^Resources Operations Staff
• Urban Watershed Management
Branch
Ada, Oklahoma
• Ground Water & Ecosystems
Restoration Division
Triangle Park,
North Carolina
• Air Pollution
Prevention & Control
Division
attenuation — the use of natural processes to break down or capture
contaminants — can be combined with intensive monitoring to pro-
vide cost-effective site clean-up that meets regulatory requirements.
Watershed Management and Restoration
Watersheds are large-scale natural drainage areas that generally
include lakes, rivers, wetlands, and other water bodies and the sur-
rounding landscape. Watershed-scale problems often entail com-
bined impacts to land, water, and air resources; protecting and re-
storing these resources requires a coordinated effort, based on sound
science, by many scientists, engineers, and involved stakeholders.
Recognizing the multifaceted nature of watershed problems,
NRMRL scientists and engineers are using a holistic approach that
draws upon many programs to carry out watershed research and
develop best management practices. Such practices include ecosys-
tem restoration and management, pollution prevention and control,
onsite sediment remediation technologies, urban storm water man-
agement approaches, and combined sewer overflow treatment and
control systems. Computer models and decision support systems
are being developed by NRMRL to assist watershed managers and
communities with ecosystem management and restoration projects.
NRMRL is also developing innovative approaches to tracking the
sources of pathogens.
Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)
The goal of the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV)
Program is to provide credible performance data for commercial-
ready environmental technologies to aid vendors in selling inno-
vative technologies, and to help purchasers and permitters make
decisions regarding environmental technologies. The ETV Program
is carried out through partnerships with private testing and evalua-
tion organizations. These ETV partners work with EPA and other
technology experts to create efficient and quality-assured testing
procedures that verify the performance of innovative technologies.
ETV was established in
1995 and completed its
five-year pilot period in
2000. Lessons learned
in the pilot period are
being incorporated into
six operating ETV centers
which cover technology
verifications for a wide
spectrum of environmen-
tal technologies. Topical
areas include: drinking
water treatment; air pol-
lution control; advanced
monitoring systems;
water quality protection;
greenhouse gas mitigation;
and pollution preven-
tion, recycling, and waste
treatment. The efforts of
the ETV centers are being
guided by the expertise of
stakeholder groups which
consist of private and pub-
lic purchasers, permitters
at local, state and federal
levels, technology devel-
opers and vendors, members of environmental interest groups, and
representatives of the financial community.
Technology Transfer and Technical Support
Informing the regulated community, regulatory and permitting of-
ficials, and environmental consultants about the latest advancements
in risk management approaches and decision options is vital to the
success of EPA's programs. NRMRL conveys this information by
producing technology transfer publications, software products, bro-
chures, and by convening technical meetings. In addition, NRMRL
scientists and engineers provide expert advice and assistance to
environmental managers at all levels of government. Recent outputs
have included manuals on pollution prevention, onsite wastewater
treatment systems, Brownfields, community-level environmental
monitoring, and on specific contaminants such as mercury and
arsenic. NRMRL's technical operations staff provides information
technology innovation to facilitate improvement of water, wastewa-
ter, and hazardous waste treatment technologies.
NRMRL Leadership
Overall leadership and scientific direction in NRMRL are provided
by: Director, Sally Gutierrez; Deputy Director for Management,
Clyde Dempsey; Acting Associate Director for Health, Subhas Sik-
dar; Acting Associate Director for Ecology, Robert Olexsey.
Additional Information
For additional information about NRMRL, its research programs
and products, visit the NRMRL website (http://www.epa.gov/
ORD/NRMRL) or call (513) 569-7418. Subscribers to the
NRMRL Listserve (subscribe at no charge at our website) will
receive regular announcements about new products, research
highlights, workshops, and solicitations. NRMRL publications can
be viewed online and requested at no charge by calling
(800)490-9198.
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Research and Development
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
EPA/600/F-99/005
Revised February 2006
www.epa.gov
PRESORTED STANDARD
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
For the latest NRMRL products, subscribe to the
NRMRL Listserve at no charge at
www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL
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