&EPA www.epa.gov/research science in ACTION INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE COMMUNITY-BASED CUMULATIVE RISK ASSESSMENTS Tools for understanding community-based health risks EPA researchers are making a visible difference in communities, providing them with the information, data, and tools they need to protect public health and take action to become more resilient and sustainable. One important activity is the use of Cumulative Risk Assessments (CRAs), which allow communities to simultaneously evaluate the many social, environmental, and economic factors that may contribute to adverse health effects. Community-Based Cumulative Risk Assessments (CBCRAs) are used to address high-priority local needs by focusing such efforts on a particular geographic area and the population within it, such as a neighborhood or specific community group, as defined by a particular trait such as income level, ethnicity, etc. CBCRAs also include some level of community engagement, ranging from outreach and informing residents, to empowering them to develop risk-reduction actions based on the findings. How to conduct a CBCRA Researchers and others tailor CBCRAs to the particular community they are assessing, incorporating specific factors such as: population; local health concerns and perceived risks; assets that contribute to positive health outcomes;financial, technical, and political resources; and overall project scope and objectives. CBCRAs often share a common goal: to characterize multiple health EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy (in red) meets with EPA colleagues, and citizens from the Ironbound district in Newark, N.J., to view one of the Citizen Science Air Monitoring units being used by the community to gain greater understanding of their air quality. concerns and prioritize solutions based on their effectiveness and feasibility. Because of such common goals, CBCRAs often share a number of similar steps: • Form a collaborative partnership • Identify concerns and as sets and gatherdata about them • Determine how each concern contributes to community health • Prioritize solutions to address concerns • Evaluate success of risk- reduction actions How is EPA helping advance CBCRAs? EPA is advancing CBCRAs by working with communities to study the newest scientific approaches, and developing methods that can be used by communities to analyze a wide variety of situations. EPA's Regional Sustainable Environmental Science (RESES) research program provides a platform for EPA researchers to partner with communities. The goal of RESES is to promote healthy and sustainable communities by using scientific methods to assist with decision making, while involving the community throughout the process. RESES projects include quantitative data and community values to develop tools that enable effective, efficient, and socially responsible solutions to real-world problems. Below are five RESES projects where EPA is partnering with communities to address environmental concerns and advance the science and application of CBCRAs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development EPA/601/F-15/002 June 2015 ------- Newport News, Va. The economy in Newport News is strongly based in ports and maritime commerce, military operations, and industrial activities. EPA is working with a community in southeastern Newport News that has multiple ports and industrial sites in close proximity to residential areas. CBCRA considerations include: • Commercial port operations • Coal exports • Air and water quality • Crime rates • Access to nutritious foods • Chronic diseases • Expansion of interstates • Vacant lots Newark, N.J. EPA is working with a community group in the Ironbound district of Newark, a community bordered by three railways and a major airport. The location has facilitated a booming industrial economy since the 1800s, putting many industrial areas adjacent to residential homes and neighborhoods. CBCRA considerations include: • Air, soil, and water quality • Contaminated sites • Contaminated fish species • Respiratory, cardiovascular, and mental health • Access to healthcare • Access to nutritious foods • Crime rates Chicago, III. In the greater Chicago area, EPA is working with partners in the Roseland community to collect information and develop potential actions to address: • Air quality • Contaminated sites • Truck and railway traffic • Lead, mold, and asbestos in homes • Crime and poverty rates • Scrap metal recycling • Vacant lots • Access to healthcare Charleston, S.C. Charleston is one of the largest port cities on the east coast. In this partnership, EPA is developing air quality models for the ports and highways to evaluate near-source air quality. This project is largely focused on port operations and the potential effects of port expansion on the local area. Considerations include: • Future expansion of international and domestic ports • Shipping routes and rail yards • Pollution reduction actions such as converting diesel- powered machinery to electric North Birmingham, Ala. While the city of Birmingham has transitionedfrom its historically industrial economy, communities in North Birmingham still face the legacy of those industries, and the environmental and social is sues they left behind. EPA is developing a collaboration with a seven- neighborhood area located just north of downtown. CBCRA considerations include: • Air, soil, and water quality • Contaminated sites • Cancers • Respiratory illnesses • Unemployment rates • Access to healthcare • Access to nutritious foods • Vacant lots • Highway and railway traffic How will this research benefit communities? As part of this work, EPA is developing new approaches, strategies and solutions to help communities evaluate environmental stressors and prioritize courses of action to address them New tools and methods are being developed that focus on local-scale (community) applications, such as near-road air quality models and decision support tools that foster interdisciplinary collaborations. Additionally, EPA is working with ourRESES community partners to develop applications that can later be used in a variety of local applications in communities across the country. CO NTACT: Timothy M. Barzyk U.S. EPA Research Physical Scientist Barzyk.timothy@epa.gov U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development EPA/601/F-15/002 June 2015 ------- |