US Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Science Advisory Board's
Homeland Security Advisory Committee(HSAC)
Summary Meeting Minutes of a Public Teleconference
12:00 pm - 3:00 pm (Eastern Time)
November 13, 2006
Committee:	Science Advisory Board's Homeland Security Advisory Committee
(HSAC) (See Roster - Attachment A.)
Date and Time: Monday, November 13, 2006; 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
(see Federal Register Notice - Attachment B)
Participation By Telephone Conference Only
To hear the Agency's updates on the WaterSentinel Program and Standard
Analytical Methods and be briefed on three upcoming advisory activities:
Provisional Advisory Levels (PALs), ECAT and Preliminary Microbials
Risk Framework (See Meeting Agenda - Attachment C.)
HSAC Members: See Attachment A
EPA Presenters: David Travers and Dan Schmelling (WS Program - OW);
Oba Vincent (SAM - NHSRC); Femi Adeshina (Provisional Advisory
Levels - NHSRC); Kevin Garrahan (Emergency Consequence Assessment
Tool - NHSRC) and Tonya Nicols (Preliminary Microbial Risk
Assessment Methodologies - NHSRC)
SAB Staff Office: Vanessa Vu (Director); Anthony Maciorowski
(Associate for Science); Vivian Turner (HSAC DFO); Tom Miller
Public: (See Attachment D)
Meeting Summary:
The meeting followed the issues and general timing as presented in the meeting Agenda,
a) Opening Statement of the Designated Federal Officer (DFO)
Vivian Turner, the DFO, opened the meeting, noting that the HSAC is chartered as a
Federal Advisory Committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. She acknowledged the
teleconference as being open to the public and stated that no sensitive information would be
discussed. The FR notice announcing the teleconference was published on October 24, 2006.
She noted there were no requests from the public for time to present oral statements and no
Location:
Purpose:
Attendees:

-------
written statements were submitted by the public.
For the development of accurate notes, she requested that all individuals from the EPA
and the general public who were not presenting information to the Committee, verify via email
their attendance to all or portions of the discussion, as that would allow for names and
affiliations to be reflected in the official minutes of the teleconference.
b.)	Welcome by the SAB Chair, Dr. Baruch Fischhoff
The meeting was turned over to the Chair, Dr. Baruch Fischhoff, who thanked everyone
for calling in for the teleconference. Dr. Fischhoff asked for an update of the WS Program. Dr.
David Travers (OW) gave a brief introduction of the WS topic and Dr. Dan Schmelling (OW)
presented updated information to the Committee on WS.
c.)	Update on WS
The following is a condensed list of recent accomplishments and activities that will soon be
performed by the Agency:
•	Developed a cooperative agreement with Cincinnati on WS (specific details not
provided)
•	Completed the Water quality Monitoring Assessment
•	Is working to enhance contamination detection
•	Is working to enhance physical security awareness
•	Is working to enhance public health surveillance system (i.e., reports to poison control
call centers; monitoring hospital visits)
•	Is preparing for study on baseline analysis
•	Purchasing of certain vital equipment has occurred
•	Developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on information flow for consequence
management
•	Held a training session for 1st responders in Cincinnati on consequence management
•	Installed wireless transmitters
•	Installed priority dispatch software
•	Developed site characterization protocol
•	Implemented the currently used technology to detect contamination and will continue to
look for better technology
The Chair and Committee members noted that the WS Program made significant progress since
the Jan '06 meeting but voiced concern that more efforts should be directed towards
implementing better communication efforts and increased involvement of the public. Comments
and questions posed by the Committee Members for consideration by the Agency included:
•	Can the System respond to false positives?
•	Have simulation studies been performed?
•	When presented to 1st responders, what were their recommendations?

-------
•	What are the procedures for handling power outages &/or monitoring failures?
•	Has the general public been involved in any of the simulations, as this is a valuable
segment to consider?
d) Update on SAM
Jonathan Herrmann, Director of the Agency's National Homeland Security Research Center,
thanked the HSAC for its previous consultations and introduced Oba Vincent as the presenter of
the SAM update. The advances for SAM are listed below:
•	A third version of SAM is due in Feb '07
•	A companion document describing the collection is due for release in March '07
•	A cross-reference guide is being developed
•	An advisory group of 1st responders is being formed for the purpose of identifying what
best fits their needs
•	The scope of SAM is being clarified
•	A user-friendly roadmap explaining SAM's utility will be developed
•	A web-site will be developed that will house documents that serve as an accessory
capacity to SAM
•	A detailed response to comments and concerns raised by HSAC members at the Jan'06
consultation is being prepared for release to the Committee
The Committee Members and the Chair thanked the Agency for the SAM update and urged that
investment in public communication and social science not lag. Additionally, the Committee
posed the following questions for consideration by the Agency:
•	What is the long-term plan for SAM; what is the future role of SAM?
•	How will one know the cut-off or starting point for levels of concern?
•	Given the lag-time of occurrence and notification of the public (approx 72 hours), what is
being done to shorten that time-frame?
e) Upcoming HSAC activities
Cynthia Sonich-Mullin, (Director of the Threat and Consequence Assessment Division in the
Agency's National Homeland Security Research Center), introduced the upcoming activities and
the presenters. They are: Provisional Advisory Levels - Femi Adeshina; Emergency
Consequence Assessment Tool - Kevin Garrahan and Preliminary Microbial Risk Assessment
Methodologies - Tonya Nicols. Brief descriptions of these activities are listed below and the full
presentation for each is in Attachment E.
Provisional Advisory Levels (PALS) - These are threshold exposure limits for the
general public, and are derived for acute (24 hours), short-term (1-30 days), and
longer-term (30 days to 2 years) oral and inhalation exposures to industrial chemicals,
biologicals, radionuclides, and warfare agents. Scientific judgment and credible data
are used to identify appropriate toxicity endpoints for establishing the point of
departure (POD) for developing PAL values. The three levels (PALI, PAL2, and

-------
PAL3) for each exposure period are distinguished by the degree of severity of toxic
effects.
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool (ECAT) is an interactive, web-based tool
designed to assist first responders, health advisors, and decision-makers in analyzing
and understanding complex information on risk assessment, risk management, and
communication during an environmental emergency.
Preliminary Microbial Risk Assessment Methodologies - The preliminary framework
considers the three exposure pathways: inhalation, ingestion, and dermal. It is
designed as a two-tier process to support risk management decisions for evacuation
and site re-entry. A Tier I Site Assessment supports rapid decisions, such as the
decision to evacuate potentially exposed populations that are required within hours of
knowledge of the incident. Tier II provides a more extensive approach for incident-
based site assessment and requires site-specific data to support science-based risk
management decisions, such as site re-entry.
As explained to the Committee, the Agency is seeking a consultation with the HSAC on ECAT
and the microbial risk assessment framework and a peer review on PALs. After hearing the
presentations on these 3 topics, the HSAC Members and SAB management agreed on the need to
supplement the Committee's expertise to accommodate these projects. The DFO will take care
of fulfilling this action item. The DFO will also work with the Agency and the HSAC members
to determine the exact meeting dates for these activities.
The DFO adjourned the meeting at 3:00 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted:	Certified as True:
Dated 3/7/07
List of Attachments
Attachment A - HSAC Roster and Member Attendance
Attachment B - Federal Register Notice
Attachment C - Teleconference Agenda
Attachment D - Public Attendance (via teleconference)
Attachment E - Slide Discussion for ECAT, PALs and Microbial Risk Assessment
/S/
/S/
Vivian Turner
Designated Federal Official
Baruch Fischhoff, Chair
Homeland Security Advisory Committee

-------
Attachment A
US EPA SAB Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC) Roster
CHAIR
Dr. Baruch Fischhoff, Howard Heinz University Professor, Department of Social and Decision
Sciences and Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh, PA
SAB HSAC MEMBERS
Dr. William Bellamy, Fellow and Vice President of CH2MHILL, a Water Supply and
Treatment Engineering Company (Did not participate in the SAM & WS Consultation in Jan
'06)
Dr. Vicki Bier, Professor, Departments of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Physics;
Director, Center for Human Performance and Risk Analysis, University of Wisconsin, Madison,
WI
Dr. Mary Durfee, Associate Professor, Social Sciences Department; Assistant Provost for
Academic Improvement, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Dr. David S. Ensor, Director for the Center of Aerosol Technology and Senior Fellow,
Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC
Dr. Lynda Knobeloch, Research Scientist Manager in the Wisconsin Department of Health and
Family Services' Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health and Adjunct Professor of
Molecular and Environmental Toxicology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Dr. Paul Lioy, Deputy Director and Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Institute, UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ; Vice Chair,
Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Professor, Graduate Faculty of
Rutgers University: Department of Environmental Science, Public Health Program and
Toxicology Program, New Brunswick, NJ
Dr. Lee D. McMullen, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, Des Moines Water
Works, Des Moines, IA
Dr. Royal J. Nadeau, President, The Eco-Strategies Group, Allamuchy, NJ (Did not
participate in the SAM & WS Consultation in Jan '06)

-------
Dr. Robert E. Pitt, Cudworth Professor of Urban Water Systems and Director of Environmental
Engineering Programs, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of
Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (Unable to Participate on the Nov'06 Teleconference Call)
Dr. Robert Snyder, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Pharmacology and
Toxicology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Dr. Linda Stetzenbach, Director, Microbiology Division, Harry Reid Center for Environmental
Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
Dr. W. Kip Viscusi, University Distinguished Professor, Owen Graduate School of
Management; Department of Economics; the Law School, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
(Unable to Participate on the Nov '06 Teleconference Call; not available for the Jan'06
meeting)
Dr. Daniel C. Walsh, Adjunct Associate Professor & Senior Research Scientist, Institute for
Economic and Social Research and Policy, Columbia University, New York, N. Y.
Dr. James E. Watson, Professor Emeritus, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
(Unable to Participate on the Nov '06 Teleconference Call)
Dr. Rae Zimmerman, Professor of Planning and Public Administration and Director of the
Institute for Civil Infrastructure Systems, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service,
New York University, New York, NY
OTHER MEMBERS Who Participated on the WS and SAM
Dr. Mark Borchardt, Research Scientist and Director of the Public Health Microbiology
Laboratory, the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Marshfield, WI; (also a member of the
SAB Drinking Water Committee)
Dr. Christine Owen, Water Quality Assurance Officer, Tampa Bay Water, Clearwater, FL;
(also a member of the SAB Drinking Water Committee)
Mr. Richard Sustich, Managing Director of The Center of Advanced Materials for Purification
of Water with Systems, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL; (also a member
of the EPA National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT))
Dr. Michael Trehy, Analytical Chemist, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug
Evaluation and Research, St. Louis, MO.

-------
Attachment B
EPA Science Advisory Board; Notification of a Public
Telephone Conference of the Homeland Security
Advisory Committee
[Federal Register: October 24, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 205)]
[Notices ]
[Page 62258-62259]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24oc06-46]
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8233-5]
EPA Science Advisory Board; Notification of a Public Telephone
Conference of the Homeland Security Advisory Committee
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory
Board (SAB) Staff Office announces a public telephone conference of the
Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC) to be briefed on the status
of the Agency's Standard Analytical Methods (SAM) and WaterSentinel
(WS) projects and upcoming projects by the National Homeland Security
Research Center in the Office of Research and Development.
DATES: November 13, 2006, the meeting will begin at 12 p.m. and end by
3 p.m. (Eastern Time).
ADDRESSES: Telephone conference call only.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any member of the public wishing to
obtain general information concerning this teleconference should
contact Ms. Vivian Turner, Designated Federal Officer (DFO), EPA
Science Advisory Board (1400F), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; via telephone/
voice mail (202) 343-9697; fax (202) 233-0643; or e-mail at:
turner.vivianBepa.gov. General information concerning the EPA Science
Advisory Board and the Homeland Security Advisory Committee can be
found on the EPA Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee
Act, Public Law 92-463, notice is hereby given that the EPA SAB HSAC
will hold a public teleconference to be briefed on the status of the
Agency's Standard Analytical Methods (SAM) and WaterSentinel (WS)
projects and upcoming projects by the National Homeland Security
Research Center in the Office of Research and Development. The SAB was
established by 42 U.S.C. 4365 to provide independent scientific and
technical advice to the Administrator on the technical basis for Agency
positions and regulations. The SAB is a Federal Advisory Committee

-------
chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended,
5 U.S.C., App. As a subcommittee of the SAB, the HSAC will comply with
the provisions of FACA and all appropriate EPA and SAB Staff Office
procedural policies.
Background
The purpose of the public teleconference is: (1) To obtain Agency
feedback on the HSAC's comments presented to the Agency on its SAM and
WS Programs discussed at the consultation held on January 30-31, 2006;
and (2) to be briefed on three upcoming HSAC projects, including
Provisional Advisory Levels (PALS), the Emergency Consequence Assessment
Tool (ECAT), and Preliminary Microbial Risk Assessment Methodologies.
Standard Analytical Methods (SAM) and WaterSentinel (WS)
On January 30-31, 2006 the HSAC provided a consultation with the
Agency on its SAM and WS projects (Federal Register Notice dated
December 19, 2005, Volume 70, Number 242, pages 75173-75174). The SAM
project standardizes the analytical methods for use by all laboratories
when responding to incidents that require rapid analysis. The WS
program is being developed by the EPA in partnership with drinking
water utilities and other key stakeholders. This initiative involves
designing, deploying, and evaluating a model contamination warning
system for drinking water security. The Agency will provide updates to
the HSAC on WS and SAM.
Provisional Advisory Levels (PALs)
Health-based exposure guidelines to identify acceptable re-entry
levels following a terrorist attack of natural disaster are not
available for most chemical and biological agents. The National
Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) is developing health-based
exposure levels for the general public, including the susceptible and
sensitive subpopulations of all age groups. In particular, the
developed PALs will address the limitations of other derived exposure
values. For example, PALs can fill the critical exposure gap between
acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs) and short-term RfC/RfD exposure
values.
The PALs can be applied for national emergency programs, community
planning, and public health protection. Specifically, PALs are
appropriate for establishing health-based criteria for re-entry into
buildings, reuse of drinking water, and cleanup of contaminated facilities.
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool (ECAT)
The NHSRC is developing an interactive online risk assessment
software tool designed to provide health advisors and other emergency
response officials with rapid access to critical information during an
environmental emergency or training exercise. ECAT is designed to (1)
Assess and provide site-specific numeric estimates of health risks
(where feasible) for selected chemical, biological, and radiological
threat agents, (2) identify what response actions might be appropriate
to mitigate health risks, and (3) provide guidance on how to
effectively communicate key risk messages to the public.
Preliminary Microbial Risk Assessment Methodologies
The NHSRC conducts research in support of safe buildings, secure
water systems and the rapid assessment of risk. The question ~ ~How
clean is safe?11 has confronted several EPA program offices. Recent

-------
national homeland security interests have increased demand for answers
to this question. Because consensus methodologies for evaluating
biological contaminants and establishing cleanup levels are not
available, NHSRC is developing a biological risk assessment
methodology. NHSRC has compiled a Compendium of Prior and Current
Microbial Risk Assessment Methods. This Compendium has been used to
develop a Microbial Risk Assessment Framework for Incident Response to
Bioagents. The preliminary framework considers inhalation, ingestion,
and dermal exposure pathways and is designed as a two-tier process to
support risk management decisions for evacuation
[[Page 62259] ]
and site re-entry. A Tier I Site Assessment supports rapid decisions,
such as when evacuating populations within hours of an incident is
required. Tier II provides an incident-based site assessment approach
and requires site-specific data to support re-entry decisions. The Tier
II consists of Hazard Identification, Dose-Response Assessment and
Exposure Assessment, which are combined to characterize risk to exposed
population ( s) at a site.
Availability of Meeting Materials
The draft agenda and other materials will be posted on the SAB Web
site at: http://www.epa.gov/sab/ prior to the meeting.
Procedures for Providing Public Input
Interested members of the public may submit relevant written or
oral information for these SAB committees to consider during the
advisory process. Oral Statements: In general, individuals or groups
requesting an oral presentation at a public SAB teleconference will be
limited to three minutes per speaker, with no more than a total of one-
half hour for all speakers. Interested parties should contact Ms.
Vivian Turner, DFO, in writing (preferably via e-mail), by November 6,
2006, at the contact information noted above, to be placed on the
public speaker list for this meeting. Written Statements: Written
statements should be received in the SAB Staff Office by November 2,
2006, so that the information may be made available to the HSAC for its
consideration prior to this meeting. Written statements should be
supplied to the DFO in the following formats: One hard copy with
original signature, and one electronic copy via e-mail (acceptable file
format: Adobe Acrobat PDF, WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Rich
Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 98/2000/XP format).
Accessibility
For information on access or services for individuals with
disabilities, please contact Ms. Vivian Turner at (202) 343-9697 or
turner.vivianBepa.gov. To request accommodation of a disability, please
contact Ms. Turner preferably at least ten days prior to the meeting,
to give EPA as much time as possible to process your request.
Dated: October 17, 2006.
Anthony F. Maciorowski,
Associate Director for Science, EPA Science Advisory Board Staff Office.
[FR Doc. E6-17804 Filed 10-23-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P

-------
Attachment C
US Environmental Protection Agency
EPA Science Advisory Board
Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC)
Public Teleconference*
November 13, 2006
12 pm - 3:00 pm (Eastern Time)
Agenda
Purpose: The purpose of this teleconference is: 1) for the Agency to update the HSAC on
WaterSentinel (WS) and Standard Analytical Methods (SAM) as it relates to the January 30-31,
2006 consultation; 2) to brief HSAC on upcoming advisory activities; and 3) for HSAC to
discuss other planning activities.
12:00 pm Convene the Teleconference and Opening Remarks Ms. Vivian Turner
Designated Federal Officer,
SAB Staff Office
12:05 pm Purpose of the Teleconference and Introduction of Dr. Baruch Fischhoff, Chair
Advisory Members	and Committee Members
Review of the Agenda	Dr. Fischhoff, Chair
12:15 pm Update on WS	Dr. David Travers,
Division Director &
Dr. Dan Schmelling,
Project Coordinator
GWDW/OW
12:45 pm Update on SAM
Mr. Jonathan Herrmann,
Director &
Mr. Oba Vincent, Technical
Expert, NHSRC/ORD
1:15 pm Overview of EPA's Upcoming Requests:
-	Provisional Advisory Levels (PALS)
-	Emergency Consequence Assessment Tools
(ECAT)
-Preliminary Microbial Assessment Methodologies
Ms. Cynthia Sonich-Mullin,
Technical Expert,
NHSRC/ORD
2:15 pm Other Committee Planning Activities
Dr. Fischhoff, Chair
& Committee Members
2:45 pm Public Comments
3:00 pm Adjourn	Ms. Turner, Dh'O

-------
*Contact Vivian Turner, (202 343-9697), for access to the teleconference number.

-------
Attachment D
Public Attendance (via teleconference)
Jonathan Herrmann - Director, National Homeland Security Research Center/USEPA
Peter Jutro - Deputy Director, Homeland Security Research Center/USEPA
Cynthia Sonich-Mullin - Dividion Director, National Homeland Security Research
Center/USEPA
Eletha Brady-Roberts - National Homeland Security Research Center/USEPA
Brendlyn Faison - US EPA
John Ravenscroft - US EPA (OW/OST/HECD)
Shalini Jayasundera - siavasundera@csc.com; Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) staff
Yves Mikol - YMikol@dep.nyc.gov
Dave Lipsky, Ph.D., - First Deputy Director, Drinking Water Quality Control, Bureau of Water
Supply, NYCDEP
Jack Bennett - Jack.Bennett@po. state.ct.us>
Herman Gibb - hgibb@sciences.com
Ronald J. Marnicio, PhD, PE -
National Discipline Lead for Risk Assessment
Tetra Tech EC, Inc.
133 Federal Street, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02110
Ronal d .Marni ci o@tteci. com
AlanR. Spallato -spallato@mail.slh.wisc.edu
Patty_Quinlivan@URSCorp.com
Clifford Bowen - (DHS-DDWEM)" 
Henry Leibovitz - Henry.Leibovitz@health.ri.gov
Steve Fann, (NFESC) - 
Diane M. Davis, MA
Environmental Laboratory Program Manager

-------
Association of Public Health Laboratories
8515 Georgia Ave., #700
Silver Spring, MD 20910
240-485-2798
diane.davis@aphl.org
www.aphl.org
Mary Shaffran - www.aphl.org
Laura Dice - www.aphl.org
Karen Noggle - knoggle@uhl.uiowa.edu
Ramon Rosal - rrosal@health.nyc.gov
Joan E Cuddeback -jcuddeback@csc.com
Sr. Project Manager - Chemistry Studies
Computer Sciences Corporation
6101 Stevenson Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22304-3540
Phone: (703)461-2025
Fax: (703)461-8056
Danielle Carter
Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) staff

-------
Attachment E

-------
National Homeland Security Research Center
"¦ffifealapd CoKequerfee
AssessmeRPSvisiel^^v

; „— ;	Tm
Overview of Upcoming Requests
to Jjr.
Homeland Security Advisory Committee
Science Advisory Board
November 13. 2006

NHSRC
Threat and Consequence Assessment Division
Focus.
*	rapid evaluation of chemical, biological and radiological effects and risks
to human health associated with a terrorist attack
¦	assistance to emergency personnel and the general public
Research.
¦	provide information to facilitate hazard identification associated with
potential terrorist attacks;
¦	enable rapid evaluation and estimation of risks from biological, chemical,
and radiological agents
¦	accelerate the development of risk assessment methodologies by
adopting and/or modifying available approaches
Products.
*	tools and methods, to inform decision-making and enable the
determination of "how clean is clean?"
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions

-------
Provisional Advisory Levels (PALs)
SAB's tfTomeland Security Advisory Corrraffitee |HSAC)
Briefing
Nc
2

-------
Background
¦	Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) #8 for
National Emergency Preparedness
>	Requires the development of national emergency
preparedness exposure guidelines for terrorist incidents
and natural disasters
¦	Currently, available exposure guidelines do not
>	Address identified chemical/biological/radiological agents
of concern related to terrorist incidents
>	Characterize breakdown products in environmental media
P Identify potential health hazards of breakdown products
§> Assess health effects at different exposure durations
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions

Example Acute Inhalation Reference Values
(J Toxicol. & Environ Health - Part A, 68:901-926)

Reference Value
Organization
Type Value
TWA
(Yes/No)
Exposure Duration

PEL - Permissible Exposure Limit
OSHA
Occupational
Yes
8-hour

Ceiling
OSHA
Occupational
No
Up tolO-minute
CO
C
O
C5
Q_
D
O
REL - Recommended Exposure Limit
NIOSH
Occupational
Yes
8-hour
IDLH - Immediately Dangerous to Life and
Health
NIOSH
Occupational
No
Up to 30-minute
STEL - Short Term Exposure Limit
NIOSH
Occupational
Yes
15-minute
o
O
TLV - Threshold Limit Value
ACGIH
Occupational
Yes
8-hour

TLV-STEL - TLV Short Term Exposure
Limit
ACGIH
Occupational
Yes
15-minute
o Si
AEGL - Acute Exposure Guideline Level
NAC/AEGL;
NRC/AEGL
Emergency
Response

10- and 30-minute;
1-, 4- and 8-hour
c 2
& O
E> a.
a> u>
£ Si
ERPG - Emergency Response Planning
Guideline
AIHA
Emergency
Response

1-hour
TEEL —Temporary Emergency Exposure
Level
DOE
Emergency
Response

1-hour
iS *
ERG — Emergency Response Guidebook
DOT
Emergency
Response

Specialized application
Health
MRL - Minimal Risk Level
ATSDR
Pub lie Health

1 -14 days (acute);
15-364 days (intermed.);
>365 days (chronic;
CA-REL - Reference Exposure Level
Cal-EPA OEHHA
Public Health

1-8 hours

EPA - Acute RfC
US EPA/IRIS
PublicHealth

and 24-hc«jrs
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
3

-------
Purpose
¦ Develop innovative health-based
Provisional Advisory Levels (PALs) to:
>	Fill the gaps in existing emergency exposure
guidelines
>	Exposure routes
>	Exposure durations
>	Support national emergency programs,
community planning, and protect public health
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions

Health-Based Exposure Values for Air and Water

Reference Value
Organization
Exposure Duration


PEL - Permissible Exposure Limit
OSHA
8-hour

03
Ceiling
OSHA
Up to 10-minute

C
o
REL - Recommended Exposure Limit
NIOSH
8-hour

+-»
03
Q.
D
IDLH - Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health
NIOSH
Up to 30-minute

STEL - Short Term Exposure Limit
NIOSH
15-minute

O
o
TLV - Threshold Limit Value
ACGIH
8-hour


TLV-STEL - TLV Short Term Exposure Limit
ACGIH
15-minute


AEGL - Acute Exposure Guideline Level (air only)
NAC/AEGL;
NRC/AEGL
10- and 30-minute; 1 -, 4- and 8-hour

>
O 
0 C
DW HA — Drinking Water Health Advisory (water
only)
EPA/OW
1 -day; 10-day; longer-term

U) o
2 %
E 
MRL - Minimal Risk Level (air and water)
ATSDR
1-14 days (acute); 15-364 days
(intermed.); >365 days (chronic)

n ra
D 
-------
PALs FitI Exposure Gaps
Duration
Inhalation
Oral
10 min to 8 hours
AEGL, ERPG, TEEL
None
24 hours
PALs
PALs

Acute RfC (limited)
DW HA
>1 to 30 days
PALs
PALs

MRLs
MRLs, DW HA
Less-than-lifetime
PALs
PALs

MRLs
MRLs, DW HA
Lifetime
RfC, MRLs
RfD, MRLs
-------
Select Agent
from Priority List
PAL Development Process
	\
Develop Draft
Methodology
Apply Draft
Methodology
Revise and
improve Draft
Methodology
Major Application of PALs
Use in homeland
security efforts by health
and law enforcement
agencies, as well as
emergency response
officials
Decision-making for re-
entry into buildings or
areas and water use,
following a terrorist
event or incident of
national significance
Health-based decisions for
controlling acute, short-term,
and long-term exposures of the
general public to chemical,
biological and radiological
agents
To establish health-based
advisory levels for decision
officials during the course of an
event and to inform clean-up
decision-making
To develop emergency
exposure guidelines,
applicable at Federal, State,
and local levels
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
-------
Status of PAL Program
Completed or in progress
¦	Draft methodology for the development of PALs for chemical agents
>	Evaluation by the ORNL Scientific Workgroup
¦	Identification about 100 priority chemicals and radionuclides for PAL
development
¦	Developed about 12 draft chemical and warfare agents for oral and
inhalation exposures
¦	Completed internal EPA review and ORNL Scientific Workgroup Evaluation
Future efforts
¦	Update the preliminary list of priority threat agents (Fall 2007 - projected)
>	Work with stakeholders and other federal agencies
¦	Develop PALs for priority agents
¦	Initial methodology for the development of PALs for radionuclides (Spring
2007- projected)
¦	Pilot PALs for radionuclides
¦	Initial methodology for the development of PALs for biological agents.
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
Issues for HSAC Peer Review
1.	Is the presented information and overall technical approach in the
methodology scientifically sound?
2.	Are both primary and secondary sources of data adequately
presented in the draft PALs?
3.	Are the choices of critical toxicity data, points of departure, and
extrapolation models appropriate and well justified?
4.	Is the rationale for the applied uncertainty factors well presented?
5.	Are developed PALs scientifically defensible and communicated in a
transparent and sufficient manner to allow decision-makers to
make sound decisions and inform the general public?
-------
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
-------
ECAT IS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool
jognition
J Advanced
Background
Purpose: Develop a prototype software tool that can
rapidly assess health risks during an environmental
emergency and help determine appropriate actions
Vision: An interactive platform that provides instant
access to current information about potential health
impacts and how best to mitigate them
Users: Health advisors, emergency responders, risk
managers
History: Project initiated July 2004; about $1M effort to
complete 21 pilot scenarios and 17 threat agents
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
Challenges for
Homeland Security
Risk Assessment
Aspect
Typical
Assessments
(low-level exposure)
Homeland Security
Assessments
Contaminants of
concern
Industrial pollutants
Chemical, biological,
& radiological agents
Exposure
duration
70-year lifetime
Less than lifetime
Time to complete
assessment
Years
Hour or days
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
-------
ECAT IS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE.
US Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool
Search
B Agent Information
Quick Reference
Guides
RTRR Factsheets
Information Sources
Agent FAQ
b Subject Matter Experts
NHRSC Red Team
B Tools/Links
Risk Communication
(Message Maps)
HAZUS Database
CAMEO
EPANET
WCIT
CBHeipline
BDRTool
Unit Conversion
Local Weather
Blue Book
American Red Cross
U.S. Coast Guard
EPA Emergency
Response Team (ERT)
NIOSH Pocket Guide to
Chemical Hazards
Emergency Response
Guidebook
Acute Exposure
Guideline Levels
(AEGLs)
Integrated Risk
Information System
(IRIS)
B Notification Centers
Report Terrorist Activity
NRC
CDC
Design	Cha
How to best organize compiex, technical
information so that users can rapidly access
during the stress and confusion of an
emergency
Finding the appropriate level of detail and
complexity for different user types
How to integrate knowledge from many
diverse domains
How best to provide advice where much of
the science is incomplete
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
ECAT IS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE.
U S Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool
Search
s Agent Information
Quick Reference
Guides
RTRR Factsheets
Information Sources
Agent FAQ
B Subject Matter Experts
NHRSC Red Team
BToolsiLinks
Risk Communication
(Message Maps)
HAZUS Database
CAMEO
EPANET
WCIT
CBHeipline
BDRTool
Unit Conversion
Local Weather
Blue Book
American Red Cross
U.S. Coast Guard
EPA Emergency
Response Team (ERT)
NIOSH Pocket Guide to
Chemical Hazards
Emergency Response
Guidebook
Acute Exposure
Guideline Levels
(AEGLs)
Integrated Risk
Information System
(IRIS)
B Notification Centers
Report Terrorist Activity
NRC
CDC
Guiding	Pr
Organize info by the risk paradigm
Scenario-driven (21 pilot scenarios)
Utilize available information
Be transparent
Avoid complexities (where feasible)
Holistic applications
¦	Risk assessment, management, communication
¦	Chemical, biological, radiological
¦	Indoors and outdoors
¦	Terrorist attacks and natural disasters
Build prototype, evaluate, then proceed
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
10
-------
Search |
ECAT IS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE.
U.S Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool
BlS Advanced
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
ECAT IS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE.
U S Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool
Search
a Agent Information I
Quick Reference I
Guides
RTRR Factsheets
Information Sources
Agent FAQ
a Subject Matter Experts
NHRSC Red Team
O Tools Links
Risk Communication
(Message Maps)
HAZUS Database
CAMEO
EPANET
WCIT
CBHelpline
BDRTool
Unit Conversion
Local Weather
Blue Book
American Red Cross
U.S. Coast Guard
EPA Emergency
Response Team (ERT)
NIOSH Pocket Guide to
Chemical Hazards
Emergency Response
Guidebook
Acute Exposure
Guideline Levels
(AEGLs)
Integrated Risk
Information System
(IRIS)
a Notification Centers
Report Terrorist Activity
NRC
CDC
ECAT Features
•	Rapidly identify threat agents based on
scene descriptions and/or health symptoms
•	Immediately access fact sheets from multiple
agencies
•	Rapidly derive quantitative estimates of
exposure for multiple receptors (adults or
children) and multiple routes of exposure
(inhalation, dermal, ingestion) using either
environmental measurements or models
•	Immediately identify adverse health effects
and health benchmarks for chemical,
biological, and radiological threat agents
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
11
-------
ECAT IS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE.
US Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool
Search
= Agent Information
Quick Reference
Guides
RTRR Factsheets
Information Sources
Agent FAQ
b Subject Matter Experts
NHRSC Red Team
B Tools/Links
Risk Communication
(Message Maps)
HAZUS Database
CAMEO
EPANET
WCIT
CBHeipline
BDRTool
Unit Conversion
Local Weather
Blue Book
American Red Cross
U.S. Coast Guard
EPA Emergency
Response Team (ERT)
NIOSH Pocket Guide to
Chemical Hazards
Emergency Response
Guidebook
Acute Exposure
Guideline Levels
(AEGLs)
Integrated Risk
Information System
(IRIS)
c Notification Centers
Report Terrorist Activity
NRC
CDC
ECAT Features (cont'd)
Rapidly develop numeric estimates of health risk by
comparing exposure estimates to health
benchmarks and/or health advisories
Provide recommendations to protect public health,
such as whether to evacuate or shelter in place,
utilize personal protective equipment,
decontamination and cleanup options, and methods
for communicating with the public during crises
Extensive hyperlinks to subject matter experts, other
sources of critical information and key organizations
such as CDC, ATSDR, DHS, and the FBI
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
ECAT IS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE.
U S Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool
^ Advanced
ECA T Status
jognition
•	Beta tests and workshops:
¦	Early versions of ECAT were beta tested by 48 EPA
staffers during June and September 2005
¦	ECAT workshops were held in Cincinnati and
Washington during March and April 2006
•	ECAT Version 3.0 has been completed and
transferred to the EPA secure server
•	Future: Evaluate pilot, revise, peer review, and
regularly update
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
12
-------
©
Search |
ECAT IS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE.
U.s Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool
Issues
1.	Is the broad scope of ECAT (covering risk assessment,
management, and risk communication) appropriate?
2.	Does ECAT target the right types of users? Too many?
How widely should ECAT be released? General public?
Should there be public and classified versions? Should
ECAT contain rapid risk assessment capability for both
terrorist scenarios and non-terror emergency
management scenarios?
3.	Do the seven guiding principles make sense? Does the
prototype stay true to them?
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
ECAT IS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. DO NOT CITE OR QUOTE.
©U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Emergency Consequence Assessment Tool
4.
Issues	(
Is the system adequately organized? Is it intuitive? Is information in
ECAT understandable for the different users?
5.	Is there adequate transparency describing sources of information and
assumptions?
6.	Given that some of the supporting science is incomplete, does ECAT
handle limitations and uncertainties appropriately? '
7.	Are the simple models utilized by ECAT appropriate?
8.	What does HSAC recommend as the next steps? Does it make sense
to evaluate scope and concept before peer-reviewing the details?
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
-------
Incident-Based Microbial Risk.
DecislcmrrSmfework
Tonya Nichols and Irwin Baumel


Presentation to
EPA Science Advisory Board
Homeland Security Advisory Committee (HSAC)
13 November 2006
Incident-Based Microbial Risk Assessment
	and Decision Framework
Background:
>	Currently, no consensus-based methodology exists for evaluating
risks of exposure to biological contaminants and establishing
safe clean-up levels
>	Biological contamination presents a unique consequence
management and cleanup challenge, particularly with
respect to the ability of pathogenic microorganisms to
infect and replicate in a host as well as be transmitted
from host to host and/or transported in the environment.
Purpose:
>	To support incident management, cleanup, and mitigation of
hazards in response to any future terrorist events, a critical
need exists for the development and application of a rapid risk
assessment methodology to support incident-based decision
making.
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
14
-------
Incident-Based Microbial Risk Assessment
and Decision Framework
Applications:
>	Scenario-based risk assessment guidance to support on-site decisions
and associated activities to control and mitigate risk of exposure to
select bioagents as a consequence of deliberate contamination events.
>	Methodology-based communication to first-responders to collect
relevant information to support decisions on evacuation and
quarantine.
>	Maintain currency by modifying Decision Framework to reflect results of
on-going methods development efforts utilizing innovative
approaches to derive achievable clean-up goals.
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
Response to a Biological Contamination Incident
is based on ... RISK
PRIOR: Preparation
•	Agent information
•	Threat scenario
analyses
•	Feasibility studies
•	Historical data

DURING: Management
~ Sampling strategies
»Agent characterization
•	Exposure assessment
»Incident command system
*	Response protocols
» Stakeholders identification

POST: Remediation
» Sampling & analysis
» Exposure assessment
*	Technology assessment
•	Byproducts
~ PALs
\* Stakeholders identification	/
j-	/
Incident-Based Microbial Risk Assessment
T
Risk Communication:
If Response Management Strategy is..
Then Concentration is reduced to...,
Therefore Risk is...
Threat Feasibility
¦ Relative risk
1 Knowledge gap identification
1 Response capabilities/limitations
Threat Awareness/
Identification
•	Incident response
•	Information gathering
•	Sampling & analysis
•	Exposure assessment
•	Threat characterization
Response Management
•	Risk mitigation
•	Containment
•	Quarantine/Evacuation
•	Decontamination
•	Sampling & analysis
Decontamination
•	Methodologies
¦ Timescales
•	Safety
15
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
-------
Incident-Based i₯!RA Decision Framework
Use of Rapid Risk Determinations for Onsite Guidance
Issue:
Does provision of scenario-based threat-related risk determinations
to first responders covering early-on to later stages of incident
management serve to provide critical input and guidance to
minimize consequences of inadvertent exposure?
Example:
Inform responders of potential risk augmentation from incident
management actions that may result in significant re-aerosolization
and subsequent inhalation of additional anthrax spores. Include
recommended precautions and corrective actions to minimize
and/or avoid consequences.
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
Issues Regarding Status of Information on
	Biological Threat Organisms	
>	The near-term urgency of the Homeland Security agenda dictates
the need to optimize use of current data on biological organisms to
achieve necessary goals.
>	Significant data gaps in key areas, lack of animal models and
generally poor quality data regarding characteristics of biological
agents, necessitate the design and application of innovative
approaches and defaults to bridge the large data gaps.
>	Bridging the data gaps introduces large uncertainties in
extrapolating to humans such as modeling of low dose portions of
infectivity dose response curves.
V The uncertainties underlying subsequent rapid risk outcomes
communicated to first responders need to be adequately
represented.
-------
Project Status
Microbial Risk Assessment Framework is an on-going project that will
continue to be updated as new research and data becomes available
TCAD biological threat research agenda:
•	Review of microbial risk assessment literature
•	Compilation of bioagent data- transmission, dose-response, fate/transport)
•	Exposure assessment- bioaerosols
•	PBPK modeling dose-response data
•	Intra/Interagency coordination to harmonize MRA approach
•	Communication with first responders/experts to identify needs/data gaps
•	Derivation of bioagent exposure limits- short-term (responders) & long-term
(clean-up goals)
Resources:
•	2 FTE (divided)
•	$1OQK for framework development
•	> $2M in research projects to address data gaps
	RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT	
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
Microbial Risk Assessment
Reguestfor SAB Consultation:
>
Assessment of the scientific credibility and usability of the
Incident-Based Microbial Risk Assessment and Decision
Framework to address rapid risk assessment needs and
applications during a crisis situation.
>
Seeking guidance on how to address significant
uncertainties due to data gaps while striving to derive
realistic cleanup goals.
>
Seeking advice on overall approach and strategy regarding
application ofthe Incident-Based Microbial Risk
Assessment and Decision Framework to incident support.
>2^ RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Building a scientific foundation for sound environmental decisions
17
-------