New Approaches and Tools for the Conduct of Community-Based Cumulative Risk Assessments

Why Are We Doing This Research?

Communities want to know the risks they face from toxic agents in their environment, want guidance on how to prioritize environmental issues, and what would be the effects of actions they may take. The information to perform this type of assessment is often not available or accessible for use by community groups and individuals. The goal is to provide the best possible science and tools to assist communities, and other interested parties.

What Research Are We Doing?

We are striving to provide EPA Regional Offices and communities with tools to meet the challenges in identifying and prioritizing environmental issues, taking actions to reduce their exposures, and determining their effectiveness for reducing human health risks. When relevant science-based tools are not readily available, community-based decisions may be based solely on the perception of exposures and risk. EPA scientists are developing tools to improve community access to scientific information and the science to populate those tools.

Key Science Questions

This research program will develop and apply (through collaborative case studies) exposure-related tools (e.g., models, measurement methods, and data sources) to address key science questions:

How can key chemical stressors be systematically identified and prioritorized within a given community? (This research should also allow for prioritization of communities at risk.)

How can estimates of exposure to multiple stressors be developed for individuals in epidemiologic studies?

What tools can be used to assess community-level distributions of exposures for the development and evaluation of the effectiveness of risk reduction strategies, including the total life-cycle effects?

What tools can be used to provide sustainable solutions for communities seeking sustainable and healthy communities?

The focus of this research program is primarily toxic stressors in the environment and the human exposure component of the stressor. We are collaborating with other groups focusing on other stressors that may cause or contribute to adverse health effects. We seek to provide tools that will assist in cumulative risk assessments.1 A more detailed explanation of the human exposure aspects of the research program can be found in Exposure Tools for Assessing Cumulative Exposure and Risk in Communities.

How Does This Research Fit in With EPA’s Environmental Justice Program?

The answer is provided from the context of the statement at the top of EPA’s Environmental Justice home page. (Accessed on June 9, 2009)

"Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. EPA has this goal for all communities and persons across this Nation. It will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work." Continue reading…

How Will the Research Be Communicated?

Research results will be communicated through the peer-reviewed scientific literature. An overview of the research program has already appeared,² as well as a review of (mostly EPA) tools for assessing human exposures and risks³ and a review of lower cost methods for measuring environmental contaminants.⁴ A number of presentations have also been made at scientific meetings and training conferences for community groups. In order to facilitate use of scientific tools, the Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening Tool (C-FERST) is being developed and is undergoing enhancements and pilot testing by several Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) participants and EPA Regional Offices. Visit the C-FERST website for updates and additional information.

Is There Related EPA Research Underway?

Yes, there is other EPA research which complements the work described here. There is a broader EPA research program on Sustainable and Healthy Communities, which includes research on sustainable systems. There is also research on characterizing ecosystem services and regional and urban scales, through the Atlas of Ecosystem Services and the Atlas of Urban Ecosystem Services. Those tools complement the human exposure research described on this page, and are being used along with the C-FERST in several case studies, including a CARE project in Portland, ME. Another tool, the Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) program, conducts research on innovative approaches to the evaluation and integration of large and complex datasets and models to assess current conditions and likely outcomes of environmental decisions, including alternative futures. Continue reading about related EPA research…

References

¹Cumulative Risk Assessment is described in US EPA (2003), Framework for Cumulative Risk Assessment, reference #2 below, and National Research Council (2009), Science and Decisions: Advancing Risk Assessment, Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences Press, chapter 7, which defines cumulative risk assessment as “evaluating an array of stressors (chemical and non-chemical) to characterize – quantitatively to the extent possible – human health and ecologic effects, taking into account factors such as vulnerability and background exposures” (p. 224).

²Zartarian V., and Schultz B. (2010). “The EPA's Human Exposure Research Program for Assessing Cumulative Risk in Communities.” Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 20(4): 351–358. http://www.nature.com/jes/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/jes200920a.html

³Barzyk, T.M., Conlon, K.C., Chahine, T., Hammond, D., Zartarian, V., Schultz, B.D. (2010). “Tools Available to Communities for Conducting Cumulative Exposure and Risk Assessments.” Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. Advanced Online Publication, Doi: 10.1038/jes.2009.25. More detailed tables on this work may be found at: http://www.epa.gov/air/care/library/ToolsComphttp://www.nature.com/jes/journal/v20/n4/pdf/jes200923a.pdfendium.pdf

⁴Medina-Vera M., Van Emon J., Melnyk L., Bradham K., Harper S., Morgan J. (2010) "An Overview of Measurement Tools Available to Communities for Conducting Exposure and Cumulative Risk Assessments." Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. 20: 359-370

Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences

Research & Development | National Exposure Research Laboratory