Environmental Protection Agency Research Research Articles

PERFORMANCE AUDITING OF AN IN VITRO AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE SYSTEM

Databases derived from human health effects research play a vital role in setting environmental standards. An underlying assumption in using these databases for standard setting purposes is that they are of adequate quality. The performance auditing program described provides novel methods for determining data quality for one form of human health effects research, in vitro exposure to air pollutants. This article presents the development and implementation of a performance auditing program for an in vitro system used by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency researchers to expose human cells to air pollution. Audit procedures for determining the accuracy of critical operating parameters of the system are described. The results of initial audits of the system's ability to control and measure temperature, humidity, and pollutant gas concentration and distribution within the exposure chambers of the system are listed. The utility of the performance auditing program in assisting health effects researchers to determine the adequacy of databases obtained from the in vitro exposure system in meeting their research requirements is discussed.

LEAK DETECTION AND LEAK LOCATION IN UNDERGROUND PIPELINES1

ABSTRACT The use of passive acoustic techniques to detect and locate leaks in underground pipelines that carry pressurized liquids is being investigated in a joint research program between the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Acoustic techniques permit more cost-effective, timely, and accurate leak detection and location than currently established techniques, such as methodologies based on volumetric changes and others based on pressure loss. An experimental facility for determining the capabilities and limitations of improved leak detection and leak location methods based on advanced acoustic principles is being developed at the EPA's research facility in Edison, New Jersey. Four representative pipeline systems will be installed and evaluated: one typical of the petrochemical industry, one typical of a navy/air force hydrant refueling system, one typical of an army central heating system, and a fourth typical of pipelines associated with low-level liquid wastes at DOE facilities. Results of acoustic experiments on an existing 2-inch-diameter test line have indicated that the fundamental theory behind passive acoustic leak detection and location is solid. Several different acoustic leak detection and location methods have been explored to date; data have been produced by all of the techniques, proving their usefulness.

Accelerated Extraction of Organic Pollutants Using Microwave Energy

This study, which is part of an ongoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research program, carried out by the National Exposure Research Laboratory, Characterization Research Division-Las Vegas (formerly Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory-Las Vegas), addresses new sample preparation techniques that prevent or minimize pollution in the laboratory ; improve target analyte recoveries ; and reduce sample preparation costs. In this paper, the extraction of 16 phenolic compounds and 20 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from spiked soil, sand, and organic compost samples is addressed. Six phenols are also extracted from a certified reference soil. The conditions for extraction are a hexane-acetone (1 :1) solvent in closed vessels at 115°C for 10 min using microwave energy.

Efforts to refocus EPA research endorsed

The Environmental Protection Agency's research effort has been reviewed at least 15 times, by any number of groups and organizations, since 1974—just four years after the agency was created. It seems unlikely that another evaluation could be needed. But that was what Congress asked for in the agency's fiscal 1995 appropriation bill. research endorsed The Environmental Protection Agency's research effort has been reviewed at least 15 times, by any number of groups and organizations, since 1974—just four years after the agency was created. It seems unlikely that another evaluation could be needed. But that was what Congress asked for in the agency's fiscal 1995 appropriation bill. In that bill, Congress directed EPA to commission an independent National Research Council (NRC) assessment of its overall research effort and peer review process. And Congress said the agency could spend only 25% of its extramural research budget until after the committee had issued an interim report and EPA ...

Czech-U.S. Epa Health Study: Assessment of Personal and Ambient Air Exposures to Pah and Organic Mutagens in the Teplice District of Northern Bohemia

Abstract For over 40 years the Northern Bohemia area of the Czech Republic has been characterized by heavy industrialization, open pit mining, and utilization of high sulfur brown coal by industry and in residential home heating. These conditions have resulted in severe environmental pollution and concern over evidence of adverse health effects for residents in the region. Beginning in August 1991, Czech scientists from the Teplice District Institute of Hygiene and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency researchers from the Health Effects Research Laboratory and the Atmospheric Research and Exposure Assessment Laboratory cooperated in conducting pilot studies in the Teplice District, which is centrally located in the industrialized area. These studies determined ambient concentrations and personal exposures to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organic mutagens. Active personal air samplers were used in personal exposure studies of coal miners, policemen and other workers in the Teplice di...

Animal models for assessing the neurobehavioral impact of airborne pollutants.

Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesVolume 641, Issue 1 p. 294-303 Animal Models for Assessing the Neurobehavioral Impact of Airborne Pollutantsa R. C. MACPHAIL, R. C. MACPHAIL Neurotoxicology Division Health Effects Research Laboratory U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711 This paper is dedicated to the memory of my coauthor and friend Dr. David B. Peele (7 September 1953–21 October 1990).Search for more papers by this authorD. B. PEELE, D. B. PEELE NSI Technology Services, Inc. Environmental Sciences Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709Search for more papers by this author R. C. MACPHAIL, R. C. MACPHAIL Neurotoxicology Division Health Effects Research Laboratory U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711 This paper is dedicated to the memory of my coauthor and friend Dr. David B. Peele (7 September 1953–21 October 1990).Search for more papers by this authorD. B. PEELE, D. B. PEELE NSI Technology Services, Inc. Environmental Sciences Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709Search for more papers by this author First published: April 1992 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1992.tb16550.xCitations: 5 a The research described in this article has been reviewed by the Health Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Agency nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume641, Issue1Sources of Indoor Air Contaminants: Characterizing Emissions and Health ImpactsApril 1992Pages 294-303 RelatedInformation

Local and global thermoregulatory responses to MRI fields.

Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesVolume 649, Issue 1 p. 273-284 Local and Global Thermoregulatory Responses to MRI Fieldsa CHRISTOPHER J. GORDON, CHRISTOPHER J. GORDON Neurotoxicology Division Health Effects Research Laboratory United States Environmental Protection Agency Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711Search for more papers by this author CHRISTOPHER J. GORDON, CHRISTOPHER J. GORDON Neurotoxicology Division Health Effects Research Laboratory United States Environmental Protection Agency Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711Search for more papers by this author First published: March 1992 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1992.tb49616.xCitations: 3 a This report has been reviewed by the Health Effects Research Laboratory, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and has been approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume649, Issue1Biological Effects and Safety Aspects of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging and SpectroscopyMarch 1992Pages 273-284 RelatedInformation

Urban Storm-Induced Discharge Impacts: US Environmental Protection Agency Research Program Review

Fecal coliform bacteria (and pathogens), high flow rates, sediment, toxic heavy metals and organic pollutants are most commonly associated with urban receiving water problems. Most beneficial uses have been shown to be adversely affected by urban runoff, including shell fish harvesting, fish and aquatic life propagation, drinking water supplies, aesthetics and recreation. Most of the problems occur over long periods of time and are not associated with individual runoff events, making cause and effect relationships difficult to study. The Storm and Combined Sewer Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sponsored several long-term research projects to investigate these problems, along with data reviews to identify urban runoff problems from available information. Current research efforts are stressing sources and controls for toxicants in urban runoff.

The environmental protection agency's research program on total human exposure

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA) research program on total human exposure to environmental pollution seeks to develop a newly emerging concept in the environmental sciences. Instead of focusing purely on the sources of pollution or their transport and movement through the environment, this research focuses on human beings as the receptors of these pollutants. People and daily activities become the center of attention. The methodology measures and models the pollutant concentrations found at the physical boundaries of people, regardless of whether the pollutants arrive through the air, water, food, or skin. It seeks to characterize quantitatively the impact of pollution on people by determining if an environmental problem exists at the human interface and, if so, by determining the sources, nature, extent, and severity of this environmental problem. By exploiting an emerging new arsenal of miniaturized instruments and by developing statistically representative survey designs for sampling the population of cities, significant progress has been made in recent years in providing previously unavailable human exposure field data needed for making valid risk assessments. The U.S. EPA total human exposure research program includes: development of measurement methods and instruments, development of exposure models and statistical protocols, microenvironmental field studies, total human exposure studies, validation of human exposure models with empirical data, and dosage research investigations.

EPA Research in Urban Stormwater Pollution Control

This state-of-the-art on the Environmental Protection Agency's research in urban stormwater and combined sewer overflow pollution control describes the major elements of the Urban Runoff Pollution Control Program. Problem definition, users assistance tools, management alternatives and technology transfer are covered, including some of the highlights of the Program's future direction and products from over 150 of its research projects. Capital cost comparisons for storm and combined sewer control and treatment are given, along with a specific example of cost-effect solution for urban runoff pollution control by in-line storage in Seattle. In a study done in Des Moines, using a simplified receiving water model, four control alternatives were compared, considering cost and effectiveness in terms of a frequency of dissolved oxygen standard violations. (ASCE)

Agent Orange and Spontaneous Abortions

ABSTRACT To the Editor.— I read with interest the recent MEDICAL NEWS column Plenty of Fuel for Agent Orange Dispute (242:593, 1979). As indicated, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently implemented an emergency suspension of the herbicide 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4,5-T), citing as justification the Alsea study. Unfortunately, The Journal article erroneously reported spontaneous abortions [occurred] within three months (following the spraying of 2,4,5-T). In fact, during the entire 72-month period covered by this EPA research, only 188 spontaneous abortions were reported to have occurred in the study area—about 2.6 per month.I suspect Mr Gunby meant 130 spontaneous abortions per 1,000 live births. Even this deserves comment. The rate presumes the researchers had valid data for both the numerator (spontaneous abortions) and the denominator (live births). They had neither. For spontaneous abortions, they used hospitalized early spontaneous abortions (less than 20 weeks' gestation) and thus produced numbers for study and

Sulfur Transport and Transformation in the Environment (STATE): A Major EPA Research Program

Abstract Spurred by the rising sulfate concentrations in the north-eastern United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established the Sulfur Transport and Transformation in the Environment (STATE) program to quantitatively determine the impact on local air quality of distant source pollutants and their transformation products. The first major STATE field study was the August 1978 Tennessee Plume Study conducted near the Cumberland Steam Plant in northwestern Tennessee. Representatives from 25 governmental agencies, universities, research institutes, and private contractors participated in this joint meteorological/chemical study in an attempt to define plume transport, dispersion, transformation, and removal rates under various meteorological conditions. A description of the field activities reveals the preplanned experimental guidelines and the flexibility with which the sampling activities were performed. The analytical priorities have since been established and various investigators a...

A review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Research Program on the prevention and control of hazardous material spills

This paper is a status report on a number of the projects in progress at the Industrial Waste Treatment Research Laboratory of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at Edison, New Jersey. The actual causes of numerous hazardous material spills have been documented and analyzed to assign priority to operational areas in which spill prevention and control procedures are urgently needed. Spill alert systems are ready for installation on marginally safe earthen holding pond dikes. Fail-safe systems are being evaluated to reduce spillage from overfilling and from transfer line rupture. The handling of spills in municipalities has been addressed with particular attention to the maintenance and utilization of secondary sewage treatment facilities during spill events. Among the physical and chemical treatment systems that have been or are being produced are trailer-mounted units for processing contaminated water. Also, special devices are being designed for the dispersion and recovery — where necessary — of adsorbents and counteractive chemical reagents for in situ treatment of polluted water bodies. Plastic foams have been developed to dike or confine spills and to plug leaks in ruptured containers. A pickup truck-mounted collection unit, consisting of a battery-powered pump and a self-deploying plastic storage bag, has been constructed and tested. Nearing final testing is a “Sea Curtain”, which extends from the bottom of a stream to the air above. The “Curtain” can be used to isolate a water column that is being contaminated by a soluble, sinking, or floating hazardous material discharged from shore or in stream. Gelling and solidification agents have been shown to be effective in immobilizing spilled hazardous materials. Systems are being built to reprocess treatment agents for reuse and to detoxify whatever agents or recovered materials cannot be salvaged. Field-use packets and other easy-to-deploy items are being developed to trace spills in water and to assess the effectiveness of cleanup. Procedures for enhanced, in-place, biological degradation of spilled hazardous materials are under test. The thrust of the Laboratory's program in these and in related projects is toward the demonstration of practical procedures, hardware, and suitably engineered systems for the prevention and control of spills of hazardous materials.

Development of effluent guidelines and Environmental Protection Agency research and development program for edible oils industry.

AbstractThis paper describes the statutory basis for the establishment of effluent limitations guidelines and standards of performance for this industry including remarks on water quality standards. The Environmental Protection Agency’s research, development, and demonstration program is presented. The specific objectives, solution required, activities, and best available treatment, zero discharge concept, and total elimination of discharges (elimination of multi‐media pollution discharges) are discussed. The synopsis of two Environmental Protection Agency‐industry sponsored demonstration grants is presented. The seven most frequently asked questions and their answers regarding the water pollution control act also are introduced. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 directed that the U.S. embark upon major new efforts for controlling pollution at its source. The new Act provides for uniform effluent limitations for industrial categories and achievement dates. Congress set two interim dates of July 1, 1977, and July 1, 1983, by which different levels of treatment are to be reached. It is a timetable based upon advances in technology. For all dischargers, other then publicly owned treatment works, not later than July 1, 1977, effluent limitations are to be achieved which represent the application of the “best practicable control technology currently available.” At the same time, all publicly owned waste treatment facilities must utilize “secondary treatment,” and, if an industrial discharger sends its wastes through a publicly owned treatment works, certain “pretreatment standards” must be met. An additional requirement is that by the July 1977 date, effluent limitations may be imposed so that any state law will be met. Not later than July 1, 1983, effluent requirements must be met which represent the “best available technology economically achievable” and for publicly owned waste treatment facilities which represent the application of the “best practicable waste treatment technology.” Any other applicable pretreatment standards also must be attained by that date. Special standards for toxic substances also must be observed from that date of promulgation of regulations covering such substances.