# Presentation: 051181

## Long Term Goal 1A

- Trish Erickson
- Assistant Director for Land, NRMRL
- December 13, 2005

## Contaminated sediments
Risk assessment
Research grants
SITE
Tech support centers

- Risk assessment
- Research grants
- SITE
- Tech support centers

***Research Themes***

## Contaminated Sediments

- Example of turning the aircraft carrier
- Late 1990s, contaminated sediments sites were receiving great interest
- Interest in contaminated soils was declining
- Over several years, phased out most soils research and developed contaminated sediments research theme
- Transferred resources among goals and research areas
- Added sediments to SITE focus areas

## Contaminated Sediments

**Cleanups selected at 150 sites** - As of September 2005, Superfund has selected a remedy at over 150 sediment sites. Eleven of these sediment sites are considered “mega sites” where the cost for the sediment portion of the remedy exceeded $50 million. There are approximately 50 other sites with ongoing sediment investigations, several of which are expected to become mega sites.
- http://www.epa.gov/superfund/resources/sediment/

## Contaminated Sediments

- Key scientific questions
- What is the nature and extent of contamination?
- What is the risk associated with the contamination?
- What is the appropriate risk management option?

## Nature and Extent

- Fate and transport modeling of baseline and remediation alternatives (1A-1)
- Rank transport models
- Add capabilities
- Link to bioaccumulation
- Framework for modeling remedies
- Uncertainty analysis

## Nature and Extent

- Surface sampling device (1A-1)
- Design, lab test, field test
- Refine and test robustness
- Measuring contaminant migration (1A-3, 1A-4, 1A-7)
- Volatilization, advective flux, dissolution, desorption
- Link back to model development; measure remedy performance

- Solid phase microextraction sampler

## Risk

- Toxicity to ecoreceptors (1A-2)
- Model of acute toxicity to amphipods from contaminant mixtures
- Procedure to identify the source of toxicity
- Risk screening (1A-2)
- Critical tissue residues for PBTs in multiple species
- Critical sediment residues for benthic organisms via equilibrium partitioning

## Risk

***Risk***

- Bioavailability (1A-7)
- Contribution of desorption-resistant contaminants to receptors
- Hybrid approach to extrapolating bioaccumulation data (1A-2)
- Combine mechanistic models and field data to estimate across ecosystems, species, time
- Human risk via dermal contact (1A-2)
- Method evaluation and validation

## Risk Management

- Dredging
- Impacts of resuspension (1A-3, 1A-7)
- PCB dissolution and bioavailability
- Factors controlling metals release
- Post-dredging residual concentrations (1A-3)
- Better estimation approach
- Benthic recovery (1A-3)
- Conventional benthic enumeration and sediment profile imaging

## Risk Management

- Tools to evaluate capping and monitored natural recovery (1A-4)
- Physical, chemical measures
- Biological indicators
- Performance of capping and MNR (1A-6, 1A-7)
- Cap materials, including treatment components
- Placement, natural deposition, stability
- Contaminant degradation, transport
- Ecological response (1A-4)

## Risk Management

- Development of new approaches (1A-5, 1A-7)
- Bioremediation of PAHs
- Evaluating/manipulating availability
- Metals speciation and amendment to reduce solubility, bioavailability
- Bioavailability of desorption-resistant contaminants
- Electrochemical/electrocatalytic dechlorination
- Phytoremediation of sediments in wetlands and confined disposal facilities

## Contaminated Sediments - Impacts

- Contributions to draft OSRTI guidance
- EqP widely used by Superfund risk assessors for screening eco risk assessments
- Technical support
- Modeling for multiple sites
- Monitoring strategy to limit short-term effects from dredging
- Performance data for 5 year review
- Participation in Superfund Sediments Resource Center
- Participation in CSTAG (1A-3)
- Fact sheets and seminar series to transfer results to remediation managers

## Risk Assessment

- Key scientific question
- What is the risk associated with the contamination?
*	**Human health risk assessment moved to a separate MYP to present a holistic view*
*	**HHRA has Goal 3 resources to meet specific Superfund needs*

## Risk

- Toxicity values for baseline risk assessment and selection of cleanup goals (1A-10)
- IRIS assessments
- Peer reviewed and publicly available
- Serve multiple offices and decisions
- PPRTV
- Accelerated and site-specific assessments for contaminants at Superfund sites when IRIS values are not available

## Risk

- Assessing risks from exposure to lead (1A-9)
- Uptake biokinetic model for birth to 7 years, in use since 1994
- Development of All Ages Lead Model
- Future expansion to multiple metals

- For children, exposure assessments should be performed using _the Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead in Children (IEUBK) model_;
- for adults, EPA's 1996 _adult lead methodology_ (Recommendations of the Technical Review Workgroup for Lead for an Approach to Assessing Risks Associated with Adult Exposures to Lead in Soil, EPA-540-R-03-001, OSWER Dir #9285.7-54) should be used.
- 	http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/lead/pbrisk.htm

## Risk

- Development of methods, models, and tools to improve risk assessments (1A-8)
- Exposure Factors Handbook and Child-Specific EF Handbook
- Dermal absorption
- Exposure and assessment models
- 3MRA for regulatory, regional,
-    or site assessment
- Model assessment case study
- Chemical mixtures guidance

- Dermal Absorption
- Model Guidance

- Absorption Method Evaluation  and Validation Guidance

- Dermal Exposure Assessment Guidance Update

## Risk Assessment - Impacts

- Used in virtually all Superfund projects
- Baseline assessment
- Selection of cleanup goals
- IRIS and guidance documents used throughout EPA
- Tools support waste management and beneficial use
- Address new priority risks
- Vapor intrusion

## Environmental Research Grants

- Hazardous Substance Research Centers
- Academic consortia
- Competitively-awarded grants aligned with regional priorities
- Conduct research, technical outreach, and assistance for Brownfield redevelopment
- Superfund Basic Research Program
- NIEHS program mandated under Superfund
- Academic institutions
- Complementary to Lab/Center research
- Advisory committees
- Joint meetings
- MOU with NIEHS

## Environmental Research Grants

- Overview of current centers (1A-11)
- Center for Hazardous Substances in Urban Environments
- Midwest Hazardous Substance Research Center
- South & Southwest HSRC
- Rocky Mountain HSRC
- Western Region HSRC
- Focus on Brownfields (1A-12)
- Urban HSRC and NRMRL/NERL activities supporting revitalization
- Think like a developer
- Teach the Brownfields manager to fish

## HSRCs - Impacts

- Journal articles and research reports
- Technology transfer, outreach, synthesis reports
- Direct assistance to communities
- Training the next generation

## Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Program

- Demonstration of innovative approaches to  clean up contaminated sites (1A-13)
- Spur acceptance of innovation by providing independent evaluation of vendor-developed technologies
- Components
- Remediation technologies
- Monitoring and measuring technologies
- Integrated with Environmental Technology Verification Program
- Emerging technologies
- Replaced by SBIR

## Slide 23

## SITE - Impacts

- Program in closeout
- 156 remediation demos
- 47 monitoring evaluations
- Technology databases highlight “demonstrated” technologies
- Vendors report contracts won after demonstration
- Project managers select innovative technologies, with attendant cost and/or performance benefits
- Technology diffusion
- Linkage with ESTCP

## Technical Support - An Integral Part of the Land Research Program

## Technical SupportCenters and Regional Presence

- Monitoring & Site Characterization
- Environmental Photographic Interpretation Center
- Health Risk
- Ecological Risk Assessment
- Ground Water
- Engineering
- Hazardous Substance Technical Liaisons