# Presentation: 099251

## Environmental  Research for the Future

**December 16, 2004    8:30a.m. – 4:00p.m.**

**Environmental  Research for the Future**

**Sponsored by: **
**EPA Region 7 and EPA’s National Center for Environmental Research**

**U.S. EPA Region 7 Office **
**901 N. 5****th**** Street **
**Kansas City, Kansas**

**Presenters:  **
**STAR Grantees and Office of Research and Development Scientists**

## Seminar Overview

**Seminar Overview**
**Don’t miss this one-day seminar to hear about new, intriguing environmental research in the areas of *****Genomics,****** ******Sustainability,***** ****and***** ******Remediation*****!****  This one seminar will feature presentations from EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grantees and Office of Research and Development scientists.  **

**Who Should Attend**
**Speakers and research projects were specifically selected to address the needs and interests of federal, state, and tribal environmental employees in Region 7.  The purpose of this seminar is to educate and engage discussion between researchers and scientists from federal, state, and tribal environmental programs on the latest state of the art in environmental research.  The seminar also will give researchers in Region 7 the opportunity to discuss their research in the context of EPA Region 7 environmental science needs and priorities.**

**“****Rapid advances in genomics may have significant implications for risk assessment and regulatory decision making.”**
**	****Draft EPA Document: Potential Implications of Genomics for Regulatory and Risk Assessment Applications at EPA, March 2004**

**“****Pursuing the goal of sustainability allows us to use innovative science and technology to achieve the goals of environmental and economic prosperity for both current and future generations.”**
**	****	****	****           ****Dr. Paul Gilman, Science Advisor**
**	****	****	****USEPA**

## James B. Gulliford

**James B. Gulliford**
**Regional Administrator, US EPA Region 7**

**Dr. William Farland**
**Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Science,**
**US EPA Office of Research and Development**

- “Welcome to the second of our research seminars in Kansas City. This will be another opportunity to interact with some of the leading scientists conducting research on issues of critical importance to your region. Researchers from universities and ORD’s laboratories will be here to inform you about cutting-edge scientific results from their work in Region 7.  We are very excited about this seminar and hope that it will help you gain insight and understanding about these interesting and innovative research projects.  Please join us at this special event.”

- “This year we have modified the format of our seminar to include discussions of how these important research topics relate to Region 7.  We need your ideas and new partnerships that will ultimately lead us to scientific excellence.  I know you will find the presentations very interesting and engaging.  Thank you for being our allies in our efforts to achieve cleaner air, purer water and better-protected land.”

## Room 2146
Sustainability
9:00 – 9:45		Sustainability and the Future of Environmental Protection by Diana Bauer, 		EPA, Environmental Engineer, Office of Research and Development

9:45 – 10:30 		Attracting Private Developers to Brownfield Sites:  The Value of 			Incentives by Kris Wernstedt, STAR grantee, Resources for the 			Future

10:30 – 11:15		Site-specific Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - 			Electronic (SMARTe) by Ann Vega, EPA, Brownfields Research 			Program Manager, Office of Research and Development

11:15 – 12:00	 	Panel Discussion- Brownfields and Sustainability in Region 7
			- Kris Wernstedt, Ann Vega, Diana Bauer

12:00 – 1:00		Lunch (on your own)

Genomics
1:00 – 1:45		Translating Genomics from Research to Risk Assessment by 			David Dix, EPA, Leader of Genomics Effects Team, 				Office of Research and Development

1:45 – 2:30 		Study of Phthalates in Pregnant Woman and Children by 				Shanna Swan, STAR Grantee, University of Missouri- 				Columbia

2:30 – 3:15		USEPA Research Activities to Characterize Children’s 				Environmental Exposures by Elaine A. Cohen-Hubal, 				EPA, Research Chemical Engineer, Office of Research and    			Development

3:15 - 4:00		Panel Discussion- What does genomics research mean to Region 7?
			- David Dix, Shanna Swan, Elaine Cohen-Hubal

Adjourn

- 8:30 – 9:00		Welcome
- 		**James B. Gulliford**, Regional Administrator,
- 		EPA Region 7
- 		**Dr. William Farland**, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for 		Science, EPA Office of Research and Development

**Room 2146**
**Sustainability**
- 9:00 – 9:45		Sustainability and the Future of Environmental Protection by **Diana Bauer**, 		EPA, Environmental Engineer, Office of Research and Development
- 9:45 – 10:30 		Attracting Private Developers to Brownfield Sites:  The Value of 			Incentives by **Kris Wernstedt**, STAR grantee, Resources for the 			Future
- 10:30 – 11:15		Site-specific Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - 			Electronic (SMARTe) by **Ann Vega**, EPA, Brownfields Research 			Program Manager, Office of Research and Development
- 11:15 – 12:00	 	Panel Discussion- Brownfields and Sustainability in Region 7
- 			- Kris Wernstedt, Ann Vega, Diana Bauer
- 12:00 – 1:00		**Lunch (on your own)**
**Genomics**
- 1:00 – 1:45		Translating Genomics from Research to Risk Assessment by 			**David Dix**, EPA, Leader of Genomics Effects Team, 				Office of Research and Development
- 1:45 – 2:30 		Study of Phthalates in Pregnant Woman and Children by 				**Shanna Swan**, STAR Grantee, University of Missouri- 				Columbia
- 2:30 – 3:15		USEPA Research Activities to Characterize Children’s 				Environmental Exposures by **Elaine A. Cohen-Hubal,** 				EPA, Research Chemical Engineer, Office of Research and    			Development
- 3:15 - 4:00		Panel Discussion- What does genomics research mean to Region 7?
- 			- David Dix, Shanna Swan, Elaine Cohen-Hubal
**Adjourn**

## Side Session – Room 5160

Remediation
1:00 – 1:45		Efficacy and Risk Assessment of Phosphate-Based 			Immobilization Technology in Lead Contaminated Soil in the 			Missouri Jasper County Superfund Site by John 			Yang, STAR Grantee, Lincoln University- University of 			Missouri

1:45 – 2:30		ORD Speaker to be Determined

Adjourn

**Remediation**
- 1:00 – 1:45		Efficacy and Risk Assessment of Phosphate-Based 			Immobilization Technology in Lead Contaminated Soil in the 			Missouri Jasper County Superfund Site by **John **			**Yang**, STAR Grantee, Lincoln University- University of 			Missouri
- 1:45 – 2:30		ORD Speaker to be Determined
**Adjourn**

## Sustainability

**  ****9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.                                                            Bauer**

**  ****9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.                                                    Wernstedt       **

**Attracting Private Developers to Brownfield Sites:  The Value of Incentives**
- Many brownfield properties have trouble attracting private capital. Left unattended, brownfield sites may further depress the economy of struggling neighborhoods.  A growing number of public sector agencies have committed resources to incentives to encourage private investment in reusing contaminated sites. Because public funds are in short supply, the relative effectiveness and efficiency of these incentives is an important issue for both public agencies and the development community.
- Our STAR-funded study surveyed 300 plus private developers to examine the relative attractiveness of incentives to promote redevelopment of brownfields.  Protection from third-party liability appears to offer the most value to developers, yet protection from cleanup liability and relief from public hearing requirements also have a substantial value as a proportion of net project returns.  These values vary significantly depending on the experience of the respondents with brownfields and infill redevelopments.

**Kris Wernstedt, **
**STAR Grantee, Resources for the Future**

**Sustainability and the Future of Environmental Protection**
- Sustainability is balancing a growing economy, protection for the environment, and social responsibility, so they together lead to an improved quality of life for ourselves and future generations.
- EPA is working in various ways to help individuals and organizations find practical paths in the transition toward sustainability:
- Through science and engineering that enables monitoring, measuring, and tracking progress towards sustainability.
- Through science and engineering that forms the basis for design of the built environment, products, chemicals, and materials.
- Through the science underlying market-driven approaches as a tool for environmental improvement.
- Through partnerships with states, cities, communities, nonprofits, industry, and universities that encourage responsible use of our nation's resources.
- Through futures analysis that investigates and anticipates trends critical for a sustainable environment, thereby strengthening EPA's ability to develop tools and strategies for sustainability.

**Diana Bauer,     EPA, Environmental Engineer, Office of Research and Development **

## Brownfields and Sustainability in Region 7

**  ****10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.                                                          Vega**

**Site-specific Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - Electronic (SMARTe)**
- SMARTe is a web-based, decision support tool for developing and evaluating plans for the redevelopment and revitalization of potentially contaminated sites. SMART*e* is intended for all stakeholders with varying levels and types of expertise. Brownfield project stakeholders should use SMARTe to:
- Assess both market and non-market costs and benefits of potential redevelopment/revitalization options,
- Clarify both private and public financing options,
- Evaluate and communicate environmental risks, and
- Facilitate communication among stakeholders.
- When completed, SMARTe will provide the analytical tools needed to implement and integrate each component of the decision process allowing users to compare and evaluate future reuse scenarios.

**  ****11:15 a.m. – Noon                                                Panel Discussion**

**Ann Vega**
**EPA, Brownfields Research Program Manager, Office of Research and Development**

## Genomics

**  ****1:00 p.m. – 1:45p.m.                                                                  Dix**

**  ****1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.                                                                Swan**

**Shanna Swan, **
**STAR Grantee, University of Missouri- Columbia**

**Can Phthalates Subtly Alter Boys?**
- To identify a young rodent's gender without doing an elaborate test, biologists measure the distance from the animal's anus to its genital opening. This anogenital distance is slightly, but reliably, longer in males than in females—unless those males were exposed in the womb to pollutants, such as phthalates, that can alter fetal
- sex-hormone production. When that happens, a male's anogenital distance can become more similar to that of a female. Preliminary data suggest a similar trend in boys whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy to elevated amounts of some phthalates.  “No one knows whether the anatomical changes are important in the boys’ reproductive lives.  In male rodents, however, fetal-phthalate exposures have been shown to severely disrupt the development of reproductive organs,” notes Dr. Swan.
- Phthalates, chemicals used in making many cosmetics, plastics, and other products, have become ubiquitous pollutants.

**Translating Genomics from ****Research to Risk Assessment**
- Genomics is a rapidly expanding science with the potential to become a powerful tool in regulatory decision-making, risk assessment, and environmental monitoring. This presentation will review EPA policy developments, define genomics and toxicogenomics, and provide a history of the science as it relates to human health and ecological risk assessments.  EPA has developed a genomics research program within the Office of Research and Development (ORD), a complementary *Interim Policy on Genomics* (_[http://www.epa.gov/OSA/spc/htm/genomics.htm](http://www.epa.gov/OSA/spc/htm/genomics.htm)_), and a Genomics Task Force Workgroup, which produced a report on the *Potential Implications of Genomics for Regulatory and Risk Assessment Applications at EPA *(_[http://](http://www.epa.gov/osa/genomics.htm)__[www.epa.gov/osa/genomics.htm](http://www.epa.gov/osa/genomics.htm)_). Most recently, the Science Policy Council created workgroups responsible for developing guidance and training to foster the interpretation and use of genomics information by EPA Program Offices and Regions.

**David Dix, **
**EPA, Leader of Genomics Effects Team, Office of Research and Development**

## What does genomics research mean to Region 7?

**  ****2:30 p.m. – 3:15p.m.                                                    Cohen-Hubal**

**  ****3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.                                            Panel Discussion**

**Elaine Cohen-Hubal, **
**EPA, Research Chemical Engineer, Office of Research and Development**

**Overview of EPA Research Activities Aimed at Characterizing Children’s Exposures**
- Given the potential vulnerability of children to the effects of environmental exposures, understanding the relationship between children’s health outcomes and environmental exposures is an important research need to reduce uncertainty in risk assessment.  Over the past 8 years, significant research activities have been initiated at EPA to increase understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and to better characterize children’s exposures to chemical stressors in the environment.
- Research efforts include development of models, methods, and data to quantitatively describe ways that children are exposed to environmental stressors.  Current and recently completed studies include large field studies to measure children’s exposures to chemicals in their homes and daycare centers as well as targeted studies to better understand the determinants of exposure.  In this presentation, ongoing and recent US EPA initiatives aimed at evaluating children’s exposures and health risks will be discussed, including issues associated with characterizing cumulative risks from exposures to multiple environmental stressors.

## Remediation

**  ****1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.                                                              Yang**

**  ****1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.                                                         Speaker**

**Efficacy and Risk Assessment of Phosphate-Based Immobilization Technology in Lead Contaminated Soil in the Missouri Jasper County Superfund Site**
- The mining and smelting operations of the lead-zinc ore from the 1880s to the 1970s in the Tri-State Mining District Superfund Site resulted in a large area of contaminated soil and land.  In-situ immobilization technology using phosphate-based amendments may be a cost-effective remediation alternative that safeguards human health and the environment from Lead (Pb) contamination.  This presentation will address Pb immobilization mechanisms; the efficacy of risk reduction by soluble phosphates in laboratory studies; implementation and evaluation of field treatment; and environmental risk assessments in terms of bioavailability, leachability, chemical speciation, microbial community, and water quality.

**John Yang, Assistant Professor**
**Star Grantee, Lincoln University- University of Missouri**

## Seminar Specifics

- For more information on this seminar contact Mandy Techau at (913) 551-7311 or _[techau.mandy@epa.gov](mailto:techau.mandy@epa.gov)_ or Brenda Groskinsky at (913) 551-7188 or _[groskinsky.brenda@epa.gov](mailto:groskinsky.brenda@epa.gov)_
- Date:		Thursday, December 16, 2004
- Time:		8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Location:	US EPA Region 7
- 		901 N. 5th Street
- 		Kansas City, KS

## US EPA Region 7

- 901 N. 5th Street
- Kansas City, Kansas 66101
- Official Business
- Penalty for Private Use $300
- An Equal Opportunity Employer

** ****STAR Grant Seminar ****• Thursday. December 16, 2004 • 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. • U.S. EPA Region 7**