# Presentation: 261100

## 	PBT Monitoring Strategy

- 				_**We Asked:**_
- 		What aspects should be included?
- 		How broad should it be?
- 		How specific?
- 		What are the priorities?
- 		Who will it be valuable for?

## Draft: Questions & Objectives 	Scope (A) and Design (B) 

- Dr. John Ackermann – EPA Region 4
- Dan Hopkins – EPA Region 5

## 			Question 

- Q1 What priority should be given to identifying emerging PBTs as part of a national monitoring strategy?

## 			Objective

- 	We should identify trends in multiple media addressing the following PBTs:
- 		  (a) mercury, PCBs and dioxin as 			  the first priority;
-   (b) other PBTs - nine remaining “dirty   dozen”/GLBTS Pollutants; as the second priority, and
- 		  (c) accounts for emerging PBTs
- 				 (Obj A1)

## 			Question 

- Q2.  Should a national monitoring strategy include characterization of releases (discharges, emissions), including species as appropriate?

## 			Objective

-    We should include air emission & water discharge characterizations, where appropriate, and include:
- 		(a) chemical/physical species;
- 		(b) anthropogenic sources (including 	     international sources); and,
- 		(c) reservoirs (natural and re-			     emitted) (Obj. A3)

## 			Question

- Q3 Which media should we monitor?
- Air
- Water
- Sediment/Soil
- Food
- Wildlife
- Humans

## 			Objective

-    We should include monitored media appropriate to the individual PBT being monitored:
- 	for mercury, we should monitor air; air deposition; water; soil; biota; food, i.e., fish and fish eating mammals; and wildlife and human exposure
- 		for dioxin, the monitored media should consist of...
- 	for PCBs, the monitored media should consist of....  (Obj A4)

## 		Objective cont.

- 	We should also integrate, as feasible:
- 		(a)  across media for the same PBT;
- 		(b)  across PBTs at sites addressing the 		      same media;
- 		(c)  across different spatial and temporal 	      scales;
- (d)  across individual PBTs and other
- 	   pollutants and,
- (e)  across different State, federal &
-       international programs (Obj A2)

## 			Question

- Q4 What temporal scale would we expect to use for a national monitoring strategy? What should the time commitment to it be?  (Years? Decades?)  How often should reports be made indicating whether changes have taken place?

## 			Objective

-   The Strategy should include a monitoring time scale appropriate to the needs of the PBT chemical being monitored, which generally, at a minimum, would be decades. (Obj A5)

## 			Question

- Q5 To what extent should a national monitoring strategy identify the relative contributions of various source components? (global, transnational, U.S., regional, local)

## 			Objective

-    We should seek to identify the relative contributions of air emission sources at various geographic scales (global, continental, U.S., regional, and local) (Obj. A6)

## 			Question

- Q6 What is the appropriate mix of spatial scales to be addressed by a national monitoring strategy?  Uniform national trends? Targeted regional/local trends?

## 			Objective

-   We should target data collection for the purpose of discerning trends in multiple  media on a geographic-climatic regional scale (not an EPA regional office scale).  We should consider locating a basic set of national PBT monitors within each geo-region.
- 				(Obj B1)

## 		Objective cont.

-   To the extent possible, use the sites (for the basic set of monitors) to sample multiple pollutants – toxic as well as criteria pollutants. Consider using sites from among those in EPA’s Air Monitoring Program for this purpose.
- 				(Obj B2)

## 			Question

- Q7 What is the appropriate timing for data collection in a national monitoring strategy (routine, episodic) and what is the frequency? (weekly, monthly, annually)

## 			Objective

-   Employ sample frequencies appropriate to the PBT and media (e.g., weekly, monthly, annually);
- 				(Obj B4)

## 			Question

- Q8 To what extent should a national monitoring strategy rely on individual existing monitoring programs? Rely solely on existing programs? Create an entirely new program? Seek a balance in between?

## 			Objective

-   Encourage consistent methods among regions so that, in aggregate, the regional trends portrayals “nest” to form a national trends picture, which also can be integrated into multinational strategies.
- 				(Obj B5)

## 		Objective (cont.)

-   To the extent possible use representative, probabilistic sampling such that the data samples can provide valid representation of status and trends within each regional area;
- 				(Obj B3)

## 			Question

- Q9 To what extent should a national monitoring strategy include modeling as an integral component?  How can we build modeling into PBT measurement efforts, and how can we evaluate PBT models with data?

## 			Objective

-   We should include modeling as an integral component of the strategy, to the extent appropriate and practicable.
-  				(Obj A7)

## 			Question

- Q10 What are the roles of the EPA program offices, Regions, States, other government agencies, and other players over the life span of the Strategy? What form and what level of coordination among EPA elements should be sustained?  How will results of assessments be communicated?

## 			Objective

- 	We should build broad guidance into the Strategy addressing arrangements for data gathering, analysis, and communicating with each other
- 				(Obj A2)

## 	Suggested Objective

- 	The national PBT monitoring strategy should be valuable for States, EPA, other agencies, and stakeholders. The Strategy should be supported through the participation of those for whom it has value.

## 			Key Points

- 	_**National PBT Monitoring Strategy**_
- Builds on existing monitoring and  	data	collection efforts
- Prioritizes chemicals known to present human and ecological risks, but accounts for other PBTs including emerging PBTs
- Provides for a regional as well as a national PBT “picture” to create “nested” designs......

## 		Key Points cont. 

- that can be incorporated into monitoring strategies at north american and global scales
- Includes modeling as an integral component to the extent practicable
- Enables useful trends of PBTs across pertinent media

## 		Key Points cont.

- Supports assessments of air emission source contributions of PBTs on various geographic scales (global, continental)

## 	Draft Strategic Principles

- Accountability
- Address Source-Receptor Continuum
- Nested Design
- Leveraging
- Integration of Modeling and Monitoring
- Reporting/Assessment
- Data Analysis
- Cooperation and mutual benefits
- Flexibility to meet emerging issues