# Presentation: 281728

## The Perchlorate Contamination Challenge:  EPA’s Part in Pro-Active Partnership

- William H. Farland, Ph.D.
- Director
- National Center for Environmental Assessment
- U.S. EPA
- Perchlorate Stakeholders Forum
- Sponsored by the IPSC
- Henderson, NV
- 19-21 May 1998

## Perchlorate-tainted wells spur government action

**The discovery in 1997 of perchlorate-contaminated drinking water in the western United States has spurred an interagency federal task force to tackle the health implications of this finding. The belief that perchlorate could be detrimental to humans at levels found in some sources throughout the United States is driving the action, but the work is challenging. In addition to the paucity of environmental fate and toxicity information on perchlorate, there is, as yet, no proven method for removing the compound from water.**

**Perchlorate, a primary ingredient in solid rocket fuel, must be regularly replaced in the nation's missile and rocket inventory. It is a contaminant in groundwater and surface waters in 14 states. (Courtesy NASA)**

- Environmental Science and Technology / News  May 1, 1998

## Administrator

**Administrator**

-   Deputy Administrator

- Assistant Administrator

- Assistant Administrator

- Assistant Administrator

-   Assistant Administrator

- Assistant Administrator

- Office of Air
- and Radiation

**Office of **
**Research and **
**Development**

**Office of**
**Water**

** ****Office of Solid**
**     ****Waste and Emergency **
**  ****Response**

-  Office of Prevention,
-      Pesticides, and
-    Toxic Substances

**Science **
**Advisory **
**Board**

**Office of Congressional **
**and Intergovernmental **
**Relations**

**Office of **
**Children’s **
**Health **
**Protection**

*NCERQA*

*NRMRL*

*NHEERL*

*NERL*

*NCEA*

** ****Region 1**
**Boston**

**   ****Region 2**
**   ****New York**

** ****Region 3**
** ****Philadelphia**

**   ****Region 4**
**   ****Atlanta**

**Region 5**
** ****Chicago**

**    ****Region 6**
**   ****Dallas**

**Region 7**
**Kansas City, KS**

**    ****Region 8**
**    ****Denver**

**Region 9**
**San Francisco**

**Region 10**
**Seattle**

**        ****Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii**
**        ****American Samoa, Guam **

##   Research          Assessment             Management

***  ******Research          ******Assessment******             Management***

**EPA Scientific Research/**
**Data Collection**

**Risk Assessment**

- Dose-Response
- Assessment

-  Animal Toxicology
-  Clinical Studies
-  Epidemiology
-  Cell/Tissue
-       Experiments
-  Computational
-      Methods
-  Monitoring/
-      Surveillance

***Research***
***Needs***

- Hazard
- Identification

- Exposure
- Assessment

***Risk***
***Characteri-***
***zation***

- Control
- Options

- Non-risk
- Analyses

**Risk Management**

**Collaboration**

**Collaboration**

**External Input**
**into Research  **

-  Other Federal Agencies
-  States/Local
-  Academia
-  Industry
-  Public Interest/Environmental

**Decisions**

## Risk Assessment is an Iterative Process

- Provisional RfD (1992, 1995) - Superfund Technical Support Center, NCEA-Cin
- Revised RfD (September 1998) - NCEA
- Refinements as required in the future

**Continued Improvement**

## The Perchlorate Contamination Challenge

- Unprecedented timeframe
- Targeted expertise

**Pro-Active Partnership**

## The Perchlorate Contamination Challenge

- Accurate risk characterization
- Appropriate management strategies

**Credible Science**
**  ****Credible Decisions**

## The Perchlorate Contamination Challenge:

- Occurrence survey
- Stakeholder issues
- Health effects / toxicology
- Analytical methods (Detection Limit)
- Ecological impact / transport & transformation
- Treatment technology
- Technology transfer

**An Integrated Approach**

## Administrator

**Administrator**

-   Deputy Administrator

- Assistant Administrator

- Assistant Administrator

- Assistant Administrator

-   Assistant Administrator

- Assistant Administrator

- Office of Air
- and Radiation

**Office of **
**Research and **
**Development**

**Office of**
**Water**

** ****Office of Solid**
**     ****Waste and Emergency **
**  ****Response**

-  Office of Prevention,
-      Pesticides, and
-    Toxic Substances

**Science **
**Advisory **
**Board**

**Office of Congressional **
**and Intergovernmental **
**Relations**

**Office of **
**Children’s **
**Health **
**Protection**

*NCERQA*

*NRMRL*

*NHEERL*

*NERL*

*NCEA*

** ****Region 1**
**Boston**

**   ****Region 2**
**   ****New York**

** ****Region 3**
** ****Philadelphia**

**   ****Region 4**
**   ****Atlanta**

**Region 5**
** ****Chicago**

**    ****Region 6**
**   ****Dallas**

**Region 7**
**Kansas City, KS**

**    ****Region 8**
**    ****Denver**

**Region 9**
**San Francisco**

**Region 10**
**Seattle**

**        ****Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii**
**        ****American Samoa, Guam **

## Recent Emphasis Focuses on the Development and Use of Better Data 

**Recent Emphasis Focuses on the Development and Use of Better Data **

- “The quality of risk analysis will improve as the quality of input improves.  As we learn more about biology, chemistry, physics, and demography, we can make progressively better assessments of the risks involved.  Risk assessment evolves continually, with re-evaluation as new models and data become available.”
**	****	**
**	****	****“****Science and Judgment in Risk ****	****	****	****Assessment” (National Research ****	****	****	****Council, 1994)**