Office of Research and Development

National Exposure Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC 2/1/2011 

# Application of Science and Technology 

# to Community Exposure and Risk Assessment: C - FERST: C ommunity- F ocused E xposure 

# and R isk S creening Tool Andrew M Geller ORD, NERL National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology January 20, 2011 Washington, DC

# Today’s presentation

• 

## Brief introduction • 

## Brief live demonstration • 

## Step through the application of C - FERST to a case study • 

## Summary

1

# Introduction
• 

# Decision tools to assist decision makers who implement environmental 

# policies to make choices that result in sustainable communities.

– For application at whatever scale is necessary, e.g., national, regional, local community.

# What is C - FERST? ( C ommunity- Focused Exposure and R isk S creening Tool) ORD/NERL’s GIS & resource access Web tool for conducting cumulative human exposure and risk screening assessments, to build sustainable and healthy communities 

## (www. epa.gov/heasd/c-ferst)
 

### empowers regions, communities to make informed decisions  

### provides framework to communicate human exposure science  

### contains data, maps, guidance, weblinks, community solutions, other info

# C - FERST Background and Status

March 08: “ C- FERST” coined Oct 08: ORD/CARE collaborative session at ISEA conference 2008/2009: Assessment of other tools and needs; ORD/CARE C - FERST Workgroup; C- FERST prototype presented at annual CARE Mtgs 2009: NERL communities research plan; Communities exposure research; 3 JESEE publications 2010: C - FERST intranet v. 1; CARE PO Training; EJ Conferences; RAF heightened interest 2011: C - FERST extranet- >internet v. 1 apply to CARE case studies; integrate with other tools & efforts late 2007: ORD / CARE discussions on computerizing draft CARE Workbook for Community Screening of Environmental Risks Follow community guidance; access info  Map multimedia human exposures and risks  Learn best practices in other communities  Generate community reports for risk ranking Assess Cumulative Exposure/Risk in Communities

Prioritize environmental issues Identify communities at risk Assess impact of actions (accountability) User-friendly interface and readouts Innovative, high quality science  modeled local exposures  guidance on local measurements  cumulative risk science  other info useful to communities 

## C - FERST: Demand Pull vs Technology Push

## Supporting Communities and Refining C - FERST



## through Pilot Case Studies

• 

## ORD/NERL supported Region 5 CARE/EJ 

## Showcase Community in FY10
• 

## New FY11 Case Studies

– Region 1 Portland, ME CARE

– Region 1 Springfield, MA CARE



### – Region 2 Brooklyn, NY CARE

– Region 5 Minneapolis, MN CARE (tentative)

– Region 1 Tribal pilot (T- FERST)

# Goals of

CARE/C - FERST Pilots

• 

### Provide CARE Level 1 Partners with Useful Information to Identify and Prioritize Issues

• 

### Enhance C - FERST Usability, for future use by POs, CARE partners, and others

• 

### Provide transferable, generalizable methods to identify and prioritize issues

• 

### Enhance cumulative exposure and risk science to inform decision - making

# Demonstration of C - FERST

8 

# https://cfpub.epa.gov/cferst

# Proposed Steps for C - FERST Application to

CARE Projects Step 1. Apply C - FERST via CARE Roadmap or PACE - EH

 

## Familiarize POs and Communities with C - FERST  

## Apply CARE Roadmap  

## Refine C - FERST GUI for usability  

## Gather information for issues of concern10 If the user chooses to follow community guidance, these C- FERST ‘crosswalks’ connect specific guidance steps, including sustainability, with related C- FERST

information.

# Proposed Steps for C - FERST Application to

Region 1 CARE Projects Step 2. Identify Issues of Concern

 Discuss issues identified by the community, and additional issues for consideration based on available data, guidance, and other community efforts via C - FERST 

##  Refine list of environmental issues, and vulnerability indicators

# Proposed Steps for C - FERST



# Application to CARE Projects Step 3. Apply C - FERST with CARE Roadmap or PACE - EH to Gather Information
 

## Fact Sheets for Issues of Concern  

## SES Data to Identify Vulnerable Areas  

## Issue Profiles  

## Maps  

## Other Communities and Best Practices with Similar Issues14 Around Step 6, we

collect and compile information. We can access factsheets, maps, and environmental issue profiles.15 The Portland CARE community has identified a number of potential concerns. 43 issues are currently populated with weblinks to fact sheets. The issues are based on a review of EPA reports and community documents.16 

# C - FERST Map Data Sources Ongoing ORD Research17 Portland is a coastal community and has identified some water- related concerns. This is a map of fish advisories, impaired waters, and water discharges.18 Portland is concerned

about Acrolein. This is a map of Acrolein exposures overlayed with emissions sites and air quality monitors. If we click on a point, we can see facility info & data used to derive the estimates.19 We can generate “environmental issue profiles” for over 40 environmental issues currently. The profiles include information described

here.20 This is an example environmental issue profile.21

# Proposed Steps for C - FERST



# Application to CARE Projects Step 4. Populate C - FERST Community Data Matrix
 Using information already in C - FERST from EPA databases  Supplementing info in C - FERST from EPA, Census, State databases 

##  Adding Local Data as Available  Incorporating human exposure/risk estimates for selected issues  e.g., radon, ETS, fish consumption, childhood lead exposure 

##  Compare to standards, national averages, other communities23 Guidance for risk ranking approaches is being developed and will be incorporated as it becomes available. A key C- FERST product is the Community Data Matrix.NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway

NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway

NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway NERL Research Underway This matrix will be the

main product of the FY11 case studiesThese human health and SES indicators could be expanded to include ecosystem indicators from Atlas, ReVA, RoE, etc., including sustainability indicators. 

# C - FERST Community Data Matrix (cont’d)26 At Step 7 communities will begin the risk ranking process. C- FERST provides options that are under development.27 In step 8, the community will identify potential solutions for reducing concerns and filling data gaps.28 We can access fact sheets on risk reduction actions for high - ranking concerns.

We can also access ideas for ‘promising practices’ and sustainable solutions implemented in other communities.• Community Partners

– Participate in meetings and provide feedback on C - FERST GUI

– Select issues of concern, and vulnerability indicators of interest

– Provide local data as appropriate/possible to supplement other databases and provide inputs to exposure models

– Lead risk ranking

• Region

– Set up regular meetings

– Provide feedback on selected issues, vulnerability indicators, and C - FERST usability

– Assist with data collection, focusing on EPA, Census, and State databases

– Lead C - FERST programming changes as needed

– Assist community with risk ranking

• ORD

– Demonstrate C - FERST in meetings

– Refine C - FERST usability (provide direction to programmers) based on feedback

– Provide input to selected issues and vulnerability indicators

– Focus on specific exposure science issues • e.g., Radon, ETS, Childhood Lead Exposure, Fish Consumption, Near- Roadway



## Planned Roles of EPA and Community Partners in Collaborative

C - FERST Pilots

# Recognize that Communities are Different

30Office of Research and Development

National Exposure Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, NC 

## Research to Build Sustainable & Healthy Communities is an Iterative Process

CUMULATIVE EXPOSURE AND RISK SCIENCE

COLLABORATIVE “CASE STUDIES” LESSONS LEARNED ACCESSIBLE TOOLS (e.g., C - FERST) Actions to Improve Public Health32 

## Sustainability and 

## Trans -disciplinarity  

## Provides transferable tools to build sustainable communities  Devolves critical decisions affecting environmental health to communities.  Engages communities to apply tools and develop methods for problem formulation, impact assessment, devising and evaluating solutions.  Provides options to compare communities and share successful solutions. 

###  

## Supports a trans - disciplinary Sustainable Communities program  Engages traditional and multiple scientific disciplines.  Interfaces with, builds off societal applications and evolution of approaches.33 

# Acknowledgments  

## C - FERST Development Team  Valerie Zartarian, Brad Schultz , NERL/ORD  Tim Barzyk, Davyda Hammond, Myriam Medina - Vera, NERL/ORD  Collaborators in ORD/NERL, CARE, Regions, Program Offices 

###  Region 1 GIS and Technical Team  OEI/National Computing Center  Contractors (CSC; Alion; student service contractors)