EPA Research Updates
One of the biggest challenges in understanding the potential
hazards of exposure to PFAS chemicals is the lack of toxicity information. EPA
researchers have partnered with researchers at the National Toxicology Program
to develop a tiered testing approach to quickly generate toxicity and kinetic
information for approximately 75 PFAS compounds.
Wildfire smoke is dangerous. It’s also a major component of
air pollution. EPA researchers are investigating whether particles in wildfire smoke
have different health effects depending on the type of wood burned and stage of the fire, such as flaming or smoldering.
Typically, when a product is screened for chemicals, the
researcher is only looking for the presence of a few specific chemicals. Using
a new approach, called suspect screening, EPA researchers are testing household
products for all chemicals present. These data can be used to prioritize which
chemicals should be screened for health risks.
EPA is partnering with Unilever to improve risk assessments of chemicals in consumer products. EPA’s researchers are combining chemical data from newly developed testing and screening techniques with Unilever data on exposure information from use of consumer products. This collaboration has
the potential to provide better ways to evaluate the potential health effects
of new ingredients and chemicals.
It just got easier to find environmental chemical toxicity data.
EPA has updated ECOTOX, a publicly available application that provides
environmental chemical toxicity data used to
assess the effects of chemical exposures to aquatic life, terrestrial plants,
and wildlife. ECOTOX 5.0 is now available in beta version, offering an
opportunity to provide feedback before this updated version becomes final.
Meet Our Researchers
 Meet EPA Genetic Toxicologist Catherine Gibbons, Ph.D.
Catherine Gibbons, Ph.D., investigates the impact of chemicals on genetic material for EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment. Her work supports the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program, which is an important resource for information on the toxicity of chemicals nationally and worldwide. Learn more about her research.
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Events
Webinar: Small and Large Water Systems Piloting Real-time Data Analytics
Monday March 12 | 2:00 pm ET
EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program has developed and pilot deployed real-time analytics hardware and software in large and small water systems in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Colorado. The RTX:LINK and EPANET-RTX applications to the City of Flint, Michigan will help with daily operations by monitoring system-wide flows, pressures, and water age in real time. This webinar will describe these hardware/software tools and talk about how they are transforming the way hydraulic modeling of drinking water systems is performed and how the tools can be used to improve a water utility’s preparedness and response capabilities.
Register here.
Nutrient Sensor Action Challenge Informational Webinar
Thursday March 15 | 2:00 pm ET
The Nutrient Sensor Action Challenge calls for demonstrations of the use of data and information from nutrient sensors to inform decisions and actions that address nutrient management. Up to two winning teams will share a prize of $100,000 by effectively piloting and using information from new low-cost nutrient sensors in waterways. This challenge is open to all communities and organizations in the United States regardless of participation in Stage I.
Register here.
Webinar: Water Security and Resiliency
Tuesday March 27 | 2:00 pm ET
The Water Laboratory Alliance (WLA) is a nationwide network of laboratories established by EPA to assist the water sector with analytical needs during a biological, chemical or radiochemical contamination event. The first presentation will provide an overview of WLA, highlighting several of its available tools and resources that small systems can use to improve emergency response.
The second presentation will describe sampling and analysis tools that EPA provides to water utilities for improving drinking water and wastewater system resiliency to disasters, and to quickly recover from contamination involving chemical, biological, and radiological agents.
Register here.
Webinar: Cost-Effective Treatment Technologies for Small Drinking Water Systems
Wednesday March 28 | 3:00 pm ET
EPA has developed and patented biological water treatment technology to remove ammonia that is affordable to operate and easy to implement in small drinking water systems. This webinar will highlight the technology, and its use during a drastic flood in Iowa, summer 2008.
Register here.
2018 EPA International Decontamination Research
and Development Conference
May
8–10, 2018
Join
researchers, engineers, homeland security experts, emergency managers, first
responders, and other experts to learn more about decontamination technologies,
best practices, and research and development at this year’s International
Decontamination Research & Development Conference held at EPA’s Research
Triangle Park, NC, campus.
Register here.
EPA Air Quality Sensor Workshop
June
25-26, 2018
EPA
will host an in-person workshop and online webinar, Deliberating Performance
Targets for Air Quality Sensors, to discuss a broad range of issues involved
with establishing and adopting a common set of non-regulatory performance
targets for air sensor technologies. The workshop will be held at EPA’s
research campus in Durham, NC. Anyone from state
and local government, tribes, industry, academia, or the public with special interest
or technical expertise in measuring ambient or near source air pollution is
encouraged to attend the workshop.
Register here.
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