As we get up each morning and get ready for another day, we often take for granted that the water from the faucet we use to make our coffee is drinkable, the food we feed our children is safe, and the air we breathe is healthful. Not until we need to take unusual steps, such as boiling our water to eliminate microbial contamination or reducing physical activity on ozone action days, do we realize how fragile our environment can be and how important it is to protect it. The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment air, water, and land upon which life depends. Although EPA has made substantial progress in both cleaning up and protecting these natural resources, many challenges remain, and new human health and environmental problems continually confront the Agency. Responding to these challenges requires research to understand these problems and to develop technologies to solve them. The Office of Research and Development (ORD) is the primary arm of EPA responsible for carrying out this work. ORD supports EPAs mission by conducting state-of-the art research in all environmental media (air, water, and land) to address unanswered scientific questions. As part of its research efforts, ORD develops innovative methods and approaches for solving problems that range from broad scientific issues such as global climate change, to specific problems such as removing microbes from drinking water systems. To make the most efficient use of resources and research dollars, ORD relies on extensive collaboration among ORD Laboratories and Centers, EPA partners in the program and regional offices, and the external scientific community. In addition, ORD has made independent peer review an integral part of its programs to ensure ORDs research is of the highest quality. This Research Accomplishments Report highlights selected accomplishments completed by ORD during Fiscal Years 1997 and 1998. We hope this report will help you better understand the environmental problems all of us face, and the role of EPAs research in helping to solve them. The report features significant accomplishments that have advanced our scientific and technical knowledge and capabilities, as well as ongoing activities that will generate future accomplishments. Accomplishments in five broad research areas are described in depth in the report (main topics), and accomplishments in nine other research areas representing either emerging environmental issues or issues narrower in scope are described more briefly (shorter topics). In each topic area, the major scientific problems are defined, the scope of ORDs research program to address these problems is outlined, selected accomplishments are highlighted, and the direction of future research is described.

EPA 600-R-99-106. "December 1999."