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AN ECOEPIDEMIOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR DEVELOPING WATER QUALITY CRITERIA
Citation:
CORMIER, S. M. AN ECOEPIDEMIOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR DEVELOPING WATER QUALITY CRITERIA. Presented at Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Baltimore, MD, November 05 - 09, 2006.
Impact/Purpose:
to present information
Description:
The USEPA's Draft Framework for Developing Suspended and Bedded Sediments Water Quality Criteria is based on an ecoepidemiological approach that is potentially applicable to any chemical or non-chemical agent. An ecoepidemiological approach infers associations from the co-occurrence of causal agents and impairments, the mechanisms responsible for impairments, and the relationships of impairments to the frequency, duration and magnitude of exposure to the agents. Separation between the technical and decision analytic components are maintained to ensure transparency throughout the process of gathering information, synthesizing the state of knowledge, analyzing available data, and selecting criteria. An eco-epidemiological approach provides several benefits that build on the success of the USEPA ambient water quality criteria program. For example, combining different types of knowledge compensates for the weaknesses of individual studies and methods. The inclusion of laboratory or field mesocosm tests reduces uncertainty regarding the cause of changes in the biological response by controlling experimental conditions. Field observational studies add all the complexity of ecosystems in the region of interest, and they capture information about many more species and types of effects than can be evaluated by laboratory tests. Field manipulations increase confidence that the criterion has the potential to protect and improve aquatic resources. Thus, the final selection of a criterion engenders confidence, because causal associations are demonstrated using different assumptions, independent data sets, and varied statistical methods. Thus, criteria-setting continues to mature to an increasingly flexible approach for setting criteria to best achieve environmental goals.