Grantee Research Project Results
2023 Progress Report: Developing the Chemical Health Risk Identification System (CHRIS) for Drinking Water Sources
EPA Grant Number: SU840412Title: Developing the Chemical Health Risk Identification System (CHRIS) for Drinking Water Sources
Investigators: Linden, Karl G. , Bentley, Matthew
Institution: University of Colorado Boulder
EPA Project Officer: Spatz, Kyle
Phase: I
Project Period: July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 (Extended to December 31, 2024)
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2022 through June 30,2023
Project Amount: $25,000
RFA: 18th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , Water
Objective:
The goal of this project is to develop the Chemical Health risk Identification System (CHRIS) to assist in rapid chemical risk assessment and treatment selection for global drinking water sources. CHRIS was developed through a systematic review process that synthesizes known chemical occurrence, common sources, and other environmental risk factors to develop an algorithm that produces a unique risk profile and suggest appropriate technologies and interventions to prevent human exposure to chemical contaminants based on answers to a set of survey questions. This project encapsulates the P3 approach because it will provide key stakeholders (people) access to a tool developed by synthesizing known information about global occurrence of toxic anthropogenic contaminants (planet) to protect public health and promote human flourishing (prosperity).
The CHRIS tool will serve as an education and practical resource regarding anthropogenic impacts on the environment and health as well as available technologies and interventions for addressing chemical threats to public health in drinking water. The use of this tool will result in reduced human exposure to chemical threats to public health in drinking water. The use of this tool will result in reduced human exposure to chemical contaminants and lead to a cleaner planet by recommending appropriate interventions to prevent chemical pollution and effective treatments for chemicals in the environment. The expected results from Phase I were to (i) conduct a systematic review of chemical sources and occurrence, (ii) develop the chemical health risk assessment tool (CHRIS) decision-support tool, and (iii) disseminate results and the CHRIS tool. These results have been achieved and future publications/presentations are pending, as discussed in the following sections.
Environmental chemical pollution represents a significant and growing threat to environmental and public health globally. Water supplies throughout the US - as well as the rest of the world - contain measurable concentrations of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, agrochemicals, and other anthropogenic contaminants that have toxic effects on humans. The ever-increasing number of chemicals in widespread production and use pose a significant challenge to water quality and public health, and tools are needed to rapidly identify potential chemical risks in drinking water sources so appropriate treatment methods can be selected and implemented to protect public health. The primary purpose of this project is to develop a freely accessible, evidence-based decision-support tool to identify potential chemical risks in drinking water and appropriate treatment and mitigation methods to improve public health.
The Chemical Health Risk Identification System (CHRIS) will help consumers, community members, environmental engineers, and regulators to rapidly assess potential chemical risks in drinking water and will provide appropriate treatment methods and policy interventions to mitigate these chemical risks and improve public health. This outcome will be most felt in historically disadvantaged communities such as rural and marginalized communities in the US or communities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), where chemical occurrence and risk is most severe and where a free, survey-based tool such as CHRIS can have the largest impact.
Progress Summary:
A. Literature review
A literature review was conducted for India, selected because of its status as a Middle-Income Country and reasonably large dataset for chemical occurrence in drinking water sources. Web of Science (webofscience.com) was used to search of papers including "India", "water", and a mix of chemical classes, specific compounds, or toxicological inclusions. 336 papers were identified, which was narrowed down to 52 that were included in the database on account of meeting our criteria: (i) must be focused on drinking water sources, (ii) must have chemical occurrence information, (iii) must link chemicals found in water to a specific source or risk factor.
A mix of data found from studies across urban and rural areas, and groundwater, surface water, and rainwater. The main chemical classes identified through the literature review were pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products, plasticizers, heavy metals, halides, minerals, nutrients, rock minerals, food additives, other organic compounds, and other non-organic chemicals (uranium, nitrate, sulfate).
In addition to identifying the key chemicals and chemical classes found in drinking water sources in the literature reviews, the sources or risk factors linked to those chemicals occurring in drinking water were also identified. Various industries and risk factors were identified as linked to the chemicals found in the literature. The key industries found in the literature were pharmaceutical, mining, food industry, paint, dyes, printing, textiles, pesticides, plastics and personal care products. Additionally, the proximity of crop cultivation was also identified as a risk factor for chemical pollution in drinking water sources. Other risk factors included E-waste recycling, unlined/uncovered waste dumps, recycling facilities, wastewater outflows, power generation, hospitals, and geogenic factors.
The published literature proposed certain inventions to mitigate risk of chemical contamination in water. These interventions were often specific to the chemical and included - for example - activated carbon, advanced oxidation, filtration, reverse osmosis, rainwater harvesting, aquifer recharge and management, among others.
The results of this literature review deepened the field of knowledge around chemical occurrence, sources, risk factors, and mitigation techniques, particularly in India. This literature review addresses a gap in understanding and addressing chemical risks in Low- and Middle- Income Countries (LMICs) and is planned to be published in peer-reviewed literature along with being disseminated at conferences for practitioners, scientists, and policy makers.
B. CHRIS Alpha Version
The primary outcome of Phase I of this P3 project is the development of an evidence-based and fully-functional CHRIS alpha version. A questionnaire was developed based on the sources and risk factors identified in the literature review, and the tool will produce a customized risk-profile based on a user's answers to the questionnaire including what mitigation approaches can be taken to address the specific chemical risks identified. The alpha version of CHRIS was developed using Microsoft Excel Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) for widespread compatibility and ease of use. Excel VBA provided the ideal alpha version platform because it could be readily used, shared, modified, and updated without specialized programs or training in web or app development. Because the CHRIS database was recorded in Microsoft Excel, the alpha version is able to incorporate the database as it is continually updated with data from other countries.
Excel VBA allowed for a basic and customizable user interface to be created that aligned with the format of the evidence-based questionnaire, and the user interface and questions can be updated as more data is added from the future global literature review. The field provided in the questionnaire are linked to the CHRIS database and output possible chemical risks and appropriate interventions for the user using macros. The user interface or Excel VBA is relatively basic and is not as user friendly or universally accessible as the team would like, so platform for the tool will be updated i Phase II funding is awarded.
C. CHRIS App Mockup
In addition to a fully-functional alpha version on Excel VBA, the CHRIS project team developed a near-functional mockup of what CHRIS could look like with additional development and funding using Figma. Nearly every frame of a future app was generated in Figma to demonstrate how user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing the CHRIS app could be with further development. This mockup provides a template from which to further develop and disseminate the CHRIS tool in the future.
D. Expected Outcomes
Further dissemination and uptake of the CHRIS tool will (i) advance understanding around chemical pollution risks in drinking water sources for a diverse set of stakeholders, (ii) mobilize communities to take action to protect water sources and implement appropriate treatment methods, and (iii) reduce human exposure to toxic chemicals, improving public and environmental health in line with EPA's P3 approach.
Future Activities:
The first phase of this project demonstrated that the CHRIS tool could be a viable approach to mitigate human exposure to chemical contaminants in drinking water. A fully functional alpha version of CHRIS was generated using Excel Visual Basic for Applications along with a proof of concept from the eventual phone/web application version of CHRIS using generate unique user profiles based on the developed questionnaire. Ongoing work ios building upon this data set with global chemical source and occurrence data to further improve the predictive quality of CHRIS, and future case studies will validate the tool against water quality data in an international context. Ultimately, this project will enhance public health by raising awareness about chemical risks in drinking water -- particularly in marginalized communities where pollution is most severe - and equip a variety of stakeholders to address these risks with appropriate interventions.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Emerging contaminants; systematic review; decision-support; risk assessment; drinking water treatment; chemicals; global pollutionThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.