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Federal Efforts to Characterize Exposures to Contaminants of Emerging Concern
Citation:
Guiseppi-Elie, A. Federal Efforts to Characterize Exposures to Contaminants of Emerging Concern. International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) Annual Meeting, Oakland, CA, September 20 - 22, 2020. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.13160333
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation given to the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES) 2020 annual meeting for the symposium titled 'Research Trends for Identifying Emerging Contaminants, their Effects, and Potential for Exposure'
Description:
Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), can be introduced into drinking water prior to, during, or after treatment. To successfully identify and quantify exposure, data on the occurrence, transformation, fate and transport of CECs are needed across the lifecycle from source to tap. In the 2018 cross-agency plan entitled “Plan for Addressing Critical Research Gaps Related to Emerging Contaminants in Drinking Water”, exposure characterization research included assessments in distribution systems, drinking water treatment plants, and source water. Current Federal and State research activities for characterizing exposure has a similar focus to inform mitigation efforts to reduce or eliminate human exposure. As outlined in the research plan, research covers a variety of technical topics including contaminant-specific parameters that govern the mobility of CECs through complex water systems; science and technology to model and identify the spatial and temporal distribution of the occurrence, transport and fate of specific CECs; and evaluating how exposures differ based on pathways, i.e., not only by direct ingestion but also inhalation and dermal absorption. In addition to exposure routes, the timing and duration of an individual’s exposure to CECs in drinking water has been studied to model and predict human health implications for acute, sub-chronic, and chronic exposure timeframes. Additional research has shown that susceptible subpopulations may be more vulnerable to certain CECs. While significant progress continues to be made by individual federal and state agencies, coordination among the agencies would provide a mechanism for facilitated and complementary research. Further, it is recognized that data should be collected and communicated in a manner that is timely and informative to regulators, local decision makers, and the public, particularly for decision-making with CECs which are likely to have incomplete information. This presentation on the 2018 Plan and current federal efforts will describe research areas and how coordinated research can help develop and inform evaluations to prevent, prepare for, recover from, and adapt to public health emergencies with a long-term goal of reducing health risks by minimizing the likelihood of exposure. The views expressed in this abstract are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Federal Efforts to Characterize Exposures to Contaminants of Emerging Concern
GUISEPPI-ELIE_ANNETTE_T4A_20200918.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 618.103 KB, about PDF)