A Closer Look at U.S Environmental Protection Agency Facilities
Citation:
Linnenbrink, M. AND M. Burns. A Closer Look at U.S Environmental Protection Agency Facilities. Presented at Association of Public Health Laboratories, Pasadena, Califorina, June 02 - 05, 2018.
Impact/Purpose:
Present an overview of ORD’s technical capabilities by summarizing scientific research and providing examples of capabilities from a sample of six out of the 14 facilities across the country
Description:
From the earliest days of public health, environmental protection has been fundamental to preventing disease and ensuring a healthy population. From John Snow and the Broad Street Pump to chlorinated drinking water in Jersey City, NJ, protecting the environment has been a core public health function. The same is true today. While the public health community in the U.S. no longer faces large-scale cholera outbreaks, environmental protection remains crucial to ensuring healthy communities and a clean environment. A critical component of protecting the environment is a strong scientific understanding of the underlying information and technology measuring exposure, assessing impacts, and mitigating risk. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) provides scientific research and technology that is the foundation of decisions to better protect public health and the environment. ORD focuses on topics such as safe and sustainable water; air, and energy; chemical safety evaluation and risk assessment; homeland security; and sustainable and healthy communities. ORD works closely with groups to identify the most important environmental health challenges facing the nation and discuss how research could be used to address these challenges. ORD is comprised of national laboratories and centers located in 14 facilities across the country. ORD facilities are world-class scientific organizations, providing research used at the local, regional, national and international levels. These facilities play a major role in engaging local communities in science. The poster will present an overview of ORD’s technical capabilities by summarizing scientific research and providing examples of capabilities from a sample of six out of the 14 facilities across the country. The six ORD research facilities are briefly described below. • Narragansett, Rhode Island - Focuses on the health of ecosystems located along the Atlantic Coast. • Gulf Breeze, Florida - Focuses on the impact of human-made stressors on public health and the ecosystems of the Gulf Coast. • Research Triangle Park, North Carolina - Focuses on decontamination technology research for homeland security, computational toxicology research, and research on the health effects of air pollution. • Cincinnati, Ohio - Conducts a variety of research to manage chemical risks, clean up hazardous sites and protect water quality. • Duluth, Minnesota - Focuses on predicting and assessing stressors such as pesticides, bacteria, and changes in land use affect human health and the water resources of the Great Lakes and United States. • Ada, OK – Features several unique research capabilities, including laboratories, field equipment, and test wells to perform specialized subsurface investigations on groundwater contaminant transport, and develop and assess technologies for remediating groundwater contamination.