Impact/Purpose:

The objectives of this Task are to:

1) Provide EPA/ORD/NERL scientist participation in the NCS study design and chemical exposure working groups and the NCS Interagecny Coordinating Committee.

2) Obtain and synthesize existing information about relevant human exposure measurement data, environmental concentrations, measurement approaches and methods, and exposure questionnaire methods and data.

3) Provide EPA/ORD/NERL scientist participation in the development of a White Paper on evaluations of exposure assessment methods and approaches and recommendations for exposure assessment in the NCS.

4) Provide EPA/ORD/NERL input into study design and exposure assessment recommendations to the NCS Interagency Coordinating Committee and NCS Advisory Panel.

Description:

The National Children's Study (NCS) will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of children in the United States. The study is being planned as a large, long-term effort that will explore a broad range of environmental factors, both helpful and harmful, that influence the health and well-being of children. For this study, environment is broadly defined to include chemical, physical, social, and behavioral influences on children. A goal of the study is to better understand the role of these factors on health and disease. The study is anticipated to include up to 100,000 children across the United States in a longitudinal study covering the time frame from before birth until the age of 21. The study will allow evaluation of exposure and outcome links in the context of life stages and development. The study grew out of the President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children and was authorized in the Children's Health Act of 2000. The Act directed The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to conduct the study along with a consortium of federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Planning and organization of the study are underway, including implementation of a Federal Advisory Committee. Working groups have been formed to consider issues such as hypotheses, study design, development and behavior, chemical and physical exposure, injuries, ethics, and community outreach and communication. Study Design and Exposure to Chemical Agents Working Groups (ECAWG) are two of several working groups formed to provide information and recommendations to the Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC) and the National Children's Study Advisory Committee (NCSAC). This task will provide for HEASD scientist participation on the NCS Study Design and Exposure to Chemical Agent working groups and on the Interagency Coordinating Committee. HEASD exposure measurement and modeling scientists will contribute to the development and recommendation of study hypotheses. The scientists will contribute to the preparation of a White Paper describing approaches and methods for exposure assessment in the NCS, along with an evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses. Scientists will attend periodic NCS assembly meetings to meet with their working groups and to provide exposure expertise in interactions with other NCS working groups. Also under this task, extramural support will be obtained to compile information on existing exposure measurement and assessment methods for children of different ages or developmental stages that are most relevant for addressing NCS hypotheses. The compiled information will be used by the Exposure to Chemical Agents Working Group in their evaluation of approaches and methods, and will be included in the White Paper prepared by the ECAWG.

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT

Start Date:10/01/2002

Completion Date:09/01/2004

Record ID: 56101

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Project Information:

Progress :NERL/HEASD research scientists have made important contributions to the National Childrens Study. Jim Quackenboss continues to serve as the Exposure to Chemical Agents Working Group liason to the Interagency Coordinating Committee. Haluk Ozkaynak serves as a co-chair of the ECAWG. Roy Fortmann and Kent Thomas serve as members of the ECAWG. Elaine Cohen-Hubal serves as a member of the Study Design Workgroup. Members of the ECAWG hold regular meetings by telephone, and occasional meetings in-person. They have made substantial progress in development and proposal of exposure-related hypotheses for consideration by the NCSAC. They have also made progress in prepration of a White Paper to inform the NCSAC regarding exposure measurement in support of the NCS and its hypotheses. A new task order was developed and awarded to RTI International to conduct a literature review and summarization for exposure measurement methods for 10 chemical groups and for questionnaires that are most relevant for the NCS. Work on this task order is underway. The products from the task order will be used by the ECAWG to complete the white paper.

Relevance :This work directly supports the planned interagency National Children's Study. The work will contribute to the FY04 APG 44, (Innovative, low burden exposure research tools supporting the design and implementation of the National Children's Study) by identifying cost effective human exposure methods and aprroaches that may be needed to perform exposure assessments in the study. Specifically, under the FY04 APM, HEASD scientists will compile relevant existing information and prepare sections of a White Paper that will make recommendations regarding exposure assessment approaches and their strengths and weaknesses for the NCS. The compiled information and White Paper sections will be provided to the Exposure to Chemical Agent Working Group for compilation into the final White Paper. The White Paper will be provided to the Advisory Committee for consideration in their recommendations regarding exposure assessment within the NCS. The anticipated impact of this work will include:

1) Bringing the exposure measurement and modeling expertise of EPA/ORD/NERL scientists to the NCS working groups and on the Interagency Coordinating Committee

2) Demonstrating the importance of chemical exposure assessment in the NCS

3) Development and refinement of exposure-related hypotheses for NCS and support of other hypotheses requiring exposure measurements or assessments

4) Development and dissemination of exposure assessment information and recommendations to the NCSAC and the NICHD study design team

Clients :NCS Exposure to Chemical Agents Workgroup (Robin Whyatt, Larry Needham, Haluk Ozkaynak), NCS Interagency Coordinating Committee (Carole Kimmel, James Quackenboss), NCS Advisory Panel (Peter Scheidt), ORD, NICHD, NIEHS, CDC, DHHS

Project IDs:

ID Code :15136

Project type :OMIS