How a local health department in Colorado got involved in regulatory oversight of a $2.4 billion dollar Superfund Cleanup Program the Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) that is now transitioned into Wildlife Refuge and has led to other related projects.

The RMA was established by the Army in 1942 as an industrial complex to manufacture chemical weapons for use during World War II. The 27 square mile site is located 10 miles northeast of downtown Denver. The Army used the site to manufacture mustard gas, napalm and sarin nerve gas. During the1950’s through 1970’s Shell Chemical Company leased the site to manufacture pesticides.

Over the 40-year use of the site as a production facility a variety of waste disposal means were utilized including unlined solid waste disposal trenches, lined and unlined evaporation lagoons, piping leaks, accidental spills and un-permitted landfills that led to contamination of structures, soils and groundwater on a large scale. In 1982, all manufacturing activities ceased and in 1987, the EPA listed the Arsenal as a Superfund cleanup site. Tri-County Health Department (TCHD), which serves Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, along with the EPA and State of Colorado provide regulatory oversight of the cleanup program.

Today, over 30 years later, all of the major cleanup is completed (except for groundwater) with the waste contained in on-site landfills and consolidation areas. As the soil/surface cleanup was nearing completion, the Regulatory Agencies collaborated with the PRP’s to develop long-term monitoring strategies to verify continued protectiveness of the remedy. The Regulatory Agencies continue to monitor the two hazardous waste landfills, over 773-acres of integrated covers, and on-post and off-post groundwater systems. Tri-County has also played an integral role as liaison with the surrounding communities in the development of the Arsenal’s remediation program, cleanup designs and transition into a National Wildlife Refuge.

TCHD has continuing responsibility for remedy and groundwater cleanup verification activities. To this day, the RMA and Regulatory Agencies continue to have an active community involvement and outreach programs.

As a result of TCHD’s involvement at RMA, other opportunities have arisen that has allowed TCHD to be involved in performing oversight on various landfills throughout the TCHD jurisdiction and also serve to protect the community interests on these projects. In addition, TCHD has become involved with the Army and the local water agency on the investigation of an emerging groundwater contaminant 1,4-Dioxane. These are examples of other activities that have availed themselves through TCHD’s involvement/experience with the RMA project.

Pool Chemical Storage and Handling

Do you know how to Safely Store and Handle Pool chemicals? Have you ever experienced a Pool Chemical reaction ? We will discussion real life experience of “What happens IF pool products are stored and handled incorrectly.” Discuss why people handle pool products in an at risk manner, then close out the discussion with tools and information to improve safe handling and storage of pool products.

Health Impact Assessments and Exposure Monitoring from a Community Protection Standpoint during Bridge Demolition

Community protection from bridge dismantling and demolition activities is the focus. The subject area is situated in the Lower Price Hill area of Cincinnati, Ohio, with a residential area (including a school) within the immediate vicinity of the subject bridge. Testing and evaluation during the construction work was requested, given concerns associated with potential metals contamination (specifically lead, iron and particulate matter >10 microns) from the bridge demolition.

photo: Cincinnati Enquirer

Initial research on prior studies of this nature, appropriate protocols, regulatory guidance and associated standards for data evaluation did not identify useful background information for use as a foundation or baseline for the work. Interested parties including the City of Cincinnati, Ohio Department of Transportation, Ohio Department of Health, U.S. EPA, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Public Schools, and Cardno ATC worked together to establish an acceptable scope of study.


A pilot study was performed to gauge future impacts, position sampling equipment and assist in establishing guidelines for site-specific community protection. Federal Reference Methods (FRM) were used to quantify particulate matter (PM 10) and total suspended particulate as lead at six locations within the community (a distance of 0.5 miles) along the viaduct area to establish baseline conditions prior to demolition. A Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) for each type of monitoring was used alongside the FRM. FEM results were compared to the FRM results to evaluate relative findings by each method. Readings were virtually identical by both methods. As a result, recommendations were made to utilize the FEM sample collection which not only allowed real-time, data collection and the ability to protect the sampling equipment (given that the equipment was expensive and was to be located in dangerous and potentially hazardous areas).


Findings from the pilot study (set up to be inherently conservative) did quantify lead impact in association with demolition activities. The project is active at present and will include three to four months of daily to bi-weekly monitoring and quantification of air quality in association with the work. The project will be complete at the end of 2012, and should serve as a benchmark study for similar projects in the future.

Development of a Radiological and Chemical Emergency Preparedness Course - Agents of Opportunity (AoO)

image:http://ehsmanager.blogspot.com

Every day, thousands of shipments of toxic chemicals traverse the highways and railways of this country, often through the middle of heavily populated communities. Radiological sources are used in innumerable industrial and medical processes. Each one is a potential “agent of opportunity” for terrorists or other actors bent on the use of weapons of mass destruction. The numbers of medical, nursing and paramedical personnel adequately trained to manage the medical consequences of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and/or Nuclear (CBRN) incidents are extremely low. The experience base is shallow because of the low incidence of exposures to many of these hazards, e.g., radiological/nuclear (R/N) materials, and chemical toxicants. Expertise for the health management of exposures to many of these hazards is limited residing only with a small subset of the population of practitioners and educators. A practical program for education and training of medical, nursing, pre-hospital and public health personnel is essential.

Since 2003, the Office of Environmental Health Emergencies (OEHE), within CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, has maintained unique, collaborative relationships with the Oak Ridge Associated Universities via the Radiation Emergencies Assistance Center Training Site (REAC/TS) and the American College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT). OEHE has leveraged funds to develop and deliver a program of comprehensive education and training to the nation’s present and future pre-hospital and Emergency Department workforce, public health personnel and skilled support personnel. This informational session will trace the development and discuss the importance and present day relevance of the current preparedness course: Radiological and Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: The Emergency Medicine Response to Toxic Industrial Chemicals and Materials (TICs/TIMs) and Toxic Radiological Materials (TRMs). The AoO course has been delivered to 1,665 participants to date.

The Power of Community: Enhancing community engagement through the Chinese “Promotora” education model for lead poisoning prevention [POSTER]

image: en.wikipedia.org

This poster reports on the effectiveness of the Promotora model for engaging the Chinese immigrant community in Seattle, Washington. Promotora (Spanish for ‘Promoter’) is an engagement model where trusted community members utilize their own social networks to provide education and social support to promote changes. These Promotoras provide teaching and education activities in personal and intimate settings such as the home, church, or other local gathering areas.

Because success of the model in Latino communities for engaging and initiating behavior change is well documented, Public Health – Seattle and King County worked with a local NGO to adapt the model for outreach and education on lead-based paint hazards in the Chinese immigrant community.

Methods: Pre- and post-surveys were conducted for Chinese residents who attended the workshop to measure baseline attitude and knowledge. One month follow-up phone surveys were conducted to measure short-term change in health behavior. Workshop observations, focus groups with residents, and qualitative interviews with Promotoras were conducted to identify methods to improve community engagement.

Results: Results will report the number of students attending workshops, the students’ change in attitude and knowledge regarding lead safety, and actions they took to reduce lead hazards at home in the past month. Results will also explore the strengths and weaknesses of the Promotora education model and lessons learned by Public Health–Seattle King County while utilizing the Promotora model for increasing lead-based paint hazard awareness in the Chinese immigrant community.

Conclusions: Based on the results, health departments should be able to determine how the Promotora education model can be successful in engaging with the Chinese immigrant community on environmental health issues. These lessons can also be applied to enhance community outreach and engagement with other limited-English proficient populations.

Hookah, an Emerging Public Health Issue

image: smokefreesandiego.org

Waterpipe, also known as hookah, shisha, narghile, goza, or hubble bubble has been used for centuries to smoke tobacco, particularly in North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and areas of South East Asia. Recently, waterpipe smoking has emerged as a popular new trend among young adults worldwide, including Canada. Waterpipes use both tobacco and herbal (marketed as tobacco-free) products, called shisha, often sweetened and flavoured, which are heated by charcoal. The resulting smoke is cooled by a water-filled chamber before being inhaled through a hose and a mouth piece.

Data from the 2010 Youth Smoking Survey indicates that 5% of Ontario youth in grades 6-12 have tried smoking a waterpipe and that 4 per cent of Grade 10-12 students smoked waterpipes in the past 30 days, including 6 per cent among grade 12 students. Of the Grade 10-12 students who smoked waterpipes in the past 30 days, 41 per cent had not smoked cigarettes during that time, and 53 per cent had not yet smoked 100 cigarettes.

Hookah practices are becoming a challenge for tobacco enforcement officers and public health units. Legislation, policies and practices will have to adapted to ensure effective public health controls are in place.

Not Your Average Waste: Local Health Department’s Initiative on Household Medical and Hazardous Waste [POSTER]

In July of 2012, new legislation in Massachusetts was instilled (regulation 105 CMR 480.000) to regulate disposal of medical waste in household garbage and increase communication on the hazards of handling all waste types.

State laws guide local health departments on how to regulate hazardous and medical waste within each town. Medical waste consists of materials like old prescription medication, sharps (e.g. needles and lancets), and medical devices (e.g. IV bags). Health departments have previously enacted drop off sites for sharps, supplied public health nurses to aid in waste collection, or instilled mechanical kiosks to aid in the collection of medical waste. In many of these instances, untrained and unknowledgeable public health employees are handling medical waste. Other forms of hazardous waste, such as mercury containing devices (barometers, thermometers, bulbs and other instruments), are collected at satellite locations, and also handled by untrained personnel. The focus of this project was to create a manual that would educate and provide models of programs in which medical and other hazardous wastes are safely collected and disposed of for the town of Lexington, MA. For mercury waste, a fact sheet was created to outline a “no brainer” approach for handling and disposing of mercury contaminated waste.

The documents were intended to help inform individuals on how to handle and dispose of waste, and learn about what constitutes as hazardous and medical waste. For other household hazardous waste, such as oil-based paints, house cleaners, batteries, pesticides and oil, previously instilled collection days were continued; on these collection days, a contracted vendor comes to town and properly collects and disposes of these waste streams. The newly generated manuals and fact sheets were shown to residents on these collection days, and feedback was used to make the documents more user-friendly. The medical waste disposal manual, fact sheet for disposing of items containing mercury, and the poster presenting this work were all supported by the Massachusetts Environmental Health Association.

Designing a Successful Collaboration Between State and Local Partners to Assess and Cleanup Former Drycleaners

fabandfru.com

Dry cleaning is an entry level business in most communities, and many buildings along business routes have at some time been used by the dry cleaning industry. Perchloroethylene (PCE, perc, or tetrachloroethylene), a hazardous air pollutant, has been used over the past 70 years and is the solvent most frequently used in the dry cleaning business. PCE remaining in soil and groundwater from past and present dry cleaning businesses has left a legacy of health risks to neighboring residences and businesses through vapor intrusion, as well as threats to municipal wells. In addition, infrastructure improvements in utility corridors can have work stoppages when PCE is unexpectedly found during excavation. For these reasons, it is useful to have knowledge of locations where PCE has been used. However, records going back more than 30-40 years may be poor. Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) has partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to identify, investigate, and remediate sites of environmental contamination in order to reduce the potential exposure of Dane County residents to PCE. Currently, DNR and PHMDC are working on over 30 sites in Dane County where PCE has been identified. An additional 200 probable former dry cleaning sites have been catalogued using archived telephone listings and GIS mapping. During this interactive risk assessment session, participants will learn about how to design and implement a similar program in their community. Speakers from both PHMDC and DHS will describe the process of identifying former dry cleaners, how to conduct indoor and sub-slab air sampling, and risk assessment to determine human health hazard due to PCE exposure.

Ensuring that Community Health Issues Drive Brownfield Redevelopment in Wisconsin

Graphic from epa.gov

Brownfields are properties in a community whose expansion, redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. The existence of Brownfield sites in a community may contribute to social injustices related to poor health determinants in neighboring communities. Improving public health, along with economic and environmental improvements, should be a main objective when considering Brownfield redevelopment in a community. Any type of effort to improve public health assumes the necessity of including community members in long-term and in-depth dialogue. However, this type of dialogue during brownfield redevelopment is generally the exception.

This session will present a broad approach to improving public health through brownfield redevelopment.
This approach includes:

1. assessing human health risks at Brownfield sites, 
2. engaging communities to provide input on redevelopment and revitalization strategies that will reduce exposures and improve community health determinants, 
3. monitoring community health indicators related to Brownfields, and 
4. educating city planners and developers about the nexus of health and redevelopment. 

The target audience is anyone involved in or interested in the role public health plays in communities with brownfields.

Implications of Silver Nanoparticle (Nano Ag) Exposure on Respiratory Physiology

Silver has been one of the most commonly used materials for various applications. As the level of production and use of engineered silver nanoparticles (Nano Ag) increases, the exposure risk to Nano Ag at both occupational and non-occupational settings has become real. Despite the availability of many cellular toxicology studies, few studies have been conducted to understand the physiological impacts on respiratory system. In this study, Nano Ag of various sizes and concentrations (size ranging between 10 and100nm at varying concentrations between 10 and 1000 ppb) was homogenized in representative environmental and physiological conditions by using bovine surfactant (Calfactant) at room temperature. Both control and experimental groups of suspension/solutions were used to measure the contact angles for each sample by using a goniometer. The measured contact angles, then, were used for surface tension as a way of indirect measurement of physiological impacts. The results show that:

1. Nano Ag at 100nm size range (compared to 15nm size) causes more significant change in surface tension in a representative environmental condition without having the effects of surfactants, 
2. The effect of Nano Ag exposure in terms of change in surface tension reduction was more prominent by smaller size Nano Ag (i.e. 15nm in this case) than larger size Nano Ag (i.e., 100nm) in a physiological environment, 
3. Size effect on surface tension at 15 and 100nm is less distinctive in the concentration ranges between 50 and 100ppb of Nano Ag, while smaller Nano Ag (15nm) causes more dramatic increment of surface tension at a higher exposure concentration (1000ppb) than larger size Nano Ag (100nm). 

From the results it is concluded that:

1. human respiratory physiology can be more easily compromised by smaller Nano Ag in a size and concentration dependent manner, and 
2. it might be possible to implement preventive measures in nanomaterial induced toxicity at manufacturing facilities by better understanding the correlation between the size in nano scale and pathophysiological conditions.

What do Fish and Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) have to do with Radon?

 graphic from morrowcountyhealth.org

Radon is a naturally occurring, odorless radioactive gas that causes lung cancer. Between five and ten percent of the homes in Wisconsin have radon levels above the US EPA guideline of 4 pCi/L for the year average on the main floor. Every region of Wisconsin has some homes with elevated radon levels. Although the only way to know the radon level in a home is to measure it, and radon testing costs as little as $20, the public has not embraced this important prevention strategy. This session will discuss two case studies from Wisconsin that highlight opportunities for local and state health departments to increase knowledge about and interest in radon testing. Staff from the Wisconsin Radon Program will discuss how increased interest in home radon testing has led to increased interest in workplace testing as well. High levels of indoor radon were found in a fish hatchery run by the state Department of Natural Resources. This session will report on the implications that this finding has on other similar hatcheries statewide. Staff from the state’s APPLETREE cooperative agreement program through ATSDR will discuss efforts to increase awareness and testing of homes for radon near two sites with potential vapor intrusion issues. Session participants will learn how concern of indoor air hazards related to nearby sites can translate into increased interest in testing for radon as well.

Superfund Sites, Community Education, and Population Migration: An Econometric Analysis

Since its approval in 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), more commonly known as the Superfund Act, has been an important legal force in the effort to clean up toxic waste sites in the United States. However, hazardous waste remains a serious threat to human health and the environment. In some cases, the prospect of exposure to such hazards is enough to induce migration of residents away from a site and/or prevent others from moving in.

Several recent studies have used census data to investigate the relationship between population demographics and the presence of environmental health hazards, finding that certain demographic groups are more likely than others to move away from Superfund sites. Additionally, a recent study by Bennear et al. (2010) provides evidence that the form in which information about environmental health hazards is presented is important in determining the actions people take to protect themselves.

The following study explores the related questions of (a) whether migration patterns of people living in census tracts that contain Superfund sites differ across groups of residents with different educational backgrounds, and (b) if migration rates within these education groups depend on site characteristics such as the number of contaminants found on-site, the types of contaminants, and the severity of hazard that a site poses, as measured by a site’s Hazard Ranking System (HRS) score. In an econometric analysis of census data and site evaluation reports from the EPA, I find strong evidence of migration away from Superfund sites in all education groups, with slightly elevated rates among individuals with at least a college degree.

However, there is little evidence of responsiveness to site characteristics such as HRS score, number of contaminants present, and the proportion of contaminants at a site that are high-profile and recognizable. These results suggest that simply adding a site to the National Priorities List has a more significant impact on the characteristics of the surrounding population than specific details about the site’s contamination do, constituting a first step towards understanding how diverse communities respond to various types of information about Superfund sites.

Applying a Community-based Participatory Research Framework to Map and Estimate Soil Contamination Levels in North Charleston, South Carolina [POSTER]

Background: The Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities (LAMC) neighborhoods host various hazardous waste sites, are surrounded by heavily trafficked roadways, and may be further impacted by the expansion of the Port of Charleston. These communities are already differentially burdened by environmental hazards; therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a baseline soil assessment to determine the magnitude of contamination in North Charleston, South Carolina (SC) prior to the construction of the new Port terminal.

Methods: Community members were recruited to collect soil samples in Union Heights, Accabee, and Chicora Cherokee neighborhoods. Samples were collected near heavily trafficked roadways, background and major industrial sites, brownfields, Superfund sites, schools, and community centers. HAZWOPER trained participants were divided into teams consisting of a sampler, mapper, documenter, and decontaminator. Thirteen pollutants were derived from 51 stations in which mean, 5th, 95th, and additional quartiles of each pollutant were calculated. Correlation and respective significance levels were estimated between pollutants and minimum and maximum concentrations were documented.Screening level data were downloaded from the EPA and matched by CAS number with pollutants measured in the samples.

Results: The following pollutants were detected: Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Lead, Magnesium, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, and Zinc. Pollutants demonstrated a positive skewed distribution due to outliers. Copper and Nickel concentrations had the highest correlation at 0.99. Zinc had a higher correlation with other pollutants than other metals while Arsenic was more independent than other pollutants. The Meeting & Spruill location had a maximum measurement of seven pollutants which was the worst of all stations. Arsenic and Lead had higher concentrations than the residential screening level. Arsenic measurements from all stations had a higher concentration than the residential screening level and 92% were higher than the industrial screening level. There were 5.7% of stations with a higher Lead concentration than the residential screening level and 1.9% of stations had a higher Lead concentration than the industrial screening level.

Conclusion: The high concentration and array of contaminants identified in soil samples may be indicative of human exposure to environmental hazards in LAMC neighborhoods.

Toxic Release Inventory Facilities in Maryland: A Characterization of Burden [POSTER]

Background: Low-income and non-White populations tend to bear a disproportionate burden of environmental hazards, including Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) facilities. The TRI is a comprehensive database of information on chemical releases and waste management reported by major industrial facilities in the US. Since TRI data may be indicative of exposure to environmental hazards, the purpose of this study was to assess spatial disparities in the distribution of TRI facilities in Maryland (MD).

Methods: The 2000 US census tract and block level data were used to enumerate population characteristics such as race/ethnicity, poverty and employment status, education, home ownership, home built before 1950, and urban area.Additional variables were analyzed which include the Diversity and Townsend indices as well as capital and median household income. GIS were used to map TRI facilities and develop choropleth maps based on race/ethnicity and SES. Spatial methods (mean distance analysis, buffer analysis, and spatial approximation) were employed and regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between the distribution and number of TRI facilities and the aforementioned variables.

Results: Low income, low education, and Non-White census tracts were located closer to TRI facilities. Non-White populations living within 5 miles of a TRI facility was 154 times higher than other tracts. Individuals living below poverty and housed within 5 miles of a TRI facility was 71 times higher than those living below poverty in other tracts. Populations without a high school diploma and living within 5 miles of a TRI facility had 59 times more people than those without a high school diploma in other tracts. The percentage of African-Americans, poverty, and those without a high school diploma were statistically significant using simple linear regression which indicated that the distribution of TRI facilities was influenced by race/ethnicity and SES variables.

Conclusion: Burden disparities exist in MD in the distribution of TRI facilities across varying levels of demographic composition for race/ethnicity and SES. Based on our findings, we hope to inform local and state health improvement plans and zoning policy in MD as well as provide a template for research in states with similar environmental justice issues.

Public Health and Land Use/Redevelopment: Creating Community Health Indicators

Because of real or perceived contamination, Brownfields/land reuse sites can adversely impact community well-being, creating a critical need for public health involvement. These sites typically are in lower socioeconomic areas with limited access to healthy foods, recreation, and jobs. Crime and poverty rates tend to be higher. In addition, low educational attainment; low property values and a higher percentage of deteriorated housing; and elevated blood lead levels in children are further disadvantages. Living among properties in need of revitalization can reinforce a climate of poor health and other disparities.

There is a need to measure community health in these areas and evaluate the benefits gained by redevelopment. Using the grass-roots ATSDR Brownfields/Land Revitalization Action Model, a diverse development community comprised of residents, city planners, government, non-profits, public health, and environmental health stakeholders can create and track many public health indicators associated with redevelopment.

Sessions participants will practice using an Action Model framework that includes traditional health indicators such as asthma or blood lead levels as well as community-driven indicators such as access to recreation or grocery stores. Participants will help develop revitalization approaches to address community issues, identify corresponding health benefits, and create additional indicators to measure community health status over time. This session can accept 50-60 people.

What's Hiding in Your Beauty Products?

In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 33 popular brands of lipstick for lead content at an independent lab. The results found 61% contained lead with levels ranging up to 0.65 ppm. The FDA (2009)released a follow-up study that found lead in all samples of lipstick tested. Upper levels of lead content were found to be four times higher than the levels in the 2007 study.


There is no safe level established for lead exposure. The CDC suggests avoiding all sources of lead exposure, including lead-containing cosmetics. Further, in 2011, Ontario-based researchers tested 49 popular make-up products for the presence of arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, beryllium, nickel, selenium and thallium. On average, each product tested contained four of the eight toxins. In the U.S., cosmetic companies are self-regulating. Less than 20 percent of the chemicals in personal care products have been tested for safety. Currently, there are no laws in the U.S. to protect consumers. At present, California is the only state working with the U.S. EPA to advance safer chemicals in everyday products.

EPA's Toxics Release Inventory: A Public Database of Toxic Chemical Releases

The Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a database that provides information to the public about toxic chemical releases from manufacturing facilities to the environment through the air, water, and land.

As a part of the community-right-to-know movement, the goal of TRI is to empower communities with this information and to support informed decision-making in industry, government, non-governmental organizations and the general public. TRI data can be used at a national, regional, state or local level. Beyond tracking releases, the inventory includes information about what facilities are doing to reduce releases through pollution prevention activities, and how facilities manage toxic chemicals through recycling, energy recovery and treatment.

EPA produces an annual report called the TRI National Analysis that includes EPA’s analysis and interpretation of this rich database, but any member of the public can conduct his or her own analysis using the publicly-available TRI data and EPA-developed analysis tools.

Revitalizing EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System Program: Improving Assessment Products, Enhancing Transparency, and Meeting Stakeholder Needs

EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Program provides information on potential human health effects from long term exposure to chemicals present in air, water, or land. IRIS assessments are a critical part of the scientific foundation for decisions to protect public health. IRIS assessments include information on the hazard of the chemical (hazard identification) as well as information about the relationship between the dose of the chemical and the effect or response (dose-response assessment). IRIS includes toxicity values (e.g., oral reference dose, inhalation reference concentration, oral cancer slope factor, inhalation unit risk) that, when combined with information about exposure, can be used to characterize the health risk of exposure to environmental chemicals. Because of the importance of IRIS to state and local health agencies that must make decisions about chemicals in the environment, EPA has been making improvements to the Program to better meet stakeholder needs and improve transparency.

This session will provide a brief overview of the IRIS Program and IRIS database, with information about how IRIS can be used to inform decision-making. It will highlight changes that are being made to make critical information more accessible to users. The session will also highlight efforts by the IRIS Program to aggressively engage a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including the public health community, throughout the IRIS assessment development process. This will be followed by a Q&A/discussion period during which participants may ask questions, offer their opinions on the changes the IRIS Program is making, and provide suggestions for changes the public health community would like to see in IRIS. Robust stakeholder engagement will help the IRIS Program better understand what chemicals are priorities for assessment; get feedback about the changes that are being made in the Program; and understand how IRIS can better meet decision-making needs.

PMS Toxicology

Pesticides, metals, and solvents are general classifications of chemicals by either intended use or chemical nature. Within each group, one can find similar benefits and adverse health effects. Explore the common themes of toxicity, benefits and route specific hazards for these groups of chemicals. Learn what public health professionals need to know for effective risk assessment, exposure reduction, and risk communication. [Graphic credit:
http://middlesextwp.com/departments/trash/recycling/household-hazardous-waste/attachment/househols-hazardous-waste]

Principles and applications of nanoinformatics in environmental health: Five key tools to support health and safety oversight in nanomaterials applications

The manipulation of matter at a near-atomic and molecular scale has resulted in the production of new structures, materials, and devices. In essence, this process is called nanotechnology - a promising scientific and technological advancement - which has applications in many areas of consumer and industrial products, including medicine, cosmetics, energy, sensors, and in manufacturing. Although no formal definition for nanotechnology, generally it involves engineered nanoparticles, nanostructures, nano-devices, nanomaterials and systems with various sizes that range from 1 to 100 nanometers. At this size, materials begin to exhibit unique properties that impact on their physical, chemical, and biological behavior that may not be similar to counterpart bulk materials. With recent advances in research to synthesize and characterize engineered nanoparticles and nanomaterials, concerns have emerged for their impact on safety and human health. The principles and application of nanoinformatics are reviewed to further understand how to prevent and minimize exposures to engineered nanoparticles, and hence, prevent potential injuries and illnesses associated with exposures. Five nanoinformatics tools are presented and illustration given on how the tools can support occupational and environmental health oversight in nanomaterials applications.