Quantitative Assessment of Quantitative Assessment of Cumulative Impacts:Cumulative Impacts:

Challenges and ProgressChallenges and Progress

Lauren ZeiseLauren ZeiseCal/EPA Office of Environmental Health Cal/EPA Office of Environmental Health

Hazard AssessmentHazard Assessment

CAPCOA Workshop: CAPCOA Workshop: Health Impact of Air Pollution on CommunitiesHealth Impact of Air Pollution on Communities

September 19, 2007September 19, 2007Carson, CaliforniaCarson, California

““Problem Formulation” Problem Formulation” What’s being decided?What’s being decided? What are the questions?What are the questions?

ScienceScience What we knowWhat we know What we don’t know What we don’t know Analytical toolsAnalytical tools

PracticePractice Who assessesWho assesses How assessment is doneHow assessment is done What’s assessedWhat’s assessed Who uses it and how do theyWho uses it and how do they

Quantitative CI Assessment:Quantitative CI Assessment:ChallengesChallenges and and

ProgressProgress

ChallengesChallenges

#1: Problem Formulation#1: Problem FormulationWhat question does the CIA address?What question does the CIA address?

What can be done to insure risk What can be done to insure risk doesn’t increase when an new doesn’t increase when an new facility is introduced? facility is introduced?

Is the environmental risk load for Is the environmental risk load for the community too large? the community too large?

How is the community impacted? How is the community impacted?

The Great The Great SeparationSeparation

Risk Risk AssessmeAssessme

ntnt

Risk Risk ManagemeManageme

ntnt

Unclear how to dialog to get to right Unclear how to dialog to get to right questions, analyses and decisions for the questions, analyses and decisions for the

communitycommunity

#2: Science#2: Science List Driven AssessmentsList Driven Assessments

Toxic Hot Spot Toxic Hot Spot (AB2588), Toxic Air (AB2588), Toxic Air Contaminants, Criteria Contaminants, Criteria Air PollutantsAir Pollutants

No endpoint specific No endpoint specific test, no value, no risktest, no value, no risk

Not listed, no riskNot listed, no risk No exposure estimate, No exposure estimate,

no risk estimateno risk estimate Long listing process, Long listing process,

high evidence high evidence threshold for some threshold for some listslists

Data GapsData Gaps

Source GapsSource Gaps Exposure GapsExposure Gaps Toxicity GapsToxicity Gaps Cumulative Effects Cumulative Effects

GapsGaps

““Not everything Not everything that counts can be that counts can be counted, and not counted, and not everything that everything that can be counted can be counted counts.”counts.” Albert EinsteinAlbert Einstein

Scientific Knowledge GapScientific Knowledge Gap

Still limited understanding Still limited understanding aboutabout

How most chemicals cause human How most chemicals cause human diseasedisease

How chemicals interact with each How chemicals interact with each other and other factors (e.g., SES) to other and other factors (e.g., SES) to cause diseasecause disease

Science: Science: Limited confidence in risk Limited confidence in risk

attributions from environmental attributions from environmental causes for most community causes for most community

diseasesdiseases

#3: Practice#3: Practice Typical Risk AssessmentTypical Risk Assessment

Chemical-by-chemicalChemical-by-chemical Media-by-mediaMedia-by-media Source-by-sourceSource-by-source Most community characteristics not Most community characteristics not

consideredconsidered Typical Regulatory ApproachTypical Regulatory Approach

Each authority considers source-by-Each authority considers source-by-source projects or facilities within its source projects or facilities within its mandates and jurisdictionmandates and jurisdiction

No integration across jurisdictionsNo integration across jurisdictions

Progress Progress

Along long and near term Along long and near term trajectoriestrajectories

#1: Asking the right #1: Asking the right questionsquestions

NAS 1996 NAS 1996 Understanding RiskUnderstanding Risk::Stakeholder involvement in early and all stages of Stakeholder involvement in early and all stages of assessmentassessment

Decision/assessment schemes have moved toward this Decision/assessment schemes have moved toward this approach (e.g., US EPA)approach (e.g., US EPA)

Cal/EPA dialog with California Environmental Justice Advisory Cal/EPA dialog with California Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (“CEJAC”)Committee (“CEJAC”)

Cumulative Impacts & Cumulative Impacts & Environmental Justice in CaliforniaEnvironmental Justice in California““Cumulative impacts means exposures, Cumulative impacts means exposures,

public health or environmental effects from public health or environmental effects from the the combined emissions and discharges in combined emissions and discharges in a geographic areaa geographic area, including environmental , including environmental pollution from all sources, whether single or pollution from all sources, whether single or multi-media, routinely, accidentally or multi-media, routinely, accidentally or otherwise released. Impacts will take into otherwise released. Impacts will take into account account sensitive populations and socio-sensitive populations and socio-economic factorseconomic factors, where applicable and to , where applicable and to the extent data are available.”the extent data are available.”

Cal/EPA, Feb. Cal/EPA, Feb. 20052005

#2: Science Initiatives and #2: Science Initiatives and DevelopmentsDevelopments

Developing high Developing high throughput throughput approaches to capture approaches to capture early markers of early markers of toxicitytoxicity National Academies National Academies

2007 2007 Toxicity TestingToxicity Testing NTP RoadmapNTP Roadmap EPA ToxCastEPA ToxCast

Upstream approaches Upstream approaches enable greater numbers enable greater numbers

of chemicals to be of chemicals to be assessed assessed

provide scientific basis provide scientific basis for precautionary for precautionary approachesapproaches

BiologicInputs

NormalBiologicFunction

Adaptive StressResponses

Morbidity andMortality

Exposure

Tissue Dose

Biologic I nteraction

Perturbation

Early CellularChanges

Cell I njury

NAS 2007

Recognition of Impacts of Background and Recognition of Impacts of Background and Vulnerability on Risk Vulnerability on Risk

Background Background BiologicalBiological ExposureExposure

VulnerabilityVulnerability Age, genetics, health disease statusAge, genetics, health disease status Interactions with SES and other Interactions with SES and other

community factorscommunity factors

California Environmental California Environmental Chemical Biomonitoring Chemical Biomonitoring

ProgramProgram SB 1379 (Perata-Ortiz) signed into law SB 1379 (Perata-Ortiz) signed into law

September 2006September 2006 Planning $$ in Governors 2007-2008 budgetPlanning $$ in Governors 2007-2008 budget Program to measures baseline levels of Program to measures baseline levels of

environmental chemicals in Californiansenvironmental chemicals in Californians Will serve as a point of comparison for Will serve as a point of comparison for

community exposurescommunity exposures Near term, data can help Near term, data can help predictpredict cumulative cumulative

exposure and riskexposure and risk Long term, markers of effect may help Long term, markers of effect may help

measuremeasure cumulative health impacts cumulative health impacts

Additional Areas of Scientific Additional Areas of Scientific Progress Progress

(types of things discussed at this CAPCOA meeting)(types of things discussed at this CAPCOA meeting) Tools readily used by non-experts under Tools readily used by non-experts under

developmentdevelopment More technically complex CI analytical tools More technically complex CI analytical tools

being developedbeing developed Disease and exposures tracking and Disease and exposures tracking and

monitoringmonitoring Continuing epidemiological developments Continuing epidemiological developments

exploring and confirming community disease exploring and confirming community disease and environmental exposure relationshipsand environmental exposure relationships

#3: Practice at Cal/EPA#3: Practice at Cal/EPA

Initiated: Development of Cal/EPA Initiated: Development of Cal/EPA Framework for Cumulative Impact Framework for Cumulative Impact AssessmentAssessment

Research and technical assistance Research and technical assistance from UCfrom UC

Formation of a Cumulative Impacts Formation of a Cumulative Impacts and Precautionary Approaches and Precautionary Approaches Workgroup Workgroup

Cumulative Impacts and Cumulative Impacts and Precautionary Precautionary Approaches Workgroup Approaches Workgroup to advise on:to advise on: Proposed Cumulative Proposed Cumulative

Impact (CI) and Impact (CI) and Precautionary Precautionary Assessment FrameworksAssessment Frameworks

Tools for CITools for CI Opportunities for use of Opportunities for use of

CI assessment in CI assessment in decision-makingdecision-making

Implementation, including Implementation, including proposals for policy, proposals for policy, regulatory and statutory regulatory and statutory changeschanges