Appendix 4.
EPA Office of Research and Development Drinking Water
Research Program
GOALS
- Develop scientifically sound
approaches to assessing and characterizing
drinking water risks.
- Provide common-sense,
cost-effective approaches for preventing and
managing drinking water risks.
OBJECTIVES
- Characterize health effects caused
by exposure to drinking water contaminants.
- Develop and apply analytical and
exposure measurement methods to assess human
exposures to drinking water contaminants.
- Develop more realistic assessments
of drinking water risks.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of
options for reducing drinking water risks.
RESULTS
- Support the development of
drinking water standards.
- Support the identification of
"Best Available Technology" for
drinking water treatment.
- Provide technical assistance to
States and localities.
APPROACH
- Conduct research in house in
Office of Research and Development labs.
- Sponsor research at universities
and other institutions through competitively
awarded grants and cooperative agreements.
- Coordinate research efforts with
other Federal agencies and research
organizations.
RESEARCH PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Health Effects Research
Current research areas
- Toxicology—evaluation
of cancer, reproductive, and other
effects of priority contaminants.
- Studies to improve
understanding of biological basis for
effects.
- Human
studies—epidemiology, where
feasible, on different types of
disinfected waters to evaluate chemical
and microbial risks.
Accomplishments
- Key toxicity data for
setting trihalomethane and haloacid
standards.
- Critical data on arsenic
metabolism and toxicity.
- Dose-response information
on Cryptosporidium.
Future directions
- Health impacts of
alternative disinfectants.
- More emphasis on noncancer
effects, e.g., reproductive data to
improve biological basis for assessing
risk.
Exposure Assessment Research
Current research areas
- Develop standardized and
cost-effective methods for chemical
contaminants, with emphasis on byproducts
of alternative disinfectants.
- Develop more reliable
methods for detection of protozoa, e.g., Cryptosporidium,
and viruses.
- Improve characterization
of byproduct formation under different
disinfection scenarios.
Accomplishments
- Developed and validated
methods for measuring drinking water
pollutants; disinfection byproducts; bacteria, parasites, and
viruses; and pesticides and metals.
- Developed screening
methods for compliance monitoring.
- Developed quality
assurance training, workshops, and
certification of laboratories throughout
the United States.
Future directions
- Identification of
byproducts from alternative
disinfectants, e.g., ozone.
- Assessments of actual
exposures to contaminants.
Risk Assessment Research
Current research areas
- Comparative risk analysis:
chemicals and microbes.
- Risk assessment methods.
- Single chemical.
- Multiple chemicals/complex
exposures.
- Cancer risk assessments
for specific dibromopropanes.
- Analysis of epidemiology
studies.
Accomplishments
- Improved methods for
noncancer effects, e.g., benchmark dose,
risk above the reference dose for
aldicarb, arsenic, and boron.
- Improved methods for
cancer risk assessment, e.g., threshold
models for carcinogens (dichloroacetic
acids), and combined data assessments
(PCB’s, dibromo-chloromethane).
Future directions
- Better methods for use of
human data.
- Microbial risk assessment.
- Comparative risk
assessment.
Risk Management Research
Current research areas
- Membrane technology
evaluation—potential for removal of
microorganisms, chemicals, and
particulates.
- Use of ozone for
disinfection and resulting byproducts.
- Cryptosporidium
removal techniques.
- Cost and modeling
studies—used by water utilities to
design cost-effective treatment systems.
- Control of copper in
drinking water systems.
Accomplishments
- Dispatched experts to help
local authorities control outbreaks of
waterborne diseases in Milwaukee, New
York, and Peru.
- Research leading to
largest granular activated carbon
treatment plant in world (Cincinnati).
- Evaluation of
"package plants" for small
community drinking water systems.
- Evaluation of filtration
for controlling and removing microbial
pathogens.
- Software for predicting
water quality in distribution systems.
Future directions
- Integrated treatment
studies on pathogens and disinfection
byproducts.
- Small system technologies.
- Source water protection
strategies.
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