EPA Research
Ramona Trovato
Jeff Morris
Office of Research and Development
March 29, 2011
What is Sustainability?
Development that meets
the needs of the present
without compromising the
ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.
—Brundtland Commission, 1987
Office of Research and Development EPA Research 2
Systems Approach
regulate evaluate, purchase
evaluate, purchase educate
Industry Society
collaborate,
collaborate,
catalyze
catalyze
innovate
Innovate
research
regulate
regulate
research research
protect, restore
protect, restore facilitate
facilitate
Environment
Office of Research and Development
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ORD National Research Programs
Air Climate and Energy Human Health Risk
Assessment
Safe and
Sustainable Chemical
Safety for
Water Sustainability
Resources
Homeland Security
Sustainable and
Healthy Communities
Webinar: Built R10 Listening Session
Portfolio Webinar Environment 3/1 12:00 PM in Eugene-Springfield,
Date: 03/21/11 Date: 04/06/11 01:00 Stakeholder Webinar OR
PM – 2:00 PM Date: 03/30/11
ACE SSWR CSS SHCRP
Webinar: Nutrient
R10 Listening Session
Partner Meeting RTP Loading 3/15 12:00 PM in Spokane, WA
Date: 03/28/11 Date: 04/14/11 01:00 Stakeholder Webinar
Date: 04/01/11
PM – 2:00 PM
R2 Listening Session in
Webinar: Agriculture
Wyandanch, NY
Date: 04/20/11 01:00
Date: 04/06/11 01:00
PM – 2:00 PM
PM – 3:00 PM
Webinar: Water Listening Session R1 in
Ecosystems Protection Boston, MA
Date: 04/26/11 01:00 Date: 04/07/11 01:00
PM – 2:00 PM PM – 2:00 PM
Webinar: Energy/ Listening Session R4 in
Materials Extraction Asheville, NC
Date: 05/05/1 11:00 Date: 04/12/11 08:30
PM – 2:00 PM AM – 4:00 PM
SHCRP Community
Webinar: Chemicals
Engagement Meeting
Date: 05/11/11 01:00 in Durham, NC
PM – 2:00 PM
Date: 04/20/11
SHCRP External Key
Leaders Partners
Meeting in RTP, NC
Date: 04/13/11
SHCRP EPA
Stakeholder
Integrated Meeting
Opportunities for Input Dates: 04/26/11 –
04/27/11
and Direction SHCRP: ORD Multi
Partner Meeting in
RTP, NC
Dates: 04/28/11 –
04/29/11
Context: The Chemicals Situation
Many Chemicals Little Data (%)
60
10000 50
1000 40
30
100
20
10
10
1 0
IRIS TRI Pesticides Acute Cancer Gentox
Inerts CCL HPV Dev Tox Repro Tox
MPV
Judson, et al EHP (2009)
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Why Is It Time to Change How EPA Conducts
Chemicals Research?
Because new technology and greater
knowledge give us the opportunity to
. . .introduce new substances, such as
carbon nanotubes . . .
Source: NASA
. . . in a more environmentally
sustainable way than we were
able to do with substances
such as asbestos in the 20th
century . . . Source: ATSDR
. . . and provide more efficient
tools for assessments.
HTS Robotic Platform 7
Example of a Potential Game Changer:
ToxCast enabling more chemical assessments using less resources
ToxRefDB ToxCast
?
300 Chemicals
$2B $6M
30 years 2 years
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Traditional Toxicology Computational Toxicology
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Generating Data to Support an Integrated
Evaluation Strategy: An Nanomaterials Example
Physicochemical
and transformation in air,
Data on fate, transport,
Characterization
water, soil, food
Selected specific Well-characterized
nanoparticle types based manufactured
on EPA and international nanomaterials, and
(OECD) priorities transformation
products
Alternative Test
Methods In Vivo
(Non-Cellular and -Screen/Rank
-Design In Vivo Toxicology
Cellular Based Assays)
Testing
-Identify and Validate
Alternative
In Vitro Tests
Predictive of In
Vivo Toxicity
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Green Chemistry Opportunities
EPA is seeking to advance safe,
sustainable nanomaterials by:
• Identifying what properties of specific materials may cause them to be
hazardous and/or mobile, persistent, or bioavailable (e.g., nano-cerium
fuel additives)
• Developing lifecycle assessment methodologies to understand inputs
and releases from the development, use, and disposal/recycling of
nanomaterials (e.g., lifecycle assessment of nano-enabled lithium-ion
batteries)
• Testing green chemistry approaches that can lead to creating
nanoparticles with low environmental impact
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Priority Science Needs (beyond R&D, beyond EPA) to
Better Inform Policy Decisions
Green chemistry and safer-by-design research that
advances sustainable nanotechnology
New decision-analysis approaches to more quickly and
effectively use scientific information to inform decisions
that weigh the benefits and impacts of technologies across
product life cycles
Enhanced scientific collaborations within and across all
sectors: government (including state and local), industry,
and academia
See www.css.ideascale.com for more on ORD chemical safety research
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