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Environmental Health

This presentation by Robert Duff, Director of the Office of Environmental Health Assessments at the Washington State Department of Health, discusses significant environmental health problems in the Pacific Northwest. Key topics include comparative risk assessments of air quality issues, persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs) like PCBs and methylmercury, fish consumption advisories, and the impact of soil contamination from arsenic and lead. The session emphasizes the importance of protecting vulnerable populations while promoting safe fish consumption and outlines strategies to mitigate risks associated with toxic substances.

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Environmental Health

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Presentation Transcript

  1. May 20 , 2005 Environmental Health Issues and Priorities in the Pacific Northwest Robert Duff Director Office of Environmental Health Assessments Washington State Department of Health Highline Community College – Tacoma, WA

  2. Comparative Risk Projects • EPA and states •  US EPA in 1987 issued Unfinished Business: A Comparative Assessment of Environmental Problems • Regions and states followed • Highest ranking issues • Indoor air • Outdoor air • Others • Lead, pesticides, food

  3. Non-cancer RiskCancer Risk Response Threshold No Threshold Type of Result Yes/No Probability Risk Assessment Methods

  4. Non-Cancer Assessment Threshold RESPONSE “Safety Factors” DOSE Health benchmark

  5. Non-cancer RiskCancer Risk Response Threshold No Threshold Type of Result Yes/No Probability New guidance moving toward a more qualitative approach that acknowledges thresholds Assessment Methods

  6. Cancer Assessment Measurable Range (Epidemiology or Animal Study) 500 in 10,000 # of Cancers Threshold? 1,000 in 10,000 100 in 10,000 50 in 10,000 Predicted Range (Risk Assessment) DOSE

  7. Challenges - Uncertainty • Exposure • Models versus measurement • “Background” • Toxicity • Cancer – low dose extrapolation • Mixtures • Endocrine disruption • Environmental justice

  8. Challenges - Background Exposure • EPA is not calculating an RfD (Reference Dose) for dioxin….. • “Any RfD that the Agency would recommend under the traditional approach for setting an RfD is likely to be 2-3 orders of magnitude (100-1,000) below current background intakes and body burdens. Because exceeding the RfD is not a statement of risk, discussion of an RfD for an incremental exposure when the RfD has already been exceeded by average background exposures is meaningless.”

  9. Major Issues in the Pacific Northwest • Persistent, bioaccumulative toxics (PBTs) • Fish consumption advisories • Area-wide soil contamination • Arsenic and lead

  10. What are Persistent, bioaccumulative toxics (PBTs)? • Polychlorinated biphenlys (PCBs), methyl mercury, organochlorine pesticides (DDT, chlordane), dioxin, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (flame retardants) • Build-up in our environment and our bodies • Slow to breakdown in the environment • Uptake exceeds elimination rate • Often store in fat (not methylmercury) • Also known as POP’s

  11. Why are we concerned? • Recent fish consumption studies show in utero exposure results in developmental problems • PCBs and methylmercury • Learning and behavior deficits • PBDEs – flame retardants • Similar effects in animal studies

  12. What is a fish advisory? • General advice • Choosing fish with lower contaminant levels • Cooking and preparation • Variety • Meal limits • Generally bounded by upper and lower limits for effectiveness • 4, 2, 1, 0 meals/month • EPA guidance

  13. What is a fish advisory? • Species specific • Most advice is broken down by species • Surrogates can be used for trophic levels • Water body specific • Hazardous waste release or just a lake that was sampled? • DOH currently has 14 water body specific advisories • Statewide advice • Mercury

  14. Who are we trying to protect? • High-end consumers • Native American tribes • Asian and Pacific Islander communities • Women of child-bearing age and children • Clearly a concern for the developing fetus • PCBs and mercury • Flame retardants, dioxin? • General population • For PCBs not mercury • No consensus on mercury effects in adults • Blood pressure

  15. Key Messages • Eat fish, Be smart • Fish are good for you • Omega-3 fatty acids • Moving away from “limit, limit, limit” • Provide info so consumers can eat heart health 2 meals/week - American Heart Association • Most people do not eat 2 meals per week • Many choices are safe to eat at this rate

  16. Key Messages • Work with high consumers • Tribes, Asian Pacific islanders communities • Benefits of more than 2 meals per week likely still outweigh risks • Cutoff???? • What are we doing to get/keep PBTs out of our food web???

  17. Communication is Key From Oregon – Portland Harbor/Willamette River Presentation – D. Stone

  18. Global Efforts to reduce PBTs • International • Persistent Organic Pollutants • Stockholm Convention • Europe • REACH • Registration, evaluation and authorization of chemical products • Precautionary principle

  19. Global Efforts to reduce PBTs • US EPA • Toxics Substances Control Act (TSCA) • PBDE Significant New Use Rule • Clean Air Act • Mercury • Washington • PBT Initiative • Mercury, flame retardants - PBTs

  20. Area-wide Soil Contamination • Arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) in Washington State • Old orchard lands • Tacoma smelter plume • Everett smelter • Northport smelter

  21. Area-wide Soil Contamination • Orchard lands not well characterized • Spraying was sporadic • GIS with aerial photography • Identifying old sites • Targeting both sampling and education

  22. Libby, Montana

  23. Vermiculite - asbestos • Libby, MT • background • Vermiculite • Contained high-levels 30-50% asbestos (tremolite) • Direct link to health effects • Nationwide problem • Exfoliation facilities • Attic insulation

  24. Vermiculite - asbestos • Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry • Medical screening • Nationwide follow-up on over 200 sites • 28 priority sites including one in Spokane and Portland • National Asbestos Exposure Review • EPA cleanup of site and homes in Libby ongoing

  25. Pleural Findings – All Views Interstitial - PA View Exposure Class n Normal Abnormal Normal Abnormal No Apparent Exposure 122 116 (95%) 6 (5%) 121 (99%) 1 (1%) 1-3 Exposure Pathways 1569 1394 (89%) 175 (11%) 1559 (99%) 10 (1%) 4-5 Exposure Pathways 1488 1262 (85%) 226 (15%) 1471 (99%) 17 (1%) 6+ Exposure Pathways 2411 1824 (76%) 587 (24%) 2390 (99%) 21 (1%) Vermiculite - asbestos Total 5590 994 (17.8%) 49 (0.9%) Background 0.2 to 2.3 %

  26. Vermiculite - asbestos • Legislation • Liability and compensation • Ban – Sen. Murray • Asbestos is not banned in the US • US District court overturned EPA ban of most uses in 1990 • Future activities - EPA and ATSDR • Assess 28 exfoliation facilities across US • Address vermiculite in attic insulation

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