Interpreting Mobile and Handheld Air Sensor Readings in Relation to Air Quality Standards and Health Effect Reference Values: Tackling the Challenges.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies face a number of challenges in interpreting and reconciling short-duration (seconds to minutes) readings from mobile and handheld air sensors with the longer duration averages (hours to days) associated with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for the criteria pollutants-particulate matter (PM), ozone, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides. Similar issues are equally relevant to the hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) where chemical-specific health effect reference values are the best indicators of exposure limits; values which are often based on a lifetime of continuous exposure. A multi-agency, staff-level Air Sensors Health Group (ASHG) was convened in 2013.

Considerations for estimating microbial environmental data concentrations collected from a field setting.

In the event of an indoor release of an environmentally persistent microbial pathogen such as Bacillus anthracis, the potential for human exposure will be considered when remedial decisions are made. Microbial site characterization and clearance sampling data collected in the field might be used to estimate exposure. However, there are many challenges associated with estimating environmental concentrations of B.

Human health risk assessment database, "the NHSRC toxicity value database": supporting the risk assessment process at US EPA's National Homeland Security Research Center.

The toxicity value database of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Homeland Security Research Center has been in development since 2004. The toxicity value database includes a compilation of agent property, toxicity, dose-response, and health effects data for 96 agents: 84 chemical and radiological agents and 12 biotoxins. The database is populated with multiple toxicity benchmark values and agent property information from secondary sources, with web links to the secondary sources, where available.

Whistleblower protection for nurses and other health care professionals.

Because most employees in the United States, including health care professionals, are employed "at will" (which means their employment can be terminated for any reason or no reason, as long as the reason isn't illegal), retaliatory actions by employers toward employees who speak out (i.e., blow the whistle) are not uncommon.

Overview of EPA Superfund human health research program.

This paper presents major research needs for the Superfund program, and provides an overview of the EPA Office of Research and Development's (ORDs) current human health research program designed to fill some of those data gaps. Research is presented in terms of the risk paradigm and covers exposure, effects, and assessment activities directly funded by Superfund, as well as research not funded by Superfund but directly applicable to Superfund research needs. Research on risk management is not covered.