Workshop for
Researchers and Policymakers
Organized
by the Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center (NUATRC)
Air
Toxics: What We Know, What We Don’t Know, and What We Need to Know
October
17-18, 2005
University of Houston Hilton - Houston, Texas
(Please Note: click on the blue link for each speaker to view the PowerPoint Presentation)
SESSION I - Introduction
Describe
the workshop focus—developing the roadmap to answer the top questions that
policymakers need to have answered to make sound decisions on air toxics
exposure and control. Demonstrate that air toxics research is substantial,
diverse, and fragmented. Much efficiency and leveraging of information can be
gained by collaborating, and the NUATRC has developed a framework for this type
of research collaboration. The ATW also highlights TCEQ’s continuing emphasis
on incorporating available science into their mission to protect the public
health and welfare.
Speakers:
Mr.
Craig Beskid,
NUATRC President;
(Video)
Dr. Michael
Honeycutt, TCEQ Toxicology Manager
Dr. Lata Shirnamé-Moré, NUATRC Research Director;
(Video)
SESSION II - What We Know
Monitoring:
Provide researchers and stakeholders an overview of the current status of the
monitoring networks, other types of monitoring, and results.
Questions:
1) What type of ambient monitoring is performed? Who performs it? What is the
purpose?
Speaker:
Mr. David Brymer, TCEQ; (Video)
2)
What other types of monitoring
are performed in the region? What is the purpose?
Speakers:
Ms. Jane Laping,
Mothers for Clean Air;
(Video)
Mr. Bob Allen, Harris County;
(Video)
3) What
do the results show? What are the results telling us about Houston’s air
quality?
Speakers:
Mr. David Brymer,
TCEQ; (Video)
Mr. Steve Smith, Private Networks, HRM API Summary;
(Video)
Regulatory Programs:
Provide
researchers and stakeholders with a brief overview of the current and planned
regulatory approaches and other programs that reduce air toxics, discussed by
the agencies that have primary responsibility for implementing them.
Speakers:
Dr. George Woodall, US EPA NCEA
Acute Exposure Guideline Levels Workgroup; (Video)
Mr. Ruben Casso, US EPA Region VI;
(Video)
Ms. Susana Hildebrand, TCEQ; (Video)
Ms. Elena Marks, City of Houston; (Video)
Moderator: Dr. Linda Sheldon, US EPA ORD;
Q&A Session Video
SESSION III - Focus on Houston Research
Identification and discussion about
what the SHERP is, why it was formed, and basic conclusions reached in the
original 2002 project.
Speaker:
Ms. Beth Beloff, BRIDGES to Sustainability;
(Video)
Identification
and discussion of the current SHERP’s preliminary recommendations
Speaker: Dr. Maria Morandi, University of Texas HSC SPH – SHERP
Member; (Video)
Discussion of
the Houston Endowment Air Toxics Study
Speaker: Dr. Matt Fraser, Rice University;
(Video)
Moderator: Mr. Craig Beskid
SESSION IV - Exposure Assessment
Each speaker will be asked to give their unique perspective and talk about their research endeavors on these exposure assessment questions.
Questions:
1) EPA’s Office of
Inspector General report states that EPA is interested in trying to tie
community monitoring efforts to concurrent exposure and health studies, because
EPA lacks data on how ambient concentrations relate to actual human exposures
and ultimately health impacts. Is this an appropriate goal? What programs are
in currently in place to accomplish this? Are they succeeding in providing
useful data and information to policymakers? Is EPA-supported monitoring of
sufficient duration to do these studies—prioritizing resources, compounds,
areas?
2) Can ambient
monitoring be linked to personal exposure monitoring to better study exposure?
Speakers:
Dr. Tom Stock, EPA Region VI Assessment; (Video)
Dr. Junfeng (Jim) Zhang, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
Institute: RIOPA Study; (Video)
Dr. Jonathan Ward, Mayor’s Panel Member;
(Video)
Mr. Ted Johnson, TRJ Consulting;
(Video)
Dr. Tina Bahadori, American Chemistry Council (ACC);
(Video)
Moderator: Dr. David Garabrant; Q&A Session Video
SESSION V - Human Health Effects
Identification and discussion of human health effects questions. Each speaker will be asked to give their unique perspective and talk about their research endeavors on these health effects questions.
Questions:
1) Do better exposure
estimates yield stronger associations with health effects?
2) What is the appropriate proportion of attention that should be given to
chronic and acute health outcomes?
3) Do mortality, cancer, exacerbation of asthma, and other respiratory and
cardiovascular diseases correlate with exposure?
Speakers:
Chronic:
Dr. Stuart Cagen, Shell; (Video)
Dr. William Boyes, US EPA;
(Video)
Acute:
Dr. Winnie Hamilton, Baylor College
of Medicine; (Video)
Mr. Nathan Pechacek, TCEQ;
(Video)
Dr. Herminia Palacio, Harris County;
(Video)
Moderator:
Dr. Jim Collins, Dow Chemical Company;
Q&A Session Video
SESSION VI - Risk Communication
Provide an opportunity for
professionals in risk communication to discuss risk communication techniques
with the air toxics researchers and policymakers that are challenged to
communicate their results to the public.
Questions:
How can we better
educate the public about air toxics issues, such as dose, cumulative risk
(synergy and antagonism of pollutants), and effects screening levels? How can we
provide information to the general public about air toxics data and what it
means in a way that most people can understand?
Speakers:
Dr. Rebecca Parkin, George Washington University;
(Video)
Ms. Dina Capiello, Houston Chronicle;
(Video)
Mr. Dennis Winkler, Winkler Public Relations;
(Video)
Mr. John Wilson, GHASP; (Video)
Mr. Andy Saenz, TCEQ; (Video)
Moderator:
Dr. Bertram Price, Price Associates;
Q&A
Session
Video
SESSION VII - Modeling and EI Needs
Discuss recent
developments and identify needed new research into modeling and emissions
inventories.
Questions:
1) What new
developments have occurred in the fields of modeling and emissions inventories
that can be used to improve our understanding of air toxics health effects,
exposure and control?
2) What improvements are needed to reduce estimation and modeling uncertainties
and improve predictive capabilities?
Speakers:
Mr. Bob McConnell, US EPA Region I;
(Video)
Dr. Harvey Jeffries, University of North Carolina: UNC Integrated Health
Effects/Modeling Study; (Video)
Dr. Daewon Byun, University of Houston: Developments in Air Toxics Modeling;
(Video)
Moderator: Pertti (Bert) Hakkinen
Lunch Presentation: TexAQSII Remote Sensing VOC Project - Video I (55.5MB) Video II (107MB)
SESSION VIII - Learning What We Need to
Know
Discussion of how TCEQ,
researchers, and stakeholders could work together to leverage resources and fill
the data gaps identified earlier in the workshop.
Questions:
What have we learned
as we have gone through the workshop? Did we accomplish our goals set out at
the beginning of the conference? Are there ways that the assembled groups could
work together to collaborate on research? Are there ways to leverage funds more
effectively, or combine either in small or large groups to advocate more
effectively for additional funds for research?
Speakers:
Dr. Michael Honeycutt, TCEQ Toxicology Manager
Mr. Craig Beskid, NUATRC President
Mr. Ramon Alvarez, EDF
Dr. Jay Olaguer, TERC
Mr. Doug Deason, ExxonMobil
Moderator: Dr. Michael Cunningham, NIEHS;
Session VIII Video