EPA’s Risk Management Evaluation of EDCs
Gregory D. Sayles
U.S EPA Office of Research and Development
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Cincinnati, Ohio

Presentation Overview
RME for EDCs
RM Research Questions
Research Program
Restof the Workshop

What is a Risk Management Evaluation (RME)?
The current understanding of risk management of an environmental challenge
Important sources of problem, environmental sinks
Currently available RM approaches
Identifies knowledge gaps, research needs

Uses for RMEs?
.. Defines the environmental problem
.. Gives current and future RM options to stakeholders (regulators, public interest 
groups, etc.)
..Allows environmental consultants / engineers to asses current skills and future investment
..Assists in research planning

Development of the RME Concept
..NRMRL developed several pilot RMEs for internal review
..One pilot RME was for EDCs
..Protocol for building RMEs drafted by NRMRL

The RME for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
Writing Team
Gregory Sayles, lead writer
John Cicmanec
Steve Hutchins
Paul Lemieux
Carl Potter
Kathleen Schenck

Summary of Content
For a list of likely EDCs, describes
.. Known health and eco effects
.. Significant sources to the environment
.. Significant exposures / environmental sinks
.. Risk management tools
- established
- needed

RME Structure
..Chapter 1
..Chapter 2
..
..
..Chapter N-1
..Chapter N
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.
.
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RME Structure
.. Chapter 1
• Intro to EDC problem 
• Regulatory mandate
• Goals of document
• EDCs considered
.. Chapter 2 to Chapter N-1
• Known health, eco effects
• Known sources
• Known reservoirs
• Useful RM approaches 
– established or new
..Chapter N....
• Summary of 
- RM tools available
- RM research needs

Version 1.0
• Alkylphenols
• Steroid hormones: biogenic and pharmaceutical
• PCBs
• Chlorinated dioxins and furans
• DDT and DDE

Later versions
• Bisphenol A
• Phthalates
• Atrazine
• Methoxychlor
• Endosulfan
• Others?

Alkylphenolics, especially Nonylphenolics
.. EDCs of interest:
- Nonylphenol
- Nonylphenol ethoxylates
- Nonylphenol ethoxy carboxylic acids
.. Eco effects –lab and field observation of estrogenic activity
.. Human effects –none, except in vitro tests using human cell lines (estrogenic)

Parent Chemical
Nonylphenol polyethoxylate
NPnE 
Not estrogenic

Generation of EDCs
Chart Contact Greg Sayles at sayles.gregory@epa.gov or (513) 569-7607

Uses for Nonylphenolics
.. Nonylphenol
• Antioxidant, lube oils
.. Nonylphenol ethoxylate surfactants
• Industrial and domestic detergents
• Plastics, ag chemicals, paper production
• Not EDCs
• Biotransformed into EDCs in
- sewage treatment plants
- the environment

Market for NPE 
.. 350 -500 million lbs / yr sold
.. NPE used in:
• Home detergents
- Laundry detergent
- Hard surface cleaner
• Industrial cleaners
- Metal
- Vehicle
- Hard surface cleaning
- Commercial laundry
• Industrial products
- Plastics
- Textiles
- Paper
- Ag chemicals

Likely Sources
.. Wastewater treatment plants
• Domestic and industrial
.. Pulp and paper mills
.. Pesticide use
.. Textile mills (probably)

Source Data
LSewage Treatment Effluent - Nonylphenol 
Chart Contact Greg Sayles at sayles.gregory@epa.gov or (513) 569-7607

Reservoir Data
Nonylphenol:
.. Sediments - Canada less than or equal to 44 mg/kg 
.. Surface Water – UK less than or equal to 19 Fg/L 
.. Groundwater - Cape Cod 30 Fg/L 
.. Drinking water – Spain less than or equal to 0.14 Fg/L
.. Air - NY City area less than or equal to 25 ng/m3 

Risk Management Approaches
.. Phase out / Product substitution
• e.g., EU and alcohol ethoxylates
.. Alter sewage treatment plant operation
• Improve aqueous effluent
- Add PAC to secondary treatment
- Add tertiary GAC treatment
- Add tertiary granular medium filtration 
- Alter secondary treatment process variables

Research Questions
..What is the performance of unit processes in STPs?
..Do current sludge disposal methods perform well? 
..What is the capacity of aquatic sediments to manage the input of APs?

Research Questions
..Are other sewage treatment processes significant sources?
• Septic systems
• Constructed wetlands
..Are conventional drinking water treatment methods adequate? If not, are advanced treatment technologies?

Biogenic / Pharmaceutical 
Steroid Hormones
.. EDCs of interest:
• natural steroid hormones, especially estrogens
• Veterinary steroid hormones
.. Effects –humans/mammals, birds, fish have steroid hormone receptors

Structures of Some Hormones
Chart Contact Greg Sayles at sayles.gregory@epa.gov or (513) 569-7607

Sources
.. Sewage treatment plants
.. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)

Sinks / Reservoirs
.. Surface water
• Widely observed 1 – 10 ng/l
.. Sediments
• Expected accumulation - log Kow= 3 - 4
.. Ground water
• Estradiol #60 ng/l (CAFO source)

RM Approaches
.. Hormones aerobically biodegradable
.. Will partition to activated carbon

RM Research Questions
.. What is the fate of steroid hormones in unit processes of STPs? 
.. How can STPs be improved to increase treatment?
.. Are sludges significant reservoirs for steroids?
.. Are sediments a significant sink? Are natural processes protective?

RM Research Questions
.. What is the hormone content of animal waste? 
.. Do current waste management practices at CAFOs minimize environmental exposure? If not, how can they be improved?
.. Does conventional drinking water treatment remove hormones? If not, are innovative approaches available?

PCBs
.. Research questions:
• What is the short term risk associated with dredging sediments?
• What is the long-term stability/effectiveness of capping sediments?
• When is natural attenuation/recovery of sediments effective?

Chlorinated Dioxins and Furans
.. Research Questions
• How can incinerators be operated to produce less chlorinated dioxins and furans
• What combustion processes produce more/less endocrine active compounds?
• How can the high producing processes be modified to minimize release?

RME - Evolution
.. The RMEis a living document
• Version 1.0 will be completed Fall ‘02
• Later versions roughly bi-annually 
• Peer reviewed

NRMRL's EDC Research Program
.. Project areas based on RME research questions
.. EPA Principle Investigator driven‘s EDC Research Program

NRMRL's EDC Research Program
.. Sewage Treatment
• EDC fate within STPs
- Paul McCauley / Dick Brenner
• EDCs in sediments
- Greg Sayles / Marc Mills
..Drinking water treatment
• Effectiveness of conventional and advanced treatments
- Kathy Schenck

NRMRL‘s EDC Research Areas
.. Confined Animal Feeding Operations
• CAFOs as a source of EDCs
• Effectiveness of waste management practices
.. Steve Hutchins / Carl Enfield
• Pollution Prevention Tool development for identification of EDC substitutes
• Doug Young

NRMRL‘s EDC Research Areas
.. Combustion Characterization 
• EDC content of various process effluents
• Brian Gullett
.. Bioassays for RM Performance Evaluation
• Bioassays show big picture performance of RM
• Carolyn Acheson

NRMRL‘s EDC Research Areas
.. Technical Information Transfer
• Summary documents, web site, workshops

RM Decision-Making Tools
.. Risk management decisions for EDCs will be required more frequently
.. What RM tools do you have?
• This Workshop (in person, CD-ROM)
• Risk Management Evaluation of EDCs
• EPA’s RM of EDCs web page www.epa.gov/NRMRL/EDC
.. What RM tools are being developed? 
• EPA’s RM research program
• Others’ research

Summary
.. Risk Management Evaluation of EDCs
• Will help you follow state of the art in RM
• Provide input to research agendas
.. RME drives NRMRL research
.. Build your tool box