By Michaela Burns
Interested in attending some of EPA’s public meetings or webinars? Here are a few that we are hosting at the end of April.
Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening Tool
Wednesday, April 20, 3:00 p.m. ET
Tune in for a webinar spotlighting the Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Tool (C-FERST), an online tool that when completed will help inform communities about their environmental and public health issues. C-FERST will include maps and tables with data on sources of pollution, environmental concentrations, estimated exposures and potential risks, demographics, and community characteristics. Register to attend the webinar and learn more.
Disinfection Byproduct Regulatory Issues and Solutions Webinar
Tuesday, April 26th at 2:00 p.m. ET
Mark your calendar for this month’s small systems webinar—the topic is Disinfection Byproduct Regulatory Issues and Solutions. Gastrointestinal illnesses with symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, cramps can be caused by pathogens and viruses that are often found in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. This water must therefore be treated with disinfectant in order to be safe to drink. However some disinfectants react with naturally-occurring materials in the water to form byproducts that are associated with health risks.
EPA environmental engineer Michael Finn will review the Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule, a series of regulations aimed at limiting public exposure to these disinfectant byproducts. Jolyn Leslie, a regional engineer for the Washington State Department of Health Office of Drinking Water, will discuss the challenges for small systems dealing with disinfectant byproducts in Washington State and the possible solutions.
Bonus—attendees may have the option of receiving a certificate for participating in this webinar. Register now!
Tribal Science Webinar Series
Tuesday, April 26th at 3:00 p.m. ET
Checkout this month’s Tribal Science Webinar. Speakers will discuss the environmental work in the Strong Heart Study, the largest and longest study of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors in American Indian communities. Cynthia McOliver, an EPA environmental health scientist, will be joined by Ana Navas-Acien, a physician-epidemiologist with a specialty in preventive medicine and public health, and Joseph Yracheta of Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc. Register soon!.
Water Research Webinar
Wednesday, April 27th at 2:00 p.m. ET
Join EPA’s Dr. David Mount for this month’s Water Research Webinar. Dr. Mount will give a presentation on the effects of inorganic ions on aquatic organisms. Natural geochemical weathering introduces several inorganic ions to natural waters. These ions become part of the basic chemistry of surface waters. The problem begins when land uses, such as energy and mineral extraction, increase concentrations of these geochemical ions. The ecological effects of increased ion concentrations are being explored through several inter-related research efforts. This webinar provides an overview of EPA’s research in this area, and some of the implications for predicting ecological risks and informing management decisions. Register to learn more.
Computational Toxicology Communities of Practice Meeting
Thursday, April 28th at 11:00 a.m. ET
Interested in the latest research on neurotoxicity? Then you don’t want to miss this month’s Computational Toxicology Communities of Practice Meeting. Drs. William Mundy and Timothy Shafer will present EPA research focusing on new approaches to characterize neurotoxicity from exposure to chemicals. Contact Monica Linnenbrink (linnenbrink.monica@epa.gov) to register.
About the Author: Michaela Burns is an Oak Ridge Associated Universities contractor and writer for the science communication team in EPA’s Office of Research and Development.
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Source: EPA Water Science news