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NCEA-Washington is comprised of four Groups. Three of them have focus areas
that correspond to the risk assessment paradigm, ie. exposure/risk characterization, hazard identification
and dose-response. The fourth provides support in administrative and budgetary areas. The programmatic
activities consist of about 100 different projects spanning a wide variety of topics. About half of
them involve outside parties from academia, private consulting or other government agencies as well as
international organizations. The other projects are done exclusively on an in-house basis. Each of these
Groups is discussed below.
Exposure Analysis and Risk Characterization Group (EARCG)
As the name implies, the activities of EARCG correspond
to the exposure and risk characterization portions of the risk paradigm:
Exposure Analysis - The objective is to improve the state of the art
of human and ecological exposure assessment science. This work involves both methods development and
direct program support implementing new methods into site- and chemical-specific assessments.
Risk Characterization - The goal is to promote improved risk
characterizations for human-health and ecological assessments in NCEA and throughout the Agency.
EARCG is helping develop the risk characterization implementation plan for NCEA and is participating in
Agency-wide work groups addressing these issues.
Historically, most people in EARCG have extensive
experience in exposure-related research. This portion of the program, therefore, is relatively mature
in spite of the newness of the organization. This is particularly true for the human exposure research.
Fewer people have been involved in ecological assessment, but this area is rapidly growing in terms
of interest and resources. Risk characterization area is a relatively new concept in this field and this
portion of the program is still in the early stages of development.
The EARCG staff has a broad mix of educational disciplines
within NCEA with toxicologists, biologists, physicists, environmental scientists and a variety of engineers.
This wide diversity in backgrounds is well suited for the sciences of exposure assessment and risk
characterization.
Quantitative Risk Methods Group (QRMG)
The mission of the Quantitative Risk Methods Group (QRMG)
is to address critical quantitative risk assessment issues. The activities of this group correspond primarily
to the dose-response portion of the risk paradigm, although it works on quantitative issues relating to
all aspects of risk assessment. The group's goals are to use more kinds of information in quantitative
risk assessments, especially information about human variability, uncertainty, and alternative models
and assumptions. Activities span a range from biologically based modeling using pharmacokinetic and
mechanistic information to developing credible default procedures that can be applied to the information
that is more generally available. The group also develops tools and guidance that enable others to do
credible quantitative assessments on their own.
Like the other NCEA-W groups, the QRMG staff has a wide
variety of educational backgrounds, but with stronger representation in the quantitative fields of modeling
and statistics. Most of the staff have long experience in this field and the program is developing
rapidly.
Effects Identification and Characterization Group (EICG)
The activities of EICG correspond primarily to the hazard
identification portion of the risk paradigm. The principal goal of EICG is to identify and characterize adverse
health and ecological effects due to exposure to environmental agents. This work involves both conducting and
promoting methods development research and critical evaluation of toxicity data. These efforts include
molecular mechanisms, biomarkers of exposure and effects, route-to-route, and species-to-species extrapolation,
etc. The EICG participates and has a lead in conducting a number of health/ecological risk assessments of
chemicals in support of regulatory programs of the Agency. The EICG also conducts and assists QRMG address
dose response issues involving biologically-based dose-response models, pharmacokinetics, animals models,
etc. The group also has a lead in developing and coordinating risk assessment training and guidance for
the ORD/EPA.
The educational backgrounds of the EICG staff are quite diverse
with greater representation in the health effects area than the other NCEA-W groups: Ecology, Carcinogenesis,
Environmental Sciences, Epidemiology, General Toxicology, Genetics, Pathology, and Reproductive and Developmental
Toxicology. Most of the staff have long experience in this field and a relatively mature program is already
in place.
Operations and Support Group (OSG)
The Operations Support Group (OSG) has the lead
responsibility for budget execution and resource planning, personnel and administrative management, management
of extramural activities and technical information services. The Group is composed of program and budget
analysts, extramural specialists and administrative and personnel specialists.
In the budget execution and planning area, OSG ensures that
all resource expenditures are conducted in accordance with Agency and Federal procedures and guidelines.
Resource expenditures are documented and tracked using the ORD Operations Management Information System as
well as Agency financial and management systems developed for such purposes. OSG maintains up to date
financial records and prepares financial reports for management information and review on a periodic
basis. OSG also participates in the development of the NCEA Laboratory Implementation Plan (LIP) including
the development of outputs and commitments that are tracked on an ORD wide basis. OSG staff provide overall
coordination of extramural management activities including contracts, interagency agreements (IAG) and
Cooperative Agreements. OSG's main role includes managing the overall extramural process, assisting in
the preparation of funding packages, and ensuring that all extramural activities are conducted in accordance
with Agency policy and procedures. Finally, OSG conducts all aspects of personnel, administrative, and
facilities management and support necessary to NCEA/W functioning.
OSG staff also provide information management services and
production/editorial support in the development of scientific products. This responsibility includes
management and coordination for the preparation, publication, storage and retrieval of NCEA documents. OSG
assures that NCEA products are reviewed and cleared according to ORD peer review policies. Editing, writing,
word processing, graphics, photography, desktop publishing, and other related services in support of product
development and production are also provided.
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