1.Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S., Director, NIEHS & NTPBriefing on the NIEHS Superfund ProgramsUS Senate Appropriations Committee StaffSubcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies23 April 2015
2.* FY 2009 includes funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
** FY 2013 includes across-the-board rescission, sequestration reduction and Sandy Supplemental addition.
*** FY 2016 is the President’s Budget Request.
Dollars in Millions
NIEHS Superfund Program
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations
3.NIEHS Superfund Research Program
Mission: Provide practical science to solutions to protect human health
NIH peer-reviewed, competitively awarded grants
Unique approach to research
Brings together diverse disciplines: health researchers, engineers, biologists, ecologists, earth scientists, and social scientists
Works closely with partners to deliver solutions
4.NIEHS Superfund Research Program
In FY 14
Supported work of over 1,400 researchers
Funded work at 211 institutions and small businesses
Since SRP began:
Educated over 1,660 academic trainees
Produced over 9,000 peer-reviewed publications
Patented over 100 inventions
5.SRP: Recent Scientific Discoveries
Linking arsenic and IQ: High levels of arsenic in home well water decreases children's IQ
Studying preterm birth: High phthalate exposures during pregnancy increase odds of preterm birth
Testing for safer chemicals: New tools make screening chemicals for cancer risk simpler and cheaper
Exposing triclosan’s health effects: TCC exposure is linked to liver tumors
Finding new implications of obesity: In combination with toxicants, obesity accelerates the rate of liver disease
Children in the arsenic and IQ study in Maine
6.Lead in soil: Idaho small business uses bacteria to trap lead in soil – keeping it out of the air
TCE in water: Researchers developed a tracer technology to follow TCE contamination through complex subsurface systems
DDT and dioxins in fish: Researchers use a novel detection tool to update decision makers about progress of clean-up efforts
Testing a new detection tool (Palos Verdes, CA)
SRP: New Tools to Solve Problems
7.Health: Identified how PCBs cause neurotoxicity in children
Monitoring: Discovered a new PCB contaminant in urban air
Risk: Uncovered biological indicators of PCB exposure in urine for health monitoring
Clean-up: Tested the use of trees to remove PCBs in a wetland
Prevention: Discovered how nutrition reverses cardiovascular toxicity of PCBs
Outreach: Teach citizens which foods protect against PCB toxicity
Students show concern about PCB exposures in schools (Malibu, CA)
Citizens learn about foods that prevent PCB toxicity (Dayhoit, KY)
SRP: Tackling PCB Problems from Multiple Angles
8.Solutions for Constituents
Underserved urban community: Using expertise in plant-contaminant interactions to ensure a brownfield site is safe for a community garden
Native Americans: Providing information and monitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) produced during traditional smoking of salmon.
Agricultural communities: Applying new technologies to measure and cleanup triclosan in Kern County, CA where sewage is deposited on farms near residential areas
Brownfields safely converted to urban
gardens in San Diego, CA.
9.NIEHS Superfund Worker Training Program
Mission: To prevent work-related harm by providing training programs for hazardous materials handlers, chemical emergency responders, and waste cleanup workers
National Network: Over 100 non-profit safety and health training organizations combined into 20 training consortia
Where: Training conducted in all fifty states and U.S. territories.
How Many: In FY2014, 161,000 workers trained in 9,500 courses, over 2.6 million trained since program began in 1987
10.WTP: Saving lives, preventing injury everyday
The goal is the worker who comes home safely every day.
Workers trained include:
firefighter and emergency medical technicians
law enforcement officers
hospital first receivers
crane and bulldozer operators
laborers
public utility employees
chemical factory workers
11.Funding Opportunity Announcement Competition Under Review
Every five years, the WTP holds an open competition for program funding for existing and potential grantees.
Result: a mix of new and current grantees
Currently applications are under review and funding decisions will be made by August 2015.
12.The WTP Network Responds!
Past Responses: World Trade Centers, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Super Storm Sandy, the Gulf Oil Spill, Midwest Floods, and Far West Wildfires.
Super Storm Sandy Update: On-going training in New York and New Jersey
Mental Health Resiliency Project: training to ease post disaster traumatic stress
Ebola Exposure Prevention Training for hospital employees, emergency first responders, and other worker populations with potential exposure.
13.Learning from Disasters is key in preparing for Disasters.
Disaster Research Responder Project
Tsunami Catastrophic Event Exercise, Los Angeles
Hurricane Disaster in Houston Ship Channel, Houston
14.WTP creates new opportunities
WTP Environmental Careers Program was formerly the Minority Worker Training Program
Success: Since beginning, 10,000 workers have trained under this program with nearly 70 % employed
Success: 90% job placement in New Orleans, LA; East Palo Alto, CA; and in St. Paul MN
Program Economic Impact Analysis: millions of dollars in return on investment each year.
15.WTP works where the need is often greatest
WTP’s national network helps identify at risk populations and respond to their training needs.
Spanish-speaking Workers Initiative
Native American Training Initiative