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U.S. EPA Authority to Use Cumulative Risk Assessments in Environmental Decision-Making

Author

Listed:
  • Sarah Alves

    (ICF International, 9300 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 22031, USA)

  • Joan Tilghman

    (ICF International, 2222 East NC-54, Beta Building, Suite 480, Durham, NC 27713, USA)

  • Arlene Rosenbaum

    (ICF International, 4464 Hillview Way, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, USA)

  • Devon C. Payne-Sturges

    (National Center for Environmental Research, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Mail Code 8723P, Washington, DC 20460, USA)

Abstract

Conventionally, in its decision-making, the U.S. EPA has evaluated the effects and risks associated with a single pollutant in a single exposure medium. In reality, people are exposed to mixtures of pollutants or to the same pollutant through a variety of media, including the air, water, and food. It is now more recognized than before that environmental exposure to pollutants occurs via multiple exposure routes and pathways, including inhalation, ingestion, and dermal absorption. Moreover, chemical, biologic, radiologic, physical, and psychologic stressors are all acknowledged as affecting human health. Although many EPA offices attempt to consider cumulative risk assessment and cumulative effects in various ways, there is no Agency-wide policy for considering these risks and the effects of exposure to these risks when making environmental decisions. This article examines how U.S. courts might assess EPA’s general authority and discretion to use cumulative risk assessment as the basis for developing data in support of environmental decision-making, and how courts might assess the validity of a cumulative risk assessment methodology itself.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Alves & Joan Tilghman & Arlene Rosenbaum & Devon C. Payne-Sturges, 2012. "U.S. EPA Authority to Use Cumulative Risk Assessments in Environmental Decision-Making," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-23, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:9:y:2012:i:6:p:1997-2019:d:17979
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Devon C. Payne-Sturges & Thurka Sangaramoorthy & Helen Mittmann, 2021. "Framing Environmental Health Decision-Making: The Struggle over Cumulative Impacts Policy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-21, April.
    3. Leah Zilversmit Pao & Emily W. Harville & Jeffrey K. Wickliffe & Arti Shankar & Pierre Buekens, 2019. "The Cumulative Risk of Chemical and Nonchemical Exposures on Birth Outcomes in Healthy Women: The Fetal Growth Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-16, October.
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    5. Sam Popple & Kïrsten Way & Richard Johnstone & Richard Croucher & Peta Miller, 2023. "A comparative analysis of Inspector responses to complaints about psychosocial and physical hazards," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(1), pages 234-249, January.

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