Overview of EPA Superfund human health research program.

This paper presents major research needs for the Superfund program, and provides an overview of the EPA Office of Research and Development's (ORDs) current human health research program designed to fill some of those data gaps. Research is presented in terms of the risk paradigm and covers exposure, effects, and assessment activities directly funded by Superfund, as well as research not funded by Superfund but directly applicable to Superfund research needs. Research on risk management is not covered. Current research activities conducted by the Superfund program office are also included to provide a full picture of Superfund human health research activities being conducted by EPA.

Future directions for EPA Superfund research.

The EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) identifies and prioritizes future research areas through a Waste Research Coordination Team. The team works together to plan the ORD Superfund research program, and it has members from each of the ORD laboratories as well as representatives from the Superfund office. Superfund scientists have identified several research topics in applied research areas to improve risk assessment methods and reduce uncertainty in site-specific risk assessments. Research areas include: dermal exposure models and toxicity values, improved methods for exposure factors, pharmaco-kinetic dose-response models, bioavailability and statistical methods. This paper presents ORD future research plans in response to these identified research areas.