EPA Research Partner Support Story: Addressing contaminants of emerging concern
Partner: Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC)
Challenge: Addressing contaminants of emerging concern (CEC)
Resource: CEC Framework, web-based training
Project Period: 2021 – Present
Many states, territories and localities struggle with the challenge of addressing contaminants of emerging concern (CEC). According to the Interstate Regulatory and Technology Council (ITRC), CEC refer to “substances and microorganisms including physical, chemical, biological, or radiological materials known or anticipated to be present in the environment, that may pose newly identified risks to human health or the environment.”
“The ITRC CEC Team is grateful to USEPA for its involvement in developing and reviewing its draft work products. This involvement will hopefully facilitate use of the ITRC CEC Guidance by the states and be conducive to informing a technically defensible and effective approach to evaluating CEC.” – ITRC CEC Team Leaders (Wisconsin DNR Meaghan Cibarich, Arizona DEQ Paula Panzino, and California DTSC Vivek Mathrani)
Many states, territories and localities struggle with the challenge of addressing contaminants of emerging concern (CEC). According to the Interstate Regulatory and Technology Council (ITRC), CEC refer to “substances and microorganisms including physical, chemical, biological, or radiological materials known or anticipated to be present in the environment, that may pose newly identified risks to human health or the environment.”
To address this challenge, ITRC assembled a CEC Team, which published the CEC Framework in 2023, with a focus on addressing chemical CEC. The CEC Framework aims to provide a more holistic approach to characterizing and managing CEC and associated risks to human health and the environment. ITRC training is available to present this entirely new framework for identification, prioritization, and communication of CEC. The first training was held early in 2024 and continues to host live courses.
In 2024, the CEC Team began work to expand the scope of the Framework to include biological CEC and create additional ITRC web-based products. The team will expand the scope of the Framework to include biological CECs and specifically address pathogens and exposure pathways of emerging concern in a changing environment. The Biological CEC guidance will elucidate conceptual exposure models, monitoring programs, analytical methods, and risk assessment approaches to characterizing pathogens in the environment. The guidance is expected to serve as a resource for both public health agencies and environmental agencies and highlights the intersection of both jurisdictions. The updated Framework and companion training will be released in late 2025.
Since 2021, EPA scientists have supported the ITRC CEC Team by contributing expertise to support the development of fact sheets that are included as part of the Framework that can assist states, territories and localities in accessing resources to address CEC under their jurisdiction. These resources include approaches on monitoring programs and analytical methods, key information on toxicity, exposure, and fate and transport properties to help prioritize CEC, risk communication tools, and case studies.