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EPA’s National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) issued two previous environmental justice Request for Applications (RFAs) in partnership with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). These RFAs funded research in areas related to CBRA, including assessing the impact of economic and social factors on health status and development of approaches to reduce subsistence-based risk.

NCER Cumulative Risk Assessment RFA:

Understanding the Role of Nonchemical Stressors and Developing Analytic Methods for Cumulative Risk Assessments
This RFA will support research aimed to address research needs that currently limit the ability to conduct cumulative risk assessment. Exposure to different combinations of environmental stressors can contribute to increased risk for negative health consequences. It has become clear that cumulative risk assessments should include both chemical and nonchemical stressors, exposures from multiple routes, and factors that differentially affect exposure or toxicity to communities. In order to protect the most sensitive individuals, an understanding of the complex interactions of various stressors is critical. This RFA is focusing on two of the challenges:
1. The development of statistical and other analytical techniques that will enable the analysis of disparate types of data; and
2. The evaluation of the combined effects of nonchemical and chemical stressors.
In order to address these challenges successfully, collaborations will need to e developed among biomedical scientists, public health scientists, mathematical and statistical scientists, social scientists, and community members.

NCER Environmental Justice RFAs:

Environmental Justice: Partnerships for Communication (1999 and 2000)
This RFA supported research aimed at achieving environmental justice for socioeconomically disadvantaged and medically under served populations in the United States. One goal of the NIEHS and the EPA was to stimulate investigative efforts that attempt to address questions related to the influence of economic and social factors on the health status of individuals exposed to environmental toxicants. This research opportunity was designed to stimulate community outreach, training, research and education efforts that would become the catalyst for reducing exposure to environmental pollutants in underserved populations. The main objective of this RFA was to establish methods for linking members of a community, who are directly affected by adverse environmental conditions, with researchers and health care providers and to enable this partnership to develop appropriate research strategies to address environmental health problems of concern. This effort hoped to ensure that:
1. The community was aware of basic environmental health concepts, issues, and resources.
2. The community had a role in identifying and defining problems and risks related to environmental exposures.
3. The community was included in the dialogue shaping research approaches to the problem.
4. The community actively participated with researchers and health care providers in developing responses and setting priorities for intervention strategies.

Link to additional information about the environmental justice research projects awarded through NCER RFAs. Or, link to additional information about NIEHS’ Environmental Justice: Partnership for Communication grant program.

Lifestyle and Cultural Practices of Tribal Populations and Risks from Toxic Substances in the Environment (2002)
EPA was interested in developing methods to assess subsistence-based exposure and to increase capacity within Tribes to assess environmental health threats from subsistence lifestyle. EPA and ASTDR wanted to focus on research that would lead to the development of approaches to reduce subsistence-based risk, especially those that may not compromise lifestyles to a significant extent. This RFA focused on two research areas:
1. Exposure and effects assessment methods that could be broadly applied across geographic regions and cultural practices. These methods could include the development of approaches to estimate the distribution of subsistence-based risk within or across subsistence groups and geographic regions including the relative contribution of various practices, e.g., diet, medicinal, cultural/ceremonial, occupational, and other, to the cumulative exposure.
2. Risk management strategies and options that could lead to reduction in risk from exposure. Such strategies could include the development of educational and/or intervention materials, to reduce risk in subsistence groups or the development of culturally sensitive strategies, approaches, and plans that will lead to the reduction of subsistence-based risk.

Link to additional NCER funded research projects closely related to CBRA

Other EPA CBRA Related Research:

EPA’s National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) has a program to develop tools and approaches to conduct CBRA.
EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) and The LifeLine Group, Inc. have initiated the Tribal LifeLine Project to better characterize exposure and risk for focused, unique populations.

Other Federal CBRA Related Research:

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