Lek Kadeli

Feb 5, 2014

Healthy Hearts and Clean Air: An EPA Science Story

epa, healthy heart, heart disease, Lek Kadeli, Research, science 2 Comments

This month is American Heart Health Month. I invite you to join me in understanding how EPA scientists and their partners are learning how to better protect a group of citizens who are among the most at risk from poor air quality: those who suffer from heart and other cardiovascular diseases.

Our researchers have made important discoveries linking the impact of poor air quality on cardiovascular health. For example, EPA scientists Robert Devlin, Ph.D., and David Diaz-Sanchez and their colleagues published one of the first studies looking at the effects of ozone exposure on heart health. They discovered a link between breathing ozone and inflammation, and changes in heart rate variability, and proteins that dissolve blood clots that could be risk factors for people with heart disease.

Drs. Devlin and Diaz-Sanchez, along with EPA cardiologist Dr. Wayne Cascio, are part of an Agency effort to spread the word about the results of EPA clean air research. We will be highlighting those efforts on the Agency’s science blog, It All Starts with Science, on our science Twitter feed @EPAresearch, and elsewhere as part of our Healthy Heart Month activities.

Editor's Note: The views expressed here are intended to explain EPA policy. They do not change anyone's rights or obligations. You may share this post. However, please do not change the title or the content, or remove EPA’s identity as the author. If you do make substantive changes, please do not attribute the edited title or content to EPA or the author.

EPA's official web site is www.epa.gov. Some links on this page may redirect users from the EPA website to specific content on a non-EPA, third-party site. In doing so, EPA is directing you only to the specific content referenced at the time of publication, not to any other content that may appear on the same webpage or elsewhere on the third-party site, or be added at a later date.

EPA is providing this link for informational purposes only. EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of non-EPA information provided by any third-party sites or any other linked site. EPA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, internet applications or any policies or information expressed therein.

Jan 16, 2014

It All Starts with Science: Answering Questions about Mining in Bristol Bay, Alaska

Alaska, Bristol Bay, epa, Lek Kadeli, Mining, native tribes, Region 10, Research, salmon, science, sockeye salmon 1 Comment

Considering the scope of resources in Bristol Bay – a 37.5 million average annual run of sockeye salmon; $480 million in ecosystem-generated economic activity in 2009; 14,000 full- and part-time jobs from that activity; and 11 billion tons in potential copper and gold deposit – it is no wonder there was significant interest in an EPA science assessment to understand how wild salmon and water resources in the Bristol Bay watershed might be impacted by large-scale mining operations. The public comment periods generated 230,000 responses on the first draft of the assessment, and 890,000 on the second.

This week, after reviewing all those comments and formal peer review by 12 scientists with expertise in mine engineering, fisheries biology, aquatic biology, aquatic toxicology, hydrology, wildlife ecology, and Alaska Native cultures, EPA released its final report, “An Assessment of Potential Mining Impacts on Salmon Ecosystems of Bristol Bay, Alaska.”

More than three years ago, several Bristol Bay Alaska Native tribes requested EPA take action under the Clean Water Act to protect the Bay and its fisheries from proposed large-scale mining. Other tribes and stakeholders who support development in the Bristol Bay Watershed requested EPA take no action until a permitting process begins.

Dec 6, 2013

Progress in Communities: It All Starts with Science

Chesapeake Bay, children's health, homeland security, Integrated Risk Information System, Integrated Science Assessments, Lek Kadeli, Research, Runoff, stormwater calculator 0 Comments

This week is the 43^rd Anniversary of the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, and we are marking the occasion by revisiting how our collective efforts on behalf of the American people help local communities become cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable. As the Assistant Administrator for the Agency’s Office of Research and Development, I can’t help but see a strong undercurrent of science and engineering in every success story.

Over the past four plus decades, EPA scientists and engineers, along with their partners from across the federal government, states, tribes, academia, and private business, have supplied the data, built the computer models and tools, and provided the studies that have helped communities take action to advance public health and protect local environments.

In every area of environmental and human health action, EPA researchers have helped local communities make progress. While examples abound, here are just a few:
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Nov 14, 2013

30 Years of “GROwth”

epa, Greater Research Opportunities, GRO, Lek Kadeli, Research 0 Comments

One of my favorite parts of my job serving as the Acting Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development is interacting on a daily basis with some of the top career scientists and engineers in their fields. On any given day, I get to discuss science with the very people who over the past few decades have helped the Agency achieve milestones in protecting the nation’s air and water, cleaning up our environment, and advancing public health.

On a personal level, these researchers help keep me energized and remind us of the excitement and possibility that led us to pursue public service in the first place. Understanding the impact a scientist can have on improving our environment and our health makes it all the more crucial to support the next generation of environmental scientists and engineers through programs such as the Agency’s Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellowship program.

EPA announced today more than $1.65 million in research fellowships to 33 undergraduate students at 30 different colleges and universities pursuing degrees in environmental studies through GRO.

Oct 30, 2013

Advancing Children’s Environmental Health: Our Best Investment

Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers, children's health, Children's Health Month, EPA Connect, Lek Kadeli, star 2 Comments

Reposted from EPA Connect, the Official Blog of EPA’s Leadership

Anyone who has ever enjoyed watching a toddler explore their world knows that along with that marvelous sense of discovery comes potential trouble. Young children crawl around on the floor, play in the dirt, and don’t hesitate to retrieve a wayward cookie or other delectable treat hidden among the dust bunnies underneath the couch—and pop it straight into their mouth.

Behaviors like these, as well as their smaller bodies and still developing internal systems, make children more vulnerable to pollution and other environmental risks than us adults. That’s why we here at EPA make protecting children’s health a top priority.

Advancing Children’s Environmental Health: Our Best Investment

chemical safety, Children's Centers, Children's Health Month, Lek Kadeli, National Institute of Environmental Health, Research 2 Comments

Sep 17, 2013

EPA Science: Supporting the Waters of the U.S.

clean water act, connectivity, epa, Lek Kadeli, nancy stoner, science advisory board, water 6 Comments

One of the great environmental success stories of our time is the Clean Water Act. Forty years ago, the condition of U.S. rivers, streams, lakes, coastal areas and other water resources was a national concern.

Things started to improve after the newly-established U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was given direction “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters” through major revisions to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (now the Clean Water Act).

But over the past decade, court decisions have created uncertainty about the Clean Water Act’s protection of certain streams and wetlands from pollution and development. In particular, the confusion centers on questions surrounding small streams and wetlands—some of which only flow after precipitation or dry up during parts of the year—and what role they play in the health of larger water bodies nearby or downstream.

This week, EPA’s Science Advisory Board released for public comment a draft scientific report, “Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters: A Review and Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence.” This draft report synthesizes more than 1,000 peer-reviewed pieces of scientific literature about how smaller, isolated water bodies are connected to larger ones and represents the state-of-the-science on the connectivity and isolation of waters in the United States. The draft report makes three main conclusions: More