TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Christopher A. Scott A2 - Jordyn White A2 - Heather Kreidler TI - Avances de las alianzas binacionales para la sostenibilidad entre Estados Unidos y México SN - DO - 10.17226/26419 PY - 2021 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26419/avances-de-las-alianzas-binacionales-para-la-sostenibilidad-entre-estados-unidos-y-mxico PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies ER - TY - BOOK TI - Oil Spill Risks From Tank Vessel Lightering SN - DO - 10.17226/6312 PY - 1998 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6312/oil-spill-risks-from-tank-vessel-lightering PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The safety record of lightering (the transfer of petroleum cargo at sea from a large tanker to smaller ones) has been excellent in U.S. waters in recent years, as evidenced by the very low rate of spillage of oil both in absolute terms and compared with all other tanker-related accidental spills. The lightering safety record is likely to be maintained or even improved in the future as overall quality improvements in the shipping industry are implemented. Risks can be reduced even further through measures that enhance sound lightering standards and practices, support cooperative industry efforts to maintain safety, and increase the availability of essential information to shipping companies and mariners. Only continued vigilance and attention to safety initiatives can avert serious accidents involving tankers carrying large volumes of oil. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - End Points for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in Russia and the United States SN - DO - 10.17226/10667 PY - 2003 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10667/end-points-for-spent-nuclear-fuel-and-high-level-radioactive-waste-in-russia-and-the-united-states PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - End Points for spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in Russian and the United States provides an analysis of the management of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in Russia and the United States, describing inventories, comparing approaches, and assessing the end-point options for storage and disposal of materials and wastes. The authoring committee finds that despite differences in philosophy about nuclear fuel cycles, Russia and the United States need similar kinds of facilities and face similar challenges, although in Russia many of the problems are worse and funding is less available. This book contains recommendations for immediate and near-term actions, for example, protecting and stabilizing materials that are security and safety hazards, actions for the longer term, such as developing more interim storage capacity and studying effects of deep injection, and areas for collaboration. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine A2 - Christopher A. Scott A2 - Jordyn White A2 - Heather Kreidler TI - Advancing United States-Mexico Binational Sustainability Partnerships SN - DO - 10.17226/26070 PY - 2021 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26070/advancing-united-states-mexico-binational-sustainability-partnerships PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The border region shared by the United States and Mexico is currently experiencing multiple crises on both sides that present challenges to safeguarding the region's sustainable natural resources and to ensuring the livelihoods of its residents. These challenges are exacerbated by stressors including global climate change, increasing urbanization and industrialization and attendant air and water-quality degradation, and rapid population growth. Navigating these challenges and preserving the area’s cultural richness, economy, and ecology will require building strategic partnerships that engage a broad range of stakeholders from both countries. To navigate these challenges, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, together with the Mexican Academy of Sciences (Academia Mexicana de Ciencias), Mexican Academy of Engineering (Academia de Ingeniería de México), and Mexican National Academy of Medicine (Academia Nacional de Medicina de México), appointed a committee of experts from the United States and Mexico to conduct a consensus study. Advancing United States-Mexico Binational Sustainability Partnerships incorporates features of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17. SDG 17 calls for revitalizing global partnerships for sustainable development. It is specifically focused on the advancement of multi-stakeholder partnerships that require coordination and collaboration among diverse stakeholders in pursuit of a common and mutually beneficial vision. With attention to SDG 17, this report draws on social science theory and applied research on partnerships to explore potential strategies and mechanisms to increase coordination between relevant government agencies, the private sector, and civil society in the United States and Mexico. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - Using 21st Century Science to Improve Risk-Related Evaluations SN - DO - 10.17226/24635 PY - 2017 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24635/using-21st-century-science-to-improve-risk-related-evaluations PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Over the last decade, several large-scale United States and international programs have been initiated to incorporate advances in molecular and cellular biology, -omics technologies, analytical methods, bioinformatics, and computational tools and methods into the field of toxicology. Similar efforts are being pursued in the field of exposure science with the goals of obtaining more accurate and complete exposure data on individuals and populations for thousands of chemicals over the lifespan; predicting exposures from use data and chemical-property information; and translating exposures between test systems and humans. Using 21st Century Science to Improve Risk-Related Evaluations makes recommendations for integrating new scientific approaches into risk-based evaluations. This study considers the scientific advances that have occurred following the publication of the NRC reports Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy and Exposure Science in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy. Given the various ongoing lines of investigation and new data streams that have emerged, this publication proposes how best to integrate and use the emerging results in evaluating chemical risk. Using 21st Century Science to Improve Risk-Related Evaluations considers whether a new paradigm is needed for data validation, how to integrate the divergent data streams, how uncertainty might need to be characterized, and how best to communicate the new approaches so that they are understandable to various stakeholders. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Glenn Schweitzer A2 - Kelly Robbins TI - Setting the Stage for International Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facilities: International Workshop Proceedings SN - DO - 10.17226/12191 PY - 2008 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12191/setting-the-stage-for-international-spent-nuclear-fuel-storage-facilities PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - In May 2003, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academies organized an international workshop in Moscow on the scientific issues relevant to the establishment and operation of an international spent nuclear fuel storage facility in Russia. Given the broad international interest in this topic, the academies organized a second international workshop on important issues that were not on the agenda or were not adequately discussed at the first workshop. These issues included international monitoring at the facility, transportation requirements, liability and insurance concerns, and status of Russian legislation and regulations that are important in locating and operating a facility. Relevant experience from Europe, the United States, and Asia was also considered in this 2005 workshop. This book contains the papers presented at the 2005 workshop sessions, as well as proceedings from the 2003 workshop. Together they provide an overview of the issues, and useful background for those organizations and individuals involved in further development of an international spent nuclear fuel storage facility in Russia. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Assessment of the Continuing Operability of Chemical Agent Disposal Facilities and Equipment SN - DO - 10.17226/11849 PY - 2007 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11849/assessment-of-the-continuing-operability-of-chemical-agent-disposal-facilities-and-equipment PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The U.S. Army’s Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) currently oversees contracts for the operation of chemical agent stockpile incineration facilities at four disposal sites. Because the period of time required to dispose of these chemical agents has grown beyond that originally planned, the Army is becoming concerned about the possibility of growing operational problems as the processing equipment ages. To help address these concerns, the CMA requested the NRC to assess whether current policies and practices will be able to adequately anticipate and address facility obsolescence issues. This report presents a review of potential infrastructure and equipment weaknesses given that the facilities are being operated well beyond their original design lifetime; an assessment of the Army’s current and evolving obsolescence management programs; and offers recommendations about how the programs may be improved and strengthened to permit safe and expeditious completion of agent stockpile destruction and facility closure. ER - TY - BOOK TI - Double-Hull Tanker Legislation: An Assessment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 SN - DO - 10.17226/5798 PY - 1998 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5798/double-hull-tanker-legislation-an-assessment-of-the-oil-pollution PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) by Congress and subsequent modifications of international maritime regulations resulted in a far-reaching change in the design of tank vessels. Double-hull rather than single-hull tankers are now the industry standard, and nearly all ships in the world maritime oil transportation fleet are expected to have double hulls by about 2020. This book assesses the impact of the double hull and related provisions of OPA 90 on ship safety, protection of the marine environment, and the economic viability and operational makeup of the maritime oil transportation industry. The influence of international conventions on tank vessel design and operation is addressed. Owners and operators of domestic and international tank vessel fleets, shipyard operators, marine architects, classification societies, environmentalists, and state and federal regulators will find this book useful. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides SN - DO - 10.17226/18344 PY - 2013 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18344/assessing-risks-to-endangered-and-threatened-species-from-pesticides PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are responsible for protecting species that are listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and for protecting habitats that are critical for their survival. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for registering or reregistering pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and must ensure that pesticide use does not cause any unreasonable adverse effects on the environment, which is interpreted to include listed species and their critical habitats. The agencies have developed their own approaches to evaluating environmental risk, and their approaches differ because their legal mandates, responsibilities, institutional cultures, and expertise differ. Over the years, the agencies have tried to resolve their differences but have been unsuccessful in reaching a consensus regarding their assessment approaches. As a result, FWS, NMFS, EPA, and the US Department of Agriculture asked the National Research Council (NRC) to examine scientific and technical issues related to determining risks posed to listed species by pesticides. Specifically, the NRC was asked to evaluate methods for identifying the best scientific data available; to evaluate approaches for developing modeling assumptions; to identify authoritative geospatial information that might be used in risk assessments; to review approaches for characterizing sublethal, indirect, and cumulative effects; to assess the scientific information available for estimating effects of mixtures and inert ingredients; and to consider the use of uncertainty factors to account for gaps in data. Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides, which was prepared by the NRC Committee on Ecological Risk Assessment under FIFRA and ESA, is the response to that request. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Glenn E. Schweitzer A2 - Frank L. Parker A2 - Kelly Robbins TI - Cleaning Up Sites Contaminated with Radioactive Materials: International Workshop Proceedings SN - DO - 10.17226/12505 PY - 2009 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12505/cleaning-up-sites-contaminated-with-radioactive-materials-international-workshop-proceedings PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - This publication features papers presented at the Workshop on Cleaning Up Sites Contaminated with Radioactive Materials, held in Moscow in June 2007. This activity was organized by the National Academies in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences and with funding provided by the Russell Family Foundation. The workshop was designed to promote exchanges of information on specific contaminated sites in Russia and elsewhere and to stimulate greater attention to the severity of the problems and the urgent need to clean up sites of concern to the local and international communities. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Glenn E. Schweitzer A2 - A. Chelsea Sharber TI - An International Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility: Exploring a Russian Site as a Prototype: Proceedings of an International Workshop SN - DO - 10.17226/11320 PY - 2005 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11320/an-international-spent-nuclear-fuel-storage-facility-exploring-a-russian PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - As part of a long-standing collaboration on nuclear nonproliferation, the National Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences held a joint workshop in Moscow in 2003 on the scientific aspects of an international radioactive disposal site in Russia. The passage of Russian laws permitting the importation and storage of high-level radioactive material (primarily spent nuclear fuel from reactors) has engendered interest from a number of foreign governments, including the U.S., in exploring the possibility of transferring material to Russia on a temporary or permanent basis. The workshop focused on the environmental aspects of the general location and characteristics of a possible storage site, transportation to and within the site, containers for transportation and storage, inventory and accountability, audits and inspections, and handling technologies. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Assessment of the Scientific Information for the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program SN - DO - 10.17226/11279 PY - 2005 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11279/assessment-of-the-scientific-information-for-the-radiation-exposure-screening-and-education-program PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was set up by Congress in 1990 to compensate people who have been diagnosed with specified cancers and chronic diseases that could have resulted from exposure to nuclear-weapons tests at various U.S. test sites. Eligible claimants include civilian onsite participants, downwinders who lived in areas currently designated by RECA, and uranium workers and ore transporters who meet specified residence or exposure criteria. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which oversees the screening, education, and referral services program for RECA populations, asked the National Academies to review its program and assess whether new scientific information could be used to improve its program and determine if additional populations or geographic areas should be covered under RECA. The report recommends Congress should establish a new science-based process using a method called "probability of causation/assigned share" (PC/AS) to determine eligibility for compensation. Because fallout may have been higher for people outside RECA-designated areas, the new PC/AS process should apply to all residents of the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, and overseas US territories who have been diagnosed with specific RECA-compensable diseases and who may have been exposed, even in utero, to radiation from U.S. nuclear-weapons testing fallout. However, because the risks of radiation-induced disease are generally low at the exposure levels of concern in RECA populations, in most cases it is unlikely that exposure to radioactive fallout was a substantial contributing cause of cancer. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Review of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Process SN - DO - 10.17226/18764 PY - 2014 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18764/review-of-epas-integrated-risk-information-system-iris-process PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) is a program within the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that is responsible for developing toxicologic assessments of environmental contaminants. An IRIS assessment contains hazard identifications and dose-response assessments of various chemicals related to cancer and noncancer outcomes. Although the program was created to increase consistency among toxicologic assessments within the agency, federal, state, and international agencies and other organizations have come to rely on IRIS assessments for setting regulatory standards, establishing exposure guidelines, and estimating risks to exposed populations. Over the last decade, the National Research Council (NRC) has been asked to review some of the more complex and challenging IRIS assessments, including those of formaldehyde, dioxin, and tetrachloroethylene. In 2011, an NRC committee released its review of the IRIS formaldehyde assessment. Like other NRC committees that had reviewed IRIS assessments, the formaldehyde committee identified deficiencies in the specific assessment and more broadly in some of EPA's general approaches and specific methods. Although the committee focused on evaluating the IRIS formaldehyde assessment, it provided suggestions for improving the IRIS process and a roadmap for its revision in case EPA decided to move forward with changes to the process. Congress directed EPA to implement the report's recommendations and then asked the National Research Council to review the changes that EPA was making (or proposing to make) in response to the recommendations. Review of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) Process provides an overview of some general issues associated with IRIS assessments. This report then addresses evidence identification and evaluation for IRIS assessments and discusses evidence integration for hazard evaluation and methods for calculating reference values and unit risks. The report makes recommendations and considerations for future directions. Overall, Review of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System Process finds that substantial improvements in the IRIS process have been made, and it is clear that EPA has embraced and is acting on the recommendations in the NRC formaldehyde report. The recommendations of this report should be seen as building on the progress that EPA has already made. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine TI - A Class Approach to Hazard Assessment of Organohalogen Flame Retardants SN - DO - 10.17226/25412 PY - 2019 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25412/a-class-approach-to-hazard-assessment-of-organohalogen-flame-retardants PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - In the 1970s, flame retardants began to be added to synthetic materials to meet strict flammability standards. Over the years, diverse flame retardants have been manufactured and used in various products. Some flame retardants have migrated out of the products, and this has led to widespread human exposure and environmental contamination. There also is mounting evidence that many flame retardants are associated with adverse human health effects. As a result, some flame retardants have been banned, restricted, or voluntarily phased out of production and use. This publication develops a scientifically based scoping plan to assess additive, nonpolymeric organohalogen flame retardants as a class for potential chronic health hazards under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, including cancer, birth defects, and gene mutations. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Grasslands and Grassland Sciences in Northern China SN - DO - 10.17226/1942 PY - 1992 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1942/grasslands-and-grassland-sciences-in-northern-china PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - This volume describes one of the most extensive grassland ecosystems and the efforts of Chinese scientists to understand it. Leading Chinese scientists attribute the decline in China's grasslands to overgrazing and excessive cultivation of marginal areas and discuss measures to limit the damage. The book gives its view on the Chinese approach to the study of grasslands and the relevance of this activity in China to global scientific concerns. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - China and Global Change: Opportunities for Collaboration SN - DO - 10.17226/2075 PY - 1992 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2075/china-and-global-change-opportunities-for-collaboration PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Given China's current and potential impacts on the global environment and the contributions Chinese science can make to global change research, China's full participation in international research programs dealing with global change is very important. This book provides insights into how research priorities are determined and detailed information about institutional infrastructure, human resources, and other factors that will constrain or facilitate Chinese responses to and research on global change issues. An overview of research relevant to the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program and the World Climate Research Program is presented. Additionally, research in certain areas of atmospheric chemistry and physical and ecological interactions of the atmosphere and land surface are explored in further detail. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - The Airliner Cabin Environment: Air Quality and Safety SN - DO - 10.17226/913 PY - 1986 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/913/the-airliner-cabin-environment-air-quality-and-safety PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Each year Americans take more than 300 million plane trips staffed by a total of some 70,000 flight attendants. The health and safety of these individuals are the focus of this volume from the Committee on Airliner Cabin Air Quality. The book examines such topics as cabin air quality, the health effects of reduced pressure and cosmic radiation, emergency procedures, regulations established by U.S. and foreign agencies, records on airline maintenance and operation procedures, and medical statistics on air travel. Numerous recommendations are presented, including a ban on smoking on all domestic commercial flights to lessen discomfort to passengers and crew, to eliminate the possibility of fire caused by cigarettes, and to bring the cabin air quality into line with established standards for other closed environments. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - The Behavioral and Social Sciences: Achievements and Opportunities SN - DO - 10.17226/992 PY - 1988 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/992/the-behavioral-and-social-sciences-achievements-and-opportunities PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - This volume explores the scientific frontiers and leading edges of research across the fields of anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, sociology, history, business, education, geography, law, and psychiatry, as well as the newer, more specialized areas of artificial intelligence, child development, cognitive science, communications, demography, linguistics, and management and decision science. It includes recommendations concerning new resources, facilities, and programs that may be needed over the next several years to ensure rapid progress and provide a high level of returns to basic research. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Lead in the Americas: A Call for Action DO - 10.17226/9168 PY - 1996 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9168/lead-in-the-americas-a-call-for-action PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies ER - TY - BOOK TI - Effects of Double-Hull Requirements on Oil Spill Prevention: Interim Report DO - 10.17226/9131 PY - 1996 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9131/effects-of-double-hull-requirements-on-oil-spill-prevention-interim PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - ER -