The purpose of this grant is to provide support for the preparation of background reports that will provide guidance on two research areas of growing importance to the assessment and management of environmental risks. These reports will contribute to an improved understanding of the role of risk assessment in environmental decision making and will help to establish a future research agenda that will encourage interaction among scientists involved in risk assessment, public policy, and decision making. The two research areas are closely linked, both by theory and by application. The first area is global cumulative impacts, including impacts such as global warming, sea level rise, and ozone layer depletion. The OEQ effort will provide a statement of scientific principles to help focus attention on those environmental and health effects of greatest concern and to assist in the development of appropriate mitigation strategies. The second area is emerging technologies, which offer the promise of various benefits to mankind including less environmentally invasive alternatives to some existing technologies. The OEQ effort will provide guidance on the use of techniques for assessing the health and environmental impacts associated with these emerging technologies, under the premise that sensitivity to these potential impacts is required at an early stage of technology development.
