are two of the main problems in his eyes, but they should easily be overcome by more research, he thinks. “I believe that these sensors could make a significant contribution to society,” Sayler says. —ANKE SCHAEFER
EPA’s Science Advisory Board plans realignment grown considerably to keep up with an ever-increasing workload and technical areas. Changes must accompany this growth, she says. Likewise, SAB’s mission has expanded its scope by adding other sciences such as economics and social sciences, and better integration is needed among these different disciplines, Vu asserts. U.S. EPA
The U.S. EPA’s Science Advisory Board (SAB) is proposing to restructure the way it does business in an effort, planners say, to strengthen its peer review process and better focus on emerging environmental issues. The plan includes increasing the number of board members, expanding the peer review system, and forming committees to tackle specific issues. Environmentalists and industry representatives see the plan as a step in the right direction but voice concerns about how it might be implemented. SAB was established in 1978 to provide EPA’s administrators and Congress with independent advice on the scientific and technical aspects of environmental problems. The current SAB is composed of a 19-member executive committee, which oversees the work of 8 standing committees and ad hoc panels. Under the plan, a group of up to 30 individuals would serve on what would be called the science advisory board, which would replace the executive committee. Over the years, SAB has devoted most of its time to peer reviewing and approving committee reports and recommendations. At the same time, there has been a general perception that SAB may not be providing EPA with enough forwardlooking advice, says Bill Glaze, chair of the SAB’s executive committee and a professor at the OGI School of Science and Engineering in Oregon. In particular, Glaze says that the board doesn’t always help agency regulators anticipate emerging problems, such as endocrine disrupters, or develop appropriate science agendas for addressing them. Part of the problem, according to Vanessa Vu, director of the SAB staff office, is that the board has
News Briefs MTBE contamination widespread, low The first national survey of the gasoline additive methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) finds that about 9% of community water systems in the United States are contaminated, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The random survey of nearly 1000 wells, rivers, and lakes measured MTBE concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 20 micrograms per liter, which is below U.S. EPA recommendations. Detection of MTBE was significantly greater in areas where more than 60% of the land is urbanized. Survey results also linked the concentration of MTBE to watercraft use. The reports and data from the survey may be downloaded at http://sd. water.usgs.gov/nawqa/vocns/ nat_survey.html.
Environmental lending rising again Vanessa Vu
The new structure adds another layer of reviewers in the form of executive review committees, says Vu, which would ensure that committee reports have met the peer review charge. Standing and ad hoc committees, as well as peer review panels established for specific reviews, would have their reports subjected to executive committee review before receiving final board approval. The hope is that the “right” experts, according to Vu, will approve reports. The new process also creates somewhat of a firewall between the board members, who are providing EPA with more strategic, forward-looking advice, and the peer review process. “We believe that a two-tier system of review is the best way to assure EPA, the Office of Management and Budget, and others that our efforts will meet the highest standards, particularly on highly
In 2004, the World Bank projects that it will lend $2.1 billion for environmentally oriented projects, the largest amount since 1998. In part, this rise is related to the growing suite of environmental problems faced by developing countries, says Kirk Hamilton, lead environmental economist for the World Bank’s Environment department. He also attributes the increase to the bank’s decision to include environmental components in loans aimed at other sectors, such as energy. But the number of projects earmarked for environmental policy and institutions is up sharply, too, he says. The bank’s “environmental loan” category includes funds for environmental biodiversity; climate change; and the management of land, pollution, environmental health, water resources, and other natural and environmental resources, according to a bank spokesperson. For more information, go to www.worldbank.org.
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application,” agrees Gary Sayler of the University of Knoxville–Tennessee, one of the pioneers in the development of bacterial biosensors. The adequate immobilization of the cells on the paper strips and the long-term survivability of the cells
Environmental▼News and we want to create a structure that truly meets the needs of the agency in view of emerging scientific issues and accordingly put committees in place that do that.” Another proposed change is the creation of the Council of Chairs, which would include the chairs of standing and ad hoc committees. “Right now, standing committees operate almost independently of each other,” Vu says. “Under the new structure, they would have more of an opportunity to meet, discuss, and integrate ideas coming out of different groups.” Environmentalists and industry representatives say they support the proposed changes but worry that the shift to provide more timely advice on emerging issues could distract the board from its key func-
tion of providing technical and scientific advice on the regulations EPA is considering. “How are they going to choose the strategic issues to focus on?” asks David Clarke, senior science policy director with the chemical industry group American Chemistry Council. Butterfield admits, “The devil will be in the details.” The SAB staff plans to finalize the proposal and develop an implementation plan for briefing the EPA administrator sometime between October and November. If EPA adopts the plan, implementation would begin in fiscal year 2004. For more information, the SAB reorganization proposal can be accessed at www.epa.gov/sab by clicking on “recent additions”. —KRIS CHRISTEN
More flame-proofed fish
The key to detecting HBCD and separating out its three distinct stereoisomers, , and is using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy (LC/MS), explains Mehran Alaee, a research scientist with the Aquatic Ecosystem Protection Research Branch of the Canadian government’s National Water Research Institute. Scientists can use gas chromatography to detect HBCD, but the technique cannot resolve the different isomers and is difficult to apply because HBCD is thermal-
ly labile, he says. Even without the more detailed data just coming to light, HBCDs have been raising concerns in Europe. Data from a Swedish monitoring program show that HBDC has been increasing 3% in guillemot eggs, says Åke Bergman of Stockholm University. The United Kingdom’s Chemical Stakeholders Forum determined last March that HBCD is persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic and “pose[s] a risk to the environment.” The EU is currently undertaking a risk assess-
2.5 –HBCD Concentration (ng/g, wet wt)
The first attempts to look for a much-used but little-studied brominated flame retardant, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), show that the compound is biomagnifying in the environment in an unexpected manner. Ironically, although HBCD is serving as a replacement for some soon-to-be-banned polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the European Union (EU), early reports suggest that HBCD may be more prone to bioaccumulation than the PBDEs and just as likely to be toxic to humans. HBCD is used extensively throughout the world, primarily as a protective additive to the polystyrene foam found in building materials and upholstery. The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum, an industry group, estimates that 16,700 tons of HBCD were used worldwide in 2001, making it the third most widely used brominated flame retardant after tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and the “deca” PBDE formulation. However, as is the case with many contaminants, no one could comprehensively analyze environmental samples for HBCD’s presence until a reliable analytical method was devised to detect it.
CANADIAN DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND OCEANS AND ENVIRONMENT CANADA
sensitive and complex issues,” says Glaze, who served as ES&T’s editor until last year. “The proposed reorganization vests the management of this process within the executive review committee, but the SAB itself will maintain ultimate decisionmaking authority over its products.” In addition, standing and ad hoc committees would exist only as long as they are needed, and the board and EPA would periodically evaluate the appropriate mix on the basis of current and future demands and the nature of anticipated environmental challenges. “We want a much more flexible, agile system,” says Fred Butterfield, designated field officer for the reorganization effort. “The fact is that as issues change, committees are not going to be utilized as much,
–HBCD
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0 Plankton
Mysis
Diporeia
Invertebrates
Alewife
Sculpin Forage fish
Smelt
Trout Top predator
Tests of aquatic organisms in Lake Ontario show that HBCD is biomagnifying as it goes up the food chain.
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