U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Contracts Management Division (MD-33), Attn: ORDSC, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

A -- NHEXAS ARIZONA ANALYSIS AND DATABASE, NHEXAS REGION V ANALYSIS AND DATABASE, AND NHEXAS BALTIMORE ANALYSIS AND DATABASE SOL PR-NC-98-11830, PR-NC-98-11831, and PR-NC-98-11832 DUE 061098 POC Pamela G. Ricks, Contract Specialist, 919-541-2312, Julio Lopez, Contracting Officer, 919-541-4474 E-MAIL: click here to contact the contract specialist via e-mail., ricks.pamela@epamail.epa.gov. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has cooperative agreements with the following research institutions which expire September 30, 1998: (1) the University of Arizona, No. CR821560-01; (2) Research Triangle Institute, No. CR821902-01; and (3) Harvard University, No. CR822038. Under these competitively awarded cooperative agreements, the researchers are providing research studies and analyses for the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS), which is a program sponsored by the EPA's Office of Research and Development. Under Cooperative Agreement No. CR821560-01 with the University of Arizona, a NHEXAS study is being conducted: (1) to document the occurrence, distribution, and determinations of total exposure in the general population; (2) to characterize the 90th percentiles of total exposures to each pollutant; (3) to monitor geographic and temporal trends of the multimedia exposures; (4) to evaluate the different media, personal, time-activity, and geographical factors that contribute to current total exposure; (5) to evaluate biomarkers in blood and urine for the target pollutants; (6) to perform evaluations of relationships between exposure reports, environmental measurements, and biomarkers of target pollutants; (7) to predict total exposures; and (8) to assess total exposures in minority and disadvantaged subsets of the population. Respondents were selected using a population probability sampling design so that inferences can be made to the population of Arizona. Target pollutant classes include metals, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Media sampled include air, water, soil, dust, food, blood, and urine. Under Cooperative Agreement No. CR821902-01 with Research Triangle Institute (RTI), a NHEXAS study is being conducted in EPA Region 5. The objectives are: (1) to test the adequacy of exposure assessments for selected target chemicals; (2) identify possible sub-populations for which exposures are different and identify the causes for the differences; (3) test for associations between biological and environmental concentrations; (4) apportion exposures across measured pathways; and (5) provide data to develop and improve exposure models. The study has been conducted in six states within EPA Region 5 -- Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The main study sampling was for metals (including Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium, and Lead) and VOCs (including Benzene, Chloroform, Perchloroethylene, Trichloroethylene) in personal (air, food), environmental (indoor/outdoor air, water, surfaces, soil), and biological (urine, blood, hair) media over a one-week period. A subset of respondents was asked to mail in additional samples (VOC badge samples and dust collectors) over the course of a year. As a small-scale test of an innovative screening survey approach and assessing the feasibility of applying this approach to children, RTI also conducted a pesticides and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH)) study in a sample of 50 children in Minnesota. This study could provide the Agency with information regarding the relative contribution of dietary and other exposure pathways, children's activities and their relationship to exposure and body burden, and help to evaluate the uncertainties in the use of existing consumption and food contamination data (and models) to represent dietary exposures. A NHEXAS study is also being conducted in and around Baltimore, MD under Cooperative Agreement No. CR822038 with Harvard University. The general objectives of this study are to: (1) measure pollutant concentrations in air, water, soil, dust, food, blood, and urine on surfaces and human skin using various sampling and analytical techniques; (2) determine direct exposure using personal exposure monitors; and (3) estimate human activity patterns using a series of questionnaires and diaries. Respondents were selected randomly using a stratified probability sample, so that inferences can be made about the exposures of the populations from which the samples are drawn. These data shallbe used to estimate human exposures among the sampled populations, test a series of hypotheses related to these exposures, and design additional exposure studies. The Baltimore study is a special study to investigate the temporal variability of measurements typically used in making estimates of human exposure. Each respondent was visited six times over the course of a year and the NHEXAS protocol was implemented in its entirety. Target chemicals include pesticides, metals, and PAHs. The EPA plans to negotiate sole source completion contracts with the University of Arizona, Research Triangle Institute, and Harvard University as follow-ons to the cooperative agreements. Under these follow-ons, the contractors shall each conduct multi pathway human exposure analyses of the multimedia data sets collected under their respective cooperative agreements; and select and reformat results and supporting "meta-data" from the NHEXAS databases into a common NHEXAS format and coding convention. The NHEXAS measurements and questionnaire data shall be statistically analyzed to test the relationships identified below; distributions and summary statistics shall use weighing factors resulting from the population-based probability sample design. The contractors shall develop technical manuscripts based on their knowledge of the NHEXAS objectives, the knowledge gained through planning and conducting the innovative research studies, their quality systems results, and the results of the analyses, to evaluate: the relationships of aggregate exposures (in air, food, dermal) and biomarkers (blood, urine) for metals, VOCs, and/or pesticides and/or PAHs to environmental concentrations (water, air-indoors, air-outdoors, dust, soil); the relationships among environmental concentration measurements (air, water, food, dust); the relative contributions and independence of measured pathways; the relationships of questionnaire/activity data and environmental concentrations to measured exposures and biomarkers; and the relationship of estimated food exposures (from consumption and concentration data) to measured dietary exposures. The EPA will be provided with the complete, final, validated (quality assured) NHEXAS databases in electronic format. A sub-set of the data elements and descriptive information (or "metadata") needed to support and understand the characteristics and data quality of the measurement and analytical results will be identified. This set of data elements and associated data (including selected questionnaire items) shall be provided to the EPA in a format, and with codes, that are consistent with the other EPA human exposure assessment studies. Only the University of Arizona, Research Triangle Institute, and Harvard University have the knowledge and "know-how" to complete the on-going work without an extensive and expensive start-up period. It would not be practicable for the Government to substitute replacement sources to finalize the studies since only the three cooperative agreement holders can effectively organize, format and analyze the data they collected and synthesize this data into scientific manuscripts as required by EPA. The work to be completed requires the same expertise and qualifications as is currently required to conduct the studies under the cooperative agreements. Interested parties who believe they can provide the required services are invited to submit, in writing, an affirmative response demonstrating an ability to immediately assume the on-going projects without disruption to the current operations and demonstrating a cost benefit to the Government. Any written response must be received no later than 15 days after publication of this synopsis. In order to be responsive, the correspondence must be accompanied by a written narrative statement of capability, including detailed technical information sufficient to permit agency analysis in order to determine a bonafide capability to meet the Government's requirements. Submit responses to the U.S. EPA, ATTN: Pamela Ricks (MD-33), Contracts Management Division, ResearchTriangle Park, NC 27711. Responses without the required documentation will be considered non-responsive. No telephone or facsimile requests will be honored. (0142)

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