Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program is sponsored by Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management. Environmental Health Specialist-Network (EHS-Net) Program <p cl Category: Health.

Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program | Department of Health Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program To help communities understand if chemicals in the environment can harm their health through scientific investigation.

The Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program (EHRAP) receives funding from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to translate complex scientific findings into clear recommendations to protect community health. Use environmental health data and tools to investigate whether chemicals are present in your community. Determine if chemicals could enter your body through air, water, soil, or food.

Assess whether exposure to these chemicals could affect your health. Write detailed reports and create educational materials with science-based recommendations. Communicate with community members and stakeholders about chemicals and protection strategies.

Review environmental data and offer recommendations for protecting health. Make recommendations that people and organizations can use to make health-based decisions. Change how facilities operate or clean up chemicals in your community.

Collect soil, air, or water samples or test them for chemicals. Make medical diagnoses or provide medical treatment. Tell you why there are illnesses in your community.

Make health conclusions without environmental data. Change zoning codes or make other organizations take a specific action. Bradford Dyeing Association in Hopkinton: The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) contacted EHRAP for assistance studying whether per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are at levels of concern in the tissue of fish found downstream of Bradford Dyeing Association.

Bradford Dyeing Association is a former mill complex that used PFAS to make fabrics waterproof. RIDEM, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Roger Williams University collected fish near Bradford Dyeing Association on the Pawcatuck River and in the wastewater lagoons within Grills Nature Preserve.

EHRAP found that native fish in the Grills Preserve Pond and parts of the Pawcatuck River have high levels of PFAS and could be harmful to health. EHRAP recommended that people not eat fish caught in the Grills Preserve Pond and limit meals of native fish from the Pawcatuck River downstream of Burdickville Road to no more than one per month.

EHRAP created educational and outreach materials, hosted public meetings, and posted signs to inform people about the risks of consuming fish caught in these areas. Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School in Providence: In fall 2023, RIDEM and the Providence Public School District (PPSD) asked EHRAP to review test results from indoor air sampling done at the school. The school is located on the former Gorham Silver Manufacturing Site.

They were concerned that teachers, students, and staff could be exposed to a group of chemicals called “solvents. ” Solvents, like trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), are volatile organic compounds (VOC). They release gases into the air and can be harmful to human health.

EHRAP concluded that there was a very small increase in cancer and non-cancer health risks from exposure to TCE and PCE and that PPSD should continue frequent monitoring for VOCs. EHRAP also recommended they close classrooms if testing reveals that the levels are higher than they should be. Turf Field in Burrillville: Residents of Burrillville brought concerns about the installation of an artificial turf field to EHRAP and RIDEM.

Residents were concerned that PFAS in the materials used to construct the field could impact human health. EHRAP provided technical assistance to the interested parties and co-authored a letter with RIDEM that examined the risks. EHRAP and RIDEM concluded that health risks from exposure to PFAS in the turf during playtime were low but that there was a potential for PFAS from the turf field to impact groundwater in the area.

Organizations (Nonprofits, Government Agencies, Healthcare Providers, Schools): Partner on environmental health investigations and community outreach. Provide technical expertise and scientific analysis. Give educational presentations to partners and those they serve.

Individuals and Families: Assess exposure concerns in your home or neighborhood. Provide information about health risks in your environment and steps you can take to protect your health. Connect community members to appropriate resources and organizations.

Melissa. OrpenTuz@health. ri.

gov Alvarez High School (2025-03) Bradford Dyeing Association (2024-12) Bradford Dyeing Association - Addendum Related to Stocked Trout (2025-04) Centredale Manor Restoration Project Superfund Site: Dioxins in Fish Tissue (2026-01) East Providence Terminal (2023-10) Freshwater Fish In Rhode Island: PFAS In Fish Tissue (2026-06) Grant Mill Apartment Complex - August 2021 (2021-08) Grant Mill Apartment Complex - February 2022 (2022-02) Grant Mill Apartment Complex - June 2021 (2021-06) Grant Mill Apartments April 2022 (2022-04) Letter Health Consultation (2022-04) Primrose Hill School (2025-02) Raymond C.

Laperche Elementary School (2024-02) Route 6-10 Connector Reconstruction Site Strawberry Field Road (2025-09) Strawberry Field Road – Addendum Related to Updated Sampling Data (2025-11) Waites Wharf Development Site Bradford Dyeing Association - Site Report Card Centredale Manor - Site Report Card Health Effects of PFAS ( Spanish ) Manganese in Your Environment Strawberry Field Road – Site Report Card Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons Trichloroethylene and Tetrachloroethylene in Your Environment: What You Should Know What to Know About PFAS ( Spanish ) Choose Safe Places: Property Checklist for Center-Based Child Care Choose Safe Places: Property Checklist for Family-Based Child Care ( Spanish ) Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program Cards ( Spanish ) Environmental Health Risk Assessment Program Overview ( Spanish ) Keeping Children Safe from Environmental Contamination ( Spanish ) Making Your Home Safe for Family-Based Child Care ( Spanish ) Frequently Asked Questions Fresh Air Providence Frequently Asked Questions ( Spanish ) Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and the 6-10 Interchange Construction Project ( Spanish ) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Petition Process Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Region 1 Eastern Division