Emerging contaminants (EC) are defined by the Department of Defense as chemicals or materials that are characterized by:
- A perceived or real threat to human health or environment
- A lack of published health standards or a standard that is evolving or being reevaluated
The DoD EC Program was developed and is managed under the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health (ADUSD(ESOH)) under the authority, direction and control of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment (DUSD(I&E)) as delineated in DoD Instruction 4715.18, Emerging Contaminants (EC).
The Chemical & Material Risk Management Directorate's (CMRMD) Materials of Evolving Regulatory Interest Team (MERIT), in coordination with the Military Services, is tasked with developing processes for:
- Early identification of emerging contaminants with relevance to DoD
- Assessment of impacts in the five DoD functional areas:
- Environment, Safety and Health
- Cleanup
- Acquisition/Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation (A/RDT&E)
- Production, Operations, Maintenance and Disposal (POMD) of Assets
- Training/Readiness
- Developing risk management options
The Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) Industrial Hygiene Department is a member of the MERIT. We provide subject matter experts for specific EC impact assessments when needed. This usually involves analysis of exposure data in the Navy Occupational Exposure Database (NOED) to determine the level of exposure for the specific EC and the operations involved within the Navy.
Content last reviewed on March 12, 2010.