Search

Presented at the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Environment, Energy Security & Sustainability (E2S2) Symposium & Exhibition held 9-12 May 2011 in New Orleans, LA.

Presented at the NDIA Environment, Energy Security & Sustainability (E2S2) Symposium & Exhibition held 14-17 June 2010 in Denver, CO.

Making better risk management decisions and investments enables the Department of Defense to expedite and sustain systems acquisition; protect people; maintain operational capabilities; and minimize the likelihood of unanticipated future costs--ideally avoiding such costs altogether. Faced with growing public and governmental interest in environmental issues, DoD is committed to improving its understanding of emerging contaminants and acting early to manage them and other chemical risks. DoD defines emerging contaminants as chemicals or materials that have evolving science (e.g., beryllium); new or unknown exposure pathways (e.g., trichloroethylene and nanomaterials); and new detection capabilities (e.g., perchlorate) that can be reasonably anticipated to lead to regulatory changes. A new program initiated in 2006 by the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment addresses risks posed to DoD by emerging contaminants while recognizing that DoD's mission capability is a top priority. To more effectively address chemical risks, DoD's emerging contaminants program was recently merged with ongoing efforts to help acquisition managers address environment, safety, and occupational health mandates to create the Chemical and Material Risk Management Directorate. The CMRM Directorate helps DoD proactively address risks posed by DoD's chemical selections through its ESOH activities in acquisition, emerging contaminants, chemical management, technology, and green purchasing programs., Published in Defense AT&L, p22-27 Jul-Aug 2009.