PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Barbara L. Harper
Ph.D., DABT
Toxicologist & Senior Scientist
Summary
Dr. Harper is a risk assessor and board-certified toxicologist with more than 25 years of experience. While on the faculty
of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, she lectured in toxicology, environmental health, bioethics, nutrition,
epidemiology, and related topics, and performed laboratory and community research on health effects of chemicals.
She then took a management position with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, and was involved with
remedial actions, risk assessments, community interactions, regulatory standards, and state health committees. She also taught
risk assessment at Penn State Harrisburg. She then joined Battelle's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a program manager
in risk assessment (at the Hanford Site), where she started working on tribal risk issues. She then joined the Yakama Nation ER/WM
Program in 1997 and continued to work on Hanford issues, further developed methods for tribal health and cultural risk assessment,
and served on the Hanford Natural Resources Trustee Council for the Yakama Nation. She currently works on fish contamination
issues, tribal risk assessment, subsistence exposure scenarios, cleanups, toxics, NRDA, and related issues. She has many publications
and reports, and has given numerous seminars, training, lectures, and technical and non-technical presentations..
Dr. Harper’s areas of expertise include:
Education and Awards
- Ph.D., Zoology (Generics), University of Texas, Austin TX, 1974.
- B.A., cum laude, departmental honors, Biology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, 1970.
- Assistant Professor, Division of Genetic & Environmental Toxicology, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health,
University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
- Chief, Special Science & Resource Program, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Harrisburg, PA
- Program Manager in risk assessment, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
- Toxioclogist, Yakama Nation Environmental Restoration / Waste Management (Hanford) Program, Toppenish, WA
- Recipient, Medical Self Care Book Award for "Health Detective's Handbook" (1988)
- Certificate of special recognition from the Galveston County Health District for work on hydrofluoric acid release (1989)
- Certificate of recognition from DOE Assistant Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz for efforts to protect the Columbia River (2000)
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Award for Environmental Excellence (for contribution to the litigation support team
during employment by the PA DEP (2001).
- Member, EPA Science Advisory Board - Drinking Water Committee (current)
Recent Publications
Contact AESE for reprints
Harper, B.L., Flett, B., Harris, S.G, Abeyta, C and Kirschner, F.E.. "The Spokane Tribe's Multipathway Subsistence Exposure Scenario and Screening Level RME," accepted and in press, Risk Analysis.
Harris, S.G. and Harper, B.L. "A Native American Exposure Scenario." Risk Analysis, 17(6): 789-795, 1997.
Harper, B.L. and Harris, S.G. "Measuring Risks to Community Health and Quality of Life." Presented at the 9th ASTM Symposium on Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Seattle, April 21, 1999 (Paper #6034, Committee E47), published in "Environmental Toxicology and risk Assessment" (F Price, K Brix and N Lane, eds.), 2000.
S Harris and B Harper. "Using Eco-Cultural Dependency Webs in Risk Assessment and Characterization." Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 7(Special 2): 91-100, 2000.
S Harris and B Harper. "Native American Diets and Exposure Factors." Environmental Research, Section A, 86:140-148 (2001).
Sever, L.E. and B.L. Harper. A Review of Evidence of Adverse Health Effects from ATSDR and Related Epidemiology Studies. Sponsored by Chemical Manufacturers Association. PNL Report PNWD-2272. 1994.
Harper, B.L. and others. Toxicology Profiles of Chemical and Radiological Contaminants at Hanford. (A compendium of toxicology information on Hanford Site contaminants, prepared for Westinghouse Hanford and Bechtel Hanford). PNL-10601, July 1995.
GR Bilyard, BL Harper and others. Landscape Quality Method for Assessing Ecological and Socio-Cultural Impacts Associated with Alternative Land Uses. Internal PNL Report, September, 1995.
BL Harper. Risk Assessment, Risk Management and Risk-Based Land Use Planning Incorporating Tribal Cultural Interests. in: V Molak (ed.) Fundamentals of Risk Assessment and Risk Management, CRC/Lewis Publ. 1996.
A Brothers and BL Harper. Tank Retrieval Decision Logic. Preliminary report prepared for Westinghouse TWRS program. Nov 1995.
DL Strenge, JG Droppo, G Whelan and BL Harper. Re-evaluation of the Environmental Significance of Wooden Utility Poles. Report prepared for Southern California Edison. October 1995 and December 1997.
BA Napier, BL Harper, NK Lane, DL Strenge, R Spivey, DR Hekkala. Draft Hanford Exposure Scenarios for Non-Remedial Activities that Might Occur Near the Columbia River. Letter Report PNL-10906, January 1996.
PG Doctor, BL Harper and others. Radon in North Dakota. Report and video prepared for the North Dakota Dept of Health. May, 1996.
BL Harper, SJ Gajewski, LD Muhlestein, CL Glantz, DM Kashporenko, GR Bilyard, AM Nazarali, AJ Brothers. Risk Constraint Measures Developed for the Outcome-Based Strategy for Tank Waste Management. PNL Report 11302, 1996.
A Brothers, M Brewster, B Harper, R John, D von Winterfeldt. Risk-Based Characterization Strategy for Flammable Gas Safety. Internal PNL Report, 1996.
JH Reuben, DF Conrad (Nez Perce ER/WM) and BL Harper (PNL). Translating the Nez Perce Worldview into Environmental Management Strategy. Waste Management 1996 (WM '96), Tucson (published in the Proceedings and on CD ROM).
RD Stenner, others including BL Harper. RAMS (Risk Analysis - Modular System) Methodology. PNL Internal Report, August 1996.
RD Stenner, others including BL Harper. RAHM (Risk Analysis of the Hanford Mission Output Report). PNL Internal Report, August 1996.
BL Harper. "Exposure Scenarios," and "Landscape-Level Decision Making." Two background papers prepared for the 3rd State and Tribal Risk Forum, October 1996.
BL Harper and RD Stenner. "Hanford Risk Characterization Summary: an analysis of the Ten Year Plan Project Baseline Summaries." Internal PNNL report. 1997.
SG Harris and BL Harper. "Native American Exposure Scenarios for Risk Assessment Development and Application to Habitat-Specific Land Uses." Proposal for DOE's Environmental Management Science Program (Notice 97-03), 1997.
S Harris and B Harper. "Who Will Inherit DOE's Environmental Legacy? How Incorporating Tribal Information Will Improve DOE's Decision Making." Paper and presentation at Waste Management '97., Tuscon, AZ.
S Harris and B Harper. "Risk Assessment for Tribal Communities: A response to the President's Commission of Risk Assessment and a challenge to the risk community at large." Risk Policy Report, October 17, 1997.
S Harris and B Harper. "Characterizing Risks: Can DOE Achieve Intersite Equity by 2006?" Paper and presentation at Waste Management '98, Tuscon, AZ, March 1998.
S Harris and B Harper. "Using Eco-Cultural Risk in Risk-Based Decision Making." Proceedings of the American Nuclear Society Environmental Sciences Topical meeting, Richland WA, April 4, 1998.
S Harris and B Harper. "Environmental Justice in Indian Country: Using Equity Assessments to Evaluate Impacts to Trust Resources, Watersheds, and Eco-cultural Landscapes." Proceedings of "Environmental Justice: Strengthening the Bridge Between Tribal Governments and Indigenous Communities, Economic Development and Sustainable Communities" Conference sponsored by EPA and Medical University of South Carolina, June 11, 1999, Hilton Head, SC.
B Harper and S Harris. "Tribal Technical Issues in Risk Reduction Through Fish Advisories." Invited presentation and paper for the proceedings; EPA/American Fisheries Society meeting on Fish Advisory Issues and Methods, Alexandria, VA, October 15-17, 1999.
S Harris and B Harper. "Cultural Risk and Changing Needs in Risk Assessment." Guest Perspective, Risk Policy Report, January 24, 2000.
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