Questions and Answers about C-FERST
General
- What is C-FERST?
C-FERST (Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening Tool) is an online tool developed by EPA in collaboration with stakeholders to provide access to resources that can be used with communities to help identify and learn more about their environmental health issues and explore exposure and risk reduction options. There are several components to C-FERST that allow users to- view maps of a community’s environmental and demographic characteristics
- compare community environmental conditions
- explore and learn about environmental issues and exposure and risk reduction options
- plan local projects using community assessment guides
- find out more about C-FERST and participate in the C-FERST User Forum
- Who can or should use C-FERST?
C-FERST is intended to serve the needs of a broad range of users, including the general public, environmental and public health professionals, state and local risk assessors, state and local environmental and public health agencies, EPA community involvement coordinators and environmental justice coordinators, and academic institutions serving local communities. Community groups or individuals and environmental health professionals may benefit from working together to learn about the community, identify and explore local issues, and interpret C-FERST data and results. Some technical experience in viewing and interpreting Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping software is helpful.
- What can I use C-FERST for?
C-FERST can be used with communities to help identify and learn more about their environmental issues and explore exposure and risk reduction options. There are several components to C-FERST that allow users to- view maps of a community’s environment and demographic characteristics
- compare community environmental conditions
- explore and learn about environmental issues, exposure and risk reduction options, and related community projects
- plan projects with community assessment guides
- find out more about C-FERST and participate in the C-FERST User Forum
Due to limitations in the data and information in C-FERST, it should not be used as the sole basis for making decisions about public health.
Please contact us to let us know how you have used C-FERST or how you think you might use it in the future. In addition, please provide your recommendations for additional information sources (with links, if available), data and map layers, or features that would make C-FERST more useful in meeting your needs. Feedback from the user community will increase our understanding about how C-FERST data and tools benefit individuals and communities and will help guide the development of future versions and relevant new tools and data.
- Do I need any special expertise or special software to use C-FERST?
C-FERST is available to anybody with a computer and an internet connection. No special software is needed, however high-speed internet access is recommended for best performance of the tool. When using C-FERST Maps we recommend using the latest versions of the suggested browsers listed on the ArcGIS Online website. Community groups or members of the public and environmental health professionals, experienced risk assessors, EPA community project leads, and local academic institutions may benefit from working together to identify and learn more about the community, identify and explore environmental issues, and interpret C-FERST data and results.
- What kind of data and information is included in C-FERST? What is not included?
C-FERST contains data and information on- sources of pollution
- environmental concentrations
- estimated exposures and risks
- demographic and community characteristics
- exposure and risk reduction options
- community and tribal projects
- planning projects using community guides
- citizen science
- methods for measuring environmental conditions
C-FERST primarily relies on nationally available monitoring and modeling data. Since air pollution monitoring data and models are routinely developed at a national level, these data are more complete in C-FERST than data and models for other pollutants that may be found in water and soil. C-FERST does not currently contain local-scale health outcome information. See the C-FERST Limitations page for more information.
- Where else can I look for community environmental health information and data?
Other EPA tools such as EJSCREEN, EnviroAtlas and NEPAssist can provide additional environmental information. Other federal agencies such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Geological Survey also have data, tools and information related to health and environmental issues. State and local public health and environmental agencies, universities and research institutions may be valuable sources of local data.
- Can C-FERST be used as the basis for making regulatory or public health decisions?
No. C-FERST is intended to provide screening-level information only to help users learn about community environmental health issues. It does not re-calculate risk values and is not intended to be the sole basis for any public health decision.
- Does C-FERST calculate cumulative risks or impacts?
Although C-FERST offers multimedia environmental data and demographic data, it does not add together or otherwise calculate cumulative risks for different environmental exposures. C-FERST does provide access to estimated cumulative cancer and non-cancer risks from exposure to hazardous outdoor air pollutants, as calculated by the 2011 National Air Toxics Assessment. C-FERST also includes information about population characteristics, so users can explore where environmental sources and higher environmental concentrations are located in relation to communities. This information in C-FERST might help users to identify issues and explore these further, but C-FERST does not calculate cumulative risk or impacts.
- Who can I contact with questions or feedback on C-FERST?
Your feedback is very important to us and will help us improve and expand C-FERST. Feedback from the user community will increase our understanding about how C-FERST data and tools benefit individuals and communities and will help guide the development of future versions and relevant new tools and data. Please visit the C-FERST User Forum to get involved and contribute to discussions by asking questions or by sharing your experiences. You can also visit the contact us page to provide comments, questions or suggestions.