Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Notice of public comment period.
EPA is announcing the availability of a document titled, “
EPA is releasing this draft document to seek review by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and the public (meeting date and location to be specified in a separate
The public comment period begins February 2, 2012, and ends April 2, 2012. Comments must be received on or before April 2, 2012.
The “
For technical information, contact Dr. Ellen Kirrane, NCEA; telephone: 919–541–1340; facsimile: 919–541–2985; or email:
Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act directs the Administrator to identify certain pollutants, which among other things, “cause or contribute to air pollution, which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare” and to issue air quality criteria for them. These air quality criteria are to “accurately reflect the latest scientific knowledge useful in indicating the kind and extent of all identifiable effects on public health or welfare, which may be expected from the presence of [a] pollutant in the ambient air. * * *” Under section 109 of the Act, EPA is to establish NAAQS for each pollutant for which EPA has issued criteria. Section 109(d) of the Act requires periodic review and, if appropriate, revision of existing air quality criteria to reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the effects of the pollutant on public health or welfare. EPA is also required to periodically review and revises the NAAQS, if appropriate, based on the revised air quality criteria.
Pb is one of six principal (or “criteria”) pollutants for which EPA has established NAAQS. Periodically, EPA reviews the scientific basis for these standards by preparing an Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) (formerly called an Air Quality Criteria Document). The ISA and its supplementary materials provide a comprehensive assessment of the current scientific literature pertaining to known and anticipated effects on public health and welfare associated with the presence of the pollutant in the ambient air, emphasizing information that has become available since the last air quality criteria review in order to reflect the current state of knowledge. As such, the ISA forms the scientific foundation for each NAAQS review and is intended to provide information useful in forming EPA judgments about the different elements of the NAAQS. The CASAC, an independent scientific advisory committee whose review and advisory functions are mandated by Section 109(d)(2) of the Clean Air Act, is charged (among other things) with independent scientific review of EPA's air quality criteria.
On February 26, 2010 (75 FR 8934), EPA formally initiated its current review of the air quality criteria for Pb, requesting the submission of recent scientific information on specified topics. Soon after, a science policy workshop was held to identify key policy issues and questions to frame the review of the Pb NAAQS (75 FR 20843). Drawing from the workshop discussions, a draft “
As part of the science assessment phase of the review, EPA held a workshop in December 2010 (75 FR 69078) to discuss, with invited scientific experts, preliminary draft materials prepared during the ongoing development of the Pb ISA. The first external review draft ISA for Pb was released on May 6, 2011, and is available at
Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD–2011–0051, by one of the following methods:
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If you provide comments by mail or hand delivery, please submit three copies of the comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively with the comments, and submit an unbound original and three copies.