EPA's Analysis Of Stricter Lead Standard Delaying Superfund Cleanup

摘要

EPA is continuing to struggle with the question of whether the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) tightened standard for acceptable blood lead levels in children should result in revised EPA guidance on how to reduce lead contamination in soil, leading to cleanup delays at a Superfund site in Illinois that formerly housed a zinc smelter. Sources say the agency had planned to update its Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) model by the end of July, which would help the agency determine if lead cleanup guidelines should be changed. But a recent email between an EPA official and the mayor of DePue, IL, indicates revising the model has been harder than expected and the model's release has been delayed, though EPA encourages DePue and the state not to delay the cleanup for the updated model.