Advisors Express Concern Over Epa Risk Study For New No2 Naaqs

摘要

EPA's advisors are expressing concern that the risk assessment the agency is developing as part of its review of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air quality standard is based on assumptions that may not be representative of real-world exposure and say the court-ordered schedule for the review is limiting EPA's ability to respond to these concerns. Agency staff said on an Oct. 22 teleconference with advisors that several factors have contributed to delaying the review, including the advisors' request that an additional analysis be added to the assessment and a memo from deputy administrator Marcus Peacock that mandated that all analysis be completed before the rulemaking process begins. EPA is planning to meet later this week with the environmentalists who sued to set the standard in order to ask to delay the court-ordered schedule, which requires the air standard to be proposed in May and finalized in December, Lydia Wegman of EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards said. Members of EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee held the Oct. 22 teleconference to discuss the comments they plan to send to EPA next week on the risk and exposure assessment for the review of the health-protective national ambient air quality standard for NO2. The advisors said several factors in the assessment may be based on faulty assumptions, and said the assessment does not adequately portray the uncertainty of the analysis.