US EPA

EPA announced the availability of the first draft of the Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Particulate Matter (PM), a concise synthesis and evaluation of the most policy-relevant science, and has been prepared as part of the review of the primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM under the Clean Air Act. When final, the PM ISA, in conjunction with additional technical and policy assessments, will provide the scientific basis for EPA's decision on whether the current primary and secondary air quality standards for PM sufficiently protects public health and welfare. The ecological effects of PM are being considered in a separate ISA, the Integrated Science Assessment for Oxides of Nitrogen, Oxides of Sulfur, and PM (Ecological Criteria) (Second External Review Draft) that is also in draft development.

The PM ISA ERD reflects a systematic evaluation of the peer-reviewed literature published since the completion of the 2009 PM ISA that builds off the scientific conclusions presented in previous assessments of the health and welfare effects evidence for PM. This ISA is the initial draft of the current state of the science on the health and welfare effects of PM that will ultimately result in the final PM ISA that will serve as the scientific foundation of the ongoing review of the PM NAAQS, which was last completed in 2012.

U.S. EPA. Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Particulate Matter (First External Review Draft, Oct 2018). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-18/179, 2018.

To request an electronic copy of this report, please contact Ms. Marieka Boyd by phone: 919-541-0031; fax: 919-541-5078; or email: boyd.marieka@epa.gov to request a CD-ROM, and provide your name, mailing address, and include the document title, "Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Particulate Matter (External Review Draft)" in your request to facilitate processing.