Abstract |
This second draft Policy Assessment (PA) has been prepared by staff in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) in conjunction with the Agency's ongoing review of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM), which include primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) standards. It presents staff conclusions regarding the adequacy of the current suite of PM standards as well as potential alternative standards for consideration in this review, based on the scientific and technical information assessed in other EPA documents, including the Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter (Final Report) (ISA, US EPA, 2009a), the Quantitative Health Risk Assessment for Particulate Matter (Final Report) (RA, US EPA, 2010a) and the Particulate Matter Urban-Focused Visibility Assessment (Final Report) (UFVA, US EPA, 2010b). This PA is intended to 'bridge the gap' between the relevant scientific evidence and technical information and the judgments required of the EPA Administrator in determining whether, and if so how, to revise the PM NAAQS. The current and potential alternative PM standards are considered in terms of the basic elements of the NAAQS: indicator, averaging time, form, and level. |