

[Federal Register: July 21, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 140)]
[Proposed Rules]               
[Page 41409-41410]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21jy06-13]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 50

[FRL-8199-7; Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2001-0017]

 
Availability of Additional Information Related to the Review of 
the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of data availability.

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SUMMARY: The EPA is providing notice that it has placed in the docket 
for the review of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) 
for particulate matter (PM) (Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2001-0017) 
additional information relevant to the rulemaking. See 71 FR 2620 (Jan. 
17, 2006) (proposing revisions to those standards). Specifically, this 
notice announces the availability of an EPA report, ``Provisional 
Assessment of Recent Studies on Health Effects of Particulate Matter 
Exposure'' (provisional assessment) (EPA/600/R-06/063), which presents 
EPA's survey and provisional assessment of studies relevant to 
assessing the health effects of PM that were published too recently to 
be included in the 2004 PM Air Quality Criteria Document.

DATES: The provisional assessment document will be placed in the PM 
NAAQS docket on or about July 21, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Mary Ross, National Center for 
Environmental Assessment (B243-01), U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: 919-541-5170; e-
mail: ross.mary@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

    On January 17, 2006, EPA published a proposed rule to make 
revisions to the primary and secondary NAAQS for PM to provide 
requisite protection of public health and welfare (71 FR 2620). The 
proposed decisions separately addressed fine and coarse particles. 
These proposed decisions were based on: a thorough review of the 
scientific information on known and potential human health and welfare 
effects associated with exposure to these subclasses of PM at levels 
typically found in the ambient air as presented in the Air Quality 
Criteria Document (henceforth, the ``Criteria Document'') (two volumes, 
EPA/600/P-99/002aF and

[[Page 41410]]

EPA/600/P-99/002bF, October 2004); staff assessments presented in the 
Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate 
Matter: Assessment of Scientific and Technical Information (henceforth, 
the ``Staff Paper'') (EPA-452/R-05-005a, December 2005); Clean Air 
Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) advice and recommendations, as 
reflected in the CASAC's letters to the Administrator, discussions of 
the drafts of the Criteria Document and Staff Paper at public meetings, 
and separate written comments prepared by individual members of the 
CASAC PM Review Panel; and public comments received during the 
development of these documents, either in connection with CASAC 
meetings or separately.
    In the preamble to the proposed rule, EPA acknowledged that a 
number of new scientific studies on the health effects on PM had been 
published recently that were not included in the Criteria Document. See 
71 FR at 2625. In order to ensure that the Administrator is fully aware 
of the new science that has developed since the cutoff date before 
making a final decision on whether to revise the current PM NAAQS, EPA 
conducted a provisional assessment of relevant new studies. EPA 
screened and surveyed the recent literature, including studies 
submitted during the public comment period on the proposed rule, and 
conducted a provisional assessment that places the results of those 
studies of potentially greatest policy relevance in the context of the 
findings of the 2004 Criteria Document. The focus of the provisional 
assessment was on: (a) epidemiological studies conducted in the U.S. or 
Canada that assessed exposures to PM2.5 and/or 
PM10-2.5 and (b) toxicology or epidemiology studies that 
compared the effects of PM from different sources, PM components, or 
size fractions.
    The provisional assessment of the new PM science is presented in a 
document prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment 
(NCEA) within EPA's Office of Research and Development, entitled 
``Provisional Assessment of Recent Studies on Health Effects of 
Particulate Matter Exposure'' (EPA/600/R-06/063, June 2006). The 
following section of this notice describes how to obtain copies of this 
document.

B. How Can I Get a Copy of This Document?

    1. Docket. EPA has established a docket for the current review of 
the PM NAAQS under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2001-0017. The document 
entitled ``Provisional Assessment of Recent Studies on Health Effects 
of Particulate Matter Exposure'' (EPA/600/R-06/063) will be placed in 
this docket. Publicly available docket materials are available either 
electronically through http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at 

the Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, EPA/DC, Room B102 
EPA West, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The Public 
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 
excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading 
Room is 202-566-1744 and the telephone number for the Air and Radiation 
docket and Information Center is 202-566-1742.
    2. Electronic Access. You may access this document at http://www.epa.gov/air/particlepollution/actions.html
 or on the NCEA home page 

under the ``Recent Additions'' and ``Data and Publications'' menus at 
http://www.epa.gov/ncea.


List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 50

    Environmental protection, Air pollution control, Carbon monoxide, 
Lead, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone, Particulate matter, Sulfur oxides.

    Dated: July 7, 2006.
Peter W. Preuss,
Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. E6-11621 Filed 7-20-06; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
