Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is required to carry out a periodic review and revision, as appropriate, of the air quality criteria and the primary and secondary standards for six criteria air pollutants, which include lead. EPA is currently reviewing the Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Primary standards set limits to protect public health, including the health of "sensitive" populations such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly. Secondary standards set limits to protect public welfare, including protection against decreased visibility, damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings. An early step in EPA’s process for reviewing the NAAQS is to develop an Integrated Review Plan (IRP) for reviewing the science associated with the primary and secondary NAAQS. EPA has requested that CASAC provide consultative advice on Volume 2 of the Lead IRP. This volume identifies policy-relevant issues in the review and serves as the EPA’s planning document for the Integrated Science Assessment for Lead, describing key considerations and the process for its development as part of the review of the NAAQS for lead.
The IRP for the Lead NAAQS review will be a 3-volume document. Volume 1 of the IRP contains contextual background material and the anticipated schedule for the current review of the air quality criteria and NAAQS for Pb. Volume 3 will discuss key considerations related to planning decisions on quantitative exposure and risk analyses that may be warranted for the review, and will be the subject of a future consultation with the CASAC.
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