In anticipation of the upcoming five-year review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM), the U.S. EPA has appointed several new members to the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and a number of additional consulting members to serve on the PM review panel.  (more…)

EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) has issued some strong advice to EPA Administrator Steve Johnson on the need to strengthen the air quality standards for ozone.  In a letter dated March 26, 2007, the scientists wrote:  

“Ozone Panel members were unanimous in recommending that the level of the current primary ozone standard should be lowered from 0.08 ppm to no greater than 0.070 ppm.” 

Further, the scientists emphasized the need to provide a margin of safety in standard-setting, as required by the Clean Air Act. 

Read the full letter providing comments on EPA’s final ozone Staff Paper online: 

http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/casac-07-002.pdf

The recommendations from the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee come on the heels of strong recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen air quality guidelines for ozone.  The WHO report, issued in full on March 23, 2007, recommends an air quality guideline of 0.051 ppm ozone, 8-hour average, to protect against respiratory effects and premature deaths due to ozone.  See the full report online: 

http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E90038.pdf

A final EPA Staff Paper on the review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone air pollution concludes that the current standard is not protective of public health and must be strengthened.  (more…)

An EPA scientific advisory panel has unanimously recommended that the United States adopt much stronger air quality standards for ozone smog.  The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) concluded that the standard “needs to be substantially reduced: and that there is “no scientific justification” for retaining the current standard.  The standards — which establish safe levels of pollution in the air — are undergoing review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  (more…)

The seven permanent members of EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) sent EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson a letter dated September 29, 2006, officially condemning Johnson’s final decisions concerning the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for particulate matter. (more…)

The Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) has agreed that the the current air quality standard for ozone cannot be considered protective of public health and that EPA must lower the standard considerably to reflect studies show effects at and below the level of the current standard. (more…)

EPA’s second draft Staff Paper on the review of the ozone air quality standard recommends that the current standard be retained or slightly strengthened.
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EPA published the final ozone Air Quality Criteria Document laying out the latest scientific evidence of the adverse health effects of ozone on March 21, 2006.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s science advisors have officially asked EPA Administrator Steve Johnson to reconsider the agency’s proposed national air quality standards for particle soot.
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EPA’s science advisors, meeting in a teleconference on February 3, 2006, agreed to send a letter to EPA Administrator Steven Johnson urging that several aspects of the proposed air quality standards for particulate matter be be strengthened to conform with their prior recommendations.
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