Environmental Protection Agency Website Research Articles

Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change for Birthing People and the Provider's Role.

Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change for Birthing People and the Provider's Role.

Spatial Distribution of Toxic Sites in Louisiana, USA: The GIS Perspectives

This study uses geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to spatially geocode the affected toxic site areas in Louisiana and use the results to help policy-makers plan for removal. Data for this study was acquired from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website including names and locations of National Priorities List (NPL). Also, publicly available EPA database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and other waste management activities reported annually by regulated industry groups and federal facilities was acquired. Data obtained from EPA website was converted to geographic co-ordinates (latitude and longitude). Results showed geocoded toxic wastes maps in Louisiana. Results also revealed that most of the toxic sites were clustered around major waterways in both southern and northern Louisiana. Policy recommendations include strict enforcement of the State laws that deal with fracking and flaring, use of emission inventories and air quality reports to assist policy makers in developing cost-effective emission control strategies that are necessary for tracking the progress of policies towards gas emissions reduction and finally, the need to increase funding for the clean-up of the chemical waste.

Practical assessment of the SWMM programme

The article describes the advantages and disadvantages of the SWMM programme user environment when working with it. The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is a programme developed by the U.S. EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). The SWMM programme is used worldwide to plan, analyse and design rainfall-runoff, combined and separate sanitary sewage systems and other drainage systems in urban areas [1]. The programme is freely available to download from the U.S. EPA website [2].

Air Pollution, Climate, and Heart Disease

Two decades of research have shown that air pollution can trigger heart attacks, strokes, and irregular heart rhythms, particularly in people already at risk for these conditions. Several reviews of these studies, including 2 American Heart Association scientific statements, describe the scientific findings and conclude that air pollution poses a risk to heart health.1–4 You can help protect your health and the health of your family, neighbors, and community from risk caused by air pollution, including the risk to your cardiovascular health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, and American College of Cardiology have published a concise leaflet on “Heart Disease, Stroke and Outdoor Air Pollution” that is available online (www.epa.gov/airnow/heart_flyer-1-28-10-final.pdf).5 This article provides advice for patients based partially on this leaflet and the EPA website http://airnow.gov/.6 General advice on air pollution and the heart is also available on the EPA website http://www.epa.gov/greenheart/.7 Air pollution is a mixture of gases and particles that come from manmade and natural sources. For heart disease and stroke, very small particles that go down into the airways seem to be the most important form of air pollution for triggering these events, particularly in those at high risk. These particles, measured and reported by the EPA as PM2.5, come from cars and trucks, power plants, industrial boilers, other industrial sources, and wildfires. Globally, cigarette smoking and wood- or biomass-burning stoves used for cooking8 and heating are major sources of indoor particle pollution. Ground-level ozone, known for years to worsen lung disease, may also trigger heart attacks and strokes in susceptible people. It is formed when pollutant gases emitted by cars and trucks, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources react chemically in the presence of …

US Institute of Medicine Report: Climate Change, the Indoor Environment and Health and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Response

The US Institute of Medicine report commissioned by the US EPA concluded that climate change may worsen the quality of indoor air; it may worsen existing indoor environmental problems and introduce new ones as it alters the frequency or severity of adverse outdoor conditions. Report recommendations included: prioritize consideration of health effects into research, policy, programs, and regulatory agendas; make prevention of adverse exposures a primary goal in designing and implementing strategies to address health effects; and include collection of data to be used in making better-informed decisions in the future. EPA program areas that may need to be refined include technical guidance for building construction and maintenance, and public education regarding occupant behavior that could impact exposure to indoor pollutants. EPA's indoor air quality priorities for adaptation response include education and outreach on indoor air and climate change adaptation issues. Integration of climate change adaptation science and policy into current indoor air programs focused on homes, schools and large buildings is essential, as well as promotion of research on climate change adaptation. Research priorities include: develop health-based ventilation standards and inform design and operation criteria for mechanical ventilation systems; develop protocols or testing standards for evaluating emissions from indoor sources; evaluate effects on occupant health and productivity following alterations to the indoor environment in response to climatic changes, including weatherization and retrofitting of homes and/or buildings; identify future vulnerable populations that may be at greater risk from effects of climate change. Guidance on indoor air issues is available, free of charge, on the EPA website; www.epa.gov/iaq.

Ozone Air Pollution: How Low Can You Go?

Ozone Air Pollution: How Low Can You Go?

Determination of the soil–water partition coefficients (log KOC) of some mono- and poly-substituted phenols by reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography

In order to determine the soil–water partition coefficient for eleven mono- and poly-substituted phenolic compounds, for which there is still no literature data available, the possibility of using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) as a means for rapid and reliable log K OC estimation was examined. A series of chromatographically derived descriptors: R M 0 , b, C 0 and PC1 (first principal component), calculated from retention data obtained under reversed-phase conditions, were used for the assessment of models as well as for a direct calibration procedure. The final calibration models are discussed with regard to the achieved accuracy and statistical quality, the type of descriptors used and the corresponding chromatographic conditions. The estimated log K OC values of the studied phenols were compared with those obtained by other means: (a) the present OECD guideline based on an HPLC technique; (b) the KOCWIN software package, available free of charge from the US Environmental Protection Agency web site and (c) general LSER models established by Nguyen and coworkers, and Poole and coworkers. The proposed method showed the best agreement with the results obtained by the OECD procedure, followed by the LSER models of Poole and Nguyen. Lower quality correlations were achieved with the KOCWIN calculated values, especially those predicted by molecular connectivity indices.

ASSESSMENT OF RADIONUCLIDE DATABASES IN CAP88 MAINFRAME VERSION 1.0 AND WINDOWS-BASED VERSION 3.0

In this study the radionuclide databases for two versions of the Clean Air Act Assessment Package-1988 (CAP88) computer model were assessed in detail. CAP88 estimates radiation dose and the risk of health effects to human populations from radionuclide emissions to air. This program is used by several U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities to comply with National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants regulations. CAP88 Mainframe, referred to as version 1.0 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site (http://www.epa.gov/radiation/assessment/CAP88/), was the very first CAP88 version released in 1988. Some DOE facilities including the Savannah River Site still employ this version (1.0) while others use the more user-friendly personal computer Windows-based version 3.0 released in December 2007. Version 1.0 uses the program RADRISK based on International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 30 as its radionuclide database. Version 3.0 uses half-life, dose, and risk factor values based on Federal Guidance Report 13. Differences in these values could cause different results for the same input exposure data (same scenario), depending on which version of CAP88 is used. Consequently, the differences between the two versions are being assessed in detail at Savannah River National Laboratory. The version 1.0 and 3.0 database files contain 496 and 838 radionuclides, respectively, and though one would expect the newer version to include all the 496 radionuclides, 35 radionuclides are listed in version 1.0 that are not included in version 3.0. The majority of these has either extremely short or long half-lives or is no longer in production; however, some of the short-lived radionuclides might produce progeny of great interest at DOE sites. In addition, 122 radionuclides were found to have different half-lives in the two versions, with 21 over 3 percent different and 12 over 10 percent different.

Serum PFOA Levels in Residents of Communities Near a Teflon-Production Facility

Serum PFOA Levels in Residents of Communities Near a Teflon-Production Facility

Proving Environmental Discretion: An Argument for Regulating Greenhouse Gases from Motor Vehicles under the Clean Air Act

I. INTRODUCTION II. HISTORY OF CLIMATE CHANGE A. The Evolution of Climate Change Policy B. The Domestic Agenda for Combating Climate Change III. CONFRONTING ARTICLE III STANDING A. Developing Standing Jurisprudence B. The Effect of Lujan C. Should the Political Branches Decide? IV. EXAMINING THE CLEAN AIR ACT A. The Chevron Test B. An Analysis of the D.C. Circuit's Opinions in Massachusetts v. EPA 1. Judge Randolph's Majority Opinion 2. Judge Sentelle's Concurrence and Dissent 3. Judge Tatel's Dissent V. PROMOTING REGULATION THROUGH THE CLEAN AIR ACT A. Article III Standing 1. The Akins/Lujan Standard 2. Proposing New Standing Requirements for Global Warming Disputes B. Interpreting the Clean Air Act Provisions 1. Examining Congressional Intent 2. The D.C. Circuit's Mischaracterization of the Clean Air Act C. The Likely Outcome of Massachusetts v. EPA VI. CONCLUSION I. INTRODUCTION On October 20, 1999, the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) and a number of environmental groups petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate certain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new motor vehicles and engines. (2) The organizations argued that section 202(a)(1) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) (3) provided the EPA Administrator with mandatory discretion to regulate GHG emissions. (4) Petitioners contended that statements made on the EPA's website and other documents concluded that the emissions they sought to control may reasonably be anticipated to endanger the public welfare. (5) They also claimed that motor vehicle emissions from the GHGs could be significantly reduced by increasing the fuel economy of vehicles, eliminating tailpipe emissions altogether, or using other current and developing technologies. However, the EPA concluded that it did not possess the legal authority to regulate the GHG emissions and denied their petition. (6) In Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, (7) the D.C. Circuit addressed the issue of whether the Clean Air Act authorized the EPA Administrator to control GHG emissions of new motor vehicles and engines. A three-judge panel voted 2-1 against reviewing the EPA's decision that it lacked authority under federal law to regulate GHGs. (8) The majority held that the Administrator properly exercised his discretion under section 202(a)(1) in denying the petition for rulemaking. (9) In an en banc hearing, the D.C. Circuit rejected a petition for rehearing. (10) Late last term, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to hear arguments to resolve this controversy. (11) This comment asserts that the CAA authorizes the EPA to regulate GHG emissions from new motor vehicles. The Supreme Court's decision in Chevron USA, Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (12) held that if a statute is silent or ambiguous with respect to a specific issue, the question becomes whether the agency's action involves a permissible construction of the statute. Part II of this comment discusses the historical background of climate change policy regarding GHG emissions. Part III focuses on the various environmental law cases addressing the issue of Article III standing. Part IV analyzes the Chevron test and the three opinions by the Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency judges. Part V advances the belief that section 202(a)(1) of the CAA provides mandatory authority and predicts that the Supreme Court will decide that the petitioners possess proper standing and that the EPA is mandated under section 202(a)(1) to regulate GHG emissions. This prediction is based on the Court's jurisprudence regarding Article III standing and the Chevron doctrine, respectively. Part VI concludes that failure to control the production of GHG emissions from new motor vehicles and engines limits the impact of the CAA to protect the public welfare from threats to the environment. …

Short term effects of particulate matter on cause specific mortality: effects of lags and modification by city characteristics

Background: Consistent evidence has shown increased all-cause mortality, and mortality from broad categories of causes associated with airborne particles. Less is known about associations with specific causes of death, and...

An Evaluation of the US High Production Volume (HPV) Chemical-testing Programme: A Study in (Ir)Relevance, Redundancy and Retro Thinking

Under the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Programme, chemical companies have volunteered to conduct screening-level toxicity tests on approximately 2800 widely-used industrial chemicals. Participating companies are committed to providing available toxicity information to the EPA and presenting testing proposals for review by the EPA and posting on the EPA Web site as public information. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and a coalition of animal protection organisations have reviewed all the test plans submitted by the participating chemical companies for compliance with the original HPV framework, as well as with animal welfare guidelines issued by the EPA in October 1999. Our review found major and recurring flaws in the programme's execution, as well as in its fundamental design. Approximately 75% of the test plans reviewed violated fundamental terms of the programme. Many participating companies failed to conduct comprehensive analyses of available data and instead proposed superfluous and meaningless tests. The US HPV programme's exclusion of human health and exposure data has led to numerous examples of irrelevant experiments that will not affect how a chemical substance is used or handled. Contrary to claims by both the EPA and Environmental Defense that few new animal tests are being performed, an estimated 100,000 animals have already died in this US Government-sponsored animal-testing programme.

Use of calibration gases in the U.S. acid rain program

The United States Acid Rain Program continuous emission monitors (CEMs) have been successful in producing quality-assured data 95% of the time, and in meeting a relative accuracy standard of less than or equal to 10.0% at over 99% of the CEMs in the program. One key reason for this high accuracy is the required use of high quality calibration gases in certification and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) tests. An annual QA audit helps ensure high quality calibration gases. A third party purchases gases from gas vendors. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) laboratory analyzes the gases and compares the results with the tag value on the cylinder. The results are posted on an EPA website. This allows purchasers of calibration gases to buy gases from vendors producing the most accurate gases. Over time, we believe it also results in better accuracy from all gas vendors. Because of a change in SO2 quantification methodology, SO2 emissions were underreported by approximately 2% between 1989 and 1996. EPA, the National Institute for Standards and Technology and calibration gas vendors collaborated to produce a correction policy and a standard correction form to be used by affected electric utility plants. Calibration gas cylinder tag values were required to be corrected by 1 January, 1997. In the future, it is possible that cleaner, more varied sources will be regulated for greenhouse effect, ozone and toxic emissions control. This will probably require more accurate CEMs, lower calibration gas concentrations, and a broader menu of gas mixtures.