Health Assessment Document for Diesel Engine Exhaust
[Federal Register: September 3, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 170)]
[Notices]
[Page 56290]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03se02-51]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7271-2]
Health Assessment Document for Diesel Engine Exhaust
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a final report.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing
the availability of the final Health Assessment Document for Diesel
Engine Exhaust (EPA/600/8-90/057F, May 2002). The document was prepared
by the Office of Research and Development's National Center for
Environmental Assessment (NCEA). The assessment evaluates the health
effects literature to identify the most important exposure hazards to
humans. Secondly, the assessment evaluates the exposure-response
characteristics of the key health effects so that information is
available for understanding the possible impact on an exposed
population.
DATES: The final document is available electronically on NCEA's Web
site today.
ADDRESSES: The document is available electronically on NCEA's Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/ncea) under the What's New and Publications menus.
A limited number of CDs and paper copies will be available from EPA's
National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP). To
obtain copies, please contact NSCEP by telephone (1-800-490-9198 or
513-489-8190), by facsimile (513-489-8695), or by mail (PO Box 42419,
Cincinnati, OH 45242-0419). Please provide your name and mailing
address and the title and EPA number of the Health Assessment Document
for Diesel Engine Exhaust (EPA/600/8-90/057F, May 2002).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Technical Information Staff, NCEA-
Washington Office (8623D), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 202-564-
3261; facsimile: 202-565-0050.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The diesel engine has been a vital workhorse
in the United States, powering many of its large trucks, buses, farm,
railroad, marine and construction equipment. Expectations are that the
use of diesel engines will increase due to the superior performance
characteristics of the engine. Diesel engine exhaust, however, contains
large quantities of harmful pollutants in a complex mixture of gases
and particulates. Human exposure to this exhaust comes from both
highway uses (on-road) as well as from the nonroad uses of the diesel
engine.
EPA started regulating the gaseous emissions from the heavy duty
highway uses of diesel engines in the 1970s and particles in the 1980s.
The reduction of harmful exhaust emissions has taken a large step
forward because of standards issued in 2000 which will bring about very
large reductions in exhaust emissions for model year 2007 heavy duty
engines used in trucks, buses and other on-road uses. EPA anticipates
developing similarly stringent regulations for other diesel engine
uses, including those used in nonroad applications.
Until these regulations take effect, EPA is partnering with state
and local agencies to retrofit older, dirtier, engines to make them run
cleaner and to develop model programs to reduce emissions from idling
engines. In addition, EPA and local authorities are working to ensure
early introduction of effective technologies for particulate matter
control and low sulfur fuel where possible in advance of the 2007
requirements. Today, at least one engine manufacturer is producing new
engines with particulate traps that when coupled with low-sulfur fuel
meet 2007 particulate emission levels. The Agency expects significant
environmental and public health benefits as the environmental
performance of diesel engines and diesel fuels improve.
A draft of this assessment, along with the peer review comments of
the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, was part of the scientific
basis for EPA's regulation of heavy-duty highway engines completed in
December 2000. The information provided by this assessment was useful
in developing EPA's understanding of the public health implications of
exposure to diesel engine exhaust and the public health benefits of
taking regulatory action to control diesel emissions.
The health assessment concludes that long-term (i.e., chronic)
exposure to diesel exhaust is likely to pose a lung cancer hazard, as
well as damage the lung in other ways depending on exposure. The health
assessment's conclusions are based on exposure to exhaust from diesel
engines built prior to the mid-1990s. Short-term (i.e., acute)
exposures can cause transient irritation and inflammatory symptoms,
although the nature and extent of these symptoms are highly variable
across the population. The assessment also states that evidence is
emerging that diesel exhaust exacerbates existing allergies and asthma
symptoms. The assessment recognizes that diesel engine exhaust
emissions, as a mixture of many constituents, also contribute to
ambient concentrations of several criteria air pollutants including
nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, fine particles, as well as other
hazardous air pollutants.
The particulate fraction of diesel exhaust and its composition is a
key element in EPA's present understanding of the health issues and
formulation of the conclusions in the health assessment. The amount of
exhaust particulate from on-road engines has been decreasing in recent
years and is expected to decrease 90% from today's levels with the
engines designed to meet the 2007 regulations. The composition of the
exhaust particulate matter and the gases also will change. While EPA
believes that the assessment's conclusions apply to the general use of
diesels today, as cleaner diesel engines replace a substantial number
of existing engines, the general applicability of the conclusions in
this Health Assessment Document will need to be reevaluated.
Dated: July 1, 2002.
Paul Gilman,
Assistant Administrator for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 02-22368 Filed 8-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P