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Research Programs
Mission
To provide safe and healthy air for every American community by advancing air pollution science and providing the knowledge and tools that can be used by state and local governments as well as the private sector to meet EPA's requirements for clean air under the Clean Air Act.
Contact
Dan Costa (costa.dan@epa.gov)
National Program Director
Clean Air Research Program
919-541-2532
Science Overview
Focus on PM and Ozone
The Clean Air Research Program in EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) provides the critical science, including data, methods, and models, needed by the Agency to review and implement its ambient air standards to protect public health under the Clean Air Act.. Likewise, these methods and models are provided to the states, communities, and tribes charged with implementing and upholding these air quality standards. Simultaneously, the program is developing scientific approaches to better track health and environmental impacts of its regulatory decisions targeting EPA's goal for clean air.
The research program has made significant contributions to understanding two common air pollutants regulated by the EPA -- particulate matter (PM) and ozone -- which have long been considered high-risk air pollutants. Research on PM has resulted in major advances in the field, demonstrating that PM air pollution is linked to increases in respiratory and cardiac health problems, resulting in loss of school and work time, hospitalization, and even premature death.
The research program is also a leader in ozone research, providing some of the earliest evidence of the risks of this pollutant on respiratory health, especially to asthmatics. Ozone research continues, especially as a prominent component of ambient air pollutant mixtures. The relationship of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) to health risks is also being investigated as part of research on mixtures.
Multi-Pollutant Research Effort
The research program is evolving with growing emphasis on the development of a multi-pollutant approach to its assessments of air pollution. Historically, research has largely focused on individual air pollutants, like PM and ozone, with advances in the science serving to improve knowledge about their impacts on health. The Clean Air Research Program is presently developing an integrated multi-pollutant approach to understand the risks posed by mixtures of air pollutants. At the heart of this multi-pollutant approach is the identification and characterization of source-to- health linkages that EPA can use to develop more effective and strategic controls of air pollution. Controls at the source generally mitigate several pollutants simultaneously.
Importance of Fundamental Research
The Clean Air Research Program is providing the science to answer the fundamental driving question: How can we reduce health risks associated with exposure to air pollution?
The research requires the maintenance and continued development of core scientific capabilities that define the Clean Air Research Program. These capabilities have provided the knowledge and tools to improve our ambient air quality. This core or fundamental research is conducted jointly with the Human Health Research Program in the Office of Research and Development. In addition, advances in atmospheric science are coordinated with the Global Change Research Program within ORD.
The Clean Air Research Program has two main long-term goals:
Reduce uncertainty in EPA air pollution standard setting and air quality management decisions by advancing air pollution science. This includes:
- Health effects research on PM and specific hazardous air pollutants to support EPA's mandatory reviews of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards
- Research to characterize and estimate source emissions, including major stationary and mobile sources as well as non-road vehicles, airports, seaports, and natural or agricultural environments
Reduce uncertainties in linking health and environmental effects to air pollution sources. This includes:
- Research that links the source of air pollution to health outcomes from a multi-pollutant approach rather than a single pollutant focus
- 2. Research to identify specific source-to-health linkages with an initial study on near-road air pollution and its potential health risks