[Federal Register: December 27, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 249)]
[Notices]
[Page 79089-79090]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27de02-90]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7429-8]
Draft Exposure and Human Health Evaluation of Airborne Pollution
From the World Trade Center Disaster and Final Toxicological Effects of
Fine Particle Matter Derived From the Destruction of the World Trade
Center
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft document for public review
and comment, and notice of availability of a final document.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of
Research and Development (ORD) is announcing a 60-day public comment
period for the external review draft (ERD) entitled, ``Exposure and
Human Health Evaluation of Airborne Pollution from the World Trade
Center Disaster (EPA/600/P-02/002A, October 2002).'' This draft
document was prepared by ORD's National Center for Environmental
Assessment (NCEA). ORD also is announcing the public availability of a
final report entitled, ``Toxicological Effects of Fine Particle Matter
Derived from the Destruction of the World Trade Center (EPA/600/R-02/
028, June 2002),'' hereafter, rodent respiratory toxicological report.
This final report was prepared by ORD's National Health and
Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL).
DATES: The 60-day public comment period on the ERD begins December 27,
2002, and ends February 25, 2003. Technical comments should be in
writing and must be postmarked by February 25, 2003. The final rodent
respiratory toxicological report is available today.
ADDRESSES: The primary distribution method for the ERD will be via
ORD's web site at http://www.epa.gov/ncea/wtc.htm. This draft report,
in PDF format, can be viewed and downloaded from the Internet for
review and comment. In addition, a limited number of CD-ROM and paper
copies of the ERD are available by contacting the Technical Information
Staff, NCEA-W (8623D), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 202-564-3261; facsimile: 202-565-0050;
email: nceadc.comment@epa.gov. Please provide your name, mailing
address, and the title and EPA number of the requested publication.
The rodent respiratory toxicological report is also available via
ORD's web site at http://www.epa.gov/nheerl. A limited number of paper
copies are 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; facsimile: 513-489-
8695, by mail: P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, OH 45242-0419. Please
provide your name and mailing address and the title and EPA number of
the document requested.
COMMENT SUBMISSION: Comments on the ERD may be mailed to the Technical
Information Staff, NCEA-W (8623D), U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 202-564-3261; facsimile: 202-
565-0050. Comments should be in writing. Please submit one unbound
original with pages numbered consecutively, and three copies of the
comments. For attachments, provide an index, number pages consecutively
with the comments, and submit an unbound original and three copies.
Electronic comments may be emailed to: nceadc.comment@epa.gov.
Please note that all technical comments received in response to
this notice will be placed in a public record. For that reason,
commentors should not submit personal information (such as medical data
or home address), Confidential Business Information, or information
protected by copyright. Due to limited resources, acknowledgments will
not be sent.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public comment
period, contact the Technical Information Staff of the National Center
for Environmental Assessment-Washington by telephone: 202-564-3261;
facsimile: 202-565-0050; email: nceadc.comment@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Immediately following the September 11,
2001, terrorist attack on New York City's World Trade Center, many
federal agencies, including the EPA, were called upon to focus their
technical and scientific expertise on the national emergency issues.
EPA, other federal agencies, New York City, and New York State public
health and environmental authorities focused on numerous air monitoring
activities to better understand the ongoing human health impact of the
disaster. Many EPA offices and programs quickly became involved with
these activities, providing scientific, engineering, public health, and
management expertise to help cope with the aftereffects of the collapse
of the World Trade Center.
As part of these activities, a human health evaluation of exposure
to air
[[Page 79090]]
pollutants resulting from the World Trade Center disaster was
initiated. The primary purpose and scope of this draft report were to
evaluate the environmental levels of various air pollutants to which
the public could potentially be exposed as a result of the collapse of
the towers. The draft report evaluates the measured outdoor levels of
various air pollutants to which the public potentially had been
exposed. These data were evaluated in terms of available health
benchmark concentrations and typical background concentrations for New
York City or other urban areas. The draft evaluation concludes that,
with the exception of those exposed immediately following the collapse
and perhaps during the next few days, people in the surrounding
community are not likely to suffer from serious long- or short-term
health effects.
While the primary focus of EPA's draft evaluation is on outdoor
levels of various air pollutants to which the public could potentially
be exposed as a result of the collapse of the towers, some information
on indoor and occupational exposures is summarized in EPA's draft
report. The incursion of dust and other contaminants into residences
and buildings is being addressed via a number of other studies
initiated in conjunction with the plans by EPA and its federal, state,
and city partners to clean up residences impacted by the collapse of
the World Trade Center.
The draft report also includes a discussion of rodent respiratory
toxicology studies, conducted by EPA scientists, that exposed mice to
fallen dust samples collected at or near Ground Zero on September 12
and 13, 2001. The purpose of these studies was to evaluate the toxicity
of fine particulate matter dust on the respiratory tract of mice and to
compare well-studied particulate matter reference samples, ranging from
essentially inert to quite toxic, to those collected at the World Trade
Center site. These studies found that fine particles were dominated by
calcium containing compounds derived from World Trade Center building
materials, and that a high exposure to World Trade Center fine
particulate matter could cause mild lung inflammation and airflow
obstruction in mice. These findings suggest that a similarly high
exposure in people could cause short-term respiratory effects such as
inflammation and cough.
Further, it is important to note that while this ERD is undergoing
public review and comment, a process of external independent expert
scientific peer review also is underway. These review processes are the
usual steps that EPA takes to ensure full and open participation by
interested parties. These steps also help EPA identify areas where a
draft document could be improved to strengthen both clarity and
completeness of the draft. Comments from the public and from the expert
peer reviewers will be used to improve the draft report before it is
finalized.
Finally, EPA scientists, in collaboration with other federal and
state environmental health professionals, as well as colleagues in
academia and medical institutions, will continue to analyze available
data on human exposures to environmental contaminants resulting from
the World Trade Center disaster. This continuing work will help us to
better understand the potential human health impacts.
Dated: December 20, 2002.
Paul Gilman,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 02-32600 Filed 12-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P