Provisional Assessment of Recent Studies on Particulate Matter

Notice

A provisional assessment on new Particulate Matter (PM) science was provided to EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. This document presents the findings of EPA's survey and provisional assessment of studies relevant to assessing the health effects of PM that were published too recently to be included in the 2004 PM Air Quality Criteria Document. The public availability of this document was announced in a July 21, 2006 Federal Register Notice.

A review of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) is currently underway. The Criteria Document was completed in October 2004, and a proposed decision to revise the PM NAAQS was published in January 2006. The final decision is to be signed by the Administrator by September 27, 2006. The EPA is conducting a provisional assessment of PM-health studies that have been published in recent years that were not included in the 2004 PM AQCD due to their being published after about April 2002. As in the last PM NAAQS review, EPA intends to conduct a review and assessment of any significant new studies published since the close of the Criteria Document, including studies submitted during the public comment period in order to ensure that, before making a final decision, the Administrator is fully aware of the new science that has developed since 2002. In this assessment, EPA will examine these new studies in light of the literature evaluated in the Criteria Document. This assessment and a summary of the key conclusions will be placed in the rulemaking docket.

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