[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 249 (Friday, December 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79089-79090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-32600]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: [email protected]. 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: [email protected].
    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: [email protected].

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