[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 7, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8425-8426]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02427]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2020-0701; FRL-11654-01-ORD]


Integrated Science Assessment for Lead

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the 
availability of a final document titled, ``Integrated Science 
Assessment for Lead'' (EPA/600/R-23/375). The document was prepared by 
the Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA) 
within EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) as part of the 
review of the primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) lead 
national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) and represents an update 
of the 2013 Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Lead (EPA/600/R-10/
075F). The final lead ISA, in conjunction with additional technical and 
policy assessments, will provide the scientific foundation for EPA's 
decisions on the adequacy of the current lead NAAQS and, if 
appropriate, on potential alternative standards.

DATES: The document will be available on or about January 31, 2024.

ADDRESSES: The ``Integrated Science Assessment for Lead'' will be 
available primarily via the internet on EPA's Integrated Science 
Assessment Lead page at https://www.epa.gov/isa/integrated-science-assessment-isa-lead or the public docket at http://www.regulations.gov, 
Docket ID: No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2020-0701; FRL-11654-01-ORD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information, contact 
Evan Coffman (919-541-0567 or [email protected]) or Meredith 
Lassiter (919-541-3200 or [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Information About the Document

    Section 108(a) of the Clean Air Act (the Act) directs the EPA 
Administrator to identify and list certain air pollutants that ``may 
reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare'' and 
``the presence of which in the ambient air results from numerous or 
diverse mobile or stationary sources.'' The Act further directs the 
Administrator to issue air quality criteria for these pollutants. The 
air quality criteria are to ``accurately reflect the latest scientific 
knowledge useful in indicating the kind and extent of all identifiable 
effects on public health or welfare which may be expected from the 
presence of such pollutant in the ambient air . . .'' Under section 109 
of the Act, EPA is then to establish NAAQS for each pollutant for which 
the Agency has issued air quality criteria. Section 109(d)(1) requires 
periodic review and, if appropriate, revision of air quality criteria 
and the NAAQS to reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the 
effects of the pollutant on public health or welfare. Information on 
EPA's process for reviewing the air quality criteria and the NAAQS is 
available at https://www.epa.gov/naaqs.
    EPA has established NAAQS for six criteria pollutants. Presently, 
the EPA is reviewing the air quality criteria and NAAQS for lead. As 
part of that review, EPA prepared an ISA that reflects the latest 
scientific knowledge on the public health and welfare effects of lead 
exposures, per section 108(a) of the Act. The final lead ISA, in 
conjunction with additional technical and policy assessments, will 
provide the scientific

[[Page 8426]]

foundation for EPA's decisions on the adequacy of the current lead 
NAAQS and, if appropriate, on potential alternative standards. The 
Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), an independent 
scientific advisory committee with review and advisory functions that 
are mandated by section 109(d)(2) of the Act, provides independent 
scientific review of the draft ISA and related draft technical and 
policy assessments.
    On July 7, 2020 (85 FR 40641), EPA formally initiated its current 
review of the air quality criteria for the health and welfare effects 
of lead and the primary (health-based) and secondary (welfare-based) 
NAAQS, requesting the submission of scientific and policy-relevant 
information on specified topics. This information was incorporated into 
Volume 2 of EPA's ``Integrated Review Plan for the Review of the Lead 
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (External Review Draft),'' which 
was available for public comment (87 FR 13732, March 10, 2022) and 
discussed by the CASAC via a publicly accessible teleconference 
consultation (87 FR 15985, March 21, 2022). Volume 2 of the 
``Integrated Review Plan for the Review of the Lead National Ambient 
Air Quality Standards'' is focused on planning for the review and the 
ISA and was posted to the EPA website in March 2022 (https://www.epa.gov/naaqs/lead-pb-standards-planning-documents-current-review).
    In developing the lead ISA, webinar workshops were held on May 26, 
June 7, June 22, and June 29, 2022, to discuss initial draft materials 
with invited EPA and external scientific experts (87 FR 27147, May 6, 
2022). The input received during these webinar workshops aided in 
developing the ``Integrated Science Assessment for Lead (External 
Review Draft)'', released on March 31, 2023 (EPA/600/R-23/061, 88 FR 
19302), and made available at: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/isa/recordisplay.cfm?deid=357282. The CASAC met at a public meeting on June 
13 and June 14, 2023 (88 FR 17218, March 22, 2023), to review the draft 
lead ISA. A public teleconference was then held on August 23 and August 
24, 2023, for CASAC to review their draft letter to the Administrator 
on the draft lead ISA (88 FR 45415, July 17, 2023). Subsequently, on 
September 18, 2023, the CASAC provided a consensus letter of their 
review to the EPA Administrator (EPA-CASAC-23-003), available at: 
https://casac.epa.gov/ords/sab/r/sab_apex/casac/activity?p18_id=2637&clear=18&session=363677211680#report. The letter 
from the CASAC, as well as public comments received on the draft lead 
ISA, can also be found in the Docket (EPA-HQ-ORD-2020-0701).
    The EPA Administrator responded to the CASAC's letter on the draft 
lead ISA on October 30, 2023, and the letter is available at: https://casac.epa.gov/ords/sab/r/sab_apex/casac/ar?session=8387849145801. EPA 
has considered comments by the CASAC panel and by the public in 
preparing this final ISA. More information can be found in Appendix 12, 
Section 12.7.5, of the final lead ISA (EPA/600/R-23/375).

Wayne Cascio,
Director, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 2024-02427 Filed 2-6-24; 8:45 am]
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