US EPA

Section 108 (a) of the Clean Air Act directs the Administrator to identify certain pollutants which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health and welfare and to issue air quality criteria for them. These 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 [a] pollutant in the ambient air . . . . Under section 109 of the Act, EPA is then to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for each pollutant for which EPA has issued criteria. Section 109 (d) of the Act subsequently requires periodic review and, if appropriate, revision of existing air quality criteria to reflect advances in scientific knowledge on the effects of the pollutant on public health and welfare. EPA is also to revise the NAAQS, if appropriate, based on the revised criteria.

Lead is one of six criteria pollutants for which EPA has established air quality criteria and NAAQS. On November 9, 2004 (69 FR 64926), EPA formally initiated its current review of the criteria and NAAQS for lead, requesting the submission of recent scientific information on specified topics. One of the next steps in this process is to prepare a project work plan for the review and, if appropriate, revision of the existing Air Quality Criteria Document (AQCD) for lead and provide for public review of a draft of the plan.

The Agency has announced the availability of a draft of EPA's Project Work Plan for Revised Air Quality Criteria for Lead. The purpose of the Project Work Plan is to describe the managerial procedures for reviewing and, as appropriate, revising EPA's Air Quality Criteria for Lead, EPA-600/8-83/028aF-dF, published in June 1986, and the associated supplement (EPA-600/8-89/049F) published in 1990. The draft plan will also be reviewed by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) of EPA's Science Advisory Board and will be revised in light of CASAC's review and comments received from the general public. Information on the date and location of the CASAC public review meeting will be published in a future Federal Register notice. The plan may be modified and amended from time to time, as necessary, to reflect actual project requirements and progress. Accordingly, any proposed schedules and outlines, or any lists of technical coordinator assignments, authors, or reviewers are subject to change.

U.S. EPA. Project Plan for Air Quality Criteria for Lead.