Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6312-8]

Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The National Center for Environmental Assessment of the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces a public meeting to

review draft chapters of a forthcoming EPA document entitled, Air

Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter. This meeting will discuss the

following topics as they pertain to particulate matter (PM) as an air

pollutant: atmospheric chemistry, sources and emissions, concentrations

in ambient air, exposure, epidemiology, dosimetry, toxicology, and

controlled human exposure.

DATES: The meeting is open to the public and will be held April 6-9,

1999, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daily. To accommodate seating for

those parties interested in attending, please make reservations with

Ms. Emily Lee at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National

Center for Environmental Assessment-RTP Office, MD-52, Research

Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: 919-541-4169; facsimile: 919-541-

5078; E-mail: [email protected].

ADDRESSES: The meeting site is the Embassy Suites, 201 Harrison Oaks

Blvd., Cary, NC 27513; phone 919-677-1840.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Dennis Kotchmar, National Center

for Environmental Assessment-RTP Office (MD-52), U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: 919-

541-4158; facsimile: 919-541-1818; E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) is updating and revising, where appropriate, the EPA's Air

Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter (PM). Sections 108 and 109 of

the Clean Air Act require that the EPA carry out a periodic review and

revision, where appropriate, of the criteria and the National Ambient

Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for the ``criteria'' air pollutants such

as PM.

The Agency will consider the discussions at the April 6-9 meeting

in further revisions of the draft chapters prior to their incorporation

into an external review draft of the revised Air Quality Criteria for

Particulate Matter and will release the draft document for public

review and comment in July or August 1999. The Clean Air Scientific

Advisory Committee (CASAC) will meet to review the external review

draft document in November or December 1999. This meeting will be open

to the public, and interested parties will have an opportunity to make

statements. Through subsequent Federal Register notices, the EPA will

keep the public informed of opportunities to comment on the first

external review draft and to make statements at the CASAC review

meeting.

Dated: March 15, 1999.

Arthur Payne,

Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.

[FR Doc. 99-6781 Filed 3-18-99; 8:45 am]

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