Research Priorities for
Airborne Particulate Matter


I.

Immediate Priorities
and a
Long-Range Research Portfolio



Committee on Research Priorities for
Airborne Particulate Matter

Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

Commission on Life Sciences

Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources

National Research Council









NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 1998

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS     2101 Constitution Ave., N.W.       Washington, D.C. 20418


NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The project was supported by Contract No. 68-C-98-003 between the National Academy of Sciences and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.


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Committee on Research Priorities for
Airborne Particulate Matter


Jonathan Samet (Chair), Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland

Judith Chow, Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada

Robert E. Forster, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Daniel S. Greenbaum, Health Effects Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Maureen Henderson, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Philip K. Hopke, Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York

Petros Koutrakis, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts

Daniel Krewski, Health Canada and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario

Paul Lioy, University of Medicine and Dentistry - New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey

Joe L. Mauderly, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Roger O. McClellan, Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Günter Oberdörster, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York

Rebecca Parkin, American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C.

Joyce E. Penner, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Richard Schlesinger, New York University, Tuxedo, New York

Frank E. Speizer, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts

Mark Utell, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York

Ronald White, American Lung Association, Washington, D.C.

Ronald Wyzga, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA

Terry F. Yosie, Ruder Finn, Inc., Washington, D.C.



Project Staff

James J. Reisa, Principal Staff Officer

Kulbir Bakshi, Senior Staff Officer

Raymond A. Wassel, Senior Staff Officer

Jamie Young, Assistant to the Director



Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology


Gordon Orians (Chair), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Donald Mattison (Vice Chair), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

May R. Berenbaum, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois

Eula Bingham, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

Paul Busch, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., White Plains, New York

George P. Daston, The Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio

Peter L. deFur, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

David L. Eaton, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Robert A. Frosch, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Mark Harwell, University of Miami, Miami, Florida

Barbara Hulka, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Daniel Krewski, Health Canada and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario

Raymond C. Loehr, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas

James A. MacMahon, Utah State University, Logan, Utah

Mario J. Molina, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Warren Muir, Hampshire Research Institute, Alexandria, Virginia

Geoffrey Place, Hilton Head, South Carolina

Margaret Strand, Bayh, Connaughton and Malone, Washington, D.C.

Bailus Walker, Jr., Howard University, Washington, D.C.

Diana Wall, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado

Gerald N. Wogan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Terry F. Yosie, Ruder Finn Inc., Washington, D.C.



Staff

James J. Reisa, Director

David J. Policansky, Associate Director and Program Director for Applied Ecology

Carol A. Maczka, Program Director for Toxicology and Risk Assessment

Lee R. Paulson, Program Director for Resource Management

Raymond A. Wassel, Program Director for Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Kulbir Bakshi, Program Director for the Committee on Toxicology

Jamie Young, Assistant to the Director



Commission on Life Sciences


Thomas D. Pollard (Chair), The Salk Institute, La Jolla, California

Frederick R. Anderson, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, Washington, D.C.

John C. Bailar III, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Paul Berg, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

Joanna burger, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey

Sharon L. Dunwoody, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

John Emmerson, Portland, Oregon

Neal First, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

Ursula Goodenough, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri

Henry Heikkinen, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado

Hans J. Kende, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Cynthia Kenyon, University of California, San Francisco, California

David Livingston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts

Thomas E. Lovejoy, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Donald R. Mattison, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Joseph E. Murray, Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts

Edward E. Penhoet, Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, California

Malcolm C. Pike, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Jonathan M. Samet, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Charles F. Stevens, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, California

John L. Vandeberg, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas



Paul Gilman, Executive Director



Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources


George M. Hornberger (Chair), University of Colorado, Boulder

Patrick R. Atkins, Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

James P. Bruce, Canadian Climate Program Board, Ottawa, Ontario

Jerry F. Franklin, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

B. John Garrick, St. George, Utah

Thomas E. Graedel, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Debra Knopman, Progressive Foundation, Washington, D.C.

Kai N. Lee, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts

Judith E. Mcdowell, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts

Richard A. Meserve, Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C.

Hugh C. Morris, Padre Resource Corporation, Delta, British Columbia

Raymond A. Price, Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario

H. Ronald Pulliam, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia

Thomas C. Schelling, University of Maryland, College Park

Victoria J. Tschinkel, Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida

E-an Zen, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Mary Lou Zoback, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California



Staff

Robert M. Hamilton, Executive Director

Gregory H. Symmes, Assistant Executive Director

Jeanette Spoon, Administrative & Financial Officer

Sandi Fitzpatrick, Administrative Associate

Marquita Smith, Administrative Assistant/Technology Analyst



Other Reports of the
Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology


The National Research Council's Committee on Toxicology: The First 50 Years (1997)

Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion Tests (1997)

Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the Human Diet: A Comparison of Naturally Occurring and Synthetic Substances (1996)

Upstream: Salmon and Society in the Pacific Northwest (1996)

Science and the Endangered Species Act (1995)

Wetlands: Characteristics and Boundaries (1995)

Biologic Markers [Urinary Toxicology (1995), Immunotoxicology (1992), Environmental Neurotoxicology (1992), Pulmonary Toxicology (1989), Reproductive Toxicology (1989)]

Review of EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (three reports, 1994-1995)

Science and Judgment in Risk Assessment (1994)

Ranking Hazardous Waste Sites for Remedial Action (1994)

Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children (1993)

Issues in Risk Assessment (1993)

Setting Priorities for Land Conservation (1993)

Protecting Visibility in National Parks and Wilderness Areas (1993)

Dolphins and the Tuna Industry (1992)

Hazardous Materials on the Public Lands (1992)

Science and the National Parks (1992)

Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards (1991)

Assessment of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Program, Volumes I-IV (1991-1993)

Human Exposure Assessment for Airborne Pollutants (1991)

Monitoring Human Tissues for Toxic Substances (1991)

Rethinking the Ozone Problem in Urban and Regional Air Pollution (1991)

Decline of the Sea Turtles (1990)

Tracking Toxic Substances at Industrial Facilities (1990)





Copies of these reports may be ordered from
the National Academy Press
(800) 624-6242
(202) 334-3313

Preface



New epidemiological evidence—largely obtained during the 1990s—renewed concerns about the health effects of particulate matter in ambient (outdoor) air, and ultimately led to new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter that were issued in July 1997 by the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Even as the standards were promulgated, scientists and policymakers recognized that further research on particulate matter was needed to address key uncertainties.

In the Fiscal 1998 appropriations to EPA, Congress directed the administrator to arrange for an independent study by the National Research Council (NRC) to identify the most important research priorities relevant to setting particulate matter standards, to develop a conceptual plan for particulate-matter research, and, over 5 years, to monitor research progress toward improved understanding of the relationship between particulate matter and public health.

The Committee on Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter was established by the NRC in January 1998 in response to the request from Congress. The committee is charged with producing 4 reports over the 5 years 1998-2002.

This, our first report, offers a conceptual framework for an integrated national program of particulate-matter research, identifies the most-critical research needs linked to key policy-related scientific uncertainties, and describes the optimal short-term and long-term timing and estimated costs of such research in an integrated research strategy, or "research investment portfolio." The committee was neither asked, nor did it attempt, to evaluate the scientific evidence on particulate matter and health in regard to the 1997 decision of the EPA administrator to issue new particulate-matter standards. The committee's identification of uncertainties and related research needs should not be interpreted as an evaluation of any specific point of evidence related to the new particulate matter standards. Rather, the committee identified uncertainties in the evidence base that should be addressed through a program of research. The findings of this research should strengthen the scientific foundation for policy decisions.

This report was produced in a 2-month period at the beginning of a 5-year study. The committee expects to gain a deepening understanding of research being conducted by EPA and others as it continues to do its work over the next 5 years, and recommendations made in this report will be refined and augmented in subsequent reports.

The committee has been generously assisted by many people, including those who presented valuable information and documents during the committee's public sessions at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., on January 20-21 and February 18, 1998: Frank Cushing, U.S. House Appropriations Committee; William Farland, John Vandenberg, and John Bachmann, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Sheila Newton, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; David Hawkins, Natural Resources Defense Council; Carol Henry, American Petroleum Institute; Jane Warren, Health Effects Institute; Owen Moss, Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology; George Hidy, University of Alabama; Gregory Wagner, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; and Robert Schnatter, American Industrial Health Council. Special thanks are due to Maria Costantini of the Health Effects Institute and John Vandenberg of the Environmental Protection Agency for preparing, at the committee's invitation, the Particulate Matter Research Inventory summary contained in Appendix B of this report.

This report was also improved by a separate group of expert reviewers, chosen by the NRC and anonymous to the committee members until public release of the report. The following persons provided prompt and insightful evaluations of the semifinal draft of this report: Joan M. Daisey, Arthur B. DuBois, Clark W. Heath, Jr., Carol J. Henry, Morton Lippmann, Peter H. McMurry, Thomas W. Peterson, Robert F. Phalen, Joel Schwartz, John H. Seinfeld, and George T. Wolff.

The committee was ably assisted and deftly guided by staff of the NRC's Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, especially James J. Reisa, Kulbir Bakshi, Raymond Wassel, and Jamie Young. These staff members merit special recognition for their thoughtful contributions and extraordinary efforts in producing the report so rapidly, and for the many extra hours they worked to get the job done.

Finally, I would like to express my thanks and admiration to the members of the committee, who deserve to be remembered in NRC folklore for producing this report with extraordinary speed and thoughtfulness within 2 months of the committee's first meeting. Because of the urgent need of Congress and EPA for the committee's first report, the members of the committee, all serving pro bono, put in many long hours to prepare this report. The committee meetings lasted from early morning to late into the night, and the committee members followed through between meetings with draft report sections, countless revisions, and conference calls. In accepting service on this committee, every member voluntarily agreed not to seek or accept any air-pollution-related, noncompetitive research contracts or cooperative agreements over $10,000 from EPA during the 5-year duration of this NRC study. Without exception, the committee members have been knowledgeable, thoughtful, hardworking, and generous of their time. In spite of the pace, the committee and staff maintained a high level of cooperation and good humor.

The committee's collective response to our charge reflects our unified view of the potential significance of this report and the great responsibility given to this committee by Congress, EPA, and the NRC.



Jonathan Samet, Chair    
March 1998    

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