EPA's Controlled Human Exposure Facility and Research Studies

This talk describes how EPA clinical studies have made critical contributions to the improvement of air quality in the U.S..  It also describes how the studies are conducted.  The talk also discusses how future clinical studies will continue to address important public health issues and will continue to be used for policy assessments by the US EPA.

Impact/Purpose

EPA clinical studies have provided the main evidence that an 8-hr ozone standard is more protective of public health than a 1-hr standard and provided data that there was insufficient evidence to warrant a separate NAAQS for ultrafine particles.  These studies also defined biological changes at different ozone concentrations to ensure that any revisions of the standard would be consistent with concentrations where effects were observed. Lastly, these studies showed that cardiovascular effects associated with NO2 exposure in population studies are likely caused by other pollutants.

Citation

Cascio, W. EPA's Controlled Human Exposure Facility and Research Studies. Centre for Safe Air Exposure Symposium, Research Triangle Park, NC, November 04, 2024.