Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Sulfur Oxides – Health Criteria (Final Report, Sep 2008)

Abstract

EPA announced the availability of the final report, Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Sulfur Oxides – Health Criteria final assessment. This report represents a concise synthesis and evaluation of the most policy-relevant science and will ultimately provide the scientific bases for EPA’s decision regarding whether the current standard for oxides of sulfur (SO₂) sufficiently protects public health.
This concise synthesis of the most policy-relevant science forms the scientific foundation for the review of the primary (health-based) NAAQS for SO_x . The primary NAAQS for SO_x , with SO₂ serving as the indicator, is set at 0.14 parts per million (ppm), averaged over a 24 h period, not to be exceeded more than once per year, and 0.030 ppm annual arithmetic mean. The ISA accurately reflects the latest scientific knowledge useful in indicating the kind and extent of identifiable effects on public health which may be expected from the presence of [a] pollutant in ambient air Clean Air Act, Section 108, 1: (2003) .

Key information and judgments formerly contained in the Air Quality Criteria Document (AQCD) for SO_x are incorporated in this assessment. Additional details of the pertinent scientific literature published since the last review, as well as selected older studies of particular interest, are included in a series of annexes. This ISA thus serves to update and revise the information available at the time of the previous review of the NAAQS for SO_x in 1996.

Impact/Purpose

The Integrated Plan for Review of the Primary NAAQS for SO_x U.S. 2: EPA (2007) identifies key policy-relevant questions that provide a framework for this review of the scientific evidence. These questions frame the entire review of the NAAQS, and thus are informed by both science and policy considerations. The ISA organizes and presents the scientific evidence such that, when considered along with findings from risk analyses and policy considerations, will help the EPA address these questions in completing the NAAQS review.

Citation

U.S. EPA. Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Sulfur Oxides – Health Criteria (Final Report, Sep 2008). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-08/047F, 2008.

Date	Description
07- May 2006	EPA put out a call for related information as part of an undertaking to update the science assessment for sulfur oxides.
08- Feb 2007	EPA hosted a workshop on the assessment of health science for the review of the NAAQS for Nitrogen (NOx) and Sulfur Oxides (SOx).
09- Sep 2007	EPA released the First External Review Draft for external peer review and public comment.
10- Dec 2007	EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) hosts a public meeting of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee's (CASAC) Sulfur Oxides (SOx) Primary NAAQS Review Panel (Panel) to conduct a peer review of the report.
11- May 2008	EPA released the Second External Review Draft for external peer review and public comment.
12- Jul 2008	EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) hosts a public meeting of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee's (CASAC) Sulfur Oxides (SOx) Primary NAAQS Review Panel (Panel) to conduct a peer review of the second external draft report.
13- Sep 2008	EPA released the final ISA for Sulfur Oxides (SOx) - Health Criteria.
14- Mar 2009	EPA reposts the final assessment with an errata sheet of updates.

Additional Information

On March 9, 2009, EPA posted an updated version of the report and include an errata sheet with a description of what was corrected from the original report. Please contact the email or phone listed under contacts for more information.

This document has been reviewed in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

• Integrated Science Assessment for Sulfur Oxides – Health Criteria (PDF)  (479  pp, 8.2 MB, about PDF)
• ERRATA Sheet (PDF)  (2  pp, 724.6 KB, about PDF)

Related Link(s)

• Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Sulfur Oxides – Health Criteria (First External Review Draft, Sep 2007)
• Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) for Sulfur Oxides – Health Criteria (Second External Review Draft, May 2008)