[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 3, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 56290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-22368]



[[Page 56290]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7271-2]


Health Assessment Document for Diesel Engine Exhaust

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a final report.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing 
the availability of the final Health Assessment Document for Diesel 
Engine Exhaust (EPA/600/8-90/057F, May 2002). The document was prepared 
by the Office of Research and Development's National Center for 
Environmental Assessment (NCEA). The assessment evaluates the health 
effects literature to identify the most important exposure hazards to 
humans. Secondly, the assessment evaluates the exposure-response 
characteristics of the key health effects so that information is 
available for understanding the possible impact on an exposed 
population.

DATES: The final document is available electronically on NCEA's Web 
site today.

ADDRESSES: The document is available electronically on NCEA's Web site 
(http://www.epa.gov/ncea) under the What's New and Publications menus. 
A limited number of CDs and paper copies will be available from EPA's 
National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP). To 
obtain copies, please contact NSCEP by telephone (1-800-490-9198 or 
513-489-8190), by facsimile (513-489-8695), or by mail (PO Box 42419, 
Cincinnati, OH 45242-0419). Please provide your name and mailing 
address and the title and EPA number of the Health Assessment Document 
for Diesel Engine Exhaust (EPA/600/8-90/057F, May 2002).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Technical Information Staff, NCEA-
Washington Office (8623D), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone: 202-564-
3261; facsimile: 202-565-0050.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The diesel engine has been a vital workhorse 
in the United States, powering many of its large trucks, buses, farm, 
railroad, marine and construction equipment. Expectations are that the 
use of diesel engines will increase due to the superior performance 
characteristics of the engine. Diesel engine exhaust, however, contains 
large quantities of harmful pollutants in a complex mixture of gases 
and particulates. Human exposure to this exhaust comes from both 
highway uses (on-road) as well as from the nonroad uses of the diesel 
engine.
    EPA started regulating the gaseous emissions from the heavy duty 
highway uses of diesel engines in the 1970s and particles in the 1980s. 
The reduction of harmful exhaust emissions has taken a large step 
forward because of standards issued in 2000 which will bring about very 
large reductions in exhaust emissions for model year 2007 heavy duty 
engines used in trucks, buses and other on-road uses. EPA anticipates 
developing similarly stringent regulations for other diesel engine 
uses, including those used in nonroad applications.
    Until these regulations take effect, EPA is partnering with state 
and local agencies to retrofit older, dirtier, engines to make them run 
cleaner and to develop model programs to reduce emissions from idling 
engines. In addition, EPA and local authorities are working to ensure 
early introduction of effective technologies for particulate matter 
control and low sulfur fuel where possible in advance of the 2007 
requirements. Today, at least one engine manufacturer is producing new 
engines with particulate traps that when coupled with low-sulfur fuel 
meet 2007 particulate emission levels. The Agency expects significant 
environmental and public health benefits as the environmental 
performance of diesel engines and diesel fuels improve.
    A draft of this assessment, along with the peer review comments of 
the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, was part of the scientific 
basis for EPA's regulation of heavy-duty highway engines completed in 
December 2000. The information provided by this assessment was useful 
in developing EPA's understanding of the public health implications of 
exposure to diesel engine exhaust and the public health benefits of 
taking regulatory action to control diesel emissions.
    The health assessment concludes that long-term (i.e., chronic) 
exposure to diesel exhaust is likely to pose a lung cancer hazard, as 
well as damage the lung in other ways depending on exposure. The health 
assessment's conclusions are based on exposure to exhaust from diesel 
engines built prior to the mid-1990s. Short-term (i.e., acute) 
exposures can cause transient irritation and inflammatory symptoms, 
although the nature and extent of these symptoms are highly variable 
across the population. The assessment also states that evidence is 
emerging that diesel exhaust exacerbates existing allergies and asthma 
symptoms. The assessment recognizes that diesel engine exhaust 
emissions, as a mixture of many constituents, also contribute to 
ambient concentrations of several criteria air pollutants including 
nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, fine particles, as well as other 
hazardous air pollutants.
    The particulate fraction of diesel exhaust and its composition is a 
key element in EPA's present understanding of the health issues and 
formulation of the conclusions in the health assessment. The amount of 
exhaust particulate from on-road engines has been decreasing in recent 
years and is expected to decrease 90% from today's levels with the 
engines designed to meet the 2007 regulations. The composition of the 
exhaust particulate matter and the gases also will change. While EPA 
believes that the assessment's conclusions apply to the general use of 
diesels today, as cleaner diesel engines replace a substantial number 
of existing engines, the general applicability of the conclusions in 
this Health Assessment Document will need to be reevaluated.

    Dated: July 1, 2002.
Paul Gilman,
Assistant Administrator for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 02-22368 Filed 8-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P