United States Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Research Program Accomplishments Report

Abstract

Millions of dollars are spent annually on research to advance the scientific basis for setting air quality standards and implementing programs to protect public health and the environment. It is necessary for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) to document and evaluate their accomplishments in order to communicate the value of their research to the public and government leaders. This report is intended to highlight the major research accomplishments of EPA’s Clean Air Research Program since 2002. Among the most notable achievements are near roadway studies, understanding emissions from wild and prescribed fires, advancing characterization of emissions, improving source apportionment and characterization, and control of secondary PM2.5 from coal combustion. Significant progress has also been made in understanding secondary organic aerosol formation, development of a new secondary organic aerosol model, updating emissions inventories, and improving measurement and modeling techniques. Additionally, health research has investigated target doses of pollutants to various human lung sites, identified risk factors for susceptible subpopulations, uncovered biological mechanisms for cardiopulmonary effects, identified new target tissues from air pollution exposure, and explored co-pollutants and other mediating factors. Research generated by ORD directly affects the National Ambient Air Quality standards setting process through health and environmental research, supports the evaluation of environmental conditions with monitoring and modeling research, provides information to states for regulation and management via technical products and support, and allows EPA to track progress. This report, in addition to summarizing the major research accomplishments of ORD, evaluates the research accomplishments against the framework for air quality management, detailing which efforts directly support the framework and how future research will support the framework. With the support of research generated by the Clean Air Research Program, EPA can continue to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of air pollution.