Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals
VOLUME 3
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The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M.Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
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SUBCOMMITTEE ON ACUTE EXPOSURE GUIDELINE LEVELS
Members
DANIEL KREWSKI (Chair),
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
EDWARD C. BISHOP,
Parsons Corporation, Fairfax, VA
JAMES V. BRUCKNER,
University of Georgia, Athens
JOHN DOULL,
University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City
KANNAN KRISHNAN,
University of Montreal, Canada
STEPHEN U. LESTER,
Center for Health, Environment and Justice, Falls Church, VA
FRANZ OESCH,
University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
RICHARD B. SCHLESINGER,
Pace University, Pleasantville, NY
CALVIN C. WILLHITE,
Department of Toxic Substances, State of California, Berkeley
FREDERIK A. DE WOLFF,
Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
Staff
KULBIR S. BAKSHI, Program Director
KELLY CLARK, Editor
AIDA C. NEEL, Senior Project Assistant
COMMITTEE ON TOXICOLOGY
Members
BAILUS WALKER, JR. (Chair),
Howard University Medical Center and American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C.
MELVIN E. ANDERSEN,
Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology, Centers for Health Research, Research Triangle Park, NC
EDWARD C. BISHOP,
Parsons Corporation, Fairfax, VA
GARY P. CARLSON,
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
JANICE E. CHAMBERS,
Mississippi State University, Mississippi State
LEONARD CHIAZZE, JR.,
Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
JUDITH A. GRAHAM,
American Chemistry Council, Arlington, VA
SIDNEY GREEN,
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
MERYL KAROL,
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
STEPHEN U. LESTER,
Center for Health Environment and Justice, Falls Church, VA
DAVID H. MOORE,
Battelle Memorial Institute, Bel Air, MD
CALVIN C. WILLHITE,
Department of Toxic Substances, State of California, Berkeley
GERALD WOGAN,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Staff
KULBIR S. BAKSHI, Program Director
SUSAN N. J. MARTEL, Senior Staff Officer
ELLEN K. MANTUS, Senior Staff Officer
KELLY CLARK, Assistant Editor
AIDA C. NEEL, Senior Project Assistant
TAMARA DAWSON, Project Assistant
BOARD ON ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND TOXICOLOGY1
Members
GORDON ORIANS (Chair),
University of Washington, Seattle
JOHN DOULL (Vice Chair),
University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City
DAVID ALLEN,
University of Texas, Austin
THOMAS BURKE,
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
JUDITH C.CHOW,
Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV
CHRISTOPHER B. FIELD,
Carnegie Institute of Washington, Stanford, CA
WILLIAM H. GLAZE,
Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton
SHERRI W. GOODMAN,
Center for Naval Analyses, Alexandria, VA
DANIEL S. GREENBAUM,
Health Effects Institute, Cambridge, MA
ROGENE HENDERSON,
Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM
CAROL HENRY,
American Chemistry Council, Arlington, VA
ROBERT HUGGETT,
Michigan State University, East Lansing
BARRY L. JOHNSON
Emory University, Atlanta, GA
JAMES H. JOHNSON,
Howard University, Washington, DC
JAMES A. MACMAHON,
Utah State University, Logan
PATRICK V. O’BRIEN,
Chevron Research and Technology, Richmond, CA
DOROTHY E. PATTON,
International Life Sciences Institute, Washington, DC
ANN POWERS,
Pace University School of Law, White Plains, NY
LOUISE M. RYAN,
Harvard University, Boston, MA
JONATHAN M. SAMET,
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
KIRK SMITH,
University of California, Berkeley
LISA SPEER,
Natural Resources Defense Council, New York, NY
G.DAVID TILMAN,
University of Minnesota, St. Paul
CHRIS G. WHIPPLE,
Environ Incorporated, Emeryville, CA
LAUREN A. ZEISE,
California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland
Senior Staff
JAMES J. REISA, Director
DAVID J. POLICANSKY, Associate Director
RAYMOND A. WASSEL, Senior Program Director for Environmental Sciences and Engineering
KULBIR BAKSHI, Program Director for the Committee on Toxicology
ROBERTA M. WEDGE, Program Director for Risk Analysis
K.JOHN HOLMES, Senior Staff Officer
SUSAN N. J. MARTEL, Senior Staff Officer
SUZANNE VAN DRUNICK, Senior Staff Officer
EILEEN N. ABT, Senior Staff Officer
ELLEN K. MANTUS, Senior Staff Officer
RUTH E. CROSSGROVE, Managing Editor
OTHER REPORTS OF THE BOARD ON ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND TOXICOLOGY
Cumulative Environmental Effects of Alaska North Slope Oil and Gas Development (2003)
Estimating the Public Health Benefits of Proposed Air Pollution Regulations (2002)
Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing Standards and Practices (2002)
Ecological Dynamics on Yellowstone’s Northern Range (2002)
The Airliner Cabin Environment and Health of Passengers and Crew (2002)
Arsenic in Drinking Water: 2001 Update (2001)
Evaluating Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Programs (2001)
Compensating for Wetland Losses Under the Clean Water Act (2001)
A Risk-Management Strategy for PCB-Contaminated Sediments (2001)
Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals (3 volumes, 2000–2003)
Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury (2000)
Strengthening Science at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2000)
Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment (2000)
Ecological Indicators for the Nation (2000)
Modeling Mobile-Source Emissions (2000)
Waste Incineration and Public Health (1999)
Hormonally Active Agents in the Environment (1999)
Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter (4 volumes, 1998–2003)
Ozone-Forming Potential of Reformulated Gasoline (1999)
Arsenic in Drinking Water (1999)
The National Research Council’s Committee on Toxicology: The First 50 Years (1997)
Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the Human Diet (1996)
Upstream: Salmon and Society in the Pacific Northwest (1996)
Science and the Endangered Species Act (1995)
Wetlands: Characteristics and Boundaries (1995)
Biologic Markers (5 volumes, 1989–1995)
Review of EPA’s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (3 volumes, 1994–1995)
Science and Judgment in Risk Assessment (1994)
Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children (1993)
Dolphins and the Tuna Industry (1992)
Science and the National Parks (1992)
Human Exposure Assessment for Airborne Pollutants (1991)
Rethinking the Ozone Problem in Urban and Regional Air Pollution (1991)
Decline of the Sea Turtles (1990)
Copies of these reports may be ordered from The National Academies Press (800) 624–6242 or (202) 334–3313 www.nap.edu
Preface
Extremely hazardous substances (EHSs)1 can be released accidentally as a result of chemical spills, industrial explosions, fires, or accidents involving railroad cars and trucks transporting EHSs. The people in communities surrounding industrial facilities where EHSs are manufactured, used, or stored and in communities along the nation’s railways and highways are potentially at risk of being exposed to airborne EHSs during accidental releases. Pursuant to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified approximately 400 EHSs on the basis of acute lethality data in rodents.
As part of its efforts to develop acute exposure guideline levels for EHSs, EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in 1991 requested that the National Research Council (NRC) develop guidelines for establishing such levels. In response to that request, the NRC published Guidelines for Developing Community Emergency Exposure Levels for Hazardous Substances in 1993.
Using the 1993 NRC guidelines report, the National Advisory Committee (NAC) on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Hazardous Substances—consisting of members from EPA, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Transportation, other federal and state governments, the chemical industry,
academia, and other organizations from the private sector—has developed acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs) for approximately 80 EHSs.
In 1998, EPA and DOD requested that the NRC independently review the AEGLs developed by NAC. In response to that request, the NRC organized within its Committee on Toxicology the Subcommittee on Acute Exposure Guideline Levels, which prepared this report. This report is the third volume in the series Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals. It reviews the AEGLs for the nerve agents (GA [tabun], GB [sarin], GD [soman], GF, and VX), sulfur mustard, diborane, and methyl isocyanate for scientific accuracy, completeness, and consistency with the NRC guideline reports.
This report was reviewed in draft by individuals selected for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Mohamed Abou-Donia of Duke University; Janice Chambers of Mississippi State University; and Sidney Green of Howard University.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by David Moore of Battelle Memorial Institute, appointed by the Division on Earth and Life Studies, who was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
The subcommittee gratefully acknowledges the valuable assistance provided by the following persons: Roger Garrett (deceased, March 31, 2003), Paul Tobin, and Ernest Falke (all from EPA); George Rusch (Honeywell, Inc.); Po Yung Lu, Claudia Troxel, Robert Young, Carol Forsyth, Dennis Opresko, and Annetta Watson (all from Oak Ridge National Laboratory). Aida Neel was the project assistant. Kelly Clark
edited the report. We are grateful to James J.Reisa, director of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology (BEST), for his helpful comments. The subcommittee particularly acknowledges Kulbir Bakshi, project director for the subcommittee, for bringing the report to completion. Finally, we would like to thank all members of the subcommittee for their expertise and dedicated effort throughout the development of this report.
Daniel Krewski, Chair
Subcommittee on Acute Exposure
Guideline Levels
Bailus Walker, Chair
Committee on Toxicology
Dedication
The subcommittee dedicates this series of reports to our late colleague and director of the Acute Exposure Guideline Levels program, Dr. Roger L.Garrett, whose 27 years of distinguished service with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the fields of toxicology and health-risk assessment contributed significantly to scientific knowledge, to the development of the Acute Exposure Guideline Levels program, and to the protection of public health and safety.