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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strives for every American community to
have safe and healthy air. Research has shown that exposure to particulate matter (PM) air
pollution is linked to increases in respiratory health problems, hospitalization for heart or lung
disease and even premature death. The
National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM, set by EPA in 1997, were designed
to respond to this PM research and move the nation closer to achieving the Clean Air Goal. In
1998, Congress mandated that EPA accelerate its investigation of PM health effects and find ways
to reduce the risks associated with exposure to PM. In response, EPA's research office developed
a program to coordinate the work of its own scientists with that conducted by academics,
partners such as the Health Effects Institute, and other Federal agencies such as the National
Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy. The results of this effort have improved
our understanding of the potential impacts of PM on human health, helped us develop tools
to reduce harmful exposures, and advanced the science for future reviews of the PM NAAQS.
EPA research on PM has been conducted within a framework developed by the National Research
Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences, an independent committee of experts
that was assembled at the request of EPA in 1998. The NRC Committee on Research Priorities for
Airborne Particulate Matter identified the agenda that guided EPA in developing its PM research
program. Eleven areas were specified to encourage researchers to:
