The EPA Air Toxics Risk Assessment Library EPA is currently developing a resource library for conducting air toxics analyses at the facility and community-scale. This effort will result in a three volume library that provides information on the fundamental principles of risk-based assessment for air toxics and how to apply those principles in different settings as well as strategies for reducing risk at the local level. A more detailed description of each book in the library is provided below. The ATRA Library Volume 1: Technical Resource Manual Volume 1 discusses the overall air toxics risk assessment process and the basic technical tools needed to perform these analyses. The book, which covers both human health and ecological analysis, also provides a basic overview of risk management and communication. Other tools (such as the public health assessment process) are described to give assessors, risk managers, and other stakeholders a more holistic understanding of the many issues that may come into play during air toxics risk assessment and reduction projects. Volume 2: Facility-specific Assessment Volume 2 builds on the technical tools described in Volume 1 by providing detailed procedures for source-specific or facility-specific risk assessments. Information is also provided on tiered approaches to source- or facility-specific risk analysis. Volume 3: Community-Level Assessment Volume 3 builds on the information presented in Volume 1 to describe to communities how they can evaluate and reduce air toxics risks at the local level. The volume will include information on screening level and more detailed analytical approaches, how to balance the need for assessment versus the need for action, and how to identify and prioritize risk reduction options and measure success. Since community concerns and issues are often not related solely to air toxics, the document will also present readily available information on additional multimedia risk factors that may affect communities and strategies to reduce those risks. The document will provide additional, focused information on stakeholder involvement, communicating information in a community-based setting, and resources and methodologies that may play a role in the overall process. Schedule EPA anticipates publication of Volumes 1 and 2 in Spring 2004 and Volume 3 in late 2004. The documents will be available on EPA's FERA (Fate, Exposure, and Risk Analysis) website (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/fera/). Contact For more information on the ATRA library, contact: Dr. Kenneth Mitchell, EPA OPAR Or Dr. Roy Smith, EPA OAQPS (202) 564-9958; mitchell.ken@epa.gov (919) 541-5362, smith.rov@epa.gov April 6, 2004 ------- |