FEASIBILITY OF ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH RISKS FROM VAPOR-PHASE ORGANIC CHEMICALS IN GASOLINE AND DIESEL EXHAUST

This report describes the findings of what was tentatively planned as the first part of a two-part study conducted by the Committee on Vapor-Phase Organics in the Board on Toxicology and Environmental Health Hazards of the National Research Council's Commission on Life Sciences. This part of the study is referred to hereafter as the feasibility study. It was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Committee was asked to develop a list of organic chemicals identified in the vapor phase in exhaust from diesel- and gasoline-fueled engines and to explore the availability of toxicologic and epidemiologic information on each of them for use in making a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the human health risk associated with exposure to such exhaust. If sufficient toxicologic and epidemiologic information were available on five to 10 representative vapor-phase organic chemicals, the Committee was asked to conduct the second part of the study, wherein it would assess the human health risks associated with these chemicals as emitted in exhaust from diesel or gasoline engines or both. In this feasibility study, the Committee determined that quantitative risk assessment could probably be applied to only three to five vapor-phase components of diesel exhaust: formaldehyde, benz(a)-anthracene, acrolein, and perhaps 2-nitroflourene and chrysene. Data on the others seem insufficient for detailed quantitative risk assessment, although comparative risk assessment or qualitative risk assessment would be possible. The Committee concludes that, in view of the large fraction of the U.S. population exposed to vapor-phase organic chemicals, obtaining the information necessary to assess the risk of vapor-phase fuel exhaust should be given high priority. This research should be focused on crucial subjects on which information is insufficient, particularly (after testing priorities are set through short-term tests) dose-response relations and emission characteristics, to permit an exposure assessment for the population. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  National Research Council

  Commission on Life Sciences, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20418
• Publication Date: 1983

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
• Pagination: n.p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Diesel fuels; Exhaust gases; Feasibility analysis; Gasoline; Health; Organic compounds; Risk assessment; Toxicity
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00381240
• Record Type: Publication
• Contract Numbers: EPA-68-01-4655
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 30 1984 12:00AM