Air Quality

In a July 8, 2011 Federal Register notice of proposed rulemaking, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed to amend the physical qualifications for drivers and the instructions for the medical examination report to clarify that drivers may not use Schedule I drugs and be qualified to drive commercial motor vehicles under any circumstances. The proposal also harmonizes FMCSA’s provisions regarding pre-employment and return-to-duty test refusals with corresponding Department of Transportation (DOT) - wide provisions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently issued guidelines for the protection of public health from health risks due to dampness, associated microbial
growth and contamination of indoor spaces. According to the 248-page document's Executive Summary, the "guidelines are based on a comprehensive review and evaluation of the accumulated scientific evidence by a multidisciplinary group of experts studying health effects of indoor air pollutants as well as those specialized in identification of the factors that contribute to microbial growth indoors."

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking comments on a proposal to revise the Agency’s Air Quality Index (AQI) that states use to report daily concentrations for fine particle pollution, also known as PM2.5. The proposal also would set a “significant harm level” for PM 2.5, which states use in developing emergency episode plans. EPA will hold a public hearing March 5, 2009 in in the Dallas area.

A Fact Sheet which outlines the proposed revisions is available at: http://www.epa.gov/pm/pdfs/20090115fs.pdf.