TO THE EDITOR:
A full page ad in the Jan. 11 edition of The Daily Tar Heel questioned the risk to participants involved in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s scientific research into how air pollution impacts public health.
I want to be clear: EPA is a public health agency, and the safety of participants in scientific research studies is paramount.
EPA studies particulate matter air pollution because the agency is required under the Clean Air Act to establish science-based standards that protect Americans from its harmful effects.
All of EPA’s controlled human exposure studies for particulate matter follow federal requirements for human subject testing to ensure that all studies are conducted safely and ethically.
Participants in controlled human exposure studies are exposed during a two-hour period to no more than the amount of particulate matter one would encounter over the course of a smoggy day in a large urban city.
Extraordinary efforts are made to ensure that all studies are ethical and present minimal risk, if any, and every scientific entity reviewing these studies has agreed that this is the case.
These standards prevent tens of thousands of premature deaths every year and have provided billions of dollars in health benefits for our nation over time.
Lek Kadeli
Deputy Assistant Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
