Expert Reports
These reports are unique, authoritative expert evaluations. Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review.
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Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals: Volume 14 (2013)
At the request of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Research Council has reviewed the relevant scientific literature compiled by an expert panel and established Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for several chemicals. AEGLs represent exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur and are useful in responding to emergencies, such as accidental or intentional chemica... More >>
Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides (2013)
When determining the potential effects pesticides could pose to endangered or threatened species, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) should use a common scientific approach, this report finds. Specifically, the agencies should use a risk-assessment approach that contains problem formulation, exposure analysis, effects analysis, and ris... More >>
Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals: Volume 13 (2013)
At the request of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Research Council has reviewed the relevant scientific literature compiled by an expert panel and established Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for several chemicals. AEGLs represent exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur and are useful in responding to emergencies, such as accidental or intentional chemica... More >>
Potential Health Risks to DOD Firing-Range Personnel from Recurrent Lead Exposure (2012)
There is overwhelming evidence that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) general industry standards for lead exposure, set more than 30 years ago, are inadequate to protect worker populations. This report was conducted at the request of the Department of Defense (DOD), whose employees at military firing ranges are exposed to lead recurrently when they handle ammunition, conduct maintenance on ranges, and breathe lead dus... More >>
Exposure Science in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy (2012)
From the use of personal products to our consumption of food, water, and air, people are exposed to a wide array of agents each day—many with the potential to affect health. Exposure science investigates the contact of humans or other organisms with those agents (that is, chemical, physical, and biologic stressors) and their fate in living systems. Exposure science has been instrumental in helping us understand how stressors affect human an... More >>