In the last few weeks, there was a skirmish in the political battles involving the veterans of our efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the rest of the Middle East, Jon Stewart, and PACT, the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act. After a bit of posturing and strategy, PACT was passed. But what do we know about the burn pits beyond the sound bites?
Particulate Matter
One of the significant concerns surrounding the proposed "science transparency" changes at the EPA has to do with revisiting older "pivotal regulatory" science. For example, consider this study, which set the stage for air pollution standards. That paper is now more than 25 years old; you have to wonder how it has withstood the test of time. Let's take a look.
The “pivotal regulatory science” used in setting air pollution standards are epidemiological studies measuring the effects of particulate matter on our health. The recently proposed changes to improve the transparency of regulatory science at the EPA have brought these studies to the fore.