ERG Supports EPA Dust Palliatives Computational Evaluation Report

ERG helped EPA address Alaska Natives’ concerns about potential harm from exposures to dust palliatives—products the state uses to suppress airborne, polluting dust on unpaved roads. In particular, Natives expressed concerns about impacts to traditional subsistence resources, human health, and the environment. ERG devised a six-step computational evaluation approach for comparing the predicted toxicity of selected palliatives to common household products (e.g., laundry detergent, aspirin, hand sanitizer, deodorant) and established toxicity scales. This approach provided a means to convey complex technical and scientific information in an easy-to-understand framework for the concerned Native population. The final report provides details on the activities ERG performed and summarizes findings from each component of the effort.