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Summary Minutes of the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC)

Public Teleconference

November 28, 2011

Date and Time: Monday, November 28, 2011, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

Location: Teleconference Only

Purpose: The purpose of the teleconference was to review a draft report entitled “CASAC 

Review of EPA‟s Integrated Science Assessment for Lead (First External 

Review Draft – May 2011)”.

Participants: CASAC Members (for full roster, see Attachment A)

Dr. Jonathan M. Samet, Chair

Mr. George Allen

Dr. Ana Diez-Roux

Dr. H. Christopher Frey

Dr. Armistead (Ted) Russell

Dr. Helen Suh

Dr. Kathleen Weathers

Mr. Aaron Yeow, Designated Federal Officer (DFO)

Dr. John Vandenberg, EPA National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA)

Dr. Ellen Kirrane, EPA NCEA

Other Attendees (See Attachment B)
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Opening Remarks

Mr. Aaron Yeow, the DFO, opened the meeting. He noted that as required under the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (FACA), CASAC‟s deliberations are held in public with advanced 

notice given in the Federal Register1, and the meeting minutes will be made publicly available 

after the meeting. He noted that CASAC did not receive any public comments and did not 

receive any requests for oral public statements. He also noted that the CASAC members are 

subject to compliance with federal ethics regulations and conflict-of-interest laws that pertain to 

them. He then turned the meeting over to Dr. Jonathan Samet, Chair of CASAC.

Dr. Samet welcomed everyone and indicated that the purpose of the meeting was to review the 

draft letter on EPA‟s ISA2and that the goal was to discuss any substantive issues the members 

had on the letter. He welcomed and introduced a new member to CASAC, Dr. Ana Diez-Roux. 

Dr. Diez-Roux stated that she was a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan and 

has expertise in air issues. There were not any public comments, so Dr. Samet turned the meeting 

over to Dr. Chris Frey, chair of the CASAC Lead Review Panel, to go over the letter. The 

meeting proceeded according to the agenda3.

Letter to the Administrator

Dr. Frey went through the letter, summarizing the Panel‟s comments and recommendations. One 

member had a comment about the Panel‟s recommendation on lines 19-21 on page 2 regarding 

the weight of evidence assessment of specific health endpoints vs. the broad assessment of 

impacts on whole organ systems. It was agreed that edits will be made to the text to clarify the 

Panel‟s recommendation.

There was discussion regarding the reiteration of CASAC‟s previous advice on developing a new 

sampler for lead and where things currently stood with EPA‟s development of a new sampler. It 

was not clear where things stood with EPA‟s development, and it was agreed that the ISA was 

probably not the right place to discuss it.

There was discussion regarding the Panel‟s comments and recommendations pertaining to 

susceptibility and vulnerability. There was agreement that the advice needs to be consistent with 

prior CASAC advice on susceptibility and vulnerability given during the review of the Ozone 

ISA. Dr. Samet and Dr. Frey agreed to work on language to make the advice in this letter 

consistent with prior CASAC advice.

Regarding ecological effects, one member mentioned that there needed to be a clear 

recommendation regarding the REACH data on page 5, line 9. It was agreed that language would 

be added to clarify the recommendation.

Consensus Response to Charge Questions

Dr. Frey went through the consensus responses to the charge questions. It was agreed that lines 

28-31 on page A-3 would be deleted because it created confusion and did not add much value to 

the letter. One member suggested that lines 22-24 on page A-8 be deleted, but Dr. Frey stated 
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that it was a specific recommendation from the Panel, so it was agreed to keep the language.

There was discussion regarding lines 6-7 on page A-18 and it was agreed to clarify the language 

to be less general and more specific.

Dr. Samet discussed next steps and action items. With the business concluded, the Designated 

Federal Officer adjourned the meeting at 11:30 AM ET.

Respectfully Submitted: Certified as Accurate:

/Signed/ /Signed/

Mr. Aaron Yeow Dr. Jonathan M. Samet

Designated Federal Officer Chair

EPA SAB Staff Office CASAC

NOTE AND DISCLAIMER: The minutes of this public meeting reflect diverse ideas and 

suggestions offered by Panel members during the course of deliberations within the meeting. Such 

ideas, suggestions and deliberations do not necessarily reflect consensus advice from the Panel 

members. The reader is cautioned to not rely on the minutes to represent final, approved, consensus 

advice and recommendations offered to the Agency. Such advice and recommendations may be 

found in the final advisories, commentaries, letters or reports prepared and transmitted to the EPA 

Administrator following the public meetings.
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Materials Cited

The following meeting materials are available on the CASAC website: 

http://www.epa.gov/casac, at the November 28, 2011 CASAC Meeting page:

 

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Federal Register Notice Announcing the Meeting

2

10-25-11 Draft CASAC Review of EPA„s Integrated Science Assessment for Lead (First External Review Draft –

May 2011)

3 Agenda for the November 28, 2011 Public Meeting
A-1

ATTACHMENT A - ROSTER

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee

CHAIR

Dr. Jonathan M. Samet, Professor and Flora L. Thornton Chair, Department of Preventive 

Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

MEMBERS

Mr. George A. Allen, Senior Scientist, Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management 

(NESCAUM), Boston, MA

Dr. Ana Diez-Roux, Professor of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of 

Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Dr. H. Christopher Frey, Professor, Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental 

Engineering, College of Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

Dr. Armistead (Ted) Russell, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

Dr. Helen Suh, Program Area Director, Environmental Health, Public Health Division, National 

Opinion Research Corporation (NORC) at the University of Chicago, West Newton, MA

Dr. Kathleen Weathers, Senior Scientist, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY

SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD STAFF

Dr. Holly Stallworth, Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

Washington, DC

Mr. Aaron Yeow, Designated Federal Officer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 

Washington, DC
B-1

ATTACHMENT B – Other Attendees

CASAC Public Teleconference

November 28, 2011

Name Affiliation

Bower, Terri Gradient

Brown, James EPA

David, Anne

Dzubow, Rebecca EPA

Hines, Erin EPA

Hoyer, Marion EPA

Lassiter, Meredith EPA

Maupin, Mary Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

McDow, Stephen EPA

Meacham, Connie EPA

Orlin, David EPA

Owens, Beth EPA

Pedde, Meredith EPA

Richmond-Bryant, Jennifer EPA

Ross, Mary EPA

Sun, Gulan Texas Council of Environmental Quality (TCEQ)

Svendsgaard, David EPA

Vinikoor-Imler, Lisa EPA

Walsh, Debra EPA

Wilson, Linda New York State Attorney General's Office