Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs)

What are the Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs) and how do they impact the job of the environmental professional? ERPGs were created so that there would be preparation for a possible disaster (AIHA ERP Commitee: Procedures and Responsibilities, 2006). It was also "intended as health based guideline concentration for single exposures to chemicals" (AIHA ERP Commitee: Procedures and Responsibilities, 2006). The goals for ERPGs include "planning rules for assessing the adequacy of accident prevention and emergency response plans, including transportation emergency planning and for developing community emergency response plans" (AIHA ERP Commitee: Procedures and Responsibilities, 2006). In order for one to understand more about the ERPGs they have to understand what the levels are and how it impacts an environmentalist job.

The levels of the Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs) include ERPG-3, ERPG-2, and ERPG-1. Each of these levels has their own definitions. The definition of ERPG-3 is "The maximum airborne concentration below which it is believed that nearly all individuals could be exposed for up to one hour without experiencing or developing life-threatening health effects" (AIHA ERP Commitee: Procedures and Responsibilities, 2006). ERPG-2 means "the maximum airborne concentration below which it is believed that nearly all individuals could be exposed for up to one hour without experiencing or developing irreversible or other serious health effects or symptoms which could impair an individual's ability to take protective action" (AIHA ERP Commitee: Procedures and Responsibilities, 2006). ERPG-1 is defined as "the maximum airborne concentration below which it is believed that nearly all individuals could be exposed for up to one hour without experiencing other than mild, transient adverse health effects or without perceiving a clearly defined objectionable odor" (AIHA ERP Commitee: Procedures and Responsibilities, 2006). Because there is so much involved in defining the ERPGs it impacts the environments job.

Environmentalists are impacted by the development of the Environmental Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs). They are impacted because when they are dealing with pollution they use these guidelines to determine the dangers of the airborne pollutants caused by chemicals. It provides guidelines in how to determine when and how to respond to airborne contamination with dangerous chemicals. Because there is hardly any time to take measurements of the airborne concentrations and then to take action it is important for the environmentalists to have the ERPGs to help guide them in what kind of actions to take. The ERPGs is a great tool for environmentalists and have helped to keep people safe from deadly health effects of airborne chemical contaminations.

Resources

AIHA ERP Commitee: Procedures and Responsibilities. (2006, November 1). Retrieved

September 15, 2009, from AIHA Protecting Worker Health:

http://www.aiha.org/1documents/committees/ERP-SOPs2006.pdf