Description:
The DOE/NETL is seeking applications to conduct
research that will provide
greater insight into the human health effects that may result from inhaling
primary or secondary fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from coal-fired
electric
power generating facilities. The Funding Opportunity Announcement will
support
future decisions on power plant emission controls by improving our
understanding of the link between power plant emissions, PM2.5, and human
health. Although there is a great deal of evidence on the health effects
of
PM2.5 components generally and of the relationship of these components to
various sources, there is currently only a limited body of scientific
evidence
on the health effects of PM2.5 from coal plant emissions. In view of
epidemiologic evidence that health effects are tied to many causal agents,
and
that no single agent can be ruled out, regulatory agencies have currently
adopted a position that treats PM2.5 mass as representative of the
components
of PM2.5 that are harmful to health. If, however, some components of PM2.5
are
actually significantly less harmful to human health than other components,
this
regulatory position may under-control sources emitting the ?more harmful?
components and/or over-control sources emitting the ?less harmful?
components
of PM2.5. For example, a fairly large body of toxicological literature
suggests that ammonium sulfates, on their own, have little biological
potency
in humans and animals at environmentally relevant levels. This is of
special
concern to heavily-regulated source classes like coal-fired electric power
generating facilities, whose emissions of SO2 and NOx react in the
atmosphere
to form fine ammonium sulfate and nitrate particles that contribute a
fairly
large percentage to the mix of chemicals comprising ambient PM2.5 in many
areas
of the eastern U.S. Information gained by the research performed under
this
Funding Opportunity Announcement will help regulatory agencies formulate
sound
bases for future standards reviews and strategies for managing the
emissions of
PM2.5, SO2, and NOx from coal power plants. Such strategies will target the
most appropriate emission sources and help define the levels of control
needed
to achieve substantive improvements in human health. The results of
research
performed under the proposed Funding Opportunity Announcement will also
guide
future DOE/NETL decisions regarding priorities in its advanced emissions
control technology R&D efforts.
Applications are being sought under two distinct Areas of Interest: (1)
the
design and feasibility assessment of a retrospective epidemiology study of
PM2.5 and its components in the metropolitan Pittsburgh, PA region,
including
the development of advanced methods for performing such a study; and (2)
toxicology studies that will elucidate the biological mechanisms by which
adverse human health effects may be induced via real-world exposures to the
specific chemical components of PM2.5 resulting from coal-fired power plant
emissions. Only one award will be made under Area of Interest (AOI) 1,
and
its focus shall be limited to the metropolitan Pittsburgh, PA region.
Multiple
awards are anticipated under AOI 2; projects awarded under AOI 2 may focus
on
any region or regions in the U.S. where coal power plant emissions
constitute a
substantial proportion of ambient PM2.5.
Who can apply:
Unrestricted
Eligible functional categories:
Funding Sources:
Fossil Energy Research and Development
More Information:
Click
here to view the Opportunity
If you have problems accessing the full announcement, please contact:
Raymond Johnson
If you have problems accessing the full announcement, please contact:
using this
link.
Address Info:
3610 Collins Ferry Road (MS-I07) P.O. Box 880
Morgantown, WV 26507-0880