THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Health and Medicine Division
Board on Health Sciences Policy
Committee on Respiratory Protection for the Public and Workers
Without Respiratory Protection Programs at Their Workplaces
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Congressional Briefings
Friday, February 11, 2022 – 1:00 p.m.
and
Monday, February 14, 2022 – 2:00 and 3:00 p.m.
via Zoom
on
Frameworks for Protecting Workers and the Public from Inhalation Hazards
The current regulatory system which addresses inhalation hazards in the United States is focused primarily on ensuring access to respiratory protection in occupational settings characterized by well-defined hazards and employer-employee relationships. With this narrow regulatory focus, the respiratory protection needs of the public and many workers are not being met.
As climate change increases the incidence and severity of wildfires, hurricanes, floods, infectious disease outbreaks, and other phenomena that impact air quality and human health, it is imperative that the United States ensure that the respiratory protection needs of the public and all workers are met. Recognizing the urgent need to address the gaps in the nation's ability to meet the respiratory protection needs of the public and workers without workplace respiratory protection programs, this new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine makes recommendations for a framework of responsibilities and authorities that would provide a unified and authoritative source of information and effective oversight for the development, approval, and use of respiratory protection.
These briefings were for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on February 10, 2022 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.