Frey appointed chair of EPA Lead Review Panel

Dr. Christopher Frey, professor in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University, has been appointed chair of the Lead Review Panel of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC).

Frey, an expert in pollution control, emissions sources and systems analysis, will chair the panel throughout the multi-year review cycle. The panel will review and provide independent expert advice on EPA’s technical and policy assessments that support the agency’s review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead. EPA will rely on the panel members to review drafts of the integrated review plan (lRP), integrated science assessment, risk/exposure assessment, policy assessment and rulemaking.

The panel’s first action will be to review the IRP, which is EPA’s proposal for how the agency will conduct a scientific assessment of the health effects associated with human exposure to airborne lead. Subsequently, EPA will conduct a detailed review of the science, prepare an exposure and risk assessment, and evaluate policy options for retaining or revising the existing standard for lead. During each step of the review process, Frey will prepare a letter for the EPA administrator with recommendations from the panel.

CASAC was established in 1977 and provides independent advice to the EPA administrator on the technical bases for EPA’s national ambient air quality standards. The committee also addresses research related to air quality, sources of air pollution and the strategies to attain and maintain air quality standards and to prevent significant deterioration of air quality.

Frey earned his BS in mechanical engineering in 1985 from the University of Virginia, his MS in mechanical engineering in 1987 from Carnegie Mellon University, and his PhD in engineering and public policy in 1991, also from Carnegie Mellon. He joined the faculty at NC State in 1994.