Industry Seeks Clearer EPA, OSHA Roles In Assessing Vapor Threat

Industry groups and the Department of Defense (DOD) are urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clarify the situations where its proposed vapor intrusion assessment guidance would apply and where jurisdiction for regulating indoor air would fall to OSHA. Historically, OSHA authorities have set standards at occupational sites, which are typically less-stringent than EPA risk-based standards, often by order of magnitude, and EPA says that its proposed guidance for assessing indoor vapor risks will not apply to “primarily occupational” facilities. The guidance, first proposed in 2002,