Abstract
An Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPG) program has been established by the chemical industry and the American Industrial Hygiene Association, with the coordination of the Organization Resources Counselors, Inc. (ORC), to address the need for reliable, consistent, and well-documented emergency planning guidelines. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the ORC and established task forces and the American Industrial Hygiene Association, is participating by supporting development of ERPGs for chemicals used in DOE facilities. This article describes the DOE's process for prioritizing chemicals used within the DOE complex for development of basic information packages which provide suggested values in support of ERPG determination. This report also describes many of the guidelines developed for use in control of workplace exposure to toxic chemicals and why they are inappropriate for emergency response planning. The ERPG program is described, the reasons for its implementation are given, and the definitions of the three ERPG guidance values are provided.