The development of AEGL values through the Federal Advisory AEGL Committee and stakeholder concept strives to accomplish the following process objectives:
1.Development of scientifically valid AEGL values for use in chemical emergency planning, prevention and response programs.
2.Comprehensive identification of published and unpublished information sources used to set AEGLs.
3.Sharing resource burdens by stakeholder members.
4.Adoption of consistent emergency planning both domestically and internationally.
5.Transparency of program methods (Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs) and information through public participation at meetings and by commenting on Federal Register notices.
6.Inclusion of National Academy of Sciences (NAS) peer review and final arbitration of AEGL values and methods.
The process that has been established for the development of the AEGL values is the most comprehensive ever used for the determination of short-term exposure limits for acutely toxic chemicals. The process consists of four basic stages in the development and status of the AEGLs, and they are identified according to the review level and concurrent status of theAEGL values. They include (1) draft AEGLs, (2) proposed AEGLs, (3) interim AEGLs, and (4) final AEGLs.