Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards

Second Report on 1,3-Butadiene

(February 2002 - ISBN 0-85521-010-9)

This report discusses the main sources of exposure, the measurement and monitoring of 1,3-butadiene. The Panel also considers the health effects of 1,3-butadiene, and its toxic effects on people.

The Panel, in its earlier report, accepted that 1,3-butadiene is a genotoxic carcinogen. The new evidence supports this view, and this therefore remains the Panel's opinion. The Panel believes that concentrations of 1,3-butadiene in the ambient atmosphere of 1 part per billion constitute so small a risk to the population as to be undetectable by any feasible study. It concludes that this should remain the Air Quality Standard for the UK.

The report is available in Adobe Acrobat format for downloading as follows:

• Full version with colour cover (1.3MB)
• Compact version (without colour cover, otherwise identical) (180kb)

A News Release has also been issued.

The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be freely downloaded. Viewers with visual difficulties may find it useful to investigate services provided to improve the accessibility of Acrobat documents - http://access.adobe.com

Printed copies can be obtained from Defra Publications, Admail 6000, London, SW1A 2XX, Tel: 08459 556000, Fax: 020 8957 5012, Email: defra@iforcegroup.com