The AIHA Guideline Foundation has created a new online resource functioning as a public user’s guide to the organization’s Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs), as well as a free ERPG training module. The Foundation is also seeking public comment on one new and five revised ERPGs. An ERPG value is the maximum concentration of a chemical in the air to which people may be exposed without experiencing mild, serious, or severe health effects. The AIHA Guideline Foundation began developing ERPGs more than 40 years ago in response to the 1984 Bhopal Disaster, in which more than 500,000 residents of Bhopal, India, were exposed to toxic methyl isocyanate gas. ERPGs are intended to help people plan for and respond to sudden releases of hazardous chemicals.

A table on the new online resource lists ERPG values for more than 150 chemicals, with links to supporting technical documentation. The resource also outlines the ERPG development process, uncertainty factors, and considerations for applying ERPG values in real-world situations. As ERPGs are used to plan for and respond to catastrophic chemical releases, the new resource allows all ERPG values and supporting documents to be accessed quickly, easily, and free of cost.

The ERPG training module was developed with assistance from TRANSCAER, a program that has trained first responders for emergencies involving hazardous materials since 1986. The module takes about one and a half hours to complete and teaches participants how to effectively use ERPGs to protect workers and community members.

The Guideline Foundation’s ERPG Working Group has revised the ERPGs for the chemicals 1-hexene (PDF), acetic anhydride (PDF), acrylonitrile (PDF), n-butyl acrylate (PDF), and fluorosulfonic acid (PDF). The working group has also proposed a new ERPG for methyl methacrylate (PDF). Members of the public may review the ERPG documentation for these chemicals and submit comments until 5 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 26, 2026. Feedback is submitted through an online form.

All of the resources, courses, and documents mentioned above are available through the Guideline Foundation’s general ERPG webpage.

About the AIHA Guideline Foundation

The AIHA Guideline Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization under the AIHA umbrella. The Foundation identifies and works to overcome gaps in knowledge and barriers to practice within the field of occupational and environmental health and safety (OEHS). Projects of the Guideline Foundation address community exposure guidelines, occupational exposure limits, the development of consensus standards, and the advancement of OEHS science and practice.

About AIHA

AIHA is the association for scientists and professionals committed to preserving and ensuring occupational and environmental health and safety in the workplace and community. Founded in 1939, we support our members with expertise, networks, comprehensive education programs, products, and services that help them maintain the highest professional and competency standards. More than half of AIHA’s nearly 8,500 members are Certified Industrial Hygienists, and many hold other professional designations. AIHA serves as a resource for those employed across the public and private sectors, as well as to the communities in which they work.

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