The AIHA Guideline Foundation is a proud sponsor of TRANSCAER, which serves as a resource for free hazmat and emergency response training.
Emergency Response Planning Guidelines (ERPGs) are air concentration guidelines for single exposures to agents. They are intended for use as tools to assess the adequacy of accident prevention and emergency response plans, including transportation emergency planning, community emergency response plans, and incident prevention and mitigation.
Did you know the AIHA® Guideline Foundation is the ONLY organization responsible for establishing and publishing up-to-date airborne levels for risk assessment of a single brief exposure to chemicals? Our ERPG values and reference documents are critical resources that help end-users find credible and globally well-respected data and guidance they need for risk assessment of chemical emergencies. The application of ERPG values in this process helps ensure that local and national authorities will not question the community-wide protections you put into place. You may also have used the ERPG values already and be aware of their applicability and status.
What makes ERPG levels special is that they cannot be overly conservative: no emergency responder wants to evacuate a downtown area to protect a population from a very mild health effect. This is quite a different approach from other groups setting population guidelines, for example, drinking water, residue tolerances in food, air quality guidelines, etc. ERPG values need to be exactly on target to support emergency responders to predict the frequency and severity of health effects that may result from the emergency exposure.
Nominating a Chemical Agent
If you are interested in having a chemical reviewed or updated, please complete this form and send it to Michele Twilley. Please note that the ERP committee does not conduct primary research; instead, it examines and assesses work done by others to create or update values.
We Need Your Support
Keeping the Guideline Foundation's EPRGs up to date each year takes significant time and money. The reality is that we need funding to defray the costs of this important work, and we are asking for your company’s help. Your annual donation will support literature searches, document retrievals, and the ERP committee's annual meetings as they prepare each year’s handbook.
Thank you in advance for your financial support enabling the AIHA® Guideline Foundation to continue this important work. For more information and to contribute, contact Laura Cilano Garcia or 703-846-0748. Alternatively, complete the Donor Form by choosing the ERPG Donations Fund.
Purchase ERPG Handbook and Technical Supporting Documents (TSD)
To purchase a copy of the latest ERPG Handbook ($65 per PDF copy), visit the AIHA Marketplace.
View a list of chemicals for which ERPG data values have been created. To purchase a technical supporting document for any chemical, please use this form.
- Available for Members or Non-Members
- Individual TSD (PDF download) = $50
- Complete TSD directory (PDF download) = $995 (currently the latest version available is 2019 with link here).