%0 Book %A National Research Council %E Whitacre, Paula Tarnapol %T Genetically Engineered Organisms, Wildlife, and Habitat: A Workshop Summary %@ 978-0-309-12085-2 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12218/genetically-engineered-organisms-wildlife-and-habitat-a-workshop-summary %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12218/genetically-engineered-organisms-wildlife-and-habitat-a-workshop-summary %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Agriculture %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Biology and Life Sciences %P 84 %X Since the first commercial introduction of transgenic corn plants in 1995, biotechnology has provided enormous benefits to agricultural crop production. Research is underway to develop a much broader range of genetically engineered organisms (GEOs), including fish, trees, microbes, and insects, that could have the potential to transform fields such as aquaculture, biofuels production, bioremediation, biocontrol, and even the production of pharmaceuticals . However, biotechnology is not without risk and continues to be an extremely controversial topic. Chief among the concerns is the potential ecological effects of GEOs that interact with wildlife and habitats. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is charged with providing scientific advice to inform federal agencies that manage wildlife and their habitats. USGS has identified biotechnology as one of its major challenges for future research. Seeing an opportunity to initiate a dialogue between ecologists and developers of GEOs about this challenge, the USGS and the National Research Council (NRC) held a two-day workshop in November of 2007, to identify research activities with the greatest potential to provide the information needed to assess the ecological effects of GEOs on wildlife and habitats. The workshop, designed to approach the research questions from a habitat, rather than transgenic organism, perspective, is summarized in this book. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Ecological Impacts of Climate Change %@ 978-0-309-12710-3 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12491/ecological-impacts-of-climate-change %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12491/ecological-impacts-of-climate-change %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 70 %X The world's climate is changing, and it will continue to change throughout the 21st century and beyond. Rising temperatures, new precipitation patterns, and other changes are already affecting many aspects of human society and the natural world. In this book, the National Research Council provides a broad overview of the ecological impacts of climate change, and a series of examples of impacts of different kinds. The book was written as a basis for a forthcoming illustrated booklet, designed to provide the public with accurate scientific information on this important subject. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Preliminary Review of the Draft Science, Education, and Design Strategy for the Water and Environmental Research Systems (WATERS) Network %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12256/preliminary-review-of-the-draft-science-education-and-design-strategy-for-the-water-and-environmental-research-systems-waters-network %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12256/preliminary-review-of-the-draft-science-education-and-design-strategy-for-the-water-and-environmental-research-systems-waters-network %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 37 %X One of the most critical issues facing the United States today is the proper management of our water resources. Water availability and quality are changing due to increasing population, urbanization, and land use and climate change. Despite the fact that overall water use in the U.S. has remained relatively constant since about 1980, shortages in water supply have been increasing in frequency in many parts of the country, and water quality is also declining in some areas. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has proposed the Water and Environmental Research Systems (WATERS) Network as one possible initiative whereby NSF could provide the advances in the basic science needed to respond effectively to the challenge of managing water resources. In its interim report, Preliminary Review of the Draft Science, Education, and Design Strategy for the WATER and Environmental Research Systems Network, the committee comments on the WATERS draft design strategy and provides advice in several key categories related to the WATERS plan: science questions; observatory design; sensors; cyberinfrastructure; education and outreach; and governance and management. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Increasing Capacity for Stewardship of Oceans and Coasts: A Priority for the 21st Century %@ 978-0-309-11376-2 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12043/increasing-capacity-for-stewardship-of-oceans-and-coasts-a-priority %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12043/increasing-capacity-for-stewardship-of-oceans-and-coasts-a-priority %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 154 %X Marine environments support the livelihoods, economies, and quality of life for communities around the world. But growth of coastal populations and increasing demands on marine resources are putting the future of ocean and coastal resources at risk through impacts such as overfishing, wetland drainage, climate change, and pollution of coastal waters. Given these demands, it is vital to build capacity—the people, the institutions, and technology and tools—needed to manage ocean resources. Unfortunately, many capacity building efforts focus on specific projects rather than on capacity building as goal unto itself, resulting in activities that are not funded or sustained past the typically short project lifetime. This book finds that the most successful capacity-building efforts meet the needs of a specific locale or region based on periodic assessments and include plans to maintain and expand capacity after the project ends. The report recommends ways that governments and organizations can help strengthen marine protection and management capacity, including conducting periodic program assessments, making plans to sustain funding, and developing leadership and political will. The book was produced at the request of Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the President's Circle of the National Academies, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Marisla Foundation, and the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Ingram, Helen M. %E Stern, Paul C. %T Research and Networks for Decision Support in the NOAA Sectoral Applications Research Program %@ 978-0-309-11202-4 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12015/research-and-networks-for-decision-support-in-the-noaa-sectoral-applications-research-program %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12015/research-and-networks-for-decision-support-in-the-noaa-sectoral-applications-research-program %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Earth Sciences %P 98 %X This study recommends a definition of "decision support" that emphasizes communication rather than translation and a strategy by which the small NOAA Sectoral Applications Research program can advance decision support. The book emphasizes that seasonal climate forecasts provide fundamentally new kinds of information and that integrating this information into real-world decisions will require social innovations that are not easily accomplished. It recommends that the program invest in (a) research to identify and foster the innovations needed to make information about climate variability and change more usable in specific sectors, including research on the processes that influence success or failure in the creation of knowledge-action networks for making climate information; (b) workshops to identify, catalyze, and assess the potential of knowledge-action networks in particular resource areas or decision domains; and (c) pilot projects to create or enhance these networks for supporting decisions in climate-affected sectors. It recommends that evaluation of the program be addressed with a monitoring approach. %0 Book %A National Academy of Engineering %A National Research Council %T Energy Futures and Urban Air Pollution: Challenges for China and the United States %@ 978-0-309-11140-9 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12001/energy-futures-and-urban-air-pollution-challenges-for-china-and %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12001/energy-futures-and-urban-air-pollution-challenges-for-china-and %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Energy and Energy Conservation %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 386 %X The United States and China are the top two energy consumers in the world. As a consequence, they are also the top two emitters of numerous air pollutants which have local, regional, and global impacts. Urbanization has led to serious air pollution problems in U.S. and Chinese cities; although U.S. cities continues to face challenges, the lessons they have learned in managing energy use and air quality are relevant to the Chinese experience. This report summarizes current trends, profiles two U.S. and two Chinese cities, and recommends key actions to enable each country to continue to improve urban air quality. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Mississippi River Water Quality and the Clean Water Act: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities %@ 978-0-309-11409-7 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12051/mississippi-river-water-quality-and-the-clean-water-act-progress %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12051/mississippi-river-water-quality-and-the-clean-water-act-progress %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 252 %X The Mississippi River is, in many ways, the nation's best known and most important river system. Mississippi River water quality is of paramount importance for sustaining the many uses of the river including drinking water, recreational and commercial activities, and support for the river's ecosystems and the environmental goods and services they provide. The Clean Water Act, passed by Congress in 1972, is the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States, employing regulatory and nonregulatory measures designed to reduce direct pollutant discharges into waterways. The Clean Water Act has reduced much pollution in the Mississippi River from "point sources" such as industries and water treatment plants, but problems stemming from urban runoff, agriculture, and other "non-point sources" have proven more difficult to address. This book concludes that too little coordination among the 10 states along the river has left the Mississippi River an "orphan" from a water quality monitoring and assessment perspective. Stronger leadership from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is needed to address these problems. Specifically, the EPA should establish a water quality data-sharing system for the length of the river, and work with the states to establish and achieve water quality standards. The Mississippi River corridor states also should be more proactive and cooperative in their water quality programs. For this effort, the EPA and the Mississippi River states should draw upon the lengthy experience of federal-interstate cooperation in managing water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %A National Academy of Sciences %A National Academy of Engineering %E Olson, Steve %E Labov, Jay B. %T State Science and Technology Policy Advice: Issues, Opportunities, and Challenges: Summary of a National Convocation %@ 978-0-309-11711-1 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12160/state-science-and-technology-policy-advice-issues-opportunities-and-challenges %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12160/state-science-and-technology-policy-advice-issues-opportunities-and-challenges %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %K Policy for Science and Technology %P 100 %X The federal government plays the predominant role in supporting research and development (R&D) and in establishing public policies that affect science and technology (S&T) in the United States. However, the federal government is no longer the sole focus of R&D funding and S&T policy making. State and local policy makers are unquestionably making more and more decisions that affect all of us on a daily basis. With this shift, states have also assumed an increasing responsibility for developing, formalizing, and institutionalizing policies and programs that support R&D and enable S&T evidence and expertise to be incorporated into policy making. These issues were explored during a first-of-its-kind National Convocation organized by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine in collaboration with the National Association of Academies of Science and the California Council on Science and Technology. Scientists, engineers, state policy makers, experts from state regulatory agencies, representatives from foundations, and experts in scientific communication from 20 states and the District of Columbia participated in this event. This report highlights the major themes from the Convocation that emerged from the presentations and from the rich discussions that occurred in both plenary and breakout sessions. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T State Voter Registration Databases: Immediate Actions and Future Improvements: Interim Report %@ 978-0-309-11878-1 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12173/state-voter-registration-databases-immediate-actions-and-future-improvements-interim %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12173/state-voter-registration-databases-immediate-actions-and-future-improvements-interim %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Industry and Labor %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %K Computers and Information Technology %P 74 %X The Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires the states to develop a single, computerized voter registration data base (VRD) that is defined, maintained, and administered at the state level. To help the states with this task, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission asked the NRC to organize a series of workshops and prepare an interim report addressing the challenges in implementing and maintaining state VRDs. The EAC also asked the NRC to advise the states on how to evolve and maintain the databases so that they can share information with each other. This report provides an examination of various challenges to the deployment of state VRDs and describes potential solutions to these challenges. This interim report's primary focus is on shorter-term recommendations although a number of long-range recommendations are presented. The final report will elaborate on the long-range questions and address considerations about interstate interoperability of the VRDs. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Snow, Catherine E. %E Van Hemel, Susan B. %T Early Childhood Assessment: Why, What, and How %@ 978-0-309-31442-8 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12446/early-childhood-assessment-why-what-and-how %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12446/early-childhood-assessment-why-what-and-how %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %K Education %P 500 %X The assessment of young children's development and learning has recently taken on new importance. Private and government organizations are developing programs to enhance the school readiness of all young children, especially children from economically disadvantaged homes and communities and children with special needs. Well-planned and effective assessment can inform teaching and program improvement, and contribute to better outcomes for children. This book affirms that assessments can make crucial contributions to the improvement of children's well-being, but only if they are well designed, implemented effectively, developed in the context of systematic planning, and are interpreted and used appropriately. Otherwise, assessment of children and programs can have negative consequences for both. The value of assessments therefore requires fundamental attention to their purpose and the design of the larger systems in which they are used. Early Childhood Assessment addresses these issues by identifying the important outcomes for children from birth to age 5 and the quality and purposes of different techniques and instruments for developmental assessments. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Science Professionals: Master's Education for a Competitive World %@ 978-0-309-11471-4 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12064/science-professionals-masters-education-for-a-competitive-world %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12064/science-professionals-masters-education-for-a-competitive-world %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %K Industry and Labor %P 146 %X What are employer needs for staff trained in the natural sciences at the master's degree level? How do master's level professionals in the natural sciences contribute in the workplace? How do master's programs meet or support educational and career goals? Science Professionals: Master's Education for a Competitive World examines the answers to these and other questions regarding the role of master's education in the natural sciences. The book also focuses on student characteristics and what can be learned from efforts underway to enhance the master's in the natural sciences, particularly as a professional degree. This book is a critical tool for Congress, the federal agencies charged with carrying out the America COMPETES Act, and educational and science policy makers at the state level. Additionally, anyone with a stake in the development of professional science education (four year institutions of higher education, students, faculty, and employers) will find this book useful. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Quinn, Helen R. %E Schweingruber, Heidi A. %E Feder, Michael A. %T NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and Critique %@ 978-0-309-11551-3 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12081/nasas-elementary-and-secondary-education-program-review-and-critique %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12081/nasas-elementary-and-secondary-education-program-review-and-critique %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 162 %X The federal role in precollege science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is receiving increasing attention in light of the need to support public understanding of science and to develop a strong scientific and technical workforce in a competitive global economy. Federal science agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), are being looked to as a resource for enhancing precollege STEM education and bringing more young people to scientific and technical careers. For NASA and other federal science agencies, concerns about workforce and public understanding of science also have an immediate local dimension. The agency faces an aerospace workforce skewed toward those close to retirement and job recruitment competition for those with science and engineering degrees. In addition, public support for the agency's missions stems in part from public understanding of the importance of the agency's contributions in science, engineering, and space exploration. In the NASA authorization act of 2005 (P.L. 109-555 Subtitle B-Education, Sec. 614) Congress directed the agency to support a review and evaluation of its precollege education program to be carried out by the National Research Council (NRC). NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and Critique includes recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the program and addresses these four tasks: 1. an evaluation of the effectiveness of the overall program in meeting its defined goals and objectives; 2. an assessment of the quality and educational effectiveness of the major components of the program, including an evaluation of the adequacy of assessment metrics and data collection requirements available for determining the effectiveness of individual projects; 3. an evaluation of the funding priorities in the program, including a review of the funding level and trend for each major component of the program and an assessment of whether the resources made available are consistent with meeting identified goals and priorities; and 4. a determination of the extent and effectiveness of coordination and collaboration between NASA and other federal agencies that sponsor science, technology, and mathematics education activities. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Achievements of the National Plant Genome Initiative and New Horizons in Plant Biology %@ 978-0-309-11418-9 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12054/achievements-of-the-national-plant-genome-initiative-and-new-horizons-in-plant-biology %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12054/achievements-of-the-national-plant-genome-initiative-and-new-horizons-in-plant-biology %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Agriculture %P 182 %X Life on Earth would be impossible without plants. Humans rely on plants for most clothing, furniture, food, as well as for many pharmaceuticals and other products. Plant genome sciences are essential to understanding how plants function and how to develop desirable plant characteristics. For example, plant genomic science can contribute to the development of plants that are drought-resistant, those that require less fertilizer, and those that are optimized for conversion to fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. The National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI) is a unique, cross-agency funding enterprise that has been funding and coordinating plant genome research successfully for nine years. Research breakthroughs from NPGI and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Arabidopsis 2010 Project, such as how the plant immune system controls pathogen defense, demonstrate that the plant genome science community is vibrant and capable of driving technological advancement. This book from the National Research Council concludes that these programs should continue so that applied programs on agriculture, bioenergy, and others will always be built on a strong foundation of fundamental plant biology research. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Review of the Toxicologic and Radiologic Risks to Military Personnel from Exposures to Depleted Uranium During and After Combat %@ 978-0-309-11036-5 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11979/review-of-the-toxicologic-and-radiologic-risks-to-military-personnel-from-exposures-to-depleted-uranium-during-and-after-combat %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11979/review-of-the-toxicologic-and-radiologic-risks-to-military-personnel-from-exposures-to-depleted-uranium-during-and-after-combat %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Conflict and Security Issues %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Health and Medicine %P 172 %X Since the 1980s, the U.S. military has used depleted uranium in munitions and in protective armor on tanks. Depleted uranium is a toxic heavy metal and is weakly radioactive. Concerns have been raised about the adverse health effects from exposure to depleted uranium that is aerosolized during combat. Some think it may be responsible for illnesses in exposed veterans and civilians. These concerns led the Army to commission a book, Depleted Uranium Aerosol Doses and Risks: Summary of U.S. Assessments, referred to as the Capstone Report that evaluates the health risks associated with depleted uranium exposure. This National Research Council book reviews the toxicologic, radiologic, epidemiologic, and toxicokinetic data on depleted uranium, and assesses the Army's estimates of health risks to personnel exposed during and after combat. The book recommends that the Army re-evaluate the basis for some of its predictions about health outcomes at low levels of exposure, but, overall, the Capstone Report was judged to provide a reasonable characterization of the exposure and risks from depleted uranium. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E Stallings, Virginia A. %E Taylor, Christine L. %T Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: Phase I. Proposed Approach for Recommending Revisions %@ 978-0-309-12795-0 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12512/nutrition-standards-and-meal-requirements-for-national-school-lunch-and-breakfast-programs %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12512/nutrition-standards-and-meal-requirements-for-national-school-lunch-and-breakfast-programs %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Food and Nutrition %K Health and Medicine %P 192 %X The National School Breakfast Program feeds 10 million children each day, and the National School Lunch Program feeds more than 30 million students. Yet the national nutrition standards and meal requirements for these meals were created more than a decade ago, making them out of step with recent guidance about children's diets. With so many children receiving as much as 50 percent of their daily caloric intake from school meals, it is vital for schools to provide nutritious food alongside the best possible education for the success of their students. At the request of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Institute of Medicine assembled a committee to recommend updates and revisions to the school lunch and breakfast programs. The first part of the committee's work is reflected in the December 2008 IOM report Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements for National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs: Phase I. Proposed Approach for Recommending Revisions. Phase II of the report is expected in Fall 2009. This first report provides information about the committee's approach as it reviews the school lunch and breakfast programs. In the report's second part, the committee will share its findings and recommendations to bring these meals more in line with today's dietary guidelines. The committee welcomes public comments about its intended approach. An open forum will be held January 28, 2009 in Washington, DC to receive input from the public. Please go to http://www.iom.edu/fnb/schoolmeals for details or email FNBSchoolMeals@nas.edu with any input. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E Dietz, Thomas %E Stern, Paul C. %T Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making %@ 978-0-309-12398-3 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12434/public-participation-in-environmental-assessment-and-decision-making %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12434/public-participation-in-environmental-assessment-and-decision-making %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 322 %X Federal agencies have taken steps to include the public in a wide range of environmental decisions. Although some form of public participation is often required by law, agencies usually have broad discretion about the extent of that involvement. Approaches vary widely, from holding public information-gathering meetings to forming advisory groups to actively including citizens in making and implementing decisions. Proponents of public participation argue that those who must live with the outcome of an environmental decision should have some influence on it. Critics maintain that public participation slows decision making and can lower its quality by including people unfamiliar with the science involved. This book concludes that, when done correctly, public participation improves the quality of federal agencies' decisions about the environment. Well-managed public involvement also increases the legitimacy of decisions in the eyes of those affected by them, which makes it more likely that the decisions will be implemented effectively. This book recommends that agencies recognize public participation as valuable to their objectives, not just as a formality required by the law. It details principles and approaches agencies can use to successfully involve the public. %0 Book %A Transportation Research Board %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %T Transit Systems in College and University Communities %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/14201/transit-systems-in-college-and-university-communities %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/14201/transit-systems-in-college-and-university-communities %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Transportation and Infrastructure %P 85 %X TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 78: Transit Systems in College and University Communities has released a report that explores practices and trends in the areas of campus transit operations, policies, and planning, with a special focus area in technology and environmental innovations. The report also examines innovative partnership strategies used to enhance services for students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. %0 Book %A Transportation Research Board %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Rogers, Fiona Berry, Sarah Gillhespy, and Jean %T Airport Sustainability Practices %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13674/airport-sustainability-practices %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13674/airport-sustainability-practices %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Transportation and Infrastructure %P 112 %X TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 10: Airport Sustainability Practices explores airport sustainability practices across environmental, economic, and social issues. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %A National Research Council %T The Personal Protective Technology Program at NIOSH: Reviews of Research Programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health %@ 978-0-309-12018-0 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12203/the-personal-protective-technology-program-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12203/the-personal-protective-technology-program-at-niosh-reviews-of-research %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Industry and Labor %K Health and Medicine %P 214 %X Maintaining the health and safety of workers in the United States and globally is accomplished in part by reducing hazardous exposures through the use of personal protective equipment. Personal protective technologies (PPT) include respirators worn by construction workers and miners; protective clothing, respirators, and gloves worn by firefighters and mine rescue workers; and respirators and protective clothing worn by healthcare workers. An estimated 5 million workers are required to wear respirators in 1.3 million U.S. workplaces. For some occupations, such as firefighting, the worker's protective equipment is the only form of protection against life-threatening hazards; for other workers, the PPT is a supplement to ventilation and other environmental, engineering, or administrative hazard controls. In the United States, federal responsibility for civilian worker PPT is integral to the mission of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This book examines the NIOSH Personal Protective Technology Program (PPT Program) and specifically focuses on the relevance and impact of this program in reducing hazardous exposures and improving worker health and safety. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Transitions to Alternative Transportation Technologies: A Focus on Hydrogen %@ 978-0-309-12100-2 %D 2008 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12222/transitions-to-alternative-transportation-technologies-a-focus-on-hydrogen %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12222/transitions-to-alternative-transportation-technologies-a-focus-on-hydrogen %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Energy and Energy Conservation %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 141 %X Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) could alleviate the nation's dependence on oil and reduce U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas. Industry-and government-sponsored research programs have made very impressive technical progress over the past several years, and several companies are currently introducing pre-commercial vehicles and hydrogen fueling stations in limited markets. However, to achieve wide hydrogen vehicle penetration, further technological advances are required for commercial viability, and vehicle manufacturer and hydrogen supplier activities must be coordinated. In particular, costs must be reduced, new automotive manufacturing technologies commercialized, and adequate supplies of hydrogen produced and made available to motorists. These efforts will require considerable resources, especially federal and private sector funding. This book estimates the resources that will be needed to bring HFCVs to the point of competitive self-sustainability in the marketplace. It also estimates the impact on oil consumption and carbon dioxide emissions as HFCVs become a large fraction of the light-duty vehicle fleet.