What is the primary responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?

The primary responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to create and establish standards that affect public health and the environment. This encompasses a broad range of activities, including regulating pollutants, ensuring clean air and water, and enforcing environmental laws aimed at protecting natural resources and public health. By setting these standards, the EPA aims to safeguard the environment and human health from harmful substances and practices, which is critical in maintaining ecological balance and ensuring a healthy living environment for current and future generations.

The other choices reflect important activities that may relate to public health and safety but do not directly pertain to the primary function of the EPA. For instance, establishing safety standards for appliances is typically handled by other organizations such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Providing public health education and monitoring disease outbreaks are primarily the responsibilities of public health agencies and departments rather than the EPA, which focuses more on environmental standards and regulations.