Analysis of air-toxics emissions, exposures, cancer risks, and controllability in five urban areas. Volume 1. Base year analysis and results

Technical Report · Sat Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:5542368

Wilson, J; Istvan, D; Laich, E; Lahre, T

This report is the first phase of a study to define the multiple-source, multiple pollutant nature of the urban air-toxics problem (also known as 'urban soup') and to discern what control measures (or combinations of measures) can best be employed to mitigate the urban air-toxics problem. The report documents the base year analysis, involving dispersion modeling of emissions data for 25 carcinogenic air toxics in five U.S. urban areas and a subsequent exposure/risk assessment to estimate aggregate cancer incidence. Aggregate (multi-source, multi-pollutant) cancer incidence (or population risk) across the 5 cities in this study averaged about 6 excess cases per million persons, ranging from about 2 to 10 in individual cities. The most-important pollutants contributing to aggregate incidence are polycyclic organic matter, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde and hexavalent chromium. The most-important sources are road vehicles, comfort and industrial cooling towers, chrome platers, solvent use, and fuel combustion, including wood stoves.

• Research Organization: Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (USA). Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
• OSTI ID: 5542368
• Report Number(s): PB-89-207161/XAB; EPA--450/2-89/012A
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500200 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
ALDEHYDES
AROMATICS
BUTADIENE
CHROMIUM
COMBUSTION PRODUCTS
CONTROL
DIENES
DISEASES
ELEMENTS
EXHAUST GASES
FLUIDS
FORMALDEHYDE
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROCARBONS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
MATERIALS
METALS
NEOPLASMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION CONTROL
POLLUTION SOURCES
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
POLYENES
PUBLIC HEALTH
RISK ASSESSMENT
TOXIC MATERIALS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
URBAN AREAS
WASTES