EPA sits on year-old report of air toxicity

[Guest guest]

Posted on Sat, Apr. 20, 2002

EPA sits on year-old report of air toxicity

SETH BORENSTEIN

Knight Ridder Newspapers

The unreleased data shows Florida as a region of increased cancer risk

Americans have a cancer risk from toxic chemicals in the air that's at least

10 times the Environmental Protection Agency's acceptable level and 12

million people experience risks 100 times higher, according to an unreleased

Environmental Protection Agency study.

" Millions of people live in areas where air toxics may pose potentially

significant health concerns, " says the report, portions of which were

obtained by Knight Ridder. " Although air quality continues to improve, we

feel that more needs to be done to reduce the potential for harm from

exposures to these chemicals. "

Much of the Gulf Coast and Florida's central and southern coasts, the

Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, the Pacific Northwest and the

Great Lakes coastline appear to have high risks. So do central and northern

Minnesota, central and western North Carolina and South Carolina and

southern California.

Other hotspots are around San Francisco, Atlanta, Phoenix, Indianapolis,

Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Little Rock, Ark., St. Louis and Kansas City,

Mo.

The study, whose release is nearly a year overdue, modeled the effects of

powerful poisons including benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic and chromium.

These chemicals are produced mainly by vehicles and industry and cause an

estimated 150 cancer cases yearly. An additional 350 cases a year are

believed to be caused by chemicals in diesel exhaust.

Overall, the added cancer risk from toxics in air - most of them lung cancer

cases, experts think - is small, on the order of one case per 10,000. By

comparison, smokers have a one-in-nine lifetime lung cancer rate, according

to the American Cancer Society.

The EPA considers acceptable an added lifetime cancer risk of one in a

million. For diesel chemicals, the added risk of getting cancer is between

10 and 1,000 times higher. For the other chemicals, the national average

risk is 45 times higher.

Release of the report is being slowed to allow EPA Administrator Christie

Whitman to review it, air quality officials said. EPA spokesman Dave

declined comment on the study, which is based on data taken across the

country in 1996.

Localized figures for exposure to toxics were not available in materials

provided to Knight Ridder, but will be contained in the final report. Based

on a one-page map of the United States that depicts the risks, they appear

to be concentrated in metropolitan areas.

While the entire nation has a risk at least 10 times the EPA acceptable

level, 12 million people experience risk 100 times higher.

Because they've gone unnoticed, compared to soot and smog, toxins in air are

" the sleeping horror, " said private atmospheric chemist ette Middleton

who reviewed the data as part of EPA's Scientific Advisory Board.

" Some of the impacts of these hazardous air pollutants could be a lot worse

than some of the things we tend to worry about, like ozone, " she said.

Several states already are curbing air toxics. California is switching its

public vehicle fleets from diesel to other fuels. Connecticut banned

vehicles with diesel engines from idling near school children.

Diesel-powered school buses make risks to children especially high, said

R. Brown, a toxicology consultant on the EPA study.

" Air toxins is no longer a mystery, " Brown said. " We know where it's coming

from. . . . We know what it's doing to us. Now all we have to do is fix it. "

While the Bush administration's position is not known, its top regulatory

policymaker, Graham, founded the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis to

assess environmental risks and has brought its way of thinking to the White

House.

According to Ropeik, the Harvard Center's director of risk

communications, the air toxin risk is minimal. " The likelihood of that

happening to you is practically zero. "

But environmental risks bother people more than smoking, for example,

because they " are imposed on us and not chosen; they are man-made and not

natural. " Ropeik said.

Environmental groups put it differently: People can stop smoking, but they

can't stop breathing.

Officials of industries that face regulation questioned the validity of the

science behind the EPA's findings.

" After many, many years of research, the EPA has still not been able to

classify diesel exhaust and diesel particulates as a known carcinogen, " said

Joe Suchecki, spokesman for the Engine Manufacturers Association, a

Chicago-based group representing diesel engine makers.

The National Institutes of Health in May 2000 declared that diesel exhaust

belonged on the government's cancer list because it was " reasonably

anticipated to be human carcinogen. " The finding was based on occupational

exposures of railroad workers, mine workers, bus garage workers and trucking

company workers.

" The bottom line here is there is an air toxics concern out there and

there's a need for states and the EPA regulations to begin addressing them, "

said Dr. Henry , chief of environmental and occupational health for

Wisconsin's Department of Health and an EPA Science Advisory Board member.

An EPA regulation to reduce sulfur in diesel fuel and reduce other toxic

emissions from on-road diesel vehicles will go into effect in 2007. Off-road

diesel engines - such as farm and construction equipment - are a major

contributor of toxins, according to the EPA, but are not yet regulated.

[Guest guest]

Does anybody know how to get in touch with Seth Borenstein? I have

some good information about the EPA ignoring Freedom of Information

requests for documents, reports and studies on Toxic Mold.

Ken

> Posted on Sat, Apr. 20, 2002

>

> EPA sits on year-old report of air toxicity

> SETH BORENSTEIN

> Knight Ridder Newspapers

>

> The unreleased data shows Florida as a region of increased cancer

risk

>

> Americans have a cancer risk from toxic chemicals in the air that's

at least

> 10 times the Environmental Protection Agency's acceptable level and

12

> million people experience risks 100 times higher, according to an

unreleased

> Environmental Protection Agency study.

>

> " Millions of people live in areas where air toxics may pose

potentially

> significant health concerns, " says the report, portions of which

were

> obtained by Knight Ridder. " Although air quality continues to

improve, we

> feel that more needs to be done to reduce the potential for harm

from

> exposures to these chemicals. "

>

> Much of the Gulf Coast and Florida's central and southern coasts,

the

> Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, the Pacific Northwest

and the

> Great Lakes coastline appear to have high risks. So do central and

northern

> Minnesota, central and western North Carolina and South Carolina and

> southern California.

>

> Other hotspots are around San Francisco, Atlanta, Phoenix,

Indianapolis,

> Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Little Rock, Ark., St. Louis and Kansas

City,

> Mo.

>

> The study, whose release is nearly a year overdue, modeled the

effects of

> powerful poisons including benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic and

chromium.

> These chemicals are produced mainly by vehicles and industry and

cause an

> estimated 150 cancer cases yearly. An additional 350 cases a year

are

> believed to be caused by chemicals in diesel exhaust.

>

> Overall, the added cancer risk from toxics in air - most of them

lung cancer

> cases, experts think - is small, on the order of one case per

10,000. By

> comparison, smokers have a one-in-nine lifetime lung cancer rate,

according

> to the American Cancer Society.

>

> The EPA considers acceptable an added lifetime cancer risk of one

in a

> million. For diesel chemicals, the added risk of getting cancer is

between

> 10 and 1,000 times higher. For the other chemicals, the national

average

> risk is 45 times higher.

>

> Release of the report is being slowed to allow EPA Administrator

Christie

> Whitman to review it, air quality officials said. EPA spokesman

Dave

> declined comment on the study, which is based on data taken across

the

> country in 1996.

>

> Localized figures for exposure to toxics were not available in

materials

> provided to Knight Ridder, but will be contained in the final

report. Based

> on a one-page map of the United States that depicts the risks, they

appear

> to be concentrated in metropolitan areas.

>

> While the entire nation has a risk at least 10 times the EPA

acceptable

> level, 12 million people experience risk 100 times higher.

>

> Because they've gone unnoticed, compared to soot and smog, toxins

in air are

> " the sleeping horror, " said private atmospheric chemist ette

Middleton

> who reviewed the data as part of EPA's Scientific Advisory Board.

>

> " Some of the impacts of these hazardous air pollutants could be a

lot worse

> than some of the things we tend to worry about, like ozone, " she

said.

>

> Several states already are curbing air toxics. California is

switching its

> public vehicle fleets from diesel to other fuels. Connecticut banned

> vehicles with diesel engines from idling near school children.

>

> Diesel-powered school buses make risks to children especially high,

said

> R. Brown, a toxicology consultant on the EPA study.

>

> " Air toxins is no longer a mystery, " Brown said. " We know where

it's coming

> from. . . . We know what it's doing to us. Now all we have to do is

fix it. "

>

> While the Bush administration's position is not known, its top

regulatory

> policymaker, Graham, founded the Harvard Center for Risk

Analysis to

> assess environmental risks and has brought its way of thinking to

the White

> House.

>

> According to Ropeik, the Harvard Center's director of risk

> communications, the air toxin risk is minimal. " The likelihood of

that

> happening to you is practically zero. "

>

> But environmental risks bother people more than smoking, for

example,

> because they " are imposed on us and not chosen; they are man-made

and not

> natural. " Ropeik said.

>

> Environmental groups put it differently: People can stop smoking,

but they

> can't stop breathing.

>

> Officials of industries that face regulation questioned the

validity of the

> science behind the EPA's findings.

>

> " After many, many years of research, the EPA has still not been

able to

> classify diesel exhaust and diesel particulates as a known

carcinogen, " said

> Joe Suchecki, spokesman for the Engine Manufacturers Association, a

> Chicago-based group representing diesel engine makers.

>

> The National Institutes of Health in May 2000 declared that diesel

exhaust

> belonged on the government's cancer list because it was " reasonably

> anticipated to be human carcinogen. " The finding was based on

occupational

> exposures of railroad workers, mine workers, bus garage workers and

trucking

> company workers.

>

> " The bottom line here is there is an air toxics concern out there

and

> there's a need for states and the EPA regulations to begin

addressing them, "

> said Dr. Henry , chief of environmental and occupational

health for

> Wisconsin's Department of Health and an EPA Science Advisory Board

member.

>

> An EPA regulation to reduce sulfur in diesel fuel and reduce other

toxic

> emissions from on-road diesel vehicles will go into effect in 2007.

Off-road

> diesel engines - such as farm and construction equipment - are a

major

> contributor of toxins, according to the EPA, but are not yet

regulated.