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What’s in the Air?
photo credit: IQ Air
What are Air Toxics?
Air toxics, also known as hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), are pollutants that can pose health risks when people are exposed to them. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates air toxics because of their potential to cause serious health effects, including cancer.
This project focuses on five air toxics that are associated with cancer risk: 1,3-butadiene, benzene, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, and naphthalene. These chemicals can enter the air through a variety of industrial, transportation, combustion, and consumer-related activities. The EPA uses emissions information and air-quality modeling to estimate potential exposure and health risks from air toxics.
Mapping Modeled Cancer Risk
The maps and charts in this project use modeled estimates of lifetime cancer risk to explore how these air toxics vary across California counties and over time. The estimates represent the approximate number of additional cancer cases per one million people associated with long-term exposure to a pollutant under the assumptions of the model. These values are modeled estimates, not direct measurements of cancer cases or observed health outcomes. The visualizations are intended to highlight geographic patterns and differences that may help inform further monitoring and assessment.
How to Explore the Map:
Select an air toxic to explore its estimated cancer risk (per million) across California counties. Change the year to examine how the modeled values vary over time.
by Nicole Vicenti
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