Ranking cancer risks of organic hazardous air pollutants in the United States.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Loh, Miranda M. Levy, Jonathan I. Spengler, John D. Houseman, E. Andres Bennett, Deborah H.
Copyright Year	2007
Abstract	BackgroundIn this study we compared cancer risks from organic hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) based on total personal exposure summed across different microenvironments and exposure pathways.MethodsWe developed distributions of personal exposure concentrations using field monitoring and modeling data for inhalation and, where relevant, ingestion pathways. We calculated risks for a nonoccupationally exposed and nonsmoking population using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Office of Environmental Health and Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) unit risks. We determined the contribution to risk from indoor versus outdoor sources using indoor/outdoor ratios for gaseous compounds and the infiltration factor for particle-bound compounds.ResultsWith OEHHA’s unit risks, the highest ranking compounds based on the population median are 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, benzene, and dioxin, with risks on the order of 10−4–10−5. The highest risk compounds with the U.S. EPA unit risks were dioxin, benzene, formaldehyde, and chloroform, with risks on a similar order of magnitude. Although indoor exposures are responsible for nearly 70% of risk using OEHHA’s unit risks, when infiltration is accounted for, inhalation of outdoor sources contributed 50% to total risk, on average. Additionally, 15% of risk resulted from exposures through food, mainly due to dioxin.ConclusionsMost of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, benzene, acetaldehyde, and 1,3-butadiene risk came from outdoor sources, whereas indoor sources were primarily responsible for chloroform, formaldehyde, and naphthalene risks. The infiltration of outdoor pollution into buildings, emissions from indoor sources, and uptake through food are all important to consider in reducing overall personal risk to HAPs.
ISSN	00916765
Journal	Environmental Health Perspectives
Volume Number	115
PubMed Central reference number	PMC1940102
Issue Number	8
PubMed reference number	17687442
e-ISSN	15529924
DOI	10.1289/ehp.9884
Language	English
Publisher	National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Publisher Date	2007-08-01
Access Restriction	Open
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Subject Keyword	hazardous air pollutants personal exposure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons risk assessment volatile organic compounds
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health