Health Risk Assessment

Facilities that area classified as “High” priority by the District are required to perform a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) to determine whether their toxic emissions pose a significant risk to nearby residents and workers. Under AB 2588, the District and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s (OEHHA) review each HRA. HRAs performed under the program are required to use the methodologies and procedures outlined in District guidelines and OEHHA’s 2015 Air Toxic Hot Spots Program Guidance Manual for Preparation of Health Risk Assessments. The HRA report must include the elements identified in Chapter 9.2 of OEHHA’s Program Guidance Manual. To streamline the process, the District requires that a HRA Modeling Protocol be submitted and approved by the District prior to development of the HRA. A facility’s status under the program is determined using established health risk thresholds as identified in the table below.

Health Risk Thresholds	Risk Category	Category Requirements
Cancer risk < 1 in a million, and Total hazard index of < 0.1	Low Risk	Facility is conditionally exempt from further AB 2588 requirements
1 < Cancer risk <10 in a million, and0.1 < Total hazard index < 1.0	Intermediate Risk	Facility is required to provide an update summary on a quadrennial basis
Cancer risk > 10 in a million, and/or Total hazard index of > 1.0	Public Notification Required	Facility is required to go through the public notification process
Cancer risk > 100 in a million, and/or Total hazard index of > 5.0	Risk Reduction	Facility is required to go through the public notification process and prepare a Risk Reduction Plan

Resources

San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
District Policy APR 1906
District’s HRA Modeling Protocol Guidance
Modeling Guidance and modeling resources

OEHHA
Air Toxics Hot Spots Program Guidance Manual for Preparation of Health Risk Assessments

California Air Resources Board
“Hot Spots” Risk Assessment website

Air Toxics Program

Health Risk Assessment

Resources