New Map Released of Toxic Hotspots from Industrial Air Emissions

Investigative journalist group ProPublica has released an analysis indicating where toxic air pollution is emitted from industrial sources and could be elevating cancer risk in their communities. The report and detailed map are available on the ProPublica website at: https://projects.propublica.org/toxmap/.

ProPublica’s analysis of five years of modeled EPA data identified more than 1,000 toxic hot spots across the country and found that an estimated 250,000 people living in them may be exposed to levels of excess cancer risk that the EPA deems unacceptable. The EPA’s threshold for an acceptable level of cancer risk is 1 in 10,000, meaning that of 10,000 people living in an area, there would likely be one additional case of cancer over a lifetime of exposure. EPA has also said that the added level of cancer risk from air pollution should be far lower, 1 in a million. The ProPublica map highlights areas where the additional cancer risk is greater than 1 in 100,000 — 10 times lower than the EPA’s threshold.

The group argues that the EPA has never released this data in a way that allows the public to understand the risks of breathing the air where they live. Using the reports submitted between 2014 and 2018, ProPublica calculated the estimated excess cancer risk from industrial sources across the entire country. Individual manufacturing facilities can be identified through a search of zip codes. In many cases the risks identified by this report may be significantly overestimated.

The group also asserts that the EPA allows polluters to turn neighborhoods into “sacrifice zones” where residents breathe carcinogens. The report claims that census tracts with majority non-white populations experience about 40 percent more cancer-causing industrial air pollution on average than tracts where the residents are mostly white.

Environmental advocacy groups and community organizations are using this tool to identify areas of potential concern with an emphasis on environmental justice. It may be advisable to review this report and map to ensure that the information provided for your area is accurate. If you have any questions or would like additional information on the report and map of toxic hotspots, please contact Jeff Hannapel or Christian Richter with NASF at jhannapel@thepolicygroup.com or crichter@thepolicygroup.com.

This update is courtesy of the National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF). For more information or to become a member, visit nasf.org.