Notice of Adoption of Air Toxics Hot Spots Program Guidance Manual for the Preparation of Health Risk Assessments 2015
In accordance with Health and Safety Code, Section 44300 et seq. (The Air Toxics Hot Spots Information and Assessment Act, AB 2588, Connelly as amended by SB 1731, Calderon), the Director of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) hereby adopts The Air Toxics Hot Spots Program Guidance Manual for Preparation of Health Risk Assessments.
OEHHA is releasing the final version of the document, Air Toxics Hot Spots Program Guidance Manual for the Preparation of Risk Assessments (Guidance Manual), February 2015, by posting on our Web site. This Guidance Manual has been developed by OEHHA, in conjunction with the Air Resources Board (ARB), for use in implementing the Air Toxics Hot Spots Program (Health and Safety Code Section 44360). OEHHA is required to develop guidelines for conducting health risk assessments under the Air Toxics Hot Spots Program (Health and Safety Code Section 44360 (b) (2)). OEHHA earlier developed three Technical Support Documents (TSDs) in response to this statutory requirement, which provided the scientific basis for values used in assessing risk from exposure to facility emissions. The three TSDs describe non-cancer risk assessment (derivation of acute, 8-hour and chronic reference exposure levels), derivation of cancer potency factors, and and exposure assessment methodology including stochastic risk assessment. These TSDs underwent public and peer review, were approved by the State's Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants, and adopted by OEHHA for use in the Air Toxics Hot Spots program. The Guidance Manual combines the critical information from the three TSDs into a manual for the preparation of health risk assessments.
A computer program, the Hot Spots Analysis and Reporting Program (HARP) has been developed by ARB as a tool to implement the risk assessments as outlined in this guidance manual. The HARP program is available from ARB http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/harp/harp.htm.
