Air

OEHHA is responsible for conducting health risk assessments of chemical contaminants found in air, including those identified as toxic air contaminants or on the list of chemicals under the “Hot Spots” Information and Assessment Act. Assessments include development of Cancer Potency Factors to assess the cancer risk from carcinogens in air, and development of Reference Exposure Levels to assess noncancer health impacts. OEHHA has developed and updates risk assessment guidance for use in site-specific risk assessments under the Air Toxics Hot Spots program. OEHHA also makes health-based recommendations to the Air Resources Board for Ambient Air Quality Standards. Recent legislation, the Children's Environmental Health Protection Act, requires OEHHA to explicitly consider infants and children in evaluating health risks of air pollutants. OEHHA is evaluating current risk assessment methods for their adequacy to protect children.

OEHHA also conducts epidemiological investigations of the health effects of criteria air pollutants. Such investigations include the health impacts on sensitive subpopulations such as children and the elderly. For example, OEHHA conducted an evaluation of the impacts of traffic-related pollutants on children. Specifically, the relationship between respiratory health of children and proximity of their schools to heavily-traveled roadways including measured exposure to traffic-related pollutants was analyzed.

OEHHA also evaluates health effects of chemicals commonly found in indoor air. OEHHA participates in a number of inter-Agency activities designed to evaluate indoor air quality health issues and to move California toward safer indoor air quality.

OEHHA provides health-related assistance to the Air Resources Board, air pollution control districts, local health officers and environmental health officers.

Air Toxic Hot Spots

Current Hot Spots risk assessments and guidelines

Criteria Pollutants

Explore health-based recommendations for California's ambient air quality standards

Toxic Air Contaminants

Identification and evaluation to reduce exposure to air toxics

Epidemiological Studies

Examining real-life exposures in human populations, and how they relate to the incidence or prevalence of disease.

OEHHA Air Chemical Database

Get information on chemicals and their typical occurence/uses.

The Leggett Pharmacokinetic Model Code

AIR Leggett+ code download files are only useful for users who have MATLAB software loaded on their computer.

 

Reports, Notices, Documents

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment is releasing a draft document summarizing the toxicity and derivation of Reference Exposure Levels for 1-Bromopropane .  This document will be reviewed and discussed by the Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants (SRP) at its meeting on May 12, 2022 in Sacramento, CA.  RELs are airborne concentrations of a chemical that are not anticipated to result in adverse noncancer health effects for specified exposure durations in the general population, including sensitive subpopulations.

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is releasing a draft document for public review, summarizing the toxicity and derivation of proposed Reference Exposure Levels (RELs) for 1-Bromopropane (1-BP). The posting of the document will commence a 45-day public review period that will end on February 22, 2022.  A remote public workshop will be held virtually on January 26, 2022 at 10:00 AM using the Zoom platform. 

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is releasing a draft document summarizing the carcinogenicity and derivation of a cancer inhalation unit risk factor (IUR) for 1-Bromopropane (1-BP).

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is releasing a document for public review that summarizes the carcinogenicity and derivation of a cancer inhalation unit risk factor (IUR) for 1-bromopropane (1-BP). The posting of the document will commence a 45-day public review period that will end on June 21, 2021 and a remote public workshop will be held virtually on May 26, 2021 at 10:00 AM.

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is releasing a draft document for public review, summarizing the toxicity and derivation of proposed Reference Exposure Levels (RELs) for Chromium (Trivalent) and Inorganic Water-Soluble Trivalent Chromium Compounds (Cr(III)).