Will health risk impacts be significant?

For industrial projects that will result in air toxic emissions, public health risks can become a central point of debate within the public forum. Many state and local air agencies have created health risk assessment requirements for various industries and chemicals. The agencies require that company processes do not exceed established health risk impact thresholds. In California, companies can be sued under Proposition 65 for alleged significant community health risk impacts.

BlueScape specializes in working with clients to understand potential health risk impacts early on in the project planning process, before agency staff or the public become involved.

  • We will apply our skills in air dispersion modeling and health risk assessment techniques to minimize your project’s health risk impacts.
  • We will recommend process changes or control equipment that can achieve health risk reductions.
  • We are experienced with USEPA, DTSC and CAPCOA risk assessment protocols.
When your company must meet these regulation requirements:
  • Minor & major new source review air permitting
  • AB2588 “Toxics Hot Spots” regulation
  • California Proposition 65
  • CEQA & NEPA air quality impact studies
  • RCRA permitting and waste handling regulations
Turn To BlueScape…

We provide the necessary technical services:

  • Preliminary, strategic review of health risk impacts from proposed projects.
  • Completion of health risk and exposure assessments for submittal to regulatory and lead agencies.
  • Proposition 65 community exposure audits and support.
  • Third-party review of health risk assessments completed by agencies, consultants, or plaintiffs.
We utilize various tools:

HARP, ACE2588, HRA; CAPCOA, DTSC & USEPA risk assessment methodologies

We help you to successfully resolve your health risk & exposure assessment issues in order to establish or continue successful business operations.

Sample Projects

Industry: Metal Plating and Finishing
Client: EME, Inc.
Prime Contractor: BlueScape

Air Emissions and Health Risk Refinements in California. Client operates a metals finishing process with a chromic anodizer and several paint booths using paints containing chromium. An existing AB2588 health risk assessment stated that cancer risks in the community were considered significant (greater than 10 in one million). Refined air emissions and health risk impact calculations were needed. At client’s request, hired source-testing firm to obtain actual hexavalent chromium emission data from the chromic anodizing process, accounting for HEPA controls. Recalculated hexavalent chromium emissions from the paint booths to account for multistage HEPA filters. Assisted facility in re-submittal of health risk isopleth information to the South Coast AQMD. EME, Inc. was able to show that health risks in the community caused by the hexavalent chromium emissions had dropped by more than a factor of 100. AB2588 program fees were thus reduced by about $10,000 per year.

Industry: Electric Power Generation
Client: Nuevo Energy, Inc.
Prime Contractor: MF Strange & Associates

Health Risk Assessment for Peaker Facility: Thirteen 2 MW Dual-fueled Engines in Santa Barbara, California. Independent oil exploration company wanted to site a peaking electrical power facility in Santa Barbara County. The facility would consist of thirteen dual-fueled engines, firing diesel fuel and natural gas. Completed a health risk assessment, utilizing VOC and PM reductions assumed for the control system. Showed that, given the rather remote location, health risk at the nearest receptor locations (houses, workers, etc.) would not be significant.

Industry: Precious Metal Reclamation
Client: Confidential
Prime Contractor: BlueScape

Health Risk Assessment for Hazardous Waste Incinerator in Southern California. A client owns a precious metal reclamation facility located in Southern California. The facility receives spent palletized petroleum catalyst and mixed wastes from petroleum refineries. Platinum and other precious metals are recovered from the waste using an incineration process. To permit a new rotary incinerator, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) required the facility to estimate potential health risks from benzene in the waste stream. Since benzene in the waste stream was unknown, BlueScape back-calculated health risks assuming a relatively high feedstock component. From the results of the health risk assessment, client was able to permit a maximum feedstock throughput and waste benzene concentration that would allow ample operational flexibility.

Industry: Petroleum Industry
Client: Equilon Refinery
Prime Contractor: Environmental Audit, Inc.

AB2588 Health Risk Assessment; Gasoline Reformulation Project, Southern California. Revised an existing health risk assessment to account for changes in source emissions due to gasoline reformulation with MTBE. Submitted to the South Coast Air Quality Management District as part of an environmental impact analysis. Due to expected agency staff scrutiny, BlueScape modified modeling source configurations to more accurately reflect emissions releases, then used the ISCST3 and ACE2588 models to complete the health risk assessment. Health risks at nearby receptors were calculated to be below significance thresholds.

Industry: Metal Part Coatings
Client: Life Paint Corporation
Prime Contractor: AQC Environmental Engineers

AB2588 Health Risk Assessment Life Paint Corporation in Southern California. The South Coast Air Quality Management District required client to submit an AB2588 health risk assessment for hexavalent chromium emissions from a paint mixer. On client’s behalf, performed required health risk assessment incorporating proposed dust controls and developed source configuration refinements to show that off-site health risks would not be significant.