Read the EPA study

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Residents across West Virginia face an increased risk of getting cancer because of toxic air pollution, according to a study released Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Air quality in all 55 counties poses an increased cancer risk of greater than 10 in a million from toxic chemicals in the air, according to EPA's new National Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutants.

Statewide, toxic air pollution poses an average increased risk to one of every 43,000 state residents, according to EPA calculations. That's better than the national average, an increased risk that EPA put at 1 of every 27,000 Americans.

But the statewide figures, and individual numbers for all West Virginia counties, exceed the 10-in-a-million additional cancer risk that EPA officials said warrants increased scrutiny from regulators and public health experts. The 10-in-a-million risk means that if 1 million people breathed air with similar concentrations over their lifetime, about 10 additional people would be expected to develop cancer because of the pollution exposure.

"If we are between 10 in 1 million and 100 in 1 million, we want to look more deeply at that," Kelly Rimer, an environmental scientist with EPA, told The Associated Press, which received a preview copy of the new agency data. "If the risk is greater than 100 in 1 million, we don't like that at all <t40>...<t$> we want to investigate that an do something about it."

In West Virginia, only one county -- Brooke County in the Northern Panhandle -- exceeded the 100-in-a-million risk level for cancer from toxic air pollution, according to the EPA study. Kanawha and Cabell counties each ranked at more than 30 in a million, the study found.

"We're still looking at that very closely," said John Benedict, director of the state Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Air Quality. "But I think it's a good, reliable indicator of where we need to focus our attention."

Benedict added that his agency is examining whether the risk figures may have changed since 2002, the year whose air pollution numbers were used by EPA for the study.

"There have been reductions -- how much it drops, we're not sure at this time," Benedict said.

The EPA study is the latest version of a state-of-the-science tool that estimates health risks from breathing air toxics in the United States.

The national average of 36 in a million cancer risk is improved over the 41.5 in a million risk the EPA found when it released an earlier study in 2006, based on 1999 emissions.

@tag:Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.

Read the EPA study

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Residents across West Virginia face an increased risk of getting cancer because of toxic air pollution, according to a study released Wednesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Air quality in all 55 counties poses an increased cancer risk of greater than 10 in a million from toxic chemicals in the air, according to EPA's new National Assessment of Toxic Air Pollutants.

Statewide, toxic air pollution poses an average increased risk to one of every 43,000 state residents, according to EPA calculations. That's better than the national average, an increased risk that EPA put at 1 of every 27,000 Americans.

But the statewide figures, and individual numbers for all West Virginia counties, exceed the 10-in-a-million additional cancer risk that EPA officials said warrants increased scrutiny from regulators and public health experts. The 10-in-a-million risk means that if 1 million people breathed air with similar concentrations over their lifetime, about 10 additional people would be expected to develop cancer because of the pollution exposure.

"If we are between 10 in 1 million and 100 in 1 million, we want to look more deeply at that," Kelly Rimer, an environmental scientist with EPA, told The Associated Press, which received a preview copy of the new agency data. "If the risk is greater than 100 in 1 million, we don't like that at all <t40>...<t$> we want to investigate that an do something about it."

In West Virginia, only one county -- Brooke County in the Northern Panhandle -- exceeded the 100-in-a-million risk level for cancer from toxic air pollution, according to the EPA study. Kanawha and Cabell counties each ranked at more than 30 in a million, the study found.

"We're still looking at that very closely," said John Benedict, director of the state Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Air Quality. "But I think it's a good, reliable indicator of where we need to focus our attention."

Benedict added that his agency is examining whether the risk figures may have changed since 2002, the year whose air pollution numbers were used by EPA for the study.

"There have been reductions -- how much it drops, we're not sure at this time," Benedict said.

The EPA study is the latest version of a state-of-the-science tool that estimates health risks from breathing air toxics in the United States.

The national average of 36 in a million cancer risk is improved over the 41.5 in a million risk the EPA found when it released an earlier study in 2006, based on 1999 emissions.

@tag:Reach Ken Ward Jr. at kw...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1702.