June 6, 2002

Note: This document was finalized on 10/03/03. Follow this link to view the final document

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The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is releasing a draft document, Air Toxics Hot Spots Program Guidance Manual for the Preparation of Risk Assessments to solicit public comment. This draft Guidance Manual has been developed by OEHHA, in conjunction with the Air Resources Board, for use in implementing the Air Toxics Hot Spots Program (Health and Safety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 developed four 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 four TSDs describe acute Reference Exposure Levels (RELs), chronic RELs, cancer potency factors, point estimates and distributions for exposure parameters, and the general exposure assessment methodology. 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 The draft Guidance Manual combines the critical information from the four TSDs onto a guidance manual for the preparation of health risk assessments. We are seeking comment on the guidance itself including clarity and ease of use. We are not seeking comments on the information in the guidance Manual that has already undergone public and peer review, approval by the Scientific Review Panel, and adoption by OEHHA. The Guidance Manual will also undergo review by the state's Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants.

The Guidance Manual becomes available on the OEHHA Home Page at http://www.oehha.ca.gov on June 1, 2002. The distribution of the document will commence a 30-day public review period that will end on July 1, 2002. (Note: Due to late posting, the public comment period has been extended until July 6, 2002.) Public workshops will be held June 19th in Diamond Bar and June 25th in Oakland.

Location information is as follows:

June 19th 10 AM - 2 PM South Coast Air Quality Management District 21865 E. Copley Dr. Room CC-2 Diamond Bar, CA.

June 25th 10 AM - 2 PM Elihu Harris Building 1515 Clay St., 2nd Floor Training Room 11 Oakland, CA

Please direct any inquiries concerning technical matters or availability of the document to Dr. Robert Blaisdell at (510) 622-3150. Please direct your written comments regarding the draft Guidance Manual to Dr. Robert Blaisdell, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, 1515 Clay St., 16th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612.

Information about dates and agenda for meetings of the Scientific Review Panel can be obtained from the ARB web page at http://www.arb.ca.gov/srp/srp.htm.

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