Toxic air pollutants and noncancer health risks--United States

Abstract

Previous evaluations of the health risks associated with chemical pollutants of ambient air have focused on the potential for carcinogenic effects. However, other potential health effects that may result from exposure to these pollutants include nonmalignant respiratory disease, hematopoietic abnormalities, neurotoxicity, renal toxicity, developmental toxicity, and reproductive toxicity. To address these concerns, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a national study to assess the noncancer risks of toxic air pollutants (EPA, unpublished data). This report summarizes the findings of this assessment.