How was Cancer Risk Calculated?
To calculate excess lung cancer risk for every U.S. county, we used the estimates of ambient air concentrations of diesel PM for 1999 generated from the ASPEN model. The ambient concentrations of diesel PM were then multiplied by the cancer unit risk factor established by the California Air Resources Board. The California Unit Risk Factor is estimated to be 3 cancer cases in 10,000 people or 300 in a million people for a lifetime of exposure to 1 microgram of diesel PM in a cubic meter of ambient air. For CARB unit risk value, see: Findings of the Scientific Review Panel on The Report on Diesel Exhaust as adopted at the Panel’s April 22, 1998, meeting. http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/dieseltac/de-fnds.pdf For California Diesel Risk Reduction Plan see: http://www.arb.ca.gov/diesel/documents/rrpapp.htmEPA For EPA’s Health Assessment Document for Diesel Exhaust: Office of Research and Development, EPA/600/8-90/057F, May 2002 available at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?
