What is an Air Emission Risk Analysis (AERA)?
The Air Emissions Risk Analysis (AERA) is a standardized screening process used by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA or Agency) to assess risk to human health from air emissions from a facility. The MPCA intends for the AERA to streamline the process of assessing risk from on-site air emissions and to reduce the use of resources for both businesses (e.g., project proposers) and the Agency. The potential human health effects from on-site (within a facility’s owned or controlled boundary) air emissions are examined both quantitatively and qualitatively in an AERA. The quantitative analysis consists of estimating emission rates, toxicity data, and air toxics concentrations from air dispersion modeling to calculate a number known as a risk estimate. These calculations are completed in the Risk Assessment Screening Spreadsheet (RASS) or the Q/CHI spreadsheet. The qualitative analysis focuses on issues such as the facility’s proximity to local residences, safety factors used in em
