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| Most recent inventory of toxic air contaminants: | 2003 |
Health Risk Assessment Results
| Below are the results of the Health Risk
Assessments performed on the toxic emission inventories from 1991, 1994, 1996
and 1999. The Health Risk Assessment Report for 1999 is available here. The health risk assessment files are available for download here. (Please note that the health risk assessment files are very large, 412 MB.) Increased cancer risk is expressed as the number of individuals affected in a hypothetical population of one million. A significant risk is defined as 10 in one million or greater. Non-cancer acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) related illnesses are conveyed in terms of the Hazard Index (HI). The HI is a ratio of the predicted concentration of the facility’s reported emissions to a concentration considered acceptable to public health professionals. A significant risk is defined as an HI of 1 or greater. The risk footprints are maps of the area affected. The facility is required to notify the people living within the footprints. Footprints are only prepared for significant risks. The footprints will change as the facility reduces its emissions and may not reflect the current risk footprint. |
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| 1991 | 1994 | 1996 | 1999 | |
| Cancer risk: | 14 in a million footprint |
14 in a million footprint |
14 in a million footprint |
30.1 in a million footprint |
| Acute non-cancer risk: |
HI = 0.92 not significant |
HI = 0.92 not significant |
HI = 0.92 not significant |
HI = 2.23 footprint |
| Chronic non-cancer risk: | HI = 8.0 footprint |
HI = 8.0 footprint |
HI = 8.0 footprint |
HI = 0.75 not significant |
Pollutants
Risk "Driver" Pollutants
Benzene from fugitive emissions is the primary contributor to this facility’s significant cancer risk status. Fugitive emissions are emissions which result from minute leaks in piping connections, valves, flanges and other piping components.
Acrolein from natural gas-fired internal combustion engines is the risk driver pollutant for acute non-cancer risk.
The links provided are to the USEPA Unified Air Toxics Web Site Health Effects Notebook for Hazardous Air Pollutants. For information on downloading documents, see How to view and download documents.
Links to chemical
information will open a new browser window the first time you click one. After
that the information will appear in that same window, which may be hidden behind
the window you are viewing.
| Cancer risk: |
benzene |
| Acute non-cancer risk: |
acrolein - EPA hazard summary |
Other Pollutants Emitted by this Facility
The following pollutants are also emitted during operations at this facility, but these pollutants are not the primary contributors to the facility's significant risk status.
|
acetaldehyde arsenic beryllium 1,3-butadiene n-butyl alcohol cadmium chlorobenzene copper dichlorobenzene-p 1,4-dioxane ethylbenzene ethylene dichloride formaldehyde hexavalent chromium |
hexane hydrochloric
acid hydrogen sulfide lead manganese mercury naphthalene nickel polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) propylene selenium toluene 2,2,4-trimethylpentane xylene zinc |
Public Notification
The primary goal of notification under the Air Toxics "Hot Spots" Program is to inform potentially exposed individuals of significant health risks associated with toxic air emissions routinely released from facilities in Santa Barbara County. The public notification letter for this facility was sent to the affected public on June 8, 1999. The second public notification letter will be sent in November 2006.
Risk Reduction
Because this facility’s health risk assessment indicates a significant risk, the facility operator is required to conduct an airborne toxic risk reduction audit and develop a plan to implement airborne toxic risk reduction measures.
The Venoco Carpinteria facility submitted a Risk Reduction Audit and Plan (RRAP) that was approved by the APCD. The following measures either have been or will be implemented in order to reduce risk levels to below significant:
1) Enhanced Inspection and Maintenance of fugitive components;
2) Replacement of 1,981 valves with zero emissions bellows valves by June
2007;
3) The Cooper internal combustion engine is currently out of service.
The engine will not be brought back into service until it has been source tested
and health risk assessment updated with source test results to ensure the
operation of the engine will not exceed APCD's significant risk thresholds; and
4) Wastewater Tank T-380 is currently out of service. The tank will
not be brought back into service until a health risk assessment is performed
ensure the operation of the tank will not exceed APCD's significant risk
thresholds.
A revised RRAP is required to address the increase in cancer risk and the significant acute non-cancer risk. The revised RRAP is due December 18, 2006.
Links for Additional Information on Air Toxics
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