Chapter 4. Risk Assessment of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 26. >> Part 6. >> Chapter 4.

(a) Within 90 days of completion of the review of all emissions inventory data for facilities specified in subdivision (a) of Section 44322, but not later than December 1, 1990, the district shall, based on examination of the emissions inventory data and in consultation with the state board and the State Department of Health Services, prioritize and then categorize those facilities for the purposes of health risk assessment. The district shall designate high, intermediate, and low priority categories and shall include each facility within the appropriate category based on its individual priority. In establishing priorities pursuant to this section, the district shall consider the potency, toxicity, quantity, and volume of hazardous materials released from the facility, the proximity of the facility to potential receptors, including, but not limited to, hospitals, schools, day care centers, worksites, and residences, and any other factors that the district finds and determines may indicate that the facility may pose a significant risk to receptors. The district shall hold a public hearing prior to the final establishment of priorities and categories pursuant to this section.
  (b) (1) Within 150 days of the designation of priorities and categories pursuant to subdivision (a), the operator of every facility that has been included within the highest priority category shall prepare and submit to the district a health risk assessment pursuant to Section 44361. The district may, at its discretion, grant a 30-day extension for submittal of the health risk assessment.
  (2) Health risk assessments required by this chapter shall be prepared in accordance with guidelines established by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. The office shall prepare draft guidelines which shall be circulated to the public and the regulated community and shall adopt risk assessment guidelines after consulting with the state board and the Risk Assessment Committee of the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association and after conducting at least two public workshops, one in the northern and one in the southern part of the state. The adoption of the guidelines is not subject to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The scientific review panel established pursuant to Section 39670 shall evaluate the guidelines adopted under this paragraph and shall recommend changes and additional criteria to reflect new scientific data or empirical studies.
  (3) The guidelines established pursuant to paragraph (2) shall impose only those requirements on facilities subject to this subdivision that are necessary to ensure that a required risk assessment is accurate and complete and shall specify the type of site-specific factors that districts may take into account in determining when a single health risk assessment may be allowed under subdivision (d). The guidelines shall, in addition, allow the operator of a facility, at the operator's option, and to the extent that valid and reliable data are available, to include for consideration by the district in the health risk assessment any or all of the following supplemental information:
  (A) Information concerning the scientific basis for selecting risk parameter values that are different than those required by the guidelines and the likelihood distributions that result when alternative values are used.
  (B) Data from dispersion models, microenvironment characteristics, and population distributions that may be used to estimate maximum actual exposure.
  (C) Risk expressions that show the likelihood that any given risk estimate is the correct risk value.
  (D) A description of the incremental reductions in risk that occur when exposure is reduced.
  (4) To ensure consistency in the use of the supplemental information authorized by subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of paragraph (3), the guidelines established pursuant to paragraph (2) shall include guidance for use by the districts in considering the supplemental information when it is included in the health risk assessment.
  (c) Upon submission of emissions inventory data for facilities specified in subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 44322, the district shall designate facilities for inclusion within the highest priority category, as appropriate, and any facility so designated shall be subject to subdivision (b). In addition, the district may require the operator of any facility to prepare and submit health risk assessments, in accordance with the priorities developed pursuant to subdivision (a).
  (d) The district shall, except where site specific factors may affect the results, allow the use of a single health risk assessment for two or more substantially identical facilities operated by the same person.
  (e) Nothing contained in this section, Section 44380.5, or Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 44390) shall be interpreted as requiring a facility operator to prepare a new or revised health risk assessment using the guidelines established pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of this section if the facility operator is required by the district to begin the preparation of a health risk assessment before those guidelines are established.

(a) Each health risk assessment shall be submitted to the district. The district shall make the health risk assessment available for public review, upon request. After preliminary review of the emissions impact and modeling data, the district shall submit the health risk assessment to the State Department of Health Services for review and, within 180 days of receiving the health risk assessment, the State Department of Health Services shall submit to the district its comments on the data and findings relating to health effects. The district shall consult with the state board as necessary to adequately evaluate the emissions impact and modeling data contained within the risk assessment.
  (b) For the purposes of complying with this section, the State Department of Health Services may select a qualified independent contractor to review the data and findings relating to health effects. The State Department of Health Services shall not select an independent contractor to review a specific health risk assessment who may have a conflict of interest with regard to the review of that health risk assessment. Any review by an independent contractor shall comply with the following requirements:
  (1) Be performed in a manner consistent with guidelines provided by the State Department of Health Services.
  (2) Be reviewed by the State Department of Health Services for accuracy and completeness.
  (3) Be submitted by the State Department of Health Services to the district in accordance with this section.
  (c) The district shall reimburse the State Department of Health Services or the qualified independent contractor designated by the State Department of Health Services pursuant to subdivision (b), within 45 days of its request, for its actual costs incurred in reviewing a health risk assessment pursuant to this section.
  (d) If a district requests the State Department of Health Services to consult with the district concerning any requirement of this part, the district shall reimburse the State Department of Health Services, within 45 days of its request, for the costs incurred in the consultation.
  (e) Upon designation of the high priority facilities, as specified in subdivision (a) of Section 44360, the State Department of Health Services shall evaluate the staffing requirements of this section and may submit recommendations to the Legislature, as appropriate, concerning the maximum number of health risk assessments to be reviewed each year pursuant to this section.

(a) Taking the comments of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment into account, the district shall approve or return for revision and resubmission and then approve, the health risk assessment within one year of receipt. If the health risk assessment has not been revised and resubmitted within 60 days of the district's request of the operator to do so, the district may modify the health risk assessment and approve it as modified.
  (b) Upon approval of the health risk assessment, the operator of the facility shall provide notice to all exposed persons regarding the results of the health risk assessment prepared pursuant to Section 44361 if, in the judgment of the district, the health risk assessment indicates there is a significant health risk associated with emissions from the facility. If notice is required under this subdivision, the notice shall include only information concerning significant health risks attributable to the specific facility for which the notice is required. Any notice shall be made in accordance with procedures specified by the district.

(a) Commencing July 1, 1991, each district shall prepare and publish an annual report which does all of the following:
  (1) Describes the priorities and categories designated pursuant to Section 44360 and summarizes the results and progress of the health risk assessment program undertaken pursuant to this part.
  (2) Ranks and identifies facilities according to the degree of cancer risk posed both to individuals and to the exposed population.
  (3) Identifies facilities which expose individuals or populations to any noncancer health risks.
  (4) Describes the status of the development of control measures to reduce emissions of toxic air contaminants, if any.
  (b) The district shall disseminate the annual report to county boards of supervisors, city councils, and local health officers and the district board shall hold one or more public hearings to present the report and discuss its content and significance.

The state board shall utilize the reports and assessments developed pursuant to this part for the purposes of identifying, establishing priorities for, and controlling toxic air contaminants pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 39650) of Part 2.

(a) If the state board finds and determines that a district' s actions pursuant to this part do not meet the requirements of this part, the state board may exercise the authority of the district pursuant to this part to approve emissions inventory plans and require the preparation of health risk assessments.
  (b) This part does not prevent any district from establishing more stringent criteria and requirements than are specified in this part for approval of emissions inventories and requiring the preparation and submission of health risk assessments. Nothing in this part limits the authority of a district under any other provision of law to assess and regulate releases of hazardous substances.

In order to verify the accuracy of any information submitted by facilities pursuant to this part, a district or the state board may proceed in accordance with Section 41510.