260 likes | 630 Views
TRI-NATA Explorer . 2008 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Training Conference Washington, DC February 12, 2008 Ted Palma - EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Kim Balassiano - EPA OEI/OIAA Information Access Division. Development of TRI-NATA Explorer.
E N D
TRI-NATA Explorer 2008 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Training Conference Washington, DC February 12, 2008 Ted Palma - EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards Kim Balassiano - EPA OEI/OIAA Information Access Division
Development of TRI-NATA Explorer • Goal - Put TRI air emissions into risk context • OEI has developed TRI database • OAQPS has developed NATA database • OAQPS had initially developed NATA-explorer tool (unfunded!) • OEI Staff have begun enhancing the tool
What is NATA? • Characterization of air toxics risks across the nation • Modeling assessment performed by the USEPA to characterize chronic cancer and noncancer risk estimates for the 133 HAPs • Includes many sources of outdoor origin • Inhalation only • Tools for State/Local/Tribal Agencies (and EPA) to prioritize pollutants, emission sources and locations of interest • Provides a starting point for local-scale assessments • Focuses on community efforts • Informs monitoring programs • Results are available in database on NATA website
NATA History • 1996 NATA • Based on 1996 NTI • Release May 2002 • 33 HAPs • 1999 NATA • Based on 1999 NEI • Released Feb 2006 • 177 HAPs • 2002 NATA • Will be based on 2002 NEI • Expected Release Early 2008
Who currently uses NATA? • EPA • Data for standard setting • Risk and Technology Review • Area source rulemaking • MSAT Rule used NATA for current and projected risk levels • Air Toxics monitoring • NATTS Priority HAPs/Site locations • Support Urban monitoring efforts • Accountability Measures • GPRA, 112(k), PART • AQM Phase 1 ( Recommendation 1.5 Framework for Accountability) • Used to link Air Toxic to Criteria Program • Overlay “Hot Spots” with nonattainment areas (e.g. Detroit) • Evaluate the toxic components of PM • States • Many State Air Toxic Program set air toxic priorities using NATA • Identify gaps in emissions inventories and encourages inventory improvements • Communities • Serves as a starting point • Information and priority setting
Improvements in the 2002 NATA • Inventory Improvements • Cr speciation • More tribal data • RTR review • Integration of HAPs and CAPs • QA/QC • Improved point source characterization • Model at census block using HEM3 (AERMOD) • Retain individual source contributions • Will group into source categories • Improved non-point source characterization • Area sources - grouped into 27 area source bins • Mobile sectors - grouped into 9 source bins • Updated exposure characterization approach • Using exposure ratios in lieu of running HAPEM • Allows us to retain individual facility and areas source category contribution to risk • Improved Background Characterization • Updated monitoring data (NATTS) • Improved regional representation
1999 NATA - National Scale Assessment Predicted County Level Cancer Risk – County Medians • Spatially, most of country predicted to have risk between 1 and 25 in a million • Most urban locations greater than 25 in a million • Transportation corridors and some locations greater than 50 in a million • Several counties greater than 100 in a million
The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. TRI-NATA Explorer + + = TRI NATA GIS
Getting the Right Information • How can TRI-NATA Explorer better provide information community audiences are interested in? • How can we make the risk information presented by TRI-NATA Explorer more understandable and useful? • How can we help people better understand the uncertainty associated with the information provided by TRI-NATA Explorer? • How can TRI-NATA Explorer be made easier to use?
Putting Risk Info into Context • Feedback from focus group was that people want to know: • What does a cancer risk of 25 in a million actually mean? • Should I be concerned? • Risk ladder is a visual tool that depicts magnitude of risk. • Risk in question compared against more familiar types of risk
1 in 1 — person 1 in 10 — family 1 in 100 — street 1 in 1,000 — village Community Risk Scale Risk Magnitude 1 in 10,000 — small town 1 in 100,000 — large town 1 in 1 million — city 1 in 10 million — small country 1 in 100 million — large country
Putting Risk Info into Context • OEI and OAQPS considering other possible risk ladders • Examples • Risks of daily life: car, plane, bike accidents • Other health risks: smoking, dietary habits • Risk associated with EPA decisions: residual drinking water and air risks
Zoom into area of concern
Query TRI Data
Planned Application Enhancements • Replace or add 1999 NATA data with 2002 NATA data • Retool for public consumption by adding explanatory text (i.e., risk ladder) • Standardize the map controls (pan, zoom, identify) to be consistent with today's mapping applications
TRI-NATA Explorer Tentative Schedule • Internal EPA Focus Group Review – September 2007 • Initial Software Enhancements - Fall 2007 • External Focus Group Review – Spring/Summer 2008 • Final Enhancements – Summer 2008 • Update with 2002 NATA – Summer 2008 • Public Release – Late 2008
TRI-NATA Explorer Development Team • Ted Palma – OAQPS • Kim Balassiano – OEI • Art Koines - OEI • Dave Wolf – OEI • Mike Petruska - OEI