A Cumulative Framework for Identifying Overburdened Populations under the Toxic Substances Control Act: Formaldehyde...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Toxicology

Background:

• Communities of color, low-income, and Indigenous populations face disproportionately higher environmental and health hazards.
• These communities often have reduced access to healthcare, healthy food, and education.
• Existing chemical evaluations rarely incorporate these cumulative social and environmental exposure factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a process for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to integrate cumulative approaches into chemical risk assessments.
• To identify potentially exposed and susceptible subpopulations.
• To inform risk estimates and mitigation strategies for disproportionately burdened populations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized publicly available data.
• Employed simple geospatial techniques.
• Developed a process for cumulative risk assessment under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

Main Results:

• The proposed process can be used by the USEPA to incorporate cumulative factors into risk assessments.
• This method aids in identifying populations most vulnerable to toxic chemical exposures.
• The approach supports the development of targeted risk estimates and mitigation strategies.

Conclusions:

• Incorporating cumulative approaches is crucial for accurate chemical risk assessment.
• The demonstrated process can help the USEPA protect disproportionately burdened populations.
• This methodology is a step towards closing the gap in environmental health inequities.