Environmental Assessment - MdTA

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3. Exposure Levels and Health Effects: Finally, even if emission levels and concentrations of MSATs could be accurately predicted, shortcomings in current techniques for exposure assessment and risk analysis preclude us from reaching meaningful conclusions about project-specific health impacts. Exposure assessments are difficult because it is difficult to accurately calculate annual concentrations of MSATs near roadways, and to determine the portion of a year that people are actually exposed to those concentrations at a specific location. These difficulties are magnified for 70-year cancer assessments, particularly because unsupportable assumptions would have to be made regarding changes in travel patterns and vehicle technology (which affects emissions rates) over a 70-year period. There are also considerable uncertainties associated with the existing estimates of toxicity of the various MSATs, because of factors such as low-dose extrapolation and translation of occupational exposure data to the general population. Because of these shortcomings, any calculated difference in health impacts between alternatives is likely to be much smaller than the uncertainties associated with calculating the impacts. Consequently, the results of such assessments would not be useful to decision makers, who would need to weigh this information against other project impacts that are better suited for quantitative analysis. Summary of Existing Credible Scientific Evidence Relevant to Evaluating the Impacts of MSATs: Research into the health impacts of MSATs is ongoing. For different emission types, there are a variety of studies that show that some either are statistically associated with adverse health outcomes through epidemiological studies (frequently based on emissions levels found in occupational settings) or that animals demonstrate adverse health outcomes when exposed to large doses. Exposure to toxics has been a focus of a number of EPA efforts. Most notably, the agency conducted the National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) in 1996 to evaluate modeled estimates of human exposure applicable to the county level. While not intended for use as a Section 200 Draft Environmental Assessment III-89
measure of or benchmark for local exposure, the modeled estimates in the NATA database best illustrate the levels of various toxics when aggregated to a national or State level. The EPA is in the process of assessing the risks of various kinds of exposures to these pollutants. The EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) is a database of human health effects that may result from exposure to various substances found in the environment. The IRIS database is located at http://www.epa.gov/iris. The following toxicity information for the six prioritized MSATs was taken from the IRIS database Weight of Evidence Characterization summaries. This information is taken verbatim from EPA's IRIS database and represents the Agency's most current evaluations of the potential hazards and toxicology of these chemicals or mixtures. • Benzene is characterized as a known human carcinogen. • Formaldehyde is a probable human carcinogen, based on limited evidence in humans, and sufficient evidence in animals. • 1,3-butadiene is characterized as carcinogenic to humans by inhalation. • Acetaldehyde is a probable human carcinogen based on increased incidence of nasal tumors in male and female rats and laryngeal tumors in male and female hamsters after inhalation exposure. • Diesel exhaust (DE) is likely to be carcinogenic to humans by inhalation from environmental exposures. Diesel exhaust as reviewed in this document is the combination of diesel particulate matter and diesel exhaust organic gases. • Diesel exhaust also represents chronic respiratory effects, possibly the primary noncancer hazard from MSATs. Prolonged exposures may impair pulmonary function and could produce symptoms, such as cough, phlegm, and chronic bronchitis. Exposure relationships have not been developed from these studies. There have been other studies that address MSAT health impacts in proximity to roadways. The Health Effects Institute, a non-profit organization funded by EPA, FHWA, and industry, has undertaken a major series of studies to research near-roadway MSAT hot spots, the health implications of the entire mix of mobile source pollutants, and other topics. The final summary of the series is not expected for several years. Some recent studies have reported that proximity to roadways is related to adverse health outcomes -- particularly respiratory problems. Much of this research is not specific to MSATs, instead surveying the full spectrum of both criteria and other pollutants. The FHWA Section 200 Draft Environmental Assessment III-90
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November2007
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Figure S-1: Study Area Map D. Proje
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GPL ETL • MD 152: Option 1 • MD
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Table S-2. Communities/Right-of-Way
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Table of Contents I. PURPOSE AND NE
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Figure II-7. MD 543 Option 1 Figure
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I. PURPOSE AND NEED A. Identificati
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Figure I-1: Study Area Map C. Backg
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areas within or connecting county-d
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. Safety The accident rate for Sect
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Table I-2. AM and PM Average Daily
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Table I-4. Crash Data for Years 200
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equired to cross 3 or more general
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This concept would provide good ove
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No Build Interchange Analysis • I
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• Option 3: Single Point Urban Di
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Analysis: • Option 1A provides th
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Analysis: • Option 1 would mainta
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Two through lanes would generally b
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3. Express Toll Lane Alternative Th
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to the I-95 northbound ETLs. Two I-
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F. Comparison of Alternatives The f
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would be enhanced through a reducti
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Table II-2. Estimated Travel Speeds
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. MD 152 The future needs forecast
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Figure II-16. MD 24 Park and Ride F
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III. EXISTING ENVIRONMENT AND IMPAC
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Executive Order 12898 defines minor
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Table III-2: Population Statistics
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Build Alternatives The Build Altern
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The study area consists of 7 commun
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Table III-4: Communities Located wi
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Table III-4: Communities Located wi
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communities could experience indire
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MD 24 Option 2 (Appendix A, Plates
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surrounding communities as the incr
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There are also some minor impacts t
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allow access to and from the ETLs v
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lanes, reduced median width, and th
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volumes and congestion increase thr
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c. Cemeteries In addition to the ce
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points at any of the postal facilit
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The Maryland Transit Administration
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1. Employment Characteristics Table
Page 104 and 105: geographic base of a particular bus
Page 106 and 107: would not be altered, aside from th
Page 108 and 109: 543), and the areas both north and
Page 110: 2. Effects on Land Use No-Build Alt
Page 114 and 115: The historic architecture APE for t
Page 116 and 117: an additional 5 land types (alluvia
Page 118 and 119: • Seeding, sodding, and stabilizi
Page 120 and 121: 2. Aquatic Resources a. Surface Wat
Page 122 and 123: located within the southeast quadra
Page 124 and 125: • A permanent WUS impact would in
Page 126 and 127: The following highlights wetland im
Page 128 and 129: For an all-inclusive impact summary
Page 130 and 131: since this area was altered during
Page 132 and 133: BMPs would include stormwater manag
Page 134 and 135: year floodplains, 0.8 acres within
Page 136 and 137: Option 2, MD 543 Option 7, and MD 2
Page 138 and 139: General Purpose Lanes Alternative T
Page 140 and 141: impacts more LSTs due to its larger
Page 142 and 143: Table III-17. Alternative Impacts t
Page 144 and 145: The No-Build Alternative would have
Page 146 and 147: improvements, EPA’s MOBILE 6.2 em
Page 148 and 149: using this facility. Diesel trucks
Page 150 and 151: The EPA is the lead Federal Agency
Page 152 and 153: zoning or the development of guidel
Page 156 and 157: cannot evaluate the validity of the
Page 158 and 159: NSA 07 consists of single family ho
Page 160 and 161: NSA 20 consists of single family re
Page 162 and 163: etween the hours of 6:00 AM and 6:0
Page 164 and 165: Table III-20. Short-term Noise Meas
Page 170 and 171: • Traffic flow conditions (volume
Page 172 and 173: averaging. If the average cost per
Page 174 and 175: Table III-22 Predicted Noise Levels
Page 182 and 183: Table III-23. Summary of Noise Abat
Page 184 and 185: Table III-25. Noise Barrier ‘Cost
Page 186 and 187: The noise barrier investigated is l
Page 188 and 189: The noise barrier was optimized to
Page 190 and 191: Express Toll Lanes Alternative The
Page 192 and 193: NSA 23 The noise barrier investigat
Page 194 and 195: Express Toll Lanes Alternative The
Page 196 and 197: The No Build Alternative will not i
Page 198 and 199: area (the widening of I-95 from MD
Page 201 and 202: Active Agricultural Land Due to int
Page 203 and 204: cumulative impacts to floodplains w
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The indirect and cumulative effects
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IV. COORDINATION AND COMMENTS A. Fo
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The fifth Focus Group Meeting was h
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Finally, an update on the status of
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