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Dennis Welsch Page 3 of 4 May 17,2002 Long- Term Health Effects While the EPA study presented specific pollutants and pollutant concentrations in the air emission from a typical crematory facility, it did not evaluate the health effects of these emissions. Information regarding potential health effects was provided by Ms. Jackson of the MPCA; Ms. Jackson's work involved three primary objectives: . Using the specific air emissions presented in the EP A Study for each pollutant, potential exposure concentrations at the worst-case location and in the vicinity of McCarron Lake were determined by using SCREEN3, which is one of the EPA's air dispersion models. . After the potential exposure concentrations for each pollutant were determined, the short- tenn and 10nR-term health effects ot'inhalation of each contaminant at its respective concentration were evaluated. . A highly conservative estimate of the potential effects ofmercllrv emissions on a nearbv drinkinR sllpplv was also prepared by the MPCA. The inhalation toxicity evaluation reviewed the risks of acute, chronic, and carcinogenic exposure. This evaluation was performed by comparing the specific concentrations to Health Risk Values (HRVs) established by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the California EP A. Comparison with MDH and California EP A threshold values is relevant because these values have undergone a broad peer review and contain the most recent toxicological information available. The following standard assumptions were made by the MPCA: For acute health effects, the exposure duration was one hour. For chronic health effects, the exposure frequency was 365 days per year for 70 years. For carcinogenic health effects, "there is no dose that is not associated with risk", so the MPCA uses a risk assessment policy developed by the MDH stating that, generally speaking, if the excess lifetime cancer risk does not exceed one in 100,000, the risk is considered negligible. The results of the MPCA's modeling and health-risk evaluation indicated that, based upon the review of the potential acute, chronic, and carcinogenic effects of the specific emissions from the proposed crematory facility, appropriate risk factors were not exceeded and no further review of inhalation effects was necessarv. Detailed information regarding the MPCA's air dispersion modeling and health risk assessment is located in the MPCA' s Air Toxics Review (A TR) Guide, located at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/pubs/airtoxicsguide. pdt. Mercury emissions were included in the EPA Study and in the MPCA's inhalation assessment previously discussed; however, to address concerns of citizens regarding the potential impact on the City's drinking water supply, Ms. Jackson prepared an additional letter on August 10,2001. The letter presents calculations indicating that, if 2,190 cremations are performed and every