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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of over 100 different chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil and gas, garbage, or other organic substances and found in coal tar, crude oil, creosote, and roofing tar. The Department of Health and Human Services has determined that some PAHs may reasonably be expected to cause cancer. Some people who have breathed or touched mixtures of PAHs and other chemicals for long periods of time have developed cancer. Certain PAHs have caused cancer in laboratory animals when they breathed air containing them (lung cancer), ingested them in food (stomach cancer) or had them applied to their skin (skin cancer). PAHs are found in air attached to dust particles, and can enter water through discharges can enter water from industrial and wastewater treatment plants where they can move through soil to contaminate groundwater. The PAH contents of plants and animals may be much higher than PAH contents of soil or water in which they live (ToxFAQs for Polycyc Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, September 1996). Cadmium. Cadmium is an element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. Pure cadmium is a soft, silver -white metal that attaches to small particles in the air. People who live near hazardous waste sites or factories that release cadmium into the air have the potential for exposure to cadmium in air. Breathing air with very high levels of cadmium can severely damage the lungs and may cause death. Breathing air with lower levels of cadmium over long periods of time (for years) may result kidney disease, lung damage and fragile bones. Data on human exposure to cadmium is limited, but studies show that rats that breathed in cadmium developed lung cancer, liver damage and changes in the immune system. Female rats and mice that breathed high levels of cadmium had fewer litters, babies with more birth defects than usual, reduced body weight, babies born with behavioral problems and learning disabilities. As a conservative approach, and based on the limited human data and the studies in rats, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that cadmium and cadmium compounds may reasonably be anticipated to be carcinogens. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that cadmium is carcinogenic to humans. The EPA has determined that cadmium is a probable human carcinogen by inhalation (Public Health Statement for Cadmium, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, July, 1999, CAS 1306- 19 -0). Arsenic. Arsenic occurs naturally in soil and minerals and it therefore may enter the air, water, and land from wind -blown dust and may get into water from runoff and leaching. Arsenic released from power plants and other combustion processes is usually attached to very small dust particles. These dust particles settle to the ground or are washed out of the air by rain. Arsenic attached to dust may stay in the air for many days and travel long distances. Ultimately, most arsenic ends up in the soil or sediment. Children may also be exposed to arsenic by eating dirt, skin contact with soil or water that contains arsenic, or through inhalation. If you breathe air that contains arsenic dust, particles of arsenic-contaminated dust may settle onto the lining of the lungs. Inorganic arsenic is usually found in the environment combined with other elements such as oxygen, chlorine, and sulfur. Arsenic combined with carbon and hydrogen is referred to as organic arsenic. Long -term oral exposure to inorganic arsenic can results in a pattern of skin changes called "corns" or "warts" on the palms, soles, and torso that may develop into skin cancer. Swallowing arsenic has also been reported to increase the risk of cancer in the liver, bladder, kidneys, prostate, and lungs. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that inorganic arsenic is known to cause cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that inorganic arsenic is carcinogenic to humans. The EPA also has classified inorganic arsenic as a known human carcinogen.