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Clean Air and Healthy Communities
MAPPS: Metal AirPollution Partnership
Solutions
2018 MAPPS REPORT Magnolia Park near Cronimet
MAPPS is a research-to-action project, with multiplepartners, to find ways to improve environmental
health in your community.
Many factors impact health such aschemicals in the air, water and soil. These chemicals include metals thatcome from traffic emissions andindustries like scrap metal recyclers.
In response to 311 complaints aboutvarious metal recyclers, we launchedthe MAPPS project to learn moreabout possible health impacts due tometal air pollution from metalrecyclers in Houston communities.
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Smoking
Food and Alcohol
Bacteria and Viruses
Exercise
Genes Your
Health
Stress
Metal air pollution fromCronimet
Chemicals in the
environment
OUR GOALS
We are working together to improve the airquality and health of Houston communities nearmetal recycling facilities by:
We measured metals in theair at three samplinglocations.
We conducted a door-to-door survey to learn moreabout residents' views onindustries and air quality.
minimizing metal air pollution from metalrecycling facilities
1
developing partnerships betweenresidents and metal recyclers
3
OUR WORK IN YOUR COMMUNITY
We used our risk assessmentand survey findings todevelop a plan of action.
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increasing community awareness aboutenvironmental health
2
Cronimet The area where we conducted the door-to-door survey
The map shows our air samplinglocations and survey area
Three sampling locations: Closest to Cronimet 370 ft. away from Cronimet
630 ft. away from Cronimet
We used the metalair measurements to estimatethe increased lifetime risk forcancer and other diseases.
We are working with metalrecyclers and residents to improve environmentalhealth in your community.
Page 3
1. The purpose of our risk assessment was to provide a basis for developingan action plan to improve community health.
2. We estimated the increased risk for cancer and other diseases over a 70-yearlifetime from breathing metals in the air from Cronimet for 30 years.
3. We assumed that metal emissions from Cronimet will stay the same over 30years.
4. Our assessment did not consider other sources of metals in the air or otherways to come in contact with metals.
6. The results cannot be used to say that a person’s illness was caused by breathing metal air pollution in the past or that breathing metal air pollution
now will cause an illness in the future.
5. Although not evaluated in our study, the health risks are likely to be greaterfor children, pregnant women, the elderly and the sick.
MAPPS RISK ASSESSMENT
Estimated Risks for Diseases other than Cancer
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What are our key findings?
The HI for developing nasal irritation and upperrespiratory distress ranged from 0.2 to 1.4.
The Hazard Index (HI) was highest at the locationclosest to Cronimet and decreased with distanceaway from the facility.
The HI for developing bronchitis, lung inflammationand difficulty breathing ranged from 0.2 to 1.4.
What diseases may be a concern?
People who breathe toxic metals in theair can develop diseases in their skin,nose/sinuses and lungs such as skinirritation, nasal irritation, bronchitisand lung inflammation.
The risks for diseases other than cancer woulddecrease if metal air pollution decreases; the riskswould increase if metal air pollution increases.
What is Hazard Index (HI)?
The risk of developing other diseases ispresented as a Hazard Index (HI) byorgan in the human body such as nose/sinuses and lungs.
How does the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission onEnvironmental Quality (TCEQ) interpret a Hazard Index (HI) in their regulatory programs?
Increasing risk for diseases other than cancer
Estimated Risks for Cancer
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Cancer risk is presented in terms of the number of extra cancercases out of 1 million people that may occur due to pollution.
1 cancer case in 1 million means that if 1 million people werebreathing air pollution for 30 years at a specific level, theremay be 1 additional person who gets cancer over a 70-yearlifetime.
What is cancer risk?
What are our key findings?
Cancer risks ranged from less than 1 caseto 3 cases in 1 million people.
Chances of developing cancer were highestat the location closest to Cronimet anddecreased with distance away from thefacility.
The risks for cancer would decrease if metalair pollution decreases; the risks wouldincrease if metal air pollution increases.
Increasing lifetime risk for cancer
How does the Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) and the Texas Commissionon Environmental Quality (TCEQ)interpret levels of cancer risk in theirregulatory programs?
SURVEY RESULTS
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88 residents completed the survey. 61% lived in the neighborhood
for over 5 years. 51% were female, 49% were male.
84% were Hispanic, 2% were Black.
Who answered our questions?
54% of participantssaid that they knowabout Cronimet
The top four concerns of having metalrecyclers in my neighborhood are:
People who had a problem with air quality,did not report it because:
Do I have similar concerns about otherindustries?
49%
NO
61%
43%
43%
Okay
I think the air quality in my neighborhood is:
28%
43%
Poor air quality Noise Damage to roads
Potential health impacts
26%
To improve air quality and health in myneighborhood:
I want to know about
I want tocommunicate
more with
metal recyclers andother industries(82%)
local government(92%)
air pollution andrelated healtheffects (93%)
how and where toreport air qualityproblems (82%)
The top four benefits of having metalrecyclers in my neighborhood are that they:
Buy scrap metal Keep the neighborhood clean
Bring customers to businesses Provide jobs
41%
YES
66% 59%
32% 26%
49%
55%
59%
65%
Poor/VeryPoor
They did notknow how to
report
Good/VeryGood
Theythoughtnothingwould
change
They thoughtthat the
problem wasnot significant
enough
Minimizing metal emissionsfrom metal recycling
facilities.
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Improving neighborhoodcapacity to address possible
environmental health concerns.
WHAT WE ARE DOING BASED ON OUR FINDINGS
Provide information on how tocommunicate environmental healthconcerns to Cronimet andHouston's 311 Call system.
Hold community forum tointroduce MAPPS partners andinform the community about thefindings and action plan.
Support trainee-initiated outreachactivities in the neighborhood.
Provide training to residents tobecome environmental healthleaders in your neighborhood.
Improving communicationand collaboration
between MAPPSpartners and residents.
Track complaints.
Relocated torch cutting to the areafurthest from residents.
Developed training for yardpersonnel on alternative processingmethods to reduce torch cutting.
Participate in existing communityevents.
Cronimet has voluntarily and collaboratively:
Developed training for purchasingpersonnel to limit unpreparedmaterials brought into the facility.
Learn how to contact
Cronimet or 311 aboutenvironmental concerns
Attend MAPPS environmentalhealth leadership training
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Contact us with questions
Invite MAPPS partners toneighborhood meetings
Elaine Symanski, PhD, PI 713.500.9238
https://go.uth.edu/MAPPS
GET IN TOUCH WITH US
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The MAPPS project is funded by National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS), grant no. 5R01ES023563.
The UTHealth CPHS has reviewed and approved. October 2018.
