After the accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy facility, the plant operators and public officials executed plans to keep people nearest the plant safe from any release of radiation, utilizing an emergency planning zone that extended in a 6-mile and, later, 12-mile radius around the plant. Though Japanese response proved effective in protecting its citizens while avoiding widespread displacement, some Americans questioned the adequacy of 10mile emergency planning zone used at U.S reactors. This process will involve having EPA trained experts on site that will measure the dispersion of toxic fumes in the air, how poisonous or toxic are the chemical pollution to make people sick, the type of sickness that the fumes may induce, …show more content…
EPA developed the NATA as a state-of-the-science screening tool for State/Local/Tribal Agencies to prioritize pollutants, emission sources and locations of interest for further study in order to gain a better understanding of risks. NATA assessments do not incorporate refined information about emission sources, but rather, use general information about sources to develop estimates of risks which are more likely to overestimate impacts than underestimate them. NATA provides estimates of the risk of cancer and other serious health effects from breathing (inhaling) air toxics in order to inform both national and more localized efforts to identify and prioritize air toxics, emission source types and locations which are of greatest potential concern in terms of contributing to population risk. This in turn helps air pollution experts focus limited analytical resources on areas and or populations where the potential for health risks are highest. Assessments include estimates of cancer and non-cancer health effects based on chronic exposure from outdoor sources, including assessments of non-cancer health effects for Diesel Particulate Matter (PM). Assessments provide a snapshot of the outdoor air quality and the risks to human health that would result if air toxic emissions levels remained