November 10, 2005

The Department of Environmental Quality has released a final report on the findings of the Detroit Air Toxics Initiative, a first of its kind process to characterize air toxics exposure and health risks in the Detroit metropolitan area. The report shows that most air toxics in the Detroit area were found at levels that, based on current knowledge, do not pose health risks to the citizens of Detroit.

“The Detroit Air Toxics Initiative is providing us with valuable information to help understand the air quality of this region,” said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. “We will be using this information to prioritize our efforts to reduce exposure to air toxics and further improve the quality of life in Detroit.”

Although the DEQ routinely monitors the levels of certain air toxics at several locations in Michigan, the DATI is the first project to include an intensive monitoring effort with analysis of the data to characterize potential health risks and prioritize risk reduction efforts. A Stakeholder Group consisting of representatives from government, industry, universities, environmental, and community groups have played a role in developing this project.

The DATI is being conducted in two phases: a risk assessment phase and a risk reduction phase. The risk assessment phase involved analysis of monitoring data collected for over 200 air toxics between April 2001 and April 2002 at seven Detroit-area sites, a remote rural site (near Houghton Lake) and a smaller urban site (Ypsilanti) for comparison purposes.

While the report shows the majority of toxics were found at safe levels, it does show several that were notably high in the Detroit area, though many of those were found at levels similar to that of other large, industrialized urban areas of the United States.

The DEQ will use the risk assessment findings to help develop options to reduce risks from air toxics in Detroit. A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant which is funding the DATI will also provide funding for a specific risk reduction project selected by the DEQ and the Stakeholder Group. This project will be completed by October 2006.

The DATI Risk Assessment Report is available at www.michigan.gov/deqair.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

“Protecting Michigan’s Environment, Ensuring Michigan’s Future”

Revised November 10, 2005, by Shirley Smith for Pat Watson