It is difficult to answer this question simply because there is currently no standard approach to assess overall human health risk. People are exposed to chemicals in our environment via in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the houses we live in, and the food we eat. TRI releases and Superfund sites are just a few examples of sources of chemical exposure.
Some of these chemicals may affect our health. Understanding exposure and determining whether there is a health risk is a very complex process. There are many factors that affect health risk. A large release of one chemical might be less harmful to our health than a smaller release of another chemical; the impact of air releases can be affected by wind direction and other factors.
Learn more about chemicals and risk to human health with the links below:
- What is Relative Risk? (NLM - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/disclaimer.php#relative_risk)
- Is my health at risk because of toxic chemicals in my community? (EPA - http://www.epa.gov/tri/stakeholders/communities/index.htm)
- Basic Risk Assessment (EPA - http://epa.gov/riskassessment/basicinformation.htm)
- Human Health Risk Assessment (EPA - http://epa.gov/riskassessment/health-risk.htm)
- Toxicology Research (EPA - http://epa.gov/ncct/index.html)
- The Habitable Planet: Risk, Exposure, and Health (Annenberg Learner - http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/unit/text.php?unit=6&secNum=0)
