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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is providing this notice to make California communities aware of new information regarding air toxic contaminants.
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) released documents about two toxic air contaminants – ethylene oxide and acrolein. The documents summarize the cancer-related health risk for each pollutant and include an estimated draft cancer risk. The draft inhalation unit risk factors (IURs) documents are available on OEHHA’s webpage. The public review period for the draft updated acrolein IUR began on May 14, 2026, and was scheduled to end on June 29, 2026. At the request of interested parties, OEHHA has extended the public comment period to end on July 29, 2026.
Additionally, CARB is preparing Frequently Asked Questions and Fact Sheets about ethylene oxide and acrolein impacts on air quality statewide. These materials will be available on CARB’s Emerging Air Toxics of Concern webpage. Spanish materials will be made available soon on the CARB’s Emerging Air Toxics of Concern Spanish webpage. To receive information and updates on Air Toxics programs at CARB, please subscribe here.
OEHHA Public Workshops on Draft Health Guidance Values for Ethylene Oxide and Acrolein
OEHHA will host public workshops to present on the draft health guidance values and the process for finalizing those values, where the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide public comment. At the public workshops, CARB will present on the process and information needed to better understand and develop risk reduction strategies for ethylene oxide and acrolein. For workshop materials and information, please visit CARB's events calendar webpage.
Public Workshop Details
Northern California (in-person and virtual)
Date: June 2, 2026
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Sierra Hearing Room
CalEPA Building
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Zoom Webinar Link
Southern California (in-person)
Date: June 4, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Auditorium
Ronald Reagan State Building
300 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Central California (in-person and virtual)
Date: June 10, 2026
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Governing Board Room
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
1990 E Gettysburg Avenue
Fresno, CA 93726
Zoom Webinar Link
Background
OEHHA is required to develop guidelines for conducting health risk assessments under the Air Toxics Hot Spots Program (Health and Safety Code Section 44360(b)(2)). In response to this requirement, OEHHA develops inhalation unit risk factors (IURs) for carcinogens which are used to estimate lifetime cancer risks associated with inhalation exposure to a carcinogen. OEHHA has released draft documents for public review that summarize the carcinogenicity data and derives cancer IURs for ethyl oxide and acrolein.
After the close of the public review period, the draft documents may be revised as appropriate by OEHHA and will be peer reviewed by the state’s Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants. Information about dates and agenda for meetings of the Scientific Review Panel can be obtained from the CARB website.
CARB is the state agency charged with improving air quality in California. CARB and air districts, in partnership with OEHHA, for the past 40 years have implemented regulations to identify and reduce emissions of toxic air contaminants. Once the draft cancer factors are finalized and pollutants are sufficiently understood, CARB and/or local air districts implement programs to reduce risk, such as adoption and enforcement of air toxic control measures.
Contact
For updates and additional information, please visit OEHHA’s webpage.
If you require a special accommodation or need this document in an alternate format (i.e. Braille, large print) or another language, please contact or call (279) 208-7957 as soon as possible. TTY/TDD/Speech to Speech users may dial 711 for the California Relay Service.
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