Improving Methodologies for Cumulative Risk Assessment: A Case Study of Noncarcinogenic Health Risks from Volatile Organic Compounds in Fenceline Communities in Southeastern Pennsylvania

BACKGROUND: Cumulative risk assessment (CRA) is key to characterizing health risks in fenceline and disadvantaged communities, which face environmental pollution and challenging socioeconomic conditions. Traditional approaches for inclusion of mixtures in CRA are limited and only assess the most sensitive target organ system for each chemical. METHODS: ) accounting for uncertainty to create toxicity values for additional target organ systems. We demonstrated differences between the traditional approach and our expanded approach by using state-of-the-art mobile monitoring data from our Southeastern Pennsylvania Hazardous Air Pollutant Monitoring and Assessment Project (SEPA HAP-MAP) to conduct a cumulative risk assessment. RESULTS: ) in SEPA HAP-MAP fenceline communities, whereas no risks were identified using a traditional approach limited to the most sensitive target organ systems only. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that traditional approaches to CRA underestimate health risks in fenceline and other highly exposed communities and highlight the need for improved methods to inform health-protective and just risk management decisions. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14696.