Health Indicator Report of Chloroform in Outdoor Air
Most of the chloroform in the environment is man-made; it is used to make coolants, as a fumigant for grain, and as a dry cleaning spot remover. Other sources of chloroform emissions include: pharmaceutical manufacturing, cooling towers, the bleaching of pulp at pulp and paper mills with chlorine, bleach used for domestic cleaning and laundry, combustion of gasoline, and air stripping towers.
Low-level exposure to chloroform could result in dizziness, tiredness and headache. Exposure to higher concentrations is suspected to cause liver and kidney tumors. Chloroform is classified as a possible human carcinogen.
Notes
Data Source: USEPA National-scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), 2017 and NJDEP Division of Air QualityDefinition
Mean of modeled annual average chloroform concentration for census tracts in a county, using 2017 NATA dataNumerator
Modeled mean chloroform concentration in micrograms per cubic meterDenominator
N/AHow Are We Doing?
All New Jersey counties exceed the health benchmark of 0.043 micrograms of chloroform per cubic meter of air. The highest ambient air concentration can be found in Bergen, Gloucester, Ocean, Salem, and Somerset Counties.What Is Being Done?
In 1979, NJDEP adopted a regulation that specifically addressed air toxics emissions. This rule (Control and Prohibition of Air Pollution by Toxic Substances) listed 11 Toxic Volatile Organic Substances (TVOS) and required that sources emitting those TVOS to the air should register with the Department and demonstrate that they were using state-of-the-art controls to limit their emissions. Industrial facilities that emit this chemical must obtain permits from the NJDEP Air Program and are also subject to state and federal air pollution control technology requirements.Available Services
To view select air quality data collected at outdoor monitors across the United States go to: [http://www.epa.gov/airdata/] New Jersey County Risk Ratio tables can be found at the following URL: [http://www.state.nj.us/dep/airmon/airtoxics/nataest.htm#rrtab]
Page Content Updated On 03/17/2022,
Published on 03/22/2022