EPA Report: Clear Creek Management Area Asbestos Increases Long-Term Cancer Risk

In a press release sent on May 1, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it had completed a detailed study of the extent of the asbestos exposure risk to people participating in recreational activities at the Clear Creek Management Area in Central California.

The report found an increased long-term cancer risk from engaging in many of the typical recreational activities at the CCMA.

“The EPA’s sampling results demonstrate that in areas where asbestos is present in the soil, activities that create dust also create asbestos exposure,” said EPA Toxicologist Daniel Stralka, PhD. “Higher dust-generating activities produce higher exposures and, therefore, higher risks. The asbestos levels measured in the breathing zone at CCMA are in the range seen in industrial environments and are at levels of concern. Reducing or eliminating dust-generating activities in CCMA will reduce exposure and reduce the risk of developing asbestos-related disease.”

Most of the area is managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management. The area is visited by hikers, campers, hunters, botanists, rock collectors, off-highway vehicle riders and others. CCMA receives about 35,000 visitors per year including many families with children. Both BLM and the EPA have advised users of the asbestos health hazard existing at the area since the early 1990s.

The CCMA contains the largest deposit of asbestos in the United States, and popular CCMA activities, such as off-road vehicle riding, disturb the soil and put asbestos into the air where it can be inhaled. Asbestos is a known human carcinogen.

The EPA studies found that motorcycle riding, ATV riding and SUV driving created the highest asbestos exposures. The EPA data also showed that children are generally exposed to higher asbestos concentrations than adults participating in the same activities.

Based on the asbestos exposure levels, the EPA estimated lifetime excess cancer risks. Many CCMA activities were found to have risks above the range that EPA considers to be acceptable.