California Air Resources Board

Background

Gas stations are typically located close to where people live and work, and exposure to gas station emissions may lead to adverse health impacts for people nearby. Local health risks from gas stations are typically higher in areas where large amounts of gas are dispensed and where multiple gas stations are located near each other.

Air Districts perform health risk assessments for air pollutants from gas stations, with a focus on the following pollutants: benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene, xylenes, naphthalene, propylene, and n-Hexane. Health risk assessments characterize potential cancer and noncancer health impacts to the public, and are used in various Air District air toxics programs. If these health impacts exceed the Air District’s health risk thresholds, the gas station owner or operator must notify exposed members of the public and may be required to reduce those health impacts.

To help Air Districts prepare gas station health risk assessments to meet the requirements of Assembly Bill 2588 Air Toxics “Hot Spots” Act , the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Air Pollution Control Officer’s Association (CAPCOA) have developed a standardized Technical Guidance. The development of the Technical Guidance includes two tools created to assist Air Districts in performing screening health risk assessments. In addition, CARB has developed a Supplemental Policy Guidance with recommendations for gas station operators, local governments, and Air Districts to reduce community scale health impacts from new and existing gas stations. Both guidance documents support actions under Assembly Bill 617 to improve air quality in communities that are disproportionately burdened by air pollution.

Public Workshops

Gas Station Guidelines Documents

• Technical Guidance  (pdf)
• Supplemental Policy Guidance (pdf)
• Supplemental Policy Guidance Spanish (coming soon)

Gas Station Risk Assessment Screening Tools

• Look-up Tool (excel)
• Variable Met Tool 
• User Guide (pdf) 

Additional Resources

• AB 2588 Air Toxics “Hot Spots”
• "Hot Spots" Risk Assessment
• AB 2588 District Prioritization Scores and Risk Threshold Levels
• Health Risk Assessment
• Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) Air Toxics Hot Spots Program Guidance Manual for the Preparation of Risk Assessments (February 2015)
• Hotspots Analysis and Reporting Program (HARP)
• Benzene Airborne Toxics Control Measure (ATCM) – Retail Service Stations
• Gasoline Dispensing Facility Emission Factors
• Speciation Profiles Used in CARB Modeling
• Vapor Recovery
• 1997 Guidelines