Top Polluters May Have to Assess Cancer Risk : Health: The supervisors could require companies with more than 25 tons of annual emissions to determine the chances those living nearby might develop malignancies.

Thirty of Ventura County’s top toxic air polluters would have to study whether their emissions could cause cancer in nearby residents, under a new program to be considered by county supervisors on Tuesday.

If the program is approved, companies on the county Air Pollution Control District’s “high priority” list must inform the public whether the chance of contracting cancer is greater than one in a million if a person lives nearby for 70 years, said Karl E. Krause, manager of the air pollution district’s engineering section.

“People want to know if they are living near facilities with toxic air problems,” Krause said. “I would not be surprised if half of those who do the assessments find the risk to nearby residents is greater than one in a million.”

Southern California Edison Co. officials said Friday that they are willing to perform the studies, estimated to cost $25,000 to $75,000, for each of the utility’s two power plants near Oxnard.

But Edison officials cautioned that making the high priority list does not automatically mean that the electricity plants pose health risks to neighbors.

“The only source of contaminants in power plants is when we burn oil, and then it is only trace contaminants that are emitted,” said Michael Hertel, manager of environmental affairs for Edison. “And since we’re on gas most of the time, we would not anticipate any kind of appreciable health risk at all.”

Krause said that Edison will be asked to perform the studies because its power plants emit hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen.

The new program is designed to bring Ventura County into compliance with the state Air Toxics Hot Spots Information and Assessment Act of 1987.

That law requires air pollution control districts to make an inventory of the sources of more than 400 contaminants released into the air.

Companies that emit more than 25 tons a year of toxic pollutants were required to submit their emission lists earlier this year. The results of that inventory produced a list of 40 pollution sources in Ventura County, including the two Edison plants, 20 oil field pumping stations, five manufacturing companies and two defense contractors.

Of the top 40, Krause estimates that 30 will be required to perform the health risk studies, including Edison, several of the oil companies and Reichhold Chemicals Inc. of Oxnard.

In a twist to the state law, Camarillo’s 3M plant may not have to perform a health risk assessment, even though it has been on the top of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s list of toxic polluters for two years, Krause said.

The 3M plant emits methyl ethyl ketone fumes, which can cause birth defects and central nervous system damage, but not cancer. The chemical was therefore left off the state’s list, which focuses on carcinogens, Krause said.

Norman Fahnoe, plant manager at Reichhold Chemicals Inc. on Arcturus Avenue in Oxnard, said his company expects to spend $100,000 for the health risk study.

The company, which produces polyester resin for use in fiberglass products such as spas and bathtubs, emits fumes of the solvent methylene chloride, a known cancer-causing chemical.

“It’s probably appropriate for us to do this study,” he said. “This is one way to quantify whether we’re a good neighbor or a bad neighbor.”

Texaco Inc. expects to spend up to $180,000 to assess health risks at its three facilities on the top-40 list, said company spokeswoman Sharon Stakes.

“But those are the kinds of dollars we like to spend,” she said. “We want to do whatever we have to, to be safe.” She said the closest house or business is half a mile away from the oil field operations.

Distance from neighborhoods and other businesses is one of the factors officials consider when they decide which companies must perform the health risk studies. Officials also consider the properties of the chemicals emitted and their potential to harm people who breathe them.

Companies that release 10 to 25 tons per year of toxic emissions will be required next year to submit their lists. Companies that produce less than 10 tons a year will follow in 1992.

Under the law, companies have no further obligation after they disclose public health risks.

“It’s up to the politicians to decide what to do after that,” Krause said.