The risk of NMOC ambient air concentrations at levels of health concern in the area of the proposed school appears to be small. For instances, if a passive venting system was located at a lower elevation than the Kummer passive venting system, estimated air pollutant concentrations would be significantly higher in the surrounding area. Either one of these scenarios would increase the lifetime cancer risk. Children are at greater risk than adults from certain kinds of exposures to hazardous substances. They are more likely to be exposed because they play outdoors and they often bring food into contaminated areas.
Children are also smaller, resulting in higher doses of chemical exposure per body weight.
The developing organ systems of children can sustain permanent damage if toxic exposures occur during critical growth stages. Most importantly, children depend completely on adults for risk identification and management decisions, housing decisions, and access to medical care. The health based criteria used in this evaluation are generally meant to protect sensitive sub-populations, including children who may live near the facility. These data underline MDH's concern about vinyl chloride. The first is the formation of explosive gas by the landfill and its potential to migrate in the soil to the proposed school and accumulate within it.