By AP/KWMU
Washington – People in part of Madison County, Illinois are breathing concentrations of toxic air pollutants that put them at a much greater risk of cancer than other Americans.
That's according to new data from the Environmental Protection Agency. Some people in Madison County have an 1100 in 1 million chance of getting cancer.
The EPA says the average cancer risk across the country is 36 in 1 million.
Madison County's cancer risk is a close second to parts of Los Angeles.
The data cover pollution from 80 cancer-causing substances emitted in 2002.
However since the last update, which covered 1999 pollution, the cancer risk nationwide has declined slightly.