“Today ProPublica is releasing the data behind our investigative series “Sacrifice Zones,” which revealed more than 1,000 hot spots of cancer-causing industrial air pollution around the country. Researchers can now download the principal data files behind our investigation from our Data Store. The data that we used for the analysis is based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Screening Environmental Indicators model, a tool that estimates concentrations of toxic chemicals in the air around industrial facilities. ProPublica mapped and published this information for the first time, giving readers a neighborhood-level view of their estimated cancer risks from industrial air pollution.We are releasing three geographic files: one for the perimeters of each of the toxic hot spots identified in ProPublica’s analysis (hot spots are defined as contiguous grid squares with estimated excess cancer risk above 1 in 100,000); one containing the grid squares within each of those hot spots; and one containing the point locations for facilities included in our analysis. Users are encouraged to read our methodology and watch our guide for investigating hot spots before working with these files to better understand the strengths and limitations of RSEI data. We are also updating our interactive map in two important ways…”