Health and Ecological Risk Assessments
Under federal and most state regulatory programs, environmental cleanups are required only if a contaminated site represents a current or future health risk. Risk may be defined as the probability and severity of loss. Loss may be economic, personal, societal, or detrimental to the environment. In most cases, the risks to human health and the environment will determine the need and urgency for cleanup and site remediation.
The need for environmental cleanup is influenced by (1) whether the released chemicals are found in air, soil, or water; and, (2) if they have the potential to reach human or ecological receptors. However, regardless of the toxicity of a chemical, no injury can occur unless there is exposure. When a chemical is released to the environment, an assessment has to be conducted to determine whether humans or animals have the potential to be exposed to potentially toxic substances.
If exposure if feasible, the magnitude of the exposure must be assessed to predict the magnitude of the risk. The determination of potential toxicity, magnitude of exposure, and quantification of risks is known as Risk Assessment.
Benefits
For most environmental restoration projects, the most tangible benefit of a risk assessment is its ability to increase contaminant cleanup levels and reduce remediation costs. But there are other cost-saving advantages to using risk assessment. For example, environmental cleanup costs can be reduced by:
Eliminating from consideration areas that do not represent a risk
Prioritizing areas or sites for remediation. Resources can and should be dedicated to high-risk areas, while low-risk areas can be remediated using low-cost technologies (i.g., natural attenuation)
Closing low-risk sites with only minimal or no regulatory restrictions
Reducing remediation equipment inventory, rental fees, and downtime
Immediately addressing areas of greatest concern, thereby preventing the spread of contamination
Reducing potential liabilities by targeting resources to those areas that actually represent a threat to human health and the environment
Reducing waste production and disposal costs
Maximizing land value after remediation by assuring owners or buyers that the remediated site does not represent a risk to human health and the environment
Reducing data collection to only that which is required for proper risk evaluation
Finding alternate corrective actions that can reduce risk. Some of the alternate solutions may include alternate points of compliance, institutional controls, or natural attenuation
Reducing regulatory agency oversight (and possibly litigation costs)
Accelerating the regulatory agency approval and site closure process
Minimizing the potential for future corrective action or litigation.
Risk assessments also can help you:
Develop emergency contingency plans
Evaluate potential health risks associated with accidental releases
Develop public information packages
Request air emission source permits and variances
Comply with federal, state and local air toxics regulations, and
Evaluate the applicability of Best Available Control Technology for your site(s).
A risk assessment can help you save money by helping you determine exactly what work must be done and what is
not necessary.
Not all the benefits of a properly executed risk assessment are cost related. A risk assessment may also show that:
Corrective action can be more hazardous and carry a greater risk than no remediation
Active remediation is not necessary to achieve compliance.
Risk Communication
We design our risk assessments to meet current federal, state, and local guidance and requirements. Our risk assessments also incorporate advances in toxicology and environmental sciences. We produce technically sound documents that meet regulatory requirements and provide a strong negotiating position with regulatory agencies. We can also write ETSI risk assessments in a simplified format to help you effectively communicate to management and the general public.