Risk variability due to uniform soil remediation goals
- Labieniec (Paula A.), Chesterfield, VA (United States)
- Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States). Environmental Science and Engineering Div.
If a single contaminant concentration in soil were to be used as the remediation goal at all potential remediation sites in a region, risk would be expected to vary across sites due to differences in site characteristics that affect transport and fate. A methodology is developed to evaluate such variability. It is applied to Ross County, Ohio, a region for which compiled, detailed hydrogeologic information is available. Four carcinogenic contaminants (benzene, trichloroethylene, chlordane, and benzo[a]pyrene) and exposure scenarios (on-site commercial, on-site recreational, and on-site and off-site residential) are evaluated. Results vary, but in general, indicate that for contaminants that are highly degradable such as benzene or immobile in the subsurface such as benzo[a]pyrene, specifying a uniform soil remediation goal would result in relatively small degree of regional risk variability. However, for highly mobile and persistent contaminants like trichloroethylene, a uniform goal would result in a large degree of regional risk variability. Application of the methodology to a larger, less well-characterized region is analyzed.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 267987
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Environmental Engineering, Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Engineering Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 122; ISSN 0733-9372; ISSN JOEEDU
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Establishing and evaluating the risk implications of uniform soil remediation goals
Risk variability from uniform soil remediation goals for PCBs