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U.S. Department of Energy
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Soil and sediment screening methods: Hazardous waste sites where qualitative ecological risk assessments were performed

Conference ·
OSTI ID:40173
;  [1]
  1. Metcalf and Eddy, Inc., Columbus, OH (United States)
At three Army posts, ecological risk assessments were performed as part of environmental investigations at various hazardous waste locations. At all three posts, surface water, sediment, and soil media were ecological receptor pathways, and no quantitative ecological data were to be collected. Without established screening criteria or models for soil and sediment, a method of screening chemical constituents as potential risk chemicals had to be established. The methods used involved a series of screens, assumptions, and models. Chemicals of potential ecological concern were compared to background and frequency of detection in samples as an initial screen. Ingestion dosages for the unscreened chemicals were calculated using a simplistic model of exposure concentration x daily ingestion rate x appropriate unit conversion factors; where daily ingestion of soil/sediment is a percentage of the ecological receptor body weight, amount of the contaminated media consumed is based on home range and area of contamination, and an assumed percentage of the chemical ingested is absorbed by the GI tract. The dosage also depended upon the areal extent and level of contamination, and whether the exposure was surficial (e.g., nonburrowing) or subsurface (e.g., burrowing). Dosages were compared to literature values to determine if an effect level may be exceeded by biota at the site. Whenever possible, LOELs and chronic values were used.
OSTI ID:
40173
Report Number(s):
CONF-9410273--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English