ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT:
APPLICATIONS TO HAZARDOUS WASTE SITES
Fall Semester 1996
Prerequisites: Meeting: General chemistry Tuesday 5:15 p.m. to about 8:15 p.m. Knowledge of algebra TMDC Building, 216 Laboratory Rd. Basic computer skills Oak Ridge, TN General biology (recommended) Room to be arranged Introductory statistics (recommended) Office hours: To be arranged Instructors and phone numbers: E-mail: Richard R. Bonczek (423) 576-1548 1bz@ornl.gov * Martin Clauberg (919) 851-1886 claubergm@mindspring.com * Mark Steinhauff dmstein@atl.mindspring.com * current contact information
Grading: 14 quizzes or homeworks after each lecture, each worth approximately 20 points for a total of 300 points (30 % of total grade); Class Project 500 points; optional final 200 points (Project and or Final 70% of total grade).
Class project:
The project will consist of a sample data set that will be used to perform an human health risk assessment following the steps that will be discussed in class.
Projects turned in on or before the end of class on December 3, 1996 will be credited with an extra 5% bonus. Projects turned after December 3 but before 5:00 p.m. on December 6, 1996 will be deemed to be on time. Projects turned in after 5:00 p.m., December 6, 1996 will lose 3% per day.
Students will be provided with the following materials need to complete class projects:
(1) Site description and site map
(2) Conceptual site model (students will develop these)
(3) Toxicity profiles
(4) Toxicity values
(5) Data set with sample location map
Textbooks and documents:
Calculated Risks: Understanding the toxicity and human health risks of chemicals in our environment, by Joseph V. Rodricks, published by Cambridge University Press (paperback)
Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund, Volume I, Parts A, B, and C. US EPA (EPA/540/189/002) [This document series is held by the UT Library and is available on Microfiche]
Other documents will be made available for reading and/or copying.
Access to CAFE Account:
Students are encouraged to access a CAFE account with the University of Tennessee Computing
Center for access to spreadsheets and email.
Course Outline
I. Procedures for Performing Risk Assessment
II. Exposure Assessment
A. Develop general conceptual site models
B. Exposure pathways
C. Contaminant migration, exposure times and concentration
D. Introduction to modeling (risk)
E. Calculation of the Chronic Daily Intake
III. Toxicity Assessment
A. Exposure routes
B. Sources of toxicity
C. Types of toxicity
D. Toxicity values
E. Radiation assessment
F. Associated uncertainties
IV. Data Requirements for Risk Assessments
A. How rigorous does it have to be?
1. Historical and process information
2. Review of historical data
3. Data quality steps
4. Reproducibility and validation
5. Environmental sampling / planning
6. Meeting EPA sampling requirement
B. Media specific sampling
C. Sample analyses
D. Data evaluation
V. Data Evaluation and Data Reduction
A. Screening of data points
B. Analyte screening
C. Calculation of representative values
D. Analytical techniques
E. Statistical comparisons
F. Associated uncertainties
VI. Risk Characterization
A. Pulling it together
B. Uncertainties (effects on risk numbers)
VII. Introduction to Uncertainty Analyses
A. Guide to further investigations
B. Use in Risk Management
VIII. Risk Management of Exposure
A. Using conceptual site model
B. Risk assessment in corrective actions
Course Schedule
Meeting Date Topic(s) Handouts etc. Instructor(s)
1 August 27 Hello/ Set up environmental firms None Steinhauff
History of baseline risk assessments Clauberg
Regulatory basis for baseline risk Bonczek
assessments
Introduction to course
2 September Exposure Assessment Quiz Bonczek
3 a. How to develop a general conceptual Handout site
site model description and
b. Exposure pathways maps for project
3 September Exposure Assessment (continued) Quiz or homework Bonczek
10 c. Contaminant migration & estimation,
time of exposure, and exposure
concentration
4 September Data Requirements for risk Quiz or homework Steinhauff
17 assessment/Introduction to modeling
5 September Data Requirements for risk Quiz or homework Steinhauff
27 assessment/Introduction to modeling
(continued)
6 October 1 Exposure Assessment (continued) Quiz or homework Bonczek
d. Calculation of the chronic daily Handout data set &
intake map
7 October 8 Data Evaluation and Reduction Quiz or homework Bonczek
8 October 15 Data Evaluation and Reduction Quiz or homework Bonczek
(continued) Handout toxicity
profiles
9 October 22 Toxicity Assessment Quiz or homework Clauberg
a. Exposure routes/different ways Handout toxicity
contaminants affect the body values
b. Sources of toxicity
c. Types of toxicity
10 October 29 Toxicity Assessment (continued) Quiz or homework Clauberg
d. Toxicity values
e. Radiation assessment
f. Associated uncertainties
11 November 5 Risk characterization Quiz or homework Steinhauff
a. Pulling it together
b. Uncertainties (effects on risk
numbers)
12 November Introduction to Uncertainty Analysis Quiz or homework Clauberg
12 a. A guide to further investigations
b. Use in risk management
13 November Risk Management of Exposure Quiz or homework Bonczek &
19 others
14 November Risk Management of Exposure (continued) Quiz or homework Bonczek &
26 Introduction to ecological risk others
assessment
15 December 3 Project wrap up and discussion Quiz or homework Bonczek &
Project due at end others
of class for 5%
extra credit
December 6 Class projects due 5:00 p.m. at 1060
Commerce Park for full credit
16 December Final
10