Commenters Back Vapor Intrusion As Superfund Site Ranking Criteria

摘要

A diverse set of stakeholders spanning the country expressed support for the Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to add a vapor intrusion component to rank the most hazardous Superfund sites in comments submitted to EPA over recent weeks. The stakeholders, which included consultants and state and federal government officials, said the addition would enhance public health protections but urged expansion of the application of the new component. Vapor intrusion refers to the migration of volatile organic compounds from subsurface soil and groundwa-ter into overlying buildings posing a potential health risk. Should EPA finalize the proposal, that component would be added to the Hazard Ranking System (HRS), a metric to assess National Priority List designations under Superfund law.