Role of Health-Based Criteria Development in USATHAMA'S (US Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency) Installation Restoration Program: Final Report

摘要

The purpose of this report is to provide the Project Managers (PM) of the US Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency (USATHAMA) Installation Restoration Program (IRP) with an overview of the means by which various health-based criteria and standards are derived and with definitions of health risk terms frequently used in the risk assessment/risk management scheme. Although certain chemical-specific criteria or standards may apply directly to ambient conditions at a hazardous waste site, many require adjustment to make them revelant and appropriate to the exposure conditions found at a particular site. This report will provide insight into the means of adjusting available health-based information to provide guidance on cleanup of waste sites and will give examples to clarify the methodologies. In particular, basic concepts for derivation of health-based standards and criteria for systemic toxicants and carcinogens are discussed, as well as the actual standards and criteria themselves. These include maximum contaminant level goals, maximum contaminant levels, drinking water health advisories, and ambient water quality criteria for the protection of human health. It can be seen that several basic precepts are inherent in each of the methodologies described, and an understanding of these basic concepts will allow the IRP PM to evaluate the chemical-specific ARARs developed for cleanup of any CERCLA site.