Health risk analysis for ingestion of contaminants from existing groundwater contamination at selected UMTRA project sites

摘要

This study examines potential hazards to human health from the ingestion of chemicals in ground waters beneath and adjacent to four abandoned uranium mill-tailings sites: Gunnison, Colorado; Lakeview, Oregon; Monument Valley, Arizona; and Riverton, Wyoming. Chemicals of concern in the ground water near these sites include arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead-210, molybdenum, nitrate, polonium-210, radium 226 and radium 228, selenium, sulfate, thorium-230, uranium and vanadium. Hazards to health were evaluated by implementing the method outlined in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Superfund Public Health Evaluation Manual. Conservative assumptions in the method, and the effect of these on the risk estimates and EPA's indices of harm are discussed. Because the method has a number of built-in conservatisms, the estimated risks and indices only indicate sites and chemicals requiring further analysis. The chemicals and sites identified as presenting risk in this first screening step should be investigated in more detail. Necessary steps are given. Sites and chemicals identified as harmless in this initial screening can be eliminated from further consideration. 9 refs., 4 figs., 4 tabs.