Briefing Report to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Science Advisory Board: The Apparent Effects Threshold Approach

摘要

The Apparent Effects Threshold (AET) Approach has been used to develop sediment quality values for 58 chemicals in Puget Sound. AET values are currently being used to make contaminated sediment management decisions in a variety of regulatory programs. The State of Washington is considering using the AET approach as a basis for setting state sediment quality standards. The report was prepared for Region 10 for submission to EPA's Science Advisory Board. The region requested that the Board conduct a critical scientific review of the AET method. The briefing report contains a description of the method and guidelines for AET generation. Additionally, the report details AET field validation studies and presents conclusions regarding the reliability of the approach in predicting adverse biological impacts in the field. Finally, the report describes uncertainties associated with AET generation and application in regulatory programs.