Partner offers comprehensive Human Health Risk Assessments to evaluate potential health risks to occupants of a property from soil, soil-gas and groundwater contamination, and potential vapor migration. Partner is an expert in the use of Human Health Risk Assessments to expedite the regulatory closure of contaminated sites where no significant health risks are identified.
What is a Human Health Risk Assessment?
A Human Health Risk Assessment evaluates whether occupants of a property could be exposed to chemicals from these various media (such as through the migration of volatile chemicals from subsurface contamination into the indoor air of a building), and if so, whether those exposure levels present an unacceptable health risk based on toxicological studies. The process of the risk assessment may involve testing various media including soil, soil-gas, groundwater and/or indoor air, calculation or modeling of the analytical results, and evaluation based on established state or federal guidelines.
When is a Human Health Risk Assessment Required?
A Human Health Risk Assessment may be required once contamination is identified at a site above a certain threshold. A Human Health Risk Assessment may also be one of the steps required towards achieving a risk-based closure or “no further action” at a contaminated site, where residual contamination remains at levels that are not expected to represent a human health risk. As such, it is important to consider the use of this assessment early on in the process of evaluating a contaminated site, as it may eliminate the need for further testing or remediation if there is no significant health risk.
Many states require the use of such a risk assessment and have established guidelines regarding thresholds of various contaminants and a specific process for conducting a Human Health Risk Assessment.
Contact Partner for further guidance on what regulatory requirements your site may be subject to.
