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Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soil: Considerations for Human Health Risk Assessment

Navigating this Website
1 Introduction
1 Introduction Overview
1.1 Using Bioavailability Information
1.2 Background
1.3 Definition of Terms
2 Regulatory Background
2 Regulatory Background Overview
2.1 Current Practices: Survey of State Regulators
3 Technical Background
3 Technical Background Overview
3.1 Soil Mineral Phases
3.2 Soil pH, Organic Matter, and Reactive Clay Minerals
3.3 Soil Particle Size
4 Decision Process
4 Decision Process Overview
4.1 Decision Process Flowchart
4.2 Is there a Method Available?
4.3 Could Bioavailability Assessment Affect the Remedial Decisions?
4.4 Do the Benefits of Bioavailability Assessment Justify the Costs?
4.5 Further Considerations
5 Methodology
5 Methodology for Evaluating Contaminant Oral Bioavailability Overview
5.1 In Vivo Approach
5.2 In Vitro Approach
6 Lead
6 Lead Overview
6.1 Fate and Transport
6.2 Toxicology and Exposure
6.3 Methodology for Quantifying RBA of Lead in Soil
6.4 When Does a Bioavailability Study Make Sense?
6.5 Case Studies
6.6 Using Bioavailability Methods to Evaluate Remedies (Bioavailability-Based Remediation)
7 Arsenic
7 Arsenic Overview
7.1 Fate and Transport
7.2 Toxicology and Exposure
7.3 Methodology for Evaluating Arsenic Bioavailability
7.4 When Does It Make Sense to Use Bioavailability?
7.5 Case Studies
7.6 Using Bioavailability Methods to Evaluate Remedies (Bioavailability Based Remediation)
8 PAHs
8 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Overview
8.1 PAH Sources and Exposure
8.2 General Toxicity of PAHs
8.3 Influences of Soil on Bioavailability of PAH
8.4 Methodology for Evaluating PAH Bioavailability
8.5 Dermal Absorption
8.6 Amendment Strategies and Permanence of Bioavailability
8.7 Case Study
9 Risk Assessment
9 Using Bioavailability Information in Risk Assessment Overview
9.1 Risk Calculations
9.2 Other Considerations and Limitations
10 Stakeholder Perspectives
10 Stakeholder Perspectives Overview
10.1 Stakeholder Concerns
10.2 Specific Tribal Stakeholder Concerns
10.3 Stakeholder Engagement
11 Case Studies
11 Case Studies Overview
11.1 Arsenic, Mining, CA
11.2 Arsenic, Pesticide, AR
11.3 Arsenic, Naturally occurring, UT
11.4 Arsenic, Smelter, AZ
11.5 Arsenic-contaminated tailings, OR
11.6 Lead, Industrial, Midwest US
11.7 PAH, Skeet targets, TX
11.8 Arsenic, Copper precipitation, UT
11.9 Arsenic, CCA wood preservative, CA
11.10 Arsenic, MGP coal ash, MI
11.11 Lead, Mining MT
11.12 Lead, Mining, MT
11.13 Lead, Smelter, UT
Additional Information
Review Checklist
Appendix A: Detailed Survey Responses
Appendix B: Chemical Reactions of Metals
Acronyms
Glossary
Acknowledgments
Team Contacts
Document Feedback

 

Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soil
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Acknowledgments

The members of the Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC) Bioavailability in Contaminated Soil (BCS) Team wish to acknowledge the individuals, organizations, and agencies that contributed to this guidance document.

As part of the broader ITRC effort, the BCS Team effort is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and ITRC’s Industry Affiliates Program.

The BCS Team greatly appreciates the efforts of team members who provided valuable contributions to the development of this guidance document, as well as the efforts of those who reviewed and commented on this document. The team acknowledges the expert support of the ITRC staff.

The team recognizes the following states’ support of team leadership and guidance preparation:

  • California Department of Toxic Substances Control—Claudio Sorrentino, Team Leader
  • Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control—Kathryn Durant, Team Leader
  • Alabama Department of Environmental Management—Sonja Favors
  • Alaska Department of Environmental Quality—Marlena Brewer
  • California Department of Toxic Substances Control—Valerie Hanley
  • Georgia Environmental Protection Division—Shanna Alexander and Justice Williams
  • Michigan Department of Environmental Quality—Divinia Ries
  • Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services—Elizabeth Semkiw
  • New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection—Robert Mueller
  • Oregon Department of Environmental Quality—Bryn Thoms
  • Utah Department of Environmental Quality—Scott Everett
  • Virginia Department of Environmental Quality—Sonal Iyer and Nathan Tice

The team also recognizes the excellent participation from various federal agencies and other public institutions:

  • U.S. Air Force—Richard (Hunter) Anderson
  • U.S. Army—Anita Meyer, Doris Anders, and Deborah Johnston
  • U.S. Navy—James Smith and Tara Meyers
  • U.S. Department of Energy—Allan Harris, Brady Lee, and Paul Beam
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—Karen Bradham, Michele Burgess, Sandip Chattopadhyay, Brendlyn Faison (retired), Cheryl A. Hawkins, Matt Lambert, Michelle Mahoney, and Kirk Scheckel
  • U.S. Bureau of Land Management—Doug Cox
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service—Lisa Alcorn
  • U.S. National Institutes of Health—Heather Henry
  • SERDP—Yvette Lowney and Hans Stroo

The team recognizes the contributions of the following community and tribal stakeholder representatives:

  • Richard Aho—retired
  • Otakuye Conroy-Ben—Arizona State University
  • Peter Strauss, PM—Strauss & Associates

The team recognizes the contributions of the following representatives from the academic community:

  • Nicholas Basta—Ohio State University
  • Patricia Hogan—Suffolk University
  • Stephen Roberts—University of Florida
  • Geoff Siemering—University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Gregory Simones—University of Connecticut

Finally, the team recognizes the efforts and contribution of the following consultants and industry representatives:

  • AECOM—Usha Vedagiri, Chad Roper, and Ceil Mancini
  • Anchor QEA—Jessica Goin
  • Arcadis—Norm Forsberg, Glenn Hoeger, and David Rigg
  • Battelle—Kate Kucharzyk and Pam Rogers
  • Brown and Caldwell—Teresa Caputi
  • Burns and MacDonnell Engineering—Diana Marquez
  • CDM Smith—Lynn Woodbury
  • CETER Group—David Nakles
  • CH2M Hill—Barrie Selcoe
  • Chevron—Amanda Bess
  • Dow Chemical—Claudia Walecka-Hutchinson
  • DuPont—Timothy Bingman
  • Environmental Health Decisions—Jill Ryer-Powder
  • EPRI—Jeffrey A. Clock
  • ERM—Stephen Geiger, Karen Cejas
  • ExxonMobil—Harley Hopkins and Daniel Letinski
  • GHD—Andrew Pawlisz, Dan Smith, Yaning Yang, and Zeke He
  • Golder Associates—Jeremy Clark
  • GSI Environmental—Rob Scofield
  • GZA GeoEnvironmental—Karen Kinsella
  • Integral Consulting—Jose Gomez-Eyles
  • Kennedy/Jenks—Josh Hopp
  • Kleinfelder—Scott Dwyer
  • Langan—Fangmei Zhang
  • Ramboll Environ—Kevin Long and Laurie LaPat-Polasko
  • TestAmerica Laboratories—Mark Bruce and Bryce Stearns
  • Daniel Cooke, Formerly of AMEC Foster Wheeler

The BCS Team would like to thank the team Program Advisor, Lesley Hay Wilson of Sage Risk Solutions, LLC, for her efforts to keep this project focused and well supported.

Dedication

This document is dedicated in memory of Martin Alexander and Michael Ruby. Both were pioneers in our field who passed away during the time this document was being prepared. Dr. Alexander was responsible for many of the key concepts and early research on soil’s effects on bioaccessibility. Dr. Ruby was an original member of this team and a leader in bioavailability research and practice for over 20 years.

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