SIN 4: Waste management services
Sciences' staff has conducted numerous assessments of active facilities and waste sites involving all aspects of human health and ecological evaluation, including Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) sites, as well as other government-owned and private sites contaminated with hazardous substances. These assessments were conducted under a variety of federal regulatory programs, such as Superfund, as well as state-led enforcement and voluntary compliance programs. Our scientists are equipped to provide the highest level of service in all aspects of site risk assessments ranging from preliminary site assessments to state or federally approved clean-closure. An overview of Sciences' site risk assessment services is provided below, followed by the description of a specific relevant project.
Preliminary Site Assessments (Phase I)
Sciences has conducted numerous Phase I environmental site assessments for due diligence and as a precursor to Phase II assessments for sites with potential media contamination. Our Phase I audits provide an in-depth assessment of past and current site activities, and historical regulatory compliance. We assess the potential for future environmental liabilities and provide an evaluation of future investigation needs, likely risk-driving chemicals and exposure pathways, and remediation alternatives and costs.
Site Investigations (Phase II)
Sciences designs and oversees Phase II site investigation programs which involve the collection and analysis of field data. Our approach prioritizes data needed to delineate the extent of contaminated media, meet baseline risk assessments needs, derive site-specific cleanup levels, and identify suitable remedial technology alternatives.
Communication of Risks to the Public and Regulatory Agencies
Sciences recognizes the importance of presenting risk-related concerns to the public and regulatory bodies in a manner which allays unwarranted fears. Our scientists have excellent presentation skills and have developed methods to more effectively communicate technical findings to an often adversarial, or skeptical, audience.
Baseline Risk Assessments
Sciences has performed human health and ecological risk assessments for waste sites contaminated with a wide range of chemical, physical, and radiological agents. Our assessments initially involve baseline characterization of potential exposure pathways, potentially affected communities, habitats and endangered species. A detailed assessment of the fate and transport of released chemicals is then performed to derive receptor-specific exposure estimates. Exposure assessment data are combined with chemical-specific toxicity data to determine the pathway-specific level of potential risk within the exposed community. Exposure scenarios can include current and future land uses, residential exposures, the risks to workers coming into contact with hazardous chemicals in the course of normal daily duties, and risks associated with catastrophic chemical releases. Sciences' risk assessments have been widely accepted by regulatory agencies and have provided risk managers with the data required to make informed decisions about remedial needs.
Probabilistic Risk Analyses
To supplement the traditional qualitative analysis of uncertainty, Sciences performs probabilistic uncertainty analyses for key exposure pathways at a site. These analyses provide risk managers with quantitative assessments of risk which reflect both the uncertainty and the variability in the point values assigned to exposure factors under the standard deterministic approach. Probabilistic assessments often utilize Monte Carlo techniques that analyze the full probability distributions of exposure and, thus, the resulting distribution of risk describes the probability that an individual is exposed to a given level of risk.
Site-Specific Risk-Based Cleanup Levels
Our scientists utilize empirical, analytical, and numerical models to assess the fate, transport and bioavailability of chemicals found to drive remediation needs based on required cleanup levels. The models are used to derive alternate, site-specific cleanup levels on both an average and not-to-exceed basis. Sciences has an excellent record of obtaining regulatory agency approval for site-specific cleanup levels which are often orders of magnitude less stringent than default values.
Preparation of Remedial Action Plans
Sciences prepares remedial action plans based on cleaning up hazardous contaminants to realistic levels protective of human health and the environment. Strategies are created to cost-effectively manage chemical residuals at a site though a risk/benefit evaluation of applicable remedial alternatives or waste treatment technologies. For active sites this analysis minimizes the effects of remedial action on operations from both a cost and a health and safety perspective.
Litigation Support and Expert Testimony
Sciences personnel are experienced in providing both litigation support and expert testimony for highly sensitive projects. Sciences has found that these services are often key to reaching solutions at hazardous waste sites that are acceptable to regulatory agencies, the community, and potentially responsible parties.
Examples Sciences' Waste Management Project
Sciences' experts conducted a health risk assessment, for submission to the Ohio Hazardous Waste facilities Board (OHWFB), concerning the Uranium Gaseous Diffusion Department of Energy (DOE) Facility in Portsmouth, Ohio. The health risk assessment was necessary in order to obtain a permit from the state to store wastes in two of the facility buildings. A major concern was with accidental releases of uranium and other toxic chemicals into the environment. The assessment prepared by Sciences included the evaluation through air modeling of health impacts on nearby communities that could result from the facility's storage of mixed chemical and radioactive waste.
Sciences modeled various accident scenarios and assessed the risk to nearby populations using state-of-the-art air dispersion modeling techniques. The study demonstrated that there was a negligible potential impact on surrounding communities from any reasonable accident scenario. A detailed report was prepared by Sciences and submitted to the OHWFB. Sciences' experts also appeared before members of the OHWFB to present the findings of the study. As a result, a state permit was issued to DOE for the storage of wastes at the facility.
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