Ecological & Human Health Risk Assessment

Ecological Risk Assessment, or ERA, is a process that evaluates the likelihood that adverse ecological effects may occur or are occurring as a result of exposure to one or more stressors.  Typically these stressors are contaminants (e.g., chemical), but they can also be biological (e.g., risk from the introcustion of invasive species) or physical (impacts that may accrue to the construction of a project) stressors, but they are common in that they all employ a highly quantitative process involving the identification of the stressor(s) and potential receptors and the quantification of the stressors effects over a range of possible "exposures."  A tiered or phased approach is generally followed when conducting an ERA.  The first tier is a highly conservative screening phase to determine if further evaluation is warranted.  The second and, if necessary, the third tier are more detailed, site-specific studies to evaluate risk.

RISKANAL Newsgroup Information

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Basics

• ECO Update Bulletin Series (some of the "coming soon" links will go here when available)

Ecological Risk Assessments

• Ecological Assessment of Superfund Sites: An Overview (1991) "ECO Update, Vol. 1, No. 2"
• Evaluating the Environment at Superfund Sites
• Field Studies for Ecological Risk Assessment (1994) "ECO Update, Vol. 2, No. 3"
• Tri-Service Ecological Risk Assessment Workgroup (TSERA-WG) has been organized to coordinate and develop uniform technical guidance for the conduct of ecological risk assessments (ERA) at DoD sites worldwide.
• The National Center for Environmental Assessment's Ecological Risk Assessment Program (part of EPA's Office of Research and Development) Provides an overview of ecological risk assessment and links to resources and guidance.

Human Health Risk Assessments

• Superfund Today: Focus on Revisions to Superfund's Risk Assessment Guidance (1999)
• PDF Format (50K ) 2 pp.

Learn more about EPA's commitment to conduct reasonable and consistent Superfund risk assessments and involve stakeholders in the decision-making process.
• Superfund Today: Focus on Risk Assessment (1997)

PDF Format (181K) 6 pp.
Learn more about risk assessment and Superfund's risk assessment process for human health.
• Superfund Today: Focus on Revisions to Superfund's Risk Assessment Guidance (1997)

PDF Format (27K ) 2 pp.
Learn more about EPA's commitment to conduct reasonable and consistent Superfund risk assessments and involve stakeholders in the decision-making process.
• Quick Reference Fact Sheet for Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund. Volume 1. Human Health Evaluation Manual. Part C. (1991)
• Risk Assessment in Superfund: A Primer (1990)
• Risk Assessment for Toxic Air Pollutants: A Citizen's Guide (1991)

Tools for Ecological Risk Assessment

• U.S. EPA - Tools for Ecological Risk Assessment (Superfund Page)

General Guidance/Policy

• USEPA Ecological Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund: Process for Designing and Conducting Ecological Risk Assessments (Interim Final) (1997)
• USEPA Guidelines for Ecological Risk Assessment (1998)
• DoD Tri-Service Remedial Project Manager’s Handbook for Ecological Risk Assessment
• The Role of Biological Technical Assistance Groups (BTAGs) in Ecological Assessment (1991) "ECO Update, Vol. 1, No. 1"
• The Role of Natural Resource Trustees in the Superfund Process (1992) "ECO Update, Vol. 1, No. 3"
• Policy for Use of Probabilistic in Risk Assessment at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1997)
• Guiding Principles for Monte Carlo Analysis (1997)

Problem Formulation

• Ecotox Thresholds (1996)
• Wildlife Exposure Factors Handbook (1993)

Characterization of Exposure

• Wildlife Exposure Factors Handbook (1993)
• Managing Ecological Risks at EPA: Issues and Recommendations for Progress (1994)
• Priorities for Ecological Protection: An Initial List and Discussion Document for EPA (1997)
• Environmental Fate Database - a site developed by Syracuse Research Corporation, including DATALOG, BIOLOG, CHEMFATE, BIODEG, and BIODEG SUMMARY links.

Characterization of Ecological Effects

• Risk Characterization for Ecological Risk Assessment of Contaminated Sites (1996) (520K) 41 pages
• Using Toxicity Tests in Ecological Risk Assessment 12 pages
• Catalogue of Standard Toxicity Tests for Ecological Risk Assessment  4 pages

Risk Characterization

• Developing a Work Scope for Ecological Assessments (1992) "ECO Update, Vol. 1, No. 4"
• Ecological Significance and Selection of Candidate Assessment Endpoints (1996)
• Briefing the Biological Technical Assistance Group (BTAG): Initial Description of Setting, History, and Ecology of a Site (1992) "ECO Update, Vol. 1, No. 5"
• Ecological Subregions of the United States
• Endangered Species Homepage
• National Wetlands Inventory

Tools for Human Health Risk Assessment

• U.S. EPA - Tools for Human Health Risk Assessment (Superfund Page)
• Toxicity Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA)
• International Toxicity Estimates for Risk (ITER)

General Guidance/Policy

• Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund (RAGS): Volume I -- Human Health Evaluation Manual
• RAGS Part A (1989)
Community Involvement supplement
• RAGS Part B (1991)
• RAGS Part C (1991)
• RAGS Part D (1998)
• Soil Screening Guidance (1996)
• Fact Sheet
• User's Guide
• Technical Background Document
• PRPs and Risk Assessment
• New Policy on Performance of Risk Assessments During Remedial Investigation Feasibility Studies (RI/FS) Conducted by Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) (1993)
• Supplemental Guidance on Performing Risk Assessments in Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Studies (RI/FS) conducted by Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)
• Policy for Use of Probabilistic in Risk Assessment at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1997)
• Guiding Principles for Monte Carlo Analysis (1997)
• Proposed Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (1996)
• Guidelines for Reproductive Toxicity Risk Assessment (1996)
• Guidelines for Neurotoxicity Risk Assessment (1998)

Planning, Scoping, Problem Formulation

• RAGS Part D, Chapter 2 (1998) (21K) 4 pages
• Soil Screening Guidance (1996)
• Fact Sheet
• User's Guide
• Technical Background Document
• Soil Screening Calculations
• Johnson and Ettinger Air Model

Exposure Assessment

• RAGS Part A (1989)
• Soil Screening Guidance Technical Background Document (1996)
• Soil Screening Calculations
• Johnson and Ettinger Air Model
• Exposure Factors Handbook (Final) (1998-1999)
• Data Quality Objectives
• Data Useability for Risk Assessment

Hazard Identification and Dose-Response Assessment

• Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)

Risk Characterization

• Guidance for Risk Characterization (1995)
• Policy for Risk Characterization at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1995)

Risk Management

• Role of the Baseline Risk Assessment in Superfund Remedy Selection Decisions (1991)
• Link to EPA's Technology Innovation Office (TIO)
TIO's mission is to advance the use of new technologies for site characterization and remediation. This site provides information about innovative technologies, programs, organizations, publications, software, and other tools related to the characterization and cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

Calculation Tools

Links to databases, software, and other technical tools for conducting a risk assessment.

List of Tools

• Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund Part D, Standard Tables
• Soil Screening Calculations
• Johnson and Ettinger Air Model
• Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS)
• Exposure Factors Handbook (Final) (1998-1999)
• The Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic Model for Lead (Pb) in Children (IEUBK)
• Wildlife Exposure Factors Handbook (1993)
• Ecotox Thresholds

Databases

The following databases may be useful in performing ecological risk assessments

• ASTER (=ASsessment Tools for the Evaluation of Risk)
- environmental fate and effects. Data copied with permission from U.S. E.P.A. database
• AQUIRE (=AQUatic toxicity Information REtrieval)
- environmental effects, sometimes more data than just ASTER alone. Data copied with permission from U.S. E.P.A. database
• IRIS (= Integrated Risk Information System)
- human toxicology data, link to U.S. E.P.A. database with public access
• Effect Codes (= explanation of 3 letter codes of effects used in ASTER and AQUIRE databases)
• ECOTOX (=Ecological Toxicology - representing an integration of AQUIRE, PHYTOTOX, and TERRETOX, which are three existing EPA

databases that contain ecotoxicity information for aquatic life, terrestrial plants, and wildlife, respectively.
• PHYTOTOX database is a computerized information resource that permits the rapid retrieval and comparison of data pertaining to lethal and sublethal responses, excluding residue effects, of terrestrial plants to the application of chemicals.
• TERRETOX is a terrestrial wildlife toxicity database established to provide data linking quantified chemical exposures with observed toxic effects, provide data to quantify the relationships between chemical concentrations in environmental media or wildlife foods and residues in wildlife tissues.

Miscellaneous Links

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Ecological Risk Assessment Guidelines (Final)

ATSDR - Health Risk Communication Primer

Ecological Risk Assessment - Tools and Applications

This site, established by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Environmental Sciences Division and Health Sciences Research Division, contains both ecorisk tools developed at ORNL and completed risk assessments as examples of those tools, as well as background information on ecological risk assessment and copies of ecotoxicological benchmark reports for aquatic biota, sediment-associated biota, plants, soil invertebrates, and wildlife.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania- Tools for Evaluating Ecological Risk Assessment

Ecological Risk Assessment - More Applicable URLs

Ecotoxicology Definitions

Chemical Exposure Guidelines, Version 9, October 1995

Australasian Society for Ecotoxicology

DOE Environmental Policy and Guidance - Risk Assessment

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

RiskWorld: Home of the Federal Commission on Risk Assessment and Risk Management

RiskWorld: Society for Risk Analysis (SRA)

U.S. EPA CEAM Home Page

Welcome to RiskWorld

Environmental Toxicology Research Group

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Information Services

Pest Management Resource Center (PMRC)

Comments, suggestions and constructive criticisms are always welcome. If you know of an ecological risk assessment-related site that you think others should be aware of, please send us the URL and we'll review it. If it fits with the intent of this page, we'll immediately add it to our page. Likewise, if you note any errors or lost links, let us know that too, and we'll either fix or delete them as well.
You can reach the Physalia Ocean Sciences' WebMaster at: webmaster@PhysaliaOS.com