Application of human health risk assessment tools to groundwater contaminated with organochlorines
Abstract
Human health risk assessment is an important step in the management of contaminated areas (brownfields) and aims to reduce remediation costs. Currently, there is no mandatory tool to be used for determining the risks caused by exposure to contaminants and target concentrations for the intervention phase. In this context, the aim of this study was to determine if there is an objective difference in the outcome of a risk assessment study by applying one tool over another. The CETESB Spreadsheets and the software RISC5 were evaluated. In order to increase knowledge about each system, in addition, this study also sought to identify possible specificities in the use of each instrument throughout the development of the risk assessment. The methodology involved simulations of a risk assessment with the application of real data from a land where the aquifer is contaminated with organochlorine compounds. This study concluded that the most current versions of the tools provide a different range of exposure scenarios, mathematical models, toxicological information and even have different levels of flexibility for custom data entry. Finally, it was found that according to the conceptual model of the area and substances of interest that are objects of a human health risk assessment study, the choice of a particular tool can influence the final outcome of the evaluation, including the following stages of the management of brownfields.
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