ATSDR Hazardous Waste Site Sample Clauses

ATSDR Hazardous Waste Site. Assessment Data In 1980, Congress created ATSDR to implement the health-related sections of federal laws that protect the public from hazardous wastes and from releases of hazardous substances into the environment. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), commonly known as the “Superfund” Act, includes a Congressional mandate to remove or to clean up abandoned and inactive hazardous waste sites and to provide federal assistance in toxic releases (xxxx://xxx.xxxxx.xxx.xxx/congress.html.). As the lead agency for implementing CERCLA’s health-related provisions, ATSDR’s responsibilities include assessing the presence and nature of health hazards at Superfund sites. ATSDR’s reports on hazardous waste sites therefore represent a valuable data source for potential exposure to pollutants. Sites investigated by ATSDR include National Priorities List (NPL) sites, CERCLA sites, and petitioned sites. The NPL sites are areas the USEPA deems eligible for long-term cleanup under the Superfund Act. Although a number of factors determine whether a site is listed on the NPL, a major determinant is the probability of human exposure. The ATSDR investigations draw on available information from USEPA and local governments regarding physical features of the site, environmental sampling data, biota sampling data, health data, and community health concerns. ATSDR health assessors use comparison values, such as ATSDR minimal risk levels (MRLs) and U.S.EPA reference doses (RfDs) to identify chemicals requiring further evaluation for their effect on human health under site-specific conditions. As part of their investigation ATSDR health assessors identify points of exposure, concentrations of contaminants at these points, and potentially exposed populations. A completed exposure pathway must include five elements: � Contaminant source or release. Examples include drums and landfills. � Environmental media and transport. This involves the movement of the contaminant through various media (i.e., air, soil, and water) and includes the degradation of the contaminant. � Exposure point. The specific location(s) where the population might come into contact with the contaminated media. � Exposure route. This includes the means by which contact is made by the population at the exposure point (e.g., inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact). � Population potentially or actually exposed. Even if a completed exposure pathway exists, a public hea...