PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT
MOUNTAIN PINE PRESSURE TREATING
PLAINVIEW, YELL COUNTY, ARKANSAS

Figure 1. Mountain Pine Pressure Treatment Site Map
Comparison Values Used In Screening Contaminants For Further Evaluation
Environmental Media Evaluation Guides (EMEGs) are developed for chemicals based on theirtoxicity, frequency of occurrence at National Priority List (NPL) sites, and potential for humanexposure. They are derived to protect the most sensitive populations and are not action levels,but rather comparison values. They do not consider carcinogenic effects, chemical interactions,multiple route exposure, or other media-specific routes of exposure, and are very conservativeconcentration values designed to protect sensitive members of the population.
Reference Dose Media Evaluation Guides (RMEGs) are another type of comparison valuederived to protect the most sensitive populations. They do not consider carcinogenic effects,chemical interactions, multiple route exposure, or other media-specific routes of exposure, andare very conservative concentration values designed to protect sensitive members of thepopulation.
Cancer Risk Evaluation Guides (CREGs) are estimated contaminant concentrations based on aprobability of one excess cancer in a million persons exposed to a chemical over a lifetime.These are also very conservative values designed to protect sensitive members of the population.
Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) have been established by USEPA for public watersupplies to reduce the chances of adverse health effects from contaminated drinking water. Thesestandards are well below levels for which health effects have been observed and take intoaccount the financial feasibility of achieving specific contaminant levels. These are enforceablelimits that public water supplies must meet.
Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) is a non-enforceable drinking water health goal.There are no known or anticipated adverse effects on the health of persons drinking watercontaining concentrations at or below the MCLG.
| Constituent | Concentration Range (mg/kg) 1 | Health Based Comparison Value (mg/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| SOIL AND SEDIMENT | ||
| Naphthalene | 0.36 | 1000(EMEG) 2 |
| Dibenzofuran | 0.32 | 230 (RMEG) 3 |
| Pentachlorophenol | 10.65 - 202 | 50 (EMEG) |
| Phenanthrene | 1 - 1.85 | 30000 (RMEG) |
| Benzo(a)anthracene | 0.28 | 0.62 (RMEG) |
| Chrysene | 0.25 | 62 (RMEG) |
| Arsenic | 6.6 - 2182 | 20 (EMEG) |
| Cadmium | 2.6 - 8.33 | 10 (EMEG) |
| Chromium (total) | 29.2 - 2984 | 200 (RMEG) |
| Copper | 8.4 - 2400 | 2900 (RMEG) |
| Nickel | 14.9 - 50.4 | 1000 (RMEG) |
| Lead | 30.3 - 211 | 400 (RMEG) |
| Zinc | 38.5 - 1152 | 20000 (EMEG) |
| GROUNDWATER | ||
| Chromium | 0.0006 - 0.0017 | 0.03 (RMEG) |
| Copper | 0.01 | 1.3 (MCLG) 4 |
| Lead | 0.0015 | 0.015 (MCL) 5 |
| Zinc | 0.012 | 3 (EMEG) |
| Bold text indicates a contaminant that exceeded ATSDR's Comparison Value in at least one sample. 1 mg/kg = milligrams per kilogram 2 EMEG = Environmental Media Evaluation Guide 3 RMEG = Reference Dose Media Evaluation Guide 4 MCLG = Maximum Contaminant Level Goal 5 MCL = Maximum Contaminant Level | ||
| Constituent | Concentrations in parts per million (ppm) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SS-3 | SS-4 | SS-5 | SS-6 | SS-7 | SS-9 | SS-10 | SS-11 | SS-13 | ||
| 2,3,7,8 TCDD 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDD 2 | 0 | 0.0009 | 0 | 0 | 1.76 | 5.658 | 0.0088 | 0.0022 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,4,7,8 HxCDF 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,6,7,8 HxCDF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.003 | 0.019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,7,8,9 HxCDF | 0 | 0 | 0.0032 | 0.0476 | 0.27 | 0 | 0.0023 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDF 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0071 | 0.0725 | 0.33 | 0 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0 | |
| OCDD 5 | 0.0025 | 0.0074 | 0.2215 | 2.33 | 15.139 | 60.39 | 0.078 | 0.0295 | 0.0025 | |
| OCDF 6 | 0 | 0.00065 | 0.01 | 0.134 | 0.497 | 1.176 | 0.0039 | 0.0009 | 0 | |
| Total (ppm) | 0.0025 | 0.009 | 0.2418 | 2.5911 | 18.015 | 67.224 | 0.096 | 0.0336 | 0.0025 | |
| Toxicity Equivalent | ||||||||||
| Constituent | TEF 7 | |||||||||
| 2,3,7,8 TCDD | 1 | |||||||||
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDD | 0.01 | 9.00e-06 | 1.76e-02 | 5.66e-02 | 8.80e-05 | 2.20e-05 | ||||
| 1,2,3,4,7,8 HxCDF | 0.1 | 4.00e-04 | ||||||||
| 1,2,3,6,7,8 HxCDF | 0.1 | 3.00e-04 | 1.90e-03 | |||||||
| 1,2,3,7,8,9 HxCDF | 0.1 | 3.20e-04 | 4.76e-03 | 2.70e-02 | 7.36e-07 | |||||
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDF | 0.01 | 7.10e-05 | 7.25e-04 | 3.30e-03 | 2.13e-07 | 7.10e-08 | ||||
| OCDD | 0.0001 | 2.50e-07 | 7.40e-07 | 2.22e-05 | 2.33e-04 | 1.51e-03 | 1.34e-03 | 1.73e-06 | 6.53e-07 | 5.54e-08 |
| OCDF | 0.0001 | 6.50e-08 | 1.00e-06 | 1.34e-05 | 4.97e-05 | 1.18e-06 | 3.90e-09 | 9.00e-10 | 0.00e+00 | |
| Total (ppm) | 2.50e-07 | 9.81e-06 | 4.14e-04 | 6.43e-03 | 5.14e-02 | 5.79e-02 | 9.07e-05 | 2.27e-05 | 5.54e-08 | |
| Total (ppb) 8 | 2.50e-04 | 9.80e-03 | 4.14e-01 | 6.43e+00 | 5.14e+01 | 1.34e+00 | 2.68e-03 | 7.25e-04 | 5.54e-05 | |
| Comparison Value (ppb) | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | |
| Bold text indicates a contaminant that exceeded ATSDR's Comparison Value in at least one sample 1 TCDD-tetra-chlorinated dioxin; 2 HpCDD-hepta-chlorinated dioxin; 3 HxCDF-hexa-chlorinated furan; 4 HpCDF-hepta-chlorinated furan; 5 OCDD-octa-chlorinated dioxin; 6 OCDF-octa-chlorinated furan; 7 TEF-toxicity equivalency factor; 8 ppb- parts per billion. | ||||||||||
| Constituent | Concentrations in parts per million (ppm) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD-1 | SD-2 | SD-3 | SD-4 | SD-5 | SD-6 | SD-7 | SD-8 | ||
| 2,3,7,8 TCDD 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,6,7,8 HxCDD 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0022 | 0.0013 | 0 | 0 | 0.0269 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,7,8,9 HxCDD | 0 | 0.0077 | 0.0011 | 0.0009 | 0 | 0 | 0.048 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDD 3 | 0.0074 | 0 | 0.0513 | 0.0712 | 0 | 0 | 1.176 | 0.0218 | |
| 1,2,3,4,7,8 HxCDF 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,6,7,8 HxCDF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,7,8,9 HxCDF | 0 | 0 | 0.044 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.004 | |
| 2,3,4,6,7,8 HxCDF | 0 | 0 | 0.002 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDF 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0756 | 0.0213 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0118 | |
| 1,2,3,4,7,8,9 HpCDF | 0 | 0 | 0.0018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| OCDD 6 | 0.0526 | 1.658 | 11.155 | 0.973 | 0.0078 | 0.0078 | 7.13 | 0.143 | |
| OCDF 7 | 0.0057 | 0.115 | 0.096 | 0.0269 | 0 | 0 | 0.305 | 0.007 | |
| Total (ppm) | 0.0657 | 1.7807 | 11.429 | 1.0959 | 0.0078 | 0.0078 | 8.6859 | 0.1876 | |
| Toxicity Equivalent | |||||||||
| Constituent | TEF 8 | ||||||||
| 2,3,7,8 TCDD | 1 | ||||||||
| 1,2,3,6,7,8 HxCDD | 0.1 | 2.20e-04 | 1.30e-04 | 2.69e-03 | |||||
| 1,2,3,7,8,9 HxCDD | 0.1 | 7.70e-04 | 1.10e-04 | 9.00e-05 | 4.80e-03 | ||||
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDD | 0.01 | 7.40e-05 | 5.13e-04 | 7.12e-04 | 1.18e-02 | 2.18e-04 | |||
| 1,2,3,4,7,8 HxCDF | 0.1 | ||||||||
| 1,2,3,6,7,8 HxCDF | 0.1 | 1.30e-04 | |||||||
| 1,2,3,7,8,9 HxCDF | 0.1 | 4.40e-03 | 4.00e-04 | ||||||
| 2,3,4,6,7,8 HxCDF | 0.1 | 2.00e-04 | |||||||
| 1,2,3,4,6,7,8 HpCDF | 0.01 | 7.56e-04 | 2.13e-04 | 1.18e-04 | |||||
| 1,2,3,4,7,8,9 HpCDF | 0.01 | 1.80e-05 | |||||||
| OCDD | 0.0001 | 5.26e-06 | 1.66e-04 | 1.12e-03 | 9.73e-05 | 7.80e-07 | 7.80e-07 | 7.13e-04 | 1.43e-05 |
| OCDF | 0.0001 | 5.70e-07 | 1.15e-05 | 9.60e-06 | 2.69e-06 | 3.05e-05 | 7.00e-07 | ||
| Total (ppm) | 7.98e-05 | 9.47e-04 | 7.34e-03 | 1.38e-03 | 7.80e-07 | 7.80e-07 | 2.00e-02 | 7.51e-04 | |
| Total (ppb) 9 | 7.98e-02 | 9.47e-01 | 7.34e+00 | 1.37e+00 | 7.80e-04 | 7.80e-04 | 2.00e+01 | 7.51e-01 | |
| Comparison Value (ppb) | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | 5.00e-02 | |
| Bold text indicates a contaminant that exceeded ATSDR's Comparison Value in at least one sample 1 TCDD-tetra-chlorinated dioxin; 2 HxCDD-hexa-chlorinated dioxin; 3 HpCDD-hepta-chlorinated dioxin; 4 HxCDF-hexa-chlorinated furan; 5 HpCDF-hepta-chlorinated furan; 6 OCDD-octa-chlorinated dioxin; 7 OCDF-octa-chlorinated furan; 8 TEF-toxicity equivalency factor; 9 ppb- parts per billion. | |||||||||
| Constituent | Maximum Sediment concentration (mg/kg) 1 | Health based comparison value (mg/kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mouth Porter Creek | Vicinity of Water Intake | ||
| Aluminum | 23.3 | 19.3 | 100,000 (EMEG) 2 |
| Arsenic | 6.7 | 3.0 | 20 (RMEG) 3 |
| Barium | 0.156 | 0.137 | 4000 (RMEG) |
| Calcium | 537 | 461 | NA 4 |
| Chromium | 35.8 | 29.8 | 200 (RMEG) |
| Copper | ND | 0.7 | 2900 (RMEG) |
| Iron | 29.7 | 27.5 | 23000 (RMEG) |
| Magnesium | 1870 | 1620 | NA |
| Manganese | 0.56 | 0.55 | 3000 (RMEG) |
| Nickel | 34.9 | 31.7 | 1000 (RMEG) |
| Lead | 23.5 | 26.4 | 400 (RMEG) |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | 0.18 | ND 5 | 0.1 (CREG) 6 |
| OCDD 7 | 0.006 | 0.005 | NA |
| HpCDF 8 | 0.0048 | 0.00278 | NA |
| Bold text indicates sample concentration that exceeded comparison value 1 mg/kg = milligrams per kilogram; 2 EMEG = Environmental Media Evaluation Guide; 3 RMEG = Reference Dose Media Evaluation Guide; 4 NA = not applicable (no comparison value has been established); 5 ND = not detected; 6 CREGs = Cancer Risk Evaluation Guides; 7 OCDD-octa-chlorinated dioxin; 8 .HpCDF-hepta-chlorinated furan. | |||
| Constituent | Concentration (mg/kg) 1 | TEF 2 | TEQ 3 (ppb) 4 | Comparison Value (ppb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCDD 5 | 0.006 | 0.0001 | 0.000600 | 0.05 |
| HpCDF 6 | 0.0048 | 0.0001 | 0.000480 | 0.05 |
| 1 mg/kg -milligrams per kilogram; 2 TEF-toxicity equivalency factor; 3 TEQ-Toxicity equivalents (TEQ); 4 ppb-parts per billion; 5 OCDD-octa-chlorinated dioxin; 6 HpCDF-hepta-chlorinated furan. | ||||
| Constituent | Maximum fish concentration (mg/kg) 1 from five samples | Estimated Ingestion Dose mg/kg/day 2 | Health based comparison dose mg/kg /day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mouth Porter Creek | Vicinity of Water Intake | |||
| Mercury | 0.64 | 0.71 | 0.02 | 0.003 (MRL) 3 |
| Benzoic Acid | 0.2941 | 0.3370 | 0.009 | 4.0 (RfD) 4 |
| 4-chloro-3-methylphenol | 0.0434 | 0.0756 | 0.002 | 0.05 (MRL for p-cresols) |
| Naphthalene | 0.0143 | 0.0085 | 0.0003 | 0.02 (MRL) |
| Phenanthrene | 0.0155 | ND | 0.0005 | 2.6 (Cancer Effect Level for PAH 5) |
| Phenol | 0.0571 | 0.0794 | 0.002 | 0.003 (NOAEL6 : human) |
| 1 mg/kg- milligrams per kilogram; 2 mg/kg/day- milligrams per kilogram per day; 3 MRL- Minimal Risk Level; 4 RfD- reference dose; 5 PAH- polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; 6 NOAEL- no observed adverse effect level. | ||||
| Constituent | Concentration Range (mg/kg) 1 | Health Based Comparison Value (mg/kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOIL | SEDIMENT | ||
| Arsenic | 7.4 - 14.0 | 11.4 - 53.3 | 0.5 (CREG 2) 0.6 (Pica child EMEG 3) 20 (EMEG) |
| Chromium (total) | 26.6 - 38.6 | 21.8 - 142.0 | 10 (Pica child EMEG) 200 (RMEG 4) |
| Copper | 9.6 - 17.3 | 6.4 - 25.9 | 2900 (RMEG) |
| Pentachlorophenol | ND 5 | ND - 1.10 | 6 (CREG) 50 (EMEG) |
| 1 mg/kg = milligrams per kilogram;2 CREG = Cancer Risk Evaluation Guide; 3 EMEG = Environmental Media Evaluation Guide; 4 RMEG = Reference Dose Media Evaluation Guide; 5 ND = not detected | |||
| Pathway Name | Contaminants of Concern | Source | Transport Media | Point of Exposure | Route of Exposure | Exposed Population | Time | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completed Exposure Pathway | ||||||||
| Off-site soil | Arsenic Chromium | Process Operations | Soil | Residential yards School grounds | Ingestion
| Local Area residents | Past Present Future | Data inadequate to assess the extent and magnitude of possible past or present exposures. Off-site soil is considered an indeterminate public health hazard because of limited information. |
| Potential Exposure Pathway | ||||||||
| On-site soil | Arsenic Chromium Pentachlorophenol | Process Operations | Soil | Process area | Ingestion | Trespassers Workers | Past Present Future | Frequency, intensity, and duration of possible exposures considered adequate to result in exposure above levels of health concern. Soil considered to present a public health hazard. |
| Sediment | Arsenic Chromium Pentachlorophenol | Process Operations | Leachate | Porter Creek Drainage ditches | Ingestion | Local Area residents | Past Present Future | Frequency, intensity, and duration of possible exposures considered inadequate to result in exposure above levels of health concern. Sediment considered to present no apparent public health hazard |
| Surface Water | Arsenic Chromium Pentachlorophenol Benzo[a]pyrene | Process Operations | Surface Water | Porter Creek Fourche LaFave River Nimrod Lake | Ingestion Dermal Contact | Local Area residents | Past Present Future | Frequency, intensity, and duration of possible exposures considered inadequate to result in exposure above levels of health concern. Surface water considered to present no apparent public health hazard. |
| Food chain | Benzo[a]pyrene Arsenic Beryllium Manganese | Process Operations | Sediment Fish | Off site | Ingestion | Local Area Residents | Past Present Future | Frequency, intensity, and duration of possible exposures considered inadequate to result in exposure above levels of health concern. Food chain considered to present no apparent public health hazard. |
| Groundwater | Arsenic Chromium Copper Pentachlorophenol | Infiltration | Groundwater | None Identified | None Identified | None Identified | Past Current Future | We were not able to identify any evidence of past or current human exposure to contaminated groundwater. Groundwater considered to present no public health hazard at this time. |
| Sample | Concentration in parts per million | 10 kilograms (kg) Child Dose | Child Dose | Adult Dose | Pica Child Dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.6 | 0.0002 | 0.0001 | 0.0000 | 0.0029 |
| 2 | 8.5 | 0.0002 | 0.0001 | 0.0000 | 0.0037 |
| 3 | 13.7 | 0.0004 | 0.0001 | 0.0000 | 0.0060 |
| 4 | 13.8 | 0.0004 | 0.0001 | 0.0000 | 0.0060 |
| 5 | 15.4 | 0.0004 | 0.0001 | 0.0000 | 0.0067 |
| 6 | 15.6 | 0.0004 | 0.0001 | 0.0000 | 0.0068 |
| 7 | 16.9 | 0.0005 | 0.0001 | 0.0000 | 0.0074 |
| 8 | 19.4 | 0.0005 | 0.0002 | 0.0000 | 0.0085 |
| 9 | 36.5 | 0.0010 | 0.0003 | 0.0001 | 0.0160 |
| 10 | 38.0 | 0.0011 | 0.0003 | 0.0001 | 0.0166 |
| 11 | 51.5 | 0.0014 | 0.0005 | 0.0001 | 0.0225 |
| 12 | 77.4 | 0.0022 | 0.0007 | 0.0002 | 0.0339 |
| 13 | 85.4 | 0.0024 | 0.0007 | 0.0002 | 0.0374 |
| 14 | 176.0 | 0.0049 | 0.0015 | 0.0004 | 0.0770 |
| 15 | 187.0 | 0.0052 | 0.0016 | 0.0004 | 0.0818 |
| 16 | 307.0 | 0.0086 | 0.0027 | 0.0006 | 0.1343 |
| 17 | 751.0 | 0.0210 | 0.0066 | 0.0015 | 0.3286 |
| 18 | 894.0 | 0.0250 | 0.0078 | 0.0018 | 0.3911 |
| 19 | 2027.0 | 0.0568 | 0.0177 | 0.0041 | 0.8868 |
| 20 | 2117.0 | 0.0593 | 0.0185 | 0.0042 | 0.9262 |
| 21 | 2182.0 | 0.0611 | 0.0191 | 0.0044 | 0.9546 |
| Mean | 430.5 | 0.0121 | 0.0038 | 0.0009 | 0.1883 |
| Bold text numbers are values that exceeded the ATSDR Health Guidelines | |||||
| Assumptions: Child:10 kg ingesting 200 milligrams (mg) soil Child: 16 kg ingesting 100 mg soil Adult: 70 kg ingesting 100 mg soil Pica : 16 kg ingesting 5,000 mg soil | Dose Calculation: EF = 0.0000014 (5 days/week for 1 year) | ||||
| Sample | Concentration in parts per million | 10 kilograms (kg) child Dose | Child Dose | Adult Dose | Pica Child Dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29.2 | 0.0008 | 0.0003 | 0.0001 | 0.0128 |
| 2 | 35.2 | 0.0010 | 0.0003 | 0.0001 | 0.0154 |
| 3 | 44.9 | 0.0013 | 0.0004 | 0.0001 | 0.0197 |
| 4 | 46.5 | 0.0013 | 0.0004 | 0.0001 | 0.0203 |
| 5 | 48.9 | 0.0014 | 0.0004 | 0.0001 | 0.0214 |
| 6 | 51.0 | 0.0014 | 0.0004 | 0.0001 | 0.0223 |
| 7 | 51.0 | 0.0014 | 0.0004 | 0.0001 | 0.0223 |
| 8 | 62.0 | 0.0017 | 0.0005 | 0.0001 | 0.0271 |
| 9 | 66.0 | 0.0018 | 0.0006 | 0.0001 | 0.0289 |
| 10 | 83.8 | 0.0023 | 0.0007 | 0.0002 | 0.0367 |
| 11 | 115.4 | 0.0032 | 0.0010 | 0.0002 | 0.0505 |
| 12 | 140.0 | 0.0039 | 0.0012 | 0.0003 | 0.0613 |
| 13 | 155.0 | 0.0043 | 0.0014 | 0.0003 | 0.0678 |
| 14 | 156.0 | 0.0044 | 0.0014 | 0.0003 | 0.0683 |
| 15 | 286.0 | 0.0080 | 0.0025 | 0.0006 | 0.1251 |
| 16 | 656.0 | 0.0184 | 0.0057 | 0.0013 | 0.2870 |
| 17 | 715.0 | 0.0200 | 0.0063 | 0.0014 | 0.3128 |
| 18 | 1747.0 | 0.0489 | 0.0153 | 0.0035 | 0.7643 |
| 19 | 2100.0 | 0.0588 | 0.0184 | 0.0042 | 0.9188 |
| 20 | 2904.0 | 0.0813 | 0.0254 | 0.0058 | 1.2705 |
| 21 | 2984.0 | 0.0836 | 0.0261 | 0.0060 | 1.3055 |
| Mean | 594.1 | 0.0166 | 0.0052 | 0.0012 | 0.2599 |
| Bold text numbers are values that exceeded the ATSDR Health Guidelines | |||||
| Assumptions: Child:10 kg ingesting 200 milligrams (mg) soil Child: 16 kg ingesting 100 mg soil Adult: 70 kg ingesting 100 mg soil Pica : 16 kg ingesting 5,000 mg soil | Dose Calculation: EF = 0.0000014 (5 days/week for 1 year) | ||||
- Absorption:
- How a chemical enters a person's blood after the chemical has been swallowed, has come into contact with the skin, or has been breathed in.
- Acute Exposure:
- Contact with a chemical that happens once or only for a limited period of time. ATSDR defines acute exposures as those that might last up to 14 days.
- ATSDR:
- The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. ATSDR is a federal health agency in Atlanta, Georgia that deals with hazardous substance and waste site issues. ATSDR gives people information about harmful chemicals in their environment and tells people how to protect themselves from coming into contact with chemicals.
- Background Level:
- An average or expected amount of a chemical in a specific environment. Or, amounts of chemicals that occur naturally in a specific environment.
- Cancer:
- A group of diseases which occur when cells in the body become abnormal and grow, or multiply, out of control.
- Carcinogen:
- Any substance shown to cause tumors or cancer in experimental studies.
- CERCLA:
- See Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
- Chronic Exposure:
- A contact with a substance or chemical that happens over a long period of time. ATSDR considers exposures of more than one year to be chronic.
- Comparison Value (CVs):
- Concentrations or the amount of substances in air, water, food, and soil that are unlikely, upon exposure, to cause adverse health effects. Comparison values are used by health assessors to select which substances and environmental media (air, water, food and soil) need additional evaluation while health concerns or effects are investigated.
- Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA):
- CERCLA was put into place in 1980. It is also known as Superfund. This act concerns releases of hazardous substances into the environment, and the cleanup of these substances and hazardous waste sites. ATSDR was created by this act and is responsible for looking into the health issues related to hazardous waste sites.
- Concern:
- A belief or worry that chemicals in the environment might cause harm to people.
- Congener:
- A chemical compound closely related to another and exerting similar effects.
- Concentration:
- How much or the amount of a substance present in a certain amount of soil, water, air, or food.
- Dermal Contact:
- A chemical getting onto your skin. (see Route of Exposure).
- Dose:
- The amount of a substance to which a person may be exposed, usually on a daily basis. Dose is often explained as "amount of substance(s) per body weight per day".
- Dose / Response:
- The relationship between the amount of exposure (dose) and the change in body function or health that result.
- Duration:
- The amount of time (days, months, years) that a person is exposed to a chemical.
- Environmental Contaminant:
- A substance (chemical) that gets into a system (person, animal, or the environment) in amounts higher than that found in Background Level, or what would be expected.
- Environmental Media:
- Usually refers to the air, water, and soil in which chemicals of interest are found. Sometimes refers to the plants and animals that are eaten by humans. Environmental Media is the second part of an Exposure Pathway.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
- The federal agency that develops and enforces environmental laws to protect the environment and the public's health.
- Exposure:
- Coming into contact with a chemical substance.
- Exposure Assessment:
- The process of finding the ways people come in contact with chemicals, how often and how long they come in contact with chemicals, and the amounts of chemicals with which they come in contact.
- Exposure Pathway:
- A description of the way that a chemical moves from its source (where it began) to where and how people can come into contact with (or get exposed to) the chemical.
ATSDR defines an exposure pathway as having 5 parts:
- Source of Contamination
- Environmental Media and Transport Mechanism
- Point of Exposure
- Route of Exposure
- Receptor Population
When all 5 parts of an exposure pathway are present, it is called a Completed Exposure Pathway. Each of these 5 terms is defined in this Glossary.
- Frequency:
- How often a person is exposed to a chemical over time; for example, every day, once a week, twice a month.
- Hazardous Waste:
- Substances that have been released or thrown away into the environment and, under certain conditions, could be harmful to people who come into contact with them.
- Indeterminate Public Health Hazard:
- The category is used in Public Health Assessment documents for sites where important information is lacking (missing or has not yet been gathered) about site-related chemical exposures.
- Ingestion:
- Swallowing something, as in eating or drinking. It is a way a chemical can enter your body (See Route of Exposure).
- Inhalation:
- Breathing. It is a way a chemical can enter your body (See Route of Exposure).
- LOAEL:
- Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level. The lowest dose of a chemical in a study, or group of studies, that has caused harmful health effects in people or animals.
- MRL:
- Minimal Risk Level. An estimate of daily human exposure by a specified route and length of time -- to a dose of chemical that is likely to be without a measurable risk of adverse, noncancerous effects. An MRL should not be used as a predictor of adverse health effects.
- NPL:
- The National Priorities List. (Which is part of Superfund.) A list kept by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the most serious, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. An NPL site needs to be cleaned up or is being looked at to see if people can be exposed to chemicals from the site.
- NOAEL:
- No Observed Adverse Effect Level. The highest dose of a chemical in a study, or group of studies, that did not cause harmful health effects in people or animals.
- No Apparent Public Health Hazard:
- The category is used in ATSDR's Public Health Assessment documents for sites where exposure to site-related chemicals may have occurred in the past or is still occurring but the exposures are not at levels expected to cause adverse health effects.
- No Public Health Hazard:
- The category is used in ATSDR's Public Health Assessment documents for sites where there is evidence of an absence of exposure to site-related chemicals.
- Parts Per Million (ppm):
- A unit of measure used to express low concentrations of contaminants. For example, 1 once of Chlorine in 1 million ounces of water is 1ppm. One ppm is comparable to one drop of gasoline in a full sized car's tank full of gas.
- PHA:
- Public Health Assessment. A report or document that looks at chemicals at a hazardous waste site and tells if people could be harmed from coming into contact with those chemicals. The PHA also tells if possible further public health actions are needed.
- Point of Exposure:
- The place where someone can come into contact with a contaminated environmental medium (air, water, food or soil). For examples: the area of a playground that has contaminated dirt, a contaminated spring used for drinking water, the location where fruits or vegetables are grown in contaminated soil, or the backyard area where someone might breathe contaminated air.
- Population:
- A group of people living in a certain area; or the number of people in a certain area.
- Public Health Assessment(s):
- See PHA.
- Public Health Hazard:
- The category is used in PHAs for sites that have certain physical features or evidence of chronic, site-related chemical exposure that could result in adverse health effects.
- Public Health Hazard Criteria:
- PHA categories given to a site which tell whether people could be harmed by conditions present at the site. Each are defined in the Glossary. The categories are:
- Urgent Public Health Hazard
- Public Health Hazard
- Indeterminate Public Health Hazard
- No Apparent Public Health Hazard
- No Public Health Hazard
- Receptor Population:
- People who live or work in the path of one or more chemicals, and who could come into contact with them (See Exposure Pathway).
- Reference Dose (RfD):
- An estimate, with safety factors (see safety factor) built in, of the daily, life-time exposure of human populations to a possible hazard that is not likely to cause harm to the person.
- Risk:
- In risk assessment, the probability that something will cause injury, combined with the potential severity of that injury.
- Route of Exposure:
- The way a chemical can get into a person's body. There are three exposure routes:
- breathing (also called inhalation)
- eating or drinking (also called ingestion)
- getting something on the skin (also called dermal contact).
- Safety Factor:
- Also called Uncertainty Factor. When scientists don't have enough information to decide if an exposure will cause harm to people, they use "safety factors" and formulas in place of the information that is not known. These factors and formulas can help determine the amount of a chemical that is not likely to cause harm to people.
- SARA:
- The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act in 1986 amended CERCLA and expanded the health-related responsibilities of ATSDR. CERCLA and SARA direct ATSDR to look into the health effects from chemical exposures at hazardous waste sites.
- Sample Size:
- The number of people that are needed for a health study.
- Sample:
- A small number of people chosen from a larger population (See Population).
- Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs):
- Compounds amenable to analysis by extraction of the sample with an organic solvent. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, such as naphthalene, phenanthrene, benzo(a)pyrene, and chrysene, comprise one category of SVOCs.
- Source (of Contamination):
- The place where a chemical comes from, such as a landfill, pond, creek, incinerator, tank, or drum. Contaminant source is the first part of an Exposure Pathway.
- Special Populations:
- People who may be more sensitive to chemical exposures because of certain factors such as age, a disease they already have, occupation, sex, or certain behaviors (like cigarette smoking). Children, pregnant women, and older people are often considered special populations.
- Statistics:
- A branch of the math process of collecting, looking at, and summarizing data or information.
- Superfund Site:
- See NPL.
- Toxic:
- Harmful. Any substance or chemical can be toxic at a certain dose (amount). The dose is what determines the potential harm of a chemical and whether it would cause someone to get sick.
- Toxicology:
- The study of the harmful effects of chemicals on humans or animals.
- Urgent Public Health Hazard:
- This category is used in ATSDR's Public Health Assessment documents for sites that have certain physical features or evidence of short-term (less than 1 year), site-related chemical exposure that could result in adverse health effects and require quick intervention to stop people from being exposed.
| CATEGORY A. URGENT PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD This category is used for sites that pose an urgent public health hazard as the result of short-term exposures to hazardous substances. Criteria: | CATEGORY B. PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD This category is used for sites that pose a public health hazard as the result of long-term exposures to hazardous substances. Criteria: | CATEGORY C. INDETERMINATE PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD This category is used for sites with incomplete information. Criteria: | CATEGORY D. NO APPARENT PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD This category is used for sites where human exposure to contaminated media is occurring or has occurred in the past, but the exposure is below a level of health hazard. Criteria: | CATEGORY E. NO PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD This category is used for sites that do not pose a public health hazard. Criteria: |


