[CPEO-BIF] [Fwd: California Human Health Screening Levels (CHHSLs)]

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

The CHHSLs described below are the "non-regulatory" look-up tables that
Brownfields practitioners in California have been seeking for some time.
I find it particularly significant that the numbers are based on
multiple pathways, including vapor intrusion. See the report on the
Cal/EPA methodology, as linked below. 

I would be interested in learning whether other states have anything so
comprehensive, and if not, whether they are likely to follow
California's lead. - LS

EPAListmaster@calepa.ca.gov wrote:
> 
> The California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) is pleased to announce the availability of the California Human Health Screening Levels (CHHSLs), concentrations of 54 hazardous chemicals in soil or soil gas that Cal/EPA considers to be below thresholds of concern for risks to human health at most commercial/industrial  and residential developments in California.
> 
> The CHHSLs were developed by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) on behalf of Cal/EPA, in conjunction with the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), and the Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCBs).
> 
> The CHHSLs are contained in a guidance document entitled: Use of California Human Health Screening Levels (CHHSLs) in Evaluation of Contaminated Properties (Cal/EPA, January 2005).  This guidance, along with OEHHA's report on the methodology used to develop the CHHSLs and a spreadsheet calculator for use when multiple contaminants are present, can be found at:
> http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Brownfields/SB32.htm.
> 
> Links to the CHHSLs information can also be found at OEHHA's (http://www.oehha.ca.gov), DTSC's (http://www.dtsc.ca.gov), SWRCB's (http://www.waterboards.ca.gov) and the RWQCBs' (http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/regions.html) Internet sites.
> 
> Both residential and commercial/industrial CHHSLs have been developed to screen sites for potential human health concerns where releases of hazardous chemicals to soils have occurred.  They are not, however, regulatory cleanup standards.  See the guidance document for more important information about the use and limitations of these screening levels.
> 
> We hope these screening values become a very valuable brownfields tool, and that their availability and use encourages many more brownfields to be cleaned up and redeveloped in California.
> 
> Questions or comments about the CHHSLs can be directed to any of the Brownfields Contacts found at: http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Brownfields/Contacts/, or by email to Cal/EPA's Brownfields mailbox (Brownfields@calepa.ca.gov).
> 
>  Cal/EPA's regulatory boards and departments play an essential role in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect public health and the environment. For more information go to Brownfields program at http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Brownfields/ . 

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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