Draft Report “Proposed Methodology for Calculating Advisory Human-Exposure-Based Screening Numbers

Mar 12, 2004

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency announces the availability of the draft report, “Proposed Methodology for Calculating Advisory Human-Exposure-Based Screening Numbers Developed to Aid Estimation of Cleanup Costs for Contaminated Soil,” and two workshops to present the methodology to the interested public for review and comment. This draft report is required by the California Land Environmental Restoration and Reuse Act (Escutia, Chapter 764, Statues of 2001) as part of the effort to develop soil screening numbers for a specific set of contaminants. The Act identifies a screening number as solely an advisory number, and has no regulatory effect. The screening numbers are intended to enable citizen groups, community organizations, property owners, developers, and local government officials to estimate the degree of effort that may be necessary to remediate a contaminated property. This document does not discuss how the public and government agencies might apply these screening numbers, once they are developed. The document is limited to the technical basis that will be used to compute the screening numbers.

Two workshops will be held to describe the proposed methodology to derive screening numbers and take comments. Examples are presented in the document to show how the screening numbers are derived by the methodology and are not being presented as the final screening numbers. These workshops will be held on the dates and at the times and locations below:

April 6, 2004
1:30 PM to 3:30 PM
California Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters Building
Sierra Hearing Room, Second Floor
1001 I Street
Sacramento, California

April 7, 2004
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Ronald Reagan State Building
Auditorium, First Floor
300 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, California

Comments on the proposed methodology are welcomed by mail and at the workshops. To ensure we have an accurate record of all comments, we request your oral comments at the workshops also be provided in writing. The comment period will be from March 12 to April 16, 2004. Please have all comments mailed or faxed by 5:00 PM on Arpril 16, 2004. Comments should be sent to:

Integrated Risk Assessment Section
Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
P.O. Box 4010
1001 I Street
Sacramento, California 95812-4010
FAX: (916) 322-9705

If you would like to receive further information on this announcement or have questions, please contact our office at (916) 324-2829 or the address above.