Risk Assessment Approaches to Site Remediation: Development of Health-Protective Cleanup Standards

This manuscript provides an overview of the development of risk or health-based cleanup levels or concentrations for chemical contaminants present at contaminated exposure media i.e., air, water, soil, sediment, fish) at Brownfield contaminated sites in general and also in military Brownfields. Military Brownfields are a subset of Brownfields, and they are subject to the same regulatory requirements for site-cleanup including the clean-up to federal (i.e., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S.) or state-specific (e.g.., Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S.) cleanup standards developed using the approaches presented in this manuscript. It is critically important for the sites to be remediated based of health/risk-based clean-up standards for cancer and non-cancer effects to ensure that the health of future residents of the site, including sensitive subpopulations such as children, pregnant women, and elderly, are protected and the site does not pose a health risk to residential, recreational, or occupational users of the site. For military Brownfield sites, the site development per health or risk-based cleanup levels ensures the protection of the health of military personnel, their families, and civilians.