United States
                          Environmental Protection
                          Agency
                                            Solid Waste and
                                            Emergency Response
                                            (5202G)
                                            EPA-540-F-98-055
                                            OSWER-9285.7-26J-P
                                            PB99-963302
                                            February 1999
                                            www.epa.gov/superfund
                              Superf und   Today
                               Focus on Revisions to Super-fund's Risk Assessment Guidance
         E1

	
Moves Ahead  on Risk Assessment Reforms  I  Wtldt S  IMGW:
                                                             Highlights of the
                                                             RAGS Reform Projects
   The U.S. Environmental Protection
 Agency (EPA) is revising and updating
 parts of the Risk Assessment Guidance
 for Super fund (RAGS) relating to:
 •  Community Involvement in Superfund
   Risk Assessments;
 •  Non-residential Land Use
   Considerations;
 •  Establishing Background for Risk
   Assessment; and
 •  Probabilistic Risk Assessment.

   This fact sheet highlights the risk
 assessment project activities,
 anticipated work products, and
 schedules for completion. Additional
 information on RAGS Reforms can be
 found on EPA's home page in the
 October 1997 issue of Superfund Today:
 Focus on Revisions to Superfund's Risk
 Assessment Guidance (www.epa.gov/
 superfund/tools/today/sft_rags.htm).

   Since the first RAGS Reform
 Stake holder Forum in 1996, EPA has
 received valuable input from a broad
 spectrum of stakeholders on technical
 and policy issues related to these
 reforms. EPA's goal is to complete most
 of the remaining RAGS Reform work
 during 1999. More updates will be added
 later as supporting guidance documents
 are expanded. Stakeholders can
 continue to provide input on future
 drafts by contacting EPA staff directly
 (see next page for contacts).

 Frequently Asked Questions:

 Should Risk Assessors Still
 Use the 1989 RAGS Part A?
   Yes. While parts of the RAGS
 documents (Parts A through C) may be
 updated, the 1989 RAGS Part A
                         UMllS  I

                         •nnricp  I
document remains an excellent, concise
reference for risk assessment methods
and guidance. Risk assessors should
also refer to more recent national and
regional guidance, as well as state
guidance.

What About Ecological Risk
Assessment Guidance?
  Two of the RAGS Reforms-
establishing background for risk
assessment and probabilistic risk
assessment—address ecological risk
assessment issues. Also, EPA's
Ecological Risk Assessment Forum
focuses on Agency-wide advances in
ecological risk assessment. To learn
more about the advances in ecological
risk assessment, please contact a
regional EPA risk assessor.  Current
information is also available on EPA's
home page (www.epa.gov/superfund/
programs/ert; click on "Media
Resources").

What Will the New RAGS
Documents Look Like?
  The work products for each of the
four RAGS Reform topics will be
issued as fact sheets (as needed), and
stand-alone documents.

What Is the Schedule for Completion?
  All of the Risk Assessment Reform
works-in-progress will be completed as
final or review documents in 1999.
Some guidance documents will be
available sooner than others.  The first
guidance document and fact sheet on
Community Involvement in Superfund
Risk Assessments will be available in
early 1999.
                                                             * Community Involvement in
                                                               Superfund Risk Assessments

                                                               The National Contingency Plan
                                                             requires EPA to involve the community
                                                             at Superfund sites. However, people
                                                             have told EPA that they want a more
                                                             meaningful role in the risk assessment
                                                             process. This RAGS Reform offers
                                                             clearer guidance on ways communities
                                                             can provide input and encourages early
                                                             involvement in risk assessment when
                                                             feasible. The guidance materials identify
                                                             ways to get people involved on a site-
                                                             by-site basis and emphasizes the need
                                                             for EPA to clarify how  such input will
                                                             be considered in the risk assessment.

                                                             Guidance
                                                               This effort will produce two
                                                             documents that provide ways to better
                                                             involve citizens in the Superfund risk
                                                             assessment process. EPA will issue
                                                             guidance for Superfund site teams as
                                                             part of RAGS under the title Community
                                                             Involvement in Superfund Risk
                                                             Assessments, A Supplement to RAGS
                                                             Part A.  In addition, a separate
                                                             Superfund Today fact sheet issued for
                                                             citizens will explain the role of
                                                             community involvement in risk
                                                             assessment.  The guidance document
                                                             provides key questions to ask
                                                             communities, a summary of "tips" for
                                                             Superfund teams and citizens, suggested
                                                             resources, and example cases. These
                                                             documents will be available early in
                                                             1999.

-------
Risk Assessment Video
   To help people understand how
they can be involved in risk
assessment, EPA is developing a
videotape called "Superfund Risk
Assessment: How Communities Can
Be Involved. "  The videotape
describes the risk assessment process
and how people have contributed at
Superfund sites around the country.
This tool can serve as a starting point
for addressing  citizens' interest in risk
assessment and showing how such
interest will affect the cleanup at a
Superfund site  in their community.
The video project will be completed
mid-1999.

* Non-Residential Land
   Use Considerations

   Future land  use is an important
factor in evaluating risks associated
with Superfund sites. The RAGS
Reform project is expanding upon
RAGS Part B and the Soil Screening
Guidance that address residential
exposures to contaminants in soil and
groundwater. The new guidance will
incorporate a site-specific vapor
intrusion model that can be applied at
non-residential sites. EPA reviewed
regulatory agencies' approaches to
              •SLpsdird !Krfey» MS*
      addressing non-residential land uses
      and methods for assessing exposures
      to people who work near sites.
      Exposure data for occupational
      scenarios will be included in an
      expanded guidance document to
      supplement EPA's RAGS Part B.
      The draft guidance will be completed
      this year.
      * Establishing Background
        for Risk Assessment
        Superfund teams often are faced
      with determining background for
      certain substances in soil and other
      environmental media. The issues are
      complex and present a challenge for
      regulators nationwide. This reform
      addresses the need for uniform
      guidance  on how to determine
      background for substances in soil.

        The background workgroup
      developed a preliminary screening-level
      approach in 1998 that emphasized the
      importance of adequate site
      characterization.  Further research is
      under way to review other agencies'
      approaches to handling background
      issues in risk assessment and risk
      management decisions. Using this and
      other information, the workgroup will
develop a technical guidance document
for soil background determinations, to
be completed as a review draft in
September 1999.

* Probabilistic Risk
   Assessment

   This Reform addresses the proper
application of probabilistic risk analysis
in Superfund baseline risk assessments.
EPA presented a draft guidance on the
use of probabilistic risk analysis in risk
assessment, originally called RAGS Part
E, to stakeholders at various meetings in
1998. The final guidance document will
be published as RAGS Volume 3,
instead of Part E, as it addresses both
human health and ecological risk
assessment applications. The guidance
will have a companion workbook
containing Superfund case studies.
Both documents will continue to be
developed through the end of 1999.
Those interested in probabilistic risk
assessment should look for future
updates to this guidance that will
address parameter distributions and
clarify guidance and policy.

More information is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/
tools/today/sft_rags.htm
    EPA Contacts
    Headquarter's Lead for      Jayne Michaud, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 401 M Street, SW (5204G), Washington, DC 20460
    RAGS Reforms              703-603-8847 (phone), 703-603-9104 (fax), michaud.jayne@epa.gov
    Regional Lead for RAGS
    Reforms

    Community Involvement
    in Superfund Risk
    Assessments
    Risk Video
Marian Olsen, U.S. EPA Region 2, 212-637-4313 (phone), olsen.marian@epa.gov
Bruce Engelbert, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 703-603-8711 (phone), engelbert.bruce@epa.gov
Jayne Michaud, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 703-603-8847 (phone), michaud.jayne@epa.gov
Sophia Serda, U.S. EPA Region 9 (SFD-8B), 415-744-2307 (phone), serda.sophia@epa.gov
Diana Hammer, U.S.EPA Region 8, 303-312-6601 (phone), hammer.diana@epa.gov
Jayne Michaud, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 703-603-8847 (phone), michaud.jayne@epa.gov
    Establishing  Background    Sherri Clark, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 703-603-9043 (phone), clark.sherri@epa.gov
    for Risk Assessment        Sophia Serda, U.S. EPA Region 9(SFD-8B), 415-744-2307 (phone), serda.sophia@epa.gov
    Land Use Consideration
    Probabilistic Risk
    Assessment
David Cooper, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 703-603-8763 (phone), cooper.david@epa.gov
Janine Dinan, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 703-603-8824 (phone), dinan.janine@epa.gov

Steve Chang, U.S. EPA Headquarters, 703-603-9017 (phone), chang.steve@epa.gov
Marian Olsen, U.S. EPA Region 2, 212-637-4313 (phone), olsen.marian@epa.gov

-------