Transcript Recommendations for Developing Effective Risk Management

Recommendations for
Developing Effective Risk
Management Policies for
Contaminated Site Cleanup
An Overview of Risk Management Concepts
and How Risk Management is Used to Set
Priorities in Two Contaminated Site Remedial
Programs in the U.S.
Presentation by
Emily Pimentel
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9
[email protected]
Presentation Overview
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Risk assessment and risk management
concepts and issues.
Recommendations for setting remedial
program priorities.
Overview of two US programs to
remediate contaminated sites.
Summary of key points.
Recommendations for Setting
Priorities
1.
Prioritize remedial programs based on:
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2.
3.
4.
Sites with a known responsible party (owner),
Sites that are abandoned,
Other sites with complex policy issues.
Prioritize contaminated sites with a
known release and a pathway that poses
greatest threat of exposure.
Manage based on chemicals associated
with industry-sectors.
Promote early risk reduction and site
stabilization at all contaminated sites.
SEMARNAT’s Goal:
To establish a process to identify
and prioritize contaminated sites
that pose the greatest risk to
human health and the
environment.
Risk Defined
“The combination of the
probability or frequency of
occurrence of a defined hazard
and magnitude of the
consequences of the
occurrence.”
Risk Assessment

“The use of the factual
base to define the
health and ecological
effects of exposure of
individuals,
populations, or
environments to
hazardous materials or
situations.”
Risk Management
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United States National
Academy of Sciences
Risk Assessment
Involves determining and
accomplishing those
actions that will reduce
risks to the greatest
degree given any
particular level of
resources.
Balances risk reduction
against resources.
Balances the risk of one
action against the risk of
another.
Risk Management
For those of you who
are more visual!
Risk
Perception
Risk
Assessment
Risk
Management
Risk Communication Challenges
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Due to scientific uncertainty, it is difficult to
provide exact numbers to estimate risks.
Two of the most prominent sources of risk
communication are the government and industry,
yet they are the most mistrusted.
Media plays a big role in providing information,
but they often they simplify it, get it wrong, or
distort it.
The public evaluates risk based on perception
and their own judgment of what is acceptable
risk.
Scientist/Engineers
Decision-makers
Stakeholders
Major Concerns of Traditional
Risk Ranking Models
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Risk alone should not predominate decisionmaking.
Risk assessment and comparative risk
models are not solely science-based; they
involvement judgments and a high degree
of uncertainty.
Risk management projects often neglect
public participation and social values
needed to make good decisions.
A regulatory process for the explicit consideration
of social and political factors is typically not provided
Recommendations for Setting
Priorities for Remediation of
Contaminated Sites
1.
Prioritize remedial programs based
on:
•
•
•
2.
3.
4.
Sites with a known responsible party
(owner),
Sites that are abandoned sites,
Other sites with complex policy issues.
Prioritize contaminated sites with a
known release and a pathway that
poses greatest threat of exposure.
Manage based on chemicals
associated with industry-sectors.
Promote early risk reduction and
site stabilization at all contaminated
sites.
A Review of What Mexico Wants
and Progress Made
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SEMARNAT’s Goal:
To establish a process to identify and
prioritize contaminated sites that pose the
greatest risk to human health and the
environment.
Progress to date includes:
 Evaluated a variety of programs;
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PROFEPA began a list working with 17
states;
DGGIMAR created a list of 31 sites.
Universe of
Contaminated Sites
Abandoned Sites
Sites with a
Known Owner/Operator
Other Sites
Universe of Contaminated Sites
Advantages/Disadvantages
Abandone
d
• No funding
• No owners to work with
• Spend resources looking for owners
• Spend resources conducting
ranking
• Little incentive for states to
participate
Known
owners
• Known owners to work with
• Available funding
• Opportunity to prevent new
contamination
• Greater Incentives for states to
participate
Other sites
• Agriculture
• Mining
• Sites that may represent complex
legacy issues
• Site that may still require new
policies to address root cause
• Resource intensive
Prioritize contaminated
sites based on whether
they are:
• Known PRP
• Abandoned
• Complex sites
Mexico’s List of Concerns
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Mining (exploration,
production)
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Petroleum (exploration,
production, sales)
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Manufacturing (cement,
electronics, paper)
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Energy (production,
conveyance)
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Transport (trucks,
railroads, bus, shipping)
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Agriculture (pesticide use,
solid waste)
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Landfill (Solid and
hazardous waste)
Other Sites
Examples of possible “other site” categories
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Agriculture and Mining:
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Large landscape impacted;
Prevention practices being
implemented today;
Costly and length process;
Policies still require work.
These sites are also important, but need to:
• Create manageable work-loads so that resources
are not invested into a small number of sites.
• Allow time to develop experience and policies to
address the more complex remedial program issues
for these sites.
SEMARNAT is Already Making Risk
Management Decisions that Could be
Considered in the “Other Sites” Category:
Prioritized remediation of heavy metals in
mine tailings adjacent to a small community
in Sonora.