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Application of risk assessment in determination of soil remediation targets

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Abstract

One challenge for soil and groundwater contamination remediation is to identify and assess potential risk of a historically contaminated site to human health and environment. In this article, a decision-making management model, risk based corrective actions guidance, is applied to devise a remediation strategy for a contaminant site to effectively mitigate the potential risk to human health and the environment. The detailed on-site contaminant investigation was first conducted for heavy metals and hydrocarbons by collecting 72 soil and groundwater samples. Then a conceptual site model was developed based on the Source-Pathway-Receptor linkage. The analysis results of the soil and groundwater samples were used to determine the potential risk to human health as well as the environment. Among the contaminants, lead is a cumulative toxicant. Currently, there is no official reference dose or carcinogenic slope factor for lead. For lead contamination, an “adult lead model” was adopted to determine remediation objectives by assessing human exposure through the measurement of lead in blood. Population race/ethnicity in study area was considered in this model to address a reasonable remediation goal. The analysis results indicate that 970.73 mg/kg of lead is the Tier III remediation objective. This research simultaneously predicts risk and proposes cost-effective options for remediating contaminated soil to acceptable values by tailoring on site-specific conditions and hazards. Meanwhile, an approach is developed to quantify the remediation objective for lead in soil and groundwater based on factual knowledge and scientific evidence concerning the type, level and environmental behavior of identified pollutants. Results from this study provide a streamlined process for future risk assessment work at hydrocarbon or lead polluted sites.

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Abbreviations

C (x) :

Dissolved hydrocarbon concentration along centerline (x, y, z = 0) of dissolved plume (g/cm3)

C source :

Dissolved hydrocarbon concentration in dissolved plume source area (g/cm3)

X :

Distance along centerline from downgradient edge of dissolved plume source zone (cm)

U :

Specific discharge (U = Ks · i/θs) (cm/day)

λ :

First-order degradation constant (d−1)

erf(η) :

Error function evaluated for value η

S w :

Source width (perpendicular to flow in the horizontal plane) (cm)

S d :

Source width (perpendicular to flow in the vertical plane) (cm)

α x :

Longitudinal dispersivity (cm)

α y :

Transverse dispersivity (cm)

α z :

Vertical dispersivity (cm)

K s :

Saturated hydraulic conductivity (cm/day)

i :

Groundwater gradient

θ s :

Volumetric water content of saturated zone (cm3-water/cm3-soil)

ρ s :

Soil bulk density (g/cm3)

k s :

Soil water sorption coefficient (cm3-water/g-soil)

H′ :

Henry’s law coefficient (cm3-water/cm3-air)

θ ws :

Volumetric water content in vadose zone soils (cm3-water/cm3-soil)

θ as :

Volumetric air content in vadose zone soils (cm3-air/cm3-soil)

U gw :

Groundwater Darcy velocity (cm/d)

δ gw :

Groundwater mixing zone thickness (cm)

I :

Water infiltration rate (cm/year)

W :

Width of source-zone area (cm)

S :

Solubility in water (mg/L)

ρ b :

Dry soil bulk density (g/cm3)

k oc :

Organic carbon partition coefficient (cm3/g)

f oc :

Organic carbon content of soil (g/g)

θ w :

Soil water content (cm3-water/cm3-soil)

θ a :

Soil air content (cm3-air/cm3-soil)

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (41530316), National Key Research Project (2016YFC0402805), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2015M582479), and case (LPC#0316005311) in HydroDynamics Consultant Inc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Construction Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130026, China

    Xiaoying Zhang, Jian Chen, Zhenxue Dai, Mohamad Reza Soltanian & Wanli Ren

  2. Institute of Groundwater and Earth Sciences, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China

    Bill X. Hu & Jin Zhang

  3. Zhaoqing Green Research Institute, Dinghu, Zhaoqing, 526100, Guangdong, China

    Bill X. Hu

  4. HydroDynamics Consultant Inc, Lisle, IL, 60532, USA

    Yonghong Yu

  5. Williams Company Consulting Inc, Sioux City, IA, 51101, USA

    Juho So

  6. North China Institute of Science and Technology, Langfang, 065201, China

    Shangxian Yin

  7. Departments of Geology and Environmental Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Mohamad Reza Soltanian & Wanli Ren

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  1. Xiaoying Zhang
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  2. Jian Chen
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  10. Wanli Ren
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Correspondence to Bill X. Hu or Wanli Ren.

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Zhang, X., Chen, J., Hu, B.X. et al. Application of risk assessment in determination of soil remediation targets. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 34, 1659–1673 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-020-01857-2

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