Human & Environmental Risk Assessments
The use of human and environmental risk assessment as a tool for managing contaminated sites is becoming a standard practice across the globe, with many countries incorporating the process into contaminated site management regulations and guidelines.
Risk assessment is a stepwise scientific process that predicts health risks to human and ecological receptors based on current and future land use to inform decision making related to the need for risk management measures (or engineering controls) and/or remediation to mitigate health risks from occurring at a site. Risk assessment assist decision makers in managing contamination issues with careful consideration of site-specific circumstances.
TRS staff has been involved in designing and completing human & environmental risk assessments in support of the following:
- Due diligence assessments as part of property acquisition, divestiture, or financing
- Record of Site Condition Filing for redevelopments in Ontario
- Development of risk management plans
- Remedial options analysis, remedial design and/or remediation
TRS staff has been involved in providing the following services:
- Quantitative and qualitative risk assessments
- Deterministic and probabilistic risk assessments
- Development of robust conceptual site models
- Multi-pathway/multi-chemical exposure assessments
- Development of site-specific models
- Vapour intrusion assessments
- Indoor air quality assessments[TRS1]
Health Impact Assessments
A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a systematic process that evaluates the potential health effects of a proposed project. The goal of an HIA is to promote health and prevent disease by identifying and addressing the health impacts of a proposed action. In summary, the completion of an HIA involves a systematic process of screening, scoping, assessment, recommendations, and reporting to evaluate and address the potential health impacts of a proposed action.
An HIA can be completed at various stages of a proposed policy, plan, program, or project, but ideally it should be conducted early in the planning process to inform decision-making and promote positive health outcomes.
TRS staff has been involved in completing HIAs in support of proposed infrastructure projects in mining and waste.
Toxicology Assessments
Toxicology assessments involve determining the potential health effects associated with short-term and long-term exposures to of chemical(s) of concern, and determining safe levels in environmental media.
Toxicology assessment is an integral part of a risk assessment; however, when dealing with a chemical with limited to no information about its environmental fate behavior toxicity potential or if environmental standards are lacking, a comprehensive toxicology assessment is carried out either to support environmental delineation activities, proposed remediation program, support regulatory submission or for due diligence purposes.
TRS staff has completed toxicology assessments for chemicals without available environmental standards, or to propose an alternate health-based benchmark based on recent scientific data. TRS staff has also been involved in providing professional opinion on the toxicity potential of products.
Air Quality and Health Risk Assessments
Air quality emissions and human health risk assessments are typically completed for operating facilities undergoing environmental approvals or permit applications.
Risk assessment practitioners will typically collaborate with air quality specialists/experts who will conduct the air emissions assessment and atmospheric dispersion modelling to satisfy regulatory protocols.
TRS has been involved in supporting air permit applications as well as environmental approvals for proposed infrastructure projects in Canada and abroad. These include infrastructure projects related to mining, transportation, waste, and nuclear projects.
Environmental Standards Development
The integrated fields of toxicology and risk assessment are applied together to develop environmental standards that protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of chemical exposure. Effects-based standards are developed based on the toxicological properties of chemicals and the risks associated with exposure to them. These standards establish acceptable levels of exposure to chemicals in environmental media and consumer products, taking into account the toxicological properties of the chemicals and the potential risks they pose to human health and the environment.
TRS staff has been involved in the development of the 2007 Jurisdictional Screening Levels and the development of the de minimus Threshold Concentrations for use in the preparation of emission and dispersion modelling reports submitted under Ontario Regulation 419/05. TRS staff has also been involved in developing environmental standards for chemicals without generic standards under O.Reg.153/04. As part of remedial options analysis, TRS staff has developed site-specific remediation objectives that are protective of human and environmental health.
Peer Review
Independent third-party peer reviews can help ensure the validity and credibility of the risk assessment conclusions, providing the client with greater confidence in the results and reducing the risk of challenges or disputes. A client may require independent peer reviews to validate assessment findings, particularly relevant when novel or controversial approaches or new data sources have been applied. If the assessment is controversial with high public interest or legal implications, the client may require critical independent peer review to ensure the scientific defensibility and credibility of the assessment.
TRS staff has provided peer review services to legal clients, property managers and regulatory agencies including Health Canada, Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Alberta Environment and Parks, and the Yukon Government.
Strategic Advice and Expert Opinions
TRS staff has provided expert opinion on matters related to toxicology, environmental exposures, public health, and environmental risk assessments.
Litigation Support
Clients frequently use TRS in connection with impending or ongoing litigation. TRS litigation support services is designed to provide attorneys and clients with assistance from litigation initiation through settlement, dismissal or trial.