A Risk-Based Approach for the Management of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Soil. R. Wilkenfeld, B. Albertson, C. Barkan, D. Edwards, J. Gustafson, I. Rhodes, J. Tell, and W. Weisman, The TPH Criteria Working Group
No consistent strategy exists across the U.S. for assessing human health risk at petroleum contaminated sites. States have often adopted cleanup standards, ranging from tens to thousands of milligrams of petroleum hydrocarbons per kilogram of soil, that are not based on risk. Application of such standards to remedial actions results in an unknown reduction of risk and may produce unduly high cleanup costs. The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon Criteria Working Group was formed by industry, state agencies, the military and environmental consultants to develop a technically sound, flexible approach for establishing soil cleanup levels that are protective of human health. The approach was based on the best available published and unpublished literature for chemical, physical and toxicological characteristics of petroleum mixtures in the environment. To assess non-cancer risk, the Working Group has defined thirteen TPH fractions based on similar environmental fate and transport characteristics. Toxicity criteria for each fraction was established using either data for a representative constituent of the fraction or from testing on defined mixtures of compounds falling within the fraction. Benzene and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are used in the Working Group’s protocol as indicator compounds to evaluate cancer risk at petroleum impacted sites. Modifications to analytical SW-846 Methods 3611 and 3630 have been developed to create a practical method for quantifying the mass of fate and transport fractions and carcinogenic indicators in soil. While ecological risk is not Hydrocarbon Criteria Working Group was formed by industry, state agencies, the military and environmental consultants to develop a technically sound, flexible approach for establishing soil cleanup levels that are . . . . . . . .[RiskWorld Note: Submitted abstract incomplete]