How do I handle contaminants that are present at background concentrations?
Where there are elevated concentrations of chemicals of potential concern due to background that may present an unacceptable risk to the environment, the risk from these chemicals should be quantified, if possible, in the risk assessment. Although these chemicals may not be called “COCs” in the risk assessment or the ROD, they none the less, should be evaluated. Even though EPA or the responsible party will not address these risks in the remedy selection process, Superfund believes that it has a responsibility to share this information with local and state authorities in the hope that they can take some action to reduce the risk from high background concentrations. EPA acknowledges that this approach can present issues in community involvement and encourages early community involvement and increased emphasis on risk communication.
