Why are SLs used?
They are used for site “screening” and as initial cleanup goals, if applicable. SLs are not de facto cleanup standards and should not be applied as such. The SL’s role in site “screening” is to help identify areas, contaminants, and conditions that require further federal attention at a particular site. Generally, at sites where contaminant concentrations fall below SLs, no further action or study is warranted under the Superfund program, so long as the exposure assumptions at a site match those taken into account by the SL calculations. Chemical concentrations above the SL would not automatically designate a site as “dirty” or trigger a response action; however, exceeding a SL suggests that further evaluation of the potential risks by site contaminants is appropriate. SLs are also useful tools for identifying initial cleanup goals at a site. In this role, SLs provide long-term targets to use during the analysis of different remedial alternatives. By developing SLs early in the decisio
They are used for site “screening” and as initial cleanup goals, if applicable. SLs are not de facto cleanup standards and should not be applied as such. The SL’s role in site “screening” is to help identify areas, contaminants, and conditions that require further federal attention at a particular site. Generally, at sites where contaminant concentrations fall below SLs, no further action or study is warranted under the Superfund program, so long as the exposure assumptions at a site match those taken into account by the SL calculations. Chemical concentrations above the SL would not automatically designate a site as “dirty” or trigger a response action; however, exceeding a SL suggests that further evaluation of the potential risks by site contaminants is appropriate. SLs are also useful tools for identifying initial cleanup goals at a site. In this role, SLs provide long-term targets to use during the analysis of different remedial alternatives. By developing SLs early in the decisio
