Overview: Pesticides and preservatives used in the wood treatment process have historically received extensive regulatory attention. The industry faces concerns that workers, the public, and ecological receptors are exposed to these chemicals at levels that pose unacceptable risks. Intertox has helped to characterize these risks through a variety of services that include collection of air samples, critical review of the available scientific literature, conduct of comprehensive site-specific risk assessments, and critical review of U.S. EPA regulatory actions.
Service Areas: Exposure Assessment, Risk Assessment, Air Sampling, Litigation Support
Chemicals of Concern: Chromium, Pentachlorophenol, Dioxins, PAHs
Approaches: Intertox designed and implemented targeted air sampling at a wood treatment facility in Washington State. Sampling locations were selected where workers would most likely be exposed to hexavalent chromium, a chemical of concern in some wood treatment processes. In another project, Intertox provided comprehensive risk assessment services addressing potential human and ecological risks from exposure to pentachlorophenol, dioxins, and PAHs in soil, air, groundwater, and surface water at a wood treating facility in Washington State. These services included conducting site-specific risk assessments for workers and residents, assessing the potential for hazards to ecological receptors at off-site areas, determining appropriate remedial actions that would effectively mediate any excess risks, and critically reviewing the site investigations and risk assessments conducted by U.S. EPA.
Client Benefit: In each of these projects, the clients were provided accurate site-specific data and assessments that have allowed them to fully understand site conditions and potential risks, and successfully negotiate site actions with regulatory agencies.