Depending on the specific properties of the contaminant, the exposure situations, and the health status of individuals, a public health hazard may occur. Using data from public health assesments, sites are classified using one of the following public health hazard categories:
Sites that pose a serious risk to the publics health as the result of short-term exposures to hazardous substances.
Sites that pose a public health hazard as the result of long-term exposures to hazardous substances.
Sites for which no conclusions about public health hazard can be made because data are lacking.
Sites where human exposure to contaminated media is occurring or has occurred in the past, but the exposure is below a level of health hazard.
Sites for which data indicate no current or past exposure or no potential for exposure and therefore no health hazard.