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Standardized Ranking and Prioritizing Process Developed for the Contaminant Assessment Process (CAP) |
Related CAP Products |
Investigators applying CAP on Department of Interior lands face the challenge of evaluating threats posed by a plethora of contaminants being released and many different species of organisms being exposed. When sufficient information is available, (i.e., the toxicity of a contaminant and the nature of exposure) estimating potential risks can be relatively simple. However, in most cases, either the toxicity of a contaminant to a specific organism or the nature of its exposure is unknown. The BEST Program has been collaborating with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of Environmental Quality to develop a framework for ranking and prioritizing contaminants as part of the CAP. The ranking and prioritizing framework would begin by assorting contaminants and organisms into functional classes and groups (respectively). Model chemicals and surrogate species would be selected to represent chemical classes and organism groups. Toxicity values would be assembled into a database for each model chemical/surrogate species combination providing a uniform, qualitative estimate of toxicity. Profiles that summarize physical and chemical information would then be developed for each chemical class. Profiles would enable investigators to modify assumptions used in the model, thereby allowing site-specific considerations to be taken into account. Finally, this system will be automated and incorporated into the CAP data management system in order to provide an initial prioritization of potential contaminant threats.
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