Soil Screening Guidance: Technical Background Document

This document provides the technical background for the development of methodologies described in the Soil Screening Guidance: User's Guide (EPA/540/R-96/018), along with additional information useful for soil screening. Together, these documents define the framework and methodology to develop soil screening levels (SSLs) for chemicals commonly found at Superfund sites. This document is an updated version of the background document developed in support of the December 30, 1994, draft Soil Screening Guidance. The methodologies described in this document and the Soil Screening Guidance: User's Guide have been revised in response to public comment and extensive peer review. The revisions, along with other technical analyses conducted to address the comments, are described herein.

This background document is presented in five parts. Part 1: Introduction describes the soil screening process and its application and implementation at Superfund sites. Part 2: Development of Pathway-Specific Soil Screening Levels describes the methodology used to develop SSLs, including the assumptions and theories used. Part 3: Models for Detailed Assessment provides information on more detailed models that may be used to develop site-specific SSLs. Part 4: Measuring Contaminant Concentrations in Soil addresses sampling schemes for measuring soil contaminant levels during the soil screening process. Part 5: Chemical-Specific Parameters provides technical background on the determination of chemical-specific properties for calculating SSLs.

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Proceed to Soil Screening User's Guide Technical Background Document Table of Contents