In Italy, the management of contaminated sites relies on a risk-based approach, where the actual pollution of the site is evaluated depending on the effective risk posed to the human health or environment. The main steps required for the application of risk assessment to contaminated sites are described in various technical documents such as those provided by the Italian environmental agency. The procedure outlined in these documents is based on the information collected during the contaminated site characterization, which are used to evaluate the potential effects on the health of exposed receptors and on the environment, allowing to assess whether a particular site requires remedial action and eventually the specific risk-based remediation goals. Namely, the risk is defined by using site-specific data concerning receptors, exposure potential, site hydrogeology and the type, amount, and toxicity of the chemicals of concern. Nevertheless, until recently, these directives and guidelines were lacking regarding the assessment of the potential exposure to contaminants for the workers involved in the site remediation activities. For this reason, in 2013 a team of experts in the fields of site remediation and of safety and health risks in workplaces, including the Authors of this work, issued a national guideline dealing with the operative instructions for the assessment and management of the chemical risk to workers involved in site remediation. This document addresses the main aspects related to the protection of workers exposed to contaminants considering both the toxic and the carcinogenic effects of chemicals . In this work, two issues addressed in the guideline are discussed: the construction of the conceptual site model (CSM), that includes the definition of the contamination source, the contaminants migration (migration pathways and fate and transport factors), the receptors (workers) and the exposure (e.g. ingestion, dermal contact, inhalation), and the equations used to estimate the risk for human health. The CSM typically used in the risk assessment of contaminated sites was properly modified adding the worker involved in clean-up activities. Differently to other human receptors, living or working in contaminated sites, the clean-up workers may be also exposed to higher concentration of contaminants due to soil excavation activities and to fugitive dust emissions that can be generated by construction vehicle traffic on temporary unpaved roads. Consequently, two new fate and transport factors were introduced for predicting the concentration of contaminants in air of volatile compounds resulting from soil resuspension and transport in the atmosphere occurring during the cleanup activities.

Chemical risk to workers involved in the remediation of contaminated sites: conceptual model, fate and transport factors for risk evaluation / Teggi, Sergio; Verginelli, Iason; Berardi, Simona; Baciocchi, Renato. - ELETTRONICO. - (2014), pp. 1-9. (Intervento presentato al convegno XII Simposio Italo-Brasilero de Engenharia Sanitaria e Ambiental tenutosi a Natal, RN nel 19-21 may 2014).

Chemical risk to workers involved in the remediation of contaminated sites: conceptual model, fate and transport factors for risk evaluation

TEGGI, Sergio;
2014

Abstract

In Italy, the management of contaminated sites relies on a risk-based approach, where the actual pollution of the site is evaluated depending on the effective risk posed to the human health or environment. The main steps required for the application of risk assessment to contaminated sites are described in various technical documents such as those provided by the Italian environmental agency. The procedure outlined in these documents is based on the information collected during the contaminated site characterization, which are used to evaluate the potential effects on the health of exposed receptors and on the environment, allowing to assess whether a particular site requires remedial action and eventually the specific risk-based remediation goals. Namely, the risk is defined by using site-specific data concerning receptors, exposure potential, site hydrogeology and the type, amount, and toxicity of the chemicals of concern. Nevertheless, until recently, these directives and guidelines were lacking regarding the assessment of the potential exposure to contaminants for the workers involved in the site remediation activities. For this reason, in 2013 a team of experts in the fields of site remediation and of safety and health risks in workplaces, including the Authors of this work, issued a national guideline dealing with the operative instructions for the assessment and management of the chemical risk to workers involved in site remediation. This document addresses the main aspects related to the protection of workers exposed to contaminants considering both the toxic and the carcinogenic effects of chemicals . In this work, two issues addressed in the guideline are discussed: the construction of the conceptual site model (CSM), that includes the definition of the contamination source, the contaminants migration (migration pathways and fate and transport factors), the receptors (workers) and the exposure (e.g. ingestion, dermal contact, inhalation), and the equations used to estimate the risk for human health. The CSM typically used in the risk assessment of contaminated sites was properly modified adding the worker involved in clean-up activities. Differently to other human receptors, living or working in contaminated sites, the clean-up workers may be also exposed to higher concentration of contaminants due to soil excavation activities and to fugitive dust emissions that can be generated by construction vehicle traffic on temporary unpaved roads. Consequently, two new fate and transport factors were introduced for predicting the concentration of contaminants in air of volatile compounds resulting from soil resuspension and transport in the atmosphere occurring during the cleanup activities.
2014
XII Simposio Italo-Brasilero de Engenharia Sanitaria e Ambiental
Natal, RN
19-21 may 2014
1
9
Teggi, Sergio; Verginelli, Iason; Berardi, Simona; Baciocchi, Renato
Chemical risk to workers involved in the remediation of contaminated sites: conceptual model, fate and transport factors for risk evaluation / Teggi, Sergio; Verginelli, Iason; Berardi, Simona; Baciocchi, Renato. - ELETTRONICO. - (2014), pp. 1-9. (Intervento presentato al convegno XII Simposio Italo-Brasilero de Engenharia Sanitaria e Ambiental tenutosi a Natal, RN nel 19-21 may 2014).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1062744
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