Framework for Selecting and Using Tribal Fish and Shellfish Consumption Rates for Risk-Based Decision Making at CERCLA and RCRA Cleanup Sites in Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia
Author:
US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Date Published:
2007
Description:
Potential human health risks¹ due to chemical contamination are among the many factors that affect EPA Region 10’s cleanup decisions at RCRA and CERCLA sites in Puget Sound and the portion of the Strait of Georgia that is within the United States. Many CERCLA and RCRA cleanup sites located in EPA Region 10 have contaminated sediments or surface water, or include upland soil and groundwater that may release hazardous substances or hazardous constituents to sediment and surface water. Contaminants in sediments and surface water may then contaminate fish and shellfish. One of the inputs needed to calculate human health risks is exposure to contaminants via consumption of fish and shellfish. On the basis of data from the few fish and shellfish consumption surveys by or of American Indian Tribes within Region 10, Tribal consumption rates at cleanup sites within reservation lands or Tribal usual and accustomed harvesting areas² (U&A) are likely to be higher than for the general U.S. population. The National Congress of American Indians (2004) published a resolution calling for EPA to “use fish and shellfish consumption rates appropriate to Tribal consumers when it makes cleanup decisions.” Modifications to standard risk assessment assumptions thus may be warranted. This document presents a conceptual Framework for selecting Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia Tribal fish and shellfish consumption rates.
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