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ECOLOGICAL SOIL SCREENING LEVELS (ECO-SSLS) FOR SUPERFUND
Citation:
Ells, S., R. S. Wentsel, R. Stahl, M. Swindoll, R. T. Checkai, D. W. Charters, C L. Russom, J. Bascietto, C. Menzie, AND J. Burris. ECOLOGICAL SOIL SCREENING LEVELS (ECO-SSLS) FOR SUPERFUND. Presented at 22nd Annual SETAC Meeting, Baltimore, MD, November 11-15, 2001.
Description:
The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has established ecological soil screening values for 24 soil contaminants frequently of ecological concern for terrestrial plants and animals at hazardous waste sites. The Eco-SSL derivation process represents the collaborative effort of a multi-stakeholder workgroup consisting of federal, state, consulting, industrys and academic participants. Eco-SSLs are concentrations of contaminants in soils that are protective of ecological receptors that commonly come into contact with soil or ingest biota that live in or on soil. Eco-SSLs are derived separately for four groups of ecological receptors: mammals, birds, plants, and soil invertebrates. These Eco-SSLs represent a set of screening ecotoxicity values that can be used routinely to identify those contaminants concern in soils requiring further evaluation in an ecological risk assessment. EPA developed the Eco-SSLs to conserve resources by eliminating the need for repetitious toxicity-data literature searches and evaluations; to increase consistency; and to allow resources to focus on key site studies needed for critical decision-making. This presentation provides an overview of the process used to derive the Eco-SSLs as well as a review of their application for risk assessment at hazardous waste sites.