NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document
Table 2. Exposure parameters for calculating clearance criteria for air samples.
Input Parameter Value Explanation
Risk 1 X 10-^ See Appendix C
AT-(Averaging Time - 25,550 days See Appendix D
Carcinogens) of LT
ED (Exposure Duration) 30 years Upper-bound Estimate of Time in
Residence [EPA, 1989]
EF (Exposure Frequency) 365 days/yr Days in Residence [EPA, 1989]
lUR (Inhalation Unit Risk) 2.3 E -01 (asbestos) IRIS, 2002
2.86 E+5 (dioxin)* Dioxin Reassessment, EPA, 2001
7.3 E 0 (PAHs)* IRIS, 2002
*rUR was calculated by route-to-route extrapolation of oral Slope Factor
The cancer risk level (1x10 '*) employed herein reflects the upper bound of the acceptable risk
range (10''* to 10’®) established in EPA’s Superfund regulation [Federal Register, 1990]. Practical
Quantitation Limits (PQLs, the lowest level that can be reliably achieved within specified limits
of precision and accuracy during routine laboratory operating procedures [EPA, 1992]) and
anticipated background levels [ATSDR, 1995] dictated the selection of the risk level at 1x10’'*. A
more detailed discussion of this subject can be found in Appendix C.
For non-carcinogenic compounds, airborne contaminant concentration is compared to the
Reference Concentration (RfC). The RfC is an estimate of a chronic exposure concentration for
the human population, including sensitive subpopulations, that is likely to be without an
appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime [EPA, 1989]. That comparison (i.e,
chronic exposure concentration (CEC) divided by the RfC) is called the Hazard Quotient (HQ).
HQ = CEC/RfC
where CEC is the daily averaged air concentration, calculated as; AC * [EF*ED/AT-NC], where
AC is the average air concentration during the period of exposure (pg/m^), EF is the exposure
frequency (days), ED is exposure duration (years), AT-NC is the averaging time for non
carcinogens, and RfC is the reference concentration, expressed in units of 1/concentration.
According to EPA guidelines [EPA, 1989], if the HQ is greater than one, there may be concern
for potential health effects. Therefore, for Tier IH (clearance level), the benchmark screening
level was set at an HQ of 1. For Tier I, which equates to a sub-chronic exposure scenario, an HQ
of 10 was used, in accordance with EPA’s Hazard Evaluation Handbook [EPA, 1997]. An HQ of
10 accounts for the fact that chronic toxicity criteria (RfDs/RfCs) are being applied to
sub-chronic exposure scenarios (i.e., exposure not expected to exceed 6 months to one year in
duration). Accordingly, an HQ of 10 was used for non-carcinogens to reflect a similar (i.e..
13
CITY_21MC100_002452164 ‘
NYC-WTC_000199593
OCR can misread numbers and units. Confirm readings against the page image before using them.