Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment

WSP Environment & Energy conducts cost-effective, multi-pathway human health and ecological risk assessments as an important tool to environmentally sound risk-management strategies. These assessments provide innovative solutions for managing risks and liabilities, especially with these risks and liabilities now being at the forefront of the risk management process.

A Proactive Approach

WSP Environment & Energy discusses the risk management strategy with the client to ensure that the risk solution will meet their expectations, and to anticipate the challenges that arise during the risk assessment process. In addition, WSP Environment & Energy has an established rapport with many regulatory risk assessment groups that ensures upfront communication to facilitate a transparent and constructive approach for a risk-based process, and that minimizes unnecessary iterations and realistic risk-reduction. This approach also provides WSP Environment & Energy the opportunity for the transfer of innovative risk-based approaches successfully used in other states and regions. This established credibility with these risk groups has benefited our clients by eliminating unwarranted remediation activity through environmental sound risk management solutions.

Diverse Experience

WSP Environment & Energy ’ risk assessors have extensive experience in evaluating human and ecological risks throughout the United States for CERCLA, CWA, RCRA, and voluntary state programs. In addition to providing technical input from work plan through remedial alternative selection for project teams developing risk-based solutions to environmental management issues, WSP Environment & Energy ’ staff provide expert testimony and legal support on projects including recovery of cleanup costs and safe remediation of sites. As a client advocate, they review and develop proposed regulations and guidance documents, develop position papers, participate in advocacy efforts, chair and present technical sessions at conferences, peer-review technical manuscripts, and conduct technology transfer workshops and seminars. These collective experiences provide the scientific and regulatory background to challenge government policies that are inconsistent with good science, and to maintain a cutting edge in addressing “hot topic” issues such as indoor air, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and sediment management.

Specific risk assessment services that WSP Environment & Energy provides to our clients include:

• innovative work plan design through remedial alternative selection
• conceptual site models including realistic exposure pathways
• fate and transport analysis including exposure uptake and food web models
• perspective on cost-benefit factors of additional phases verses cleanup costs
• implications of traditional remedial actions verses natural attenuation and natural recovery
• client advocacy including commenting on key regulatory policy/guidance and technical review and support during negotiations
• expert testimony and legal support for recovery of cleanup costs and safe remediation of sites