ASTM_E_2020_-_99a_2010.pdf

Designation:E202099a(Reapproved 2010)Standard Guide forData and Information Options for Conducting an EcologicalRisk Assessment at Contaminated Sites1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E2020;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide is intended to assist remedial project teams,specifically ecological risk assessors,in identifying data andinformation options that may be used to perform a screening orcomplex ecological risk assessment(ERA)at a contaminatedsite.1.2 The identification of data and information options forhuman health risk assessment is outside the scope of this guide.1.3 This guide is intended to provide a list for identifyingdata and information options and does not recommend aspecific course of action for ERA activities.1.4 This guide addresses data and information options forthe ecological risk assessment,not verification or long-termmonitoring studies.1.5 This guide lists many of the common data and informa-tion options for ERA,but there may be others relevant for anyparticular site.1.6 This guide considers one component of an ERA,that is,identification of data and information options.Other ASTMguides have been developed,for example,Guides E1689 andE1848,and are being developed to cover other components ofthe risk assessment process.1.7 This guide does not provide information on how toperform any of the analytical procedures used to perform a riskassessment once data collection options are defined.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D5730 Guide for Site Characterization for EnvironmentalPurposes With Emphasis on Soil,Rock,the Vadose Zoneand Groundwater(Withdrawn 2013)3E1391 Guide for Collection,Storage,Characterization,andManipulation of Sediments for Toxicological Testing andfor Selection of Samplers Used to Collect Benthic Inver-tebratesE1525 Guide for Designing Biological Tests with SedimentsE1689 Guide for Developing Conceptual Site Models forContaminated SitesE1848 Guide for Selecting and Using Ecological Endpointsfor Contaminated Sites3.Terminology3.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:3.1.1 assessment endpoint,nan explicit expression of theenvironmental value to be protected.3.1.2 chemical stressor,na chemical,chemical mixture,orradionuclide present in an environmental medium that isknown or suspected to induce an adverse biological,toxicological,or ecological response in an exposed ecologicalreceptor.3.1.3 complex ecological risk assessment,nan ecologicalrisk assessment completed using quantitative methods,whichrelies on site-specific data and may include toxicity testing,field biological surveys,and probabilistic analysis.3.1.4 data quality objective,na specification of theamount and quality of data required to adequately complete therisk assessment such that a risk management decision can bemade.3.1.5 ecological receptor,necosystems,communities,populations,and individual organisms(except humans),thatcan be exposed directly or indirectly to site stressors.3.1.6 measurement endpoint,na measurable response to astressor that is quantifiably related to the valued characteristicchosen as the assessment endpoint.3.1.7 non-chemical stressor,na biological agent,physicaldisturbance,condition,or nonchemical characteristic of a1This guide is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee E50 on EnvironmentalAssessment,Risk Management and Corrective Action and is the direct responsibil-ity of Subcommittee E50.05 on Environmental Risk Management.Current edition approved March 1,2010.Published May 2010.Originallyapproved in 1999.Last previous edition approved 2004 as E202099a(2004).DOI:10.1520/E2020-99AR10.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 waste material,substrate,or source associated with a contami-nated site and corrective actions that is known or suspected tointerfere with the normal functioning of an ecological receptor.3.1.8 screening ecological risk assessment,nan ecologicalrisk assessment completed using qualitative or simple quanti-tative methods,which relies on literature information and isunlikely to include toxicity testing,field biological surveys,orprobabilistic analysis.3.1.9 site,nthe terms“site,”“on-site,”and“off-site,”havenot been defined in this guide.They will need to be defined ona case-by-case basis.They could be defined by regulatoryneeds,natural boundaries,or property boundaries.4.Summary of G