The scoring system used to determine the hazard ranking of a prospective Superfund site is based on a number of individual factors associated with risk-related conditions at the site. These factors are grouped into three categories:1. Likelihood of release/exposure (i.e., likelihood that a site has released or has the potential to release hazardous substances into the environment, or that targets can come into contact with hazardous substances)2. Waste characteristics (e.g., inherent toxicity, mobility of the substances, and the quantity of the hazardous substances that has been released)3. Targets (e.g., people or sensitive environments actually or potentially exposed to the release)
Consider the following. Both Site A and Site B are closed copper mines that cover the same amount of acreage. Why might Site A receive a low hazard ranking while Site B receives a high hazard ranking?
Responses
The toxic waste at Site A is highly soluble in water, whereas the waste at Site B is not.
The waste containment structures at Site A are showing signs of failure, whereas the containment structures at Site B are sound.
Site B is close to a new housing development, whereas Site A is not.
Site A is adjacent to a wildlife protection area, whereas Site B is not.
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