The NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) is hosting a Risk e-Learning webinar series focused on strategies to communicate potential environmental health risks to reduce exposures and improve health.
The four-part series will showcase effective risk communication strategies and how they have been tailored to the needs of diverse communities. Presentations will also highlight first-hand experiences designing risk communication messages and campaigns, evaluating impact, and adapting communication strategies for different populations. The webinar series builds on an SRP workshop held in June 2021.

The fourth and final session will feature work by SRP-funded researchers who are translating research into communication tools and tailoring them for specific community needs. These specialized tools work to successfully communicate health risks and increase environmental health literacy.

This session will feature BJ Cummings, M.A. and Lisa Hayward Watts, Ph.D., from the University of Washington SRP Center, Julia Brody, Ph.D., from the Silent Spring Institute and the Northeastern University SRP Center, Phil Brown, Ph.D., from the Northeastern University SRP Center, and Kathleen Gray, Ph.D., from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill SRP Center.

1,4-Dioxane has seen widespread use as a solvent stabilizer since the 1950s. The widespread use of solvents through the 1980s suggests its presence at thousands of solvent sites in the US; however, it is not always a standard compound in typical analytical suites for hazardous waste sites, so it previously was overlooked. The U.S. EPA has classified 1,4-dioxane as "likely to be carcinogenic to humans." Some states have devised health standards or regulatory guidelines for drinking water and groundwater standards; these are often sub-part per billion values. These low standards present challenges for analysis, characterization, and remediation of 1,4-dioxane. The ITRC team created multiple tools and documents that provide information to assist all interested stakeholders in understanding this contaminate and for making informed, educated decisions.

The 1,4-Dioxane: Science, Characterization & Analysis, and Remediation training is a series of six (6) modules. The six individual modules will be presented together live, and then archived on the ITRC 1,4-Dioxane training webpage for on demand listening.

The modular 1,4-Dioxane training series provides an overview of 1,4-dioxane and presenting six sections from the ITRC guidance document (1,4d-1, 2021):

• History of Use and Potential Sources (Sect 1)
• Regulatory Framework (Sect 2)
• Fate and Transport (Sect 3)
• Sampling and Analysis (Sect 4)
• Toxicity and Risk Assessment (Sect 5)
• Remediation and Treatment Technologies (Sect 6)

• The history of 1,4-dioxane manufacturing and usage and the potential sources of releases of 1,4-dioxane to the environment.
• Primary state and U.S. federal regulatory programs of relevance to 1,4-dioxane
• Key physical/chemical properties, and fate and transport processes that are relevant for 1,4-dioxane
• Benefits and limitations of the available analytical methods
• Risk drivers for human health and how ecological risk compares
• How/when/why different treatment technologies are appropriate

Characterization and remediation of contaminated groundwater in fractured rock has not been conducted or studied as broadly as groundwater at unconsolidated porous media sites. This unfamiliarity and lack of experience can make fractured rock sites perplexing. This situation is especially true in portions of the U.S. where bedrock aquifers are a primary source of drinking and process water, and demands on water are increasing. As a result, remedial activities often default to containment of contaminant plumes, point of use treatment and long-term monitoring rather than active reduction of risk. However, this attitude does not incorporate recent advances in the science and technology of fractured rock site characterization and remediation.

The basis for this training course is the ITRC guidance: Characterization and Remediation of Fractured Rock. The purpose of this guidance is to dispel the belief that fractured rock sites are too complex to characterize and remediate. The physical, chemical and contaminant transport concepts in fractured rock have similarities to unconsolidated porous media, yet there are important differences. These differences are the focus of this guidance.

By participating in this training class, you should learn to:

• Use ITRC's Fractured Rock Document to guide your decision making so you can:
  • Develop quality Conceptual Site Models (CSMs) for fractured rock sites
  
  
  • Set realistic remedial objectives
  
  
  • Select the best remedial options
  
  
  • Monitor remedial progress and assess results
• Value an interdisciplinary site team approach to bring collective expertise to improve decision making and to have confidence when going beyond containment and monitoring - - to actually remediating fractured rock sites.

Case studies of successful fractured rock remediation are presented to provide examples of how fractured rock sites can be evaluated and available tools applied to characterization and remediation.

Training participants are encouraged to view the associated ITRC guidance, Characterization and Remediation of Fractured Rock prior to attending the class.

Sites contaminated with dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) and DNAPL mixtures present significant environmental challenges. Despite the decades spent on characterizing and attempting to remediate DNAPL sites, substantial risk remains. Inadequate characterization of site geology as well as the distribution, characteristics, and behavior of contaminants -- by relying on traditional monitoring well methods rather than more innovative and integrated approaches -- has limited the success of many remediation efforts.

The Integrated DNAPL Site Characterization Team has synthesized the knowledge about DNAPL site characterization and remediation acquired over the past several decades, and has integrated that information into a new document, Integrated DNAPL Site Characterization and Tools Selection (ISC-1, 2015). This guidance is a resource to inform regulators, responsible parties, other problem holders, consultants, community stakeholders, and other interested parties of the critical concepts related to characterization approaches and tools for collecting subsurface data at DNAPL sites. After this associated training, participants will be able to use the ITRC Integrated DNAPL Site Characterization and Tools Selection (ISC-1, 2015) guidance to develop and support an integrated approach to DNAPL site characterization, including:

• Identify what site conditions must be considered when developing an informative DNAPL conceptual site model (CSM)
  
• Define an objectives-based DNAPL characterization strategy
  
• Understand what tools and resources are available to improve the identification, collection, and evaluation of appropriate site characterization data
  
• Navigate the DNAPL characterization tools table and select appropriate technologies to fill site-specific data gaps

.

Institutional controls (ICs) are administrative or legal restrictions that provide protection from exposure to contaminants on a site. When ICs are jeopardized or fail, direct exposure to human health and the environment can occur. While a variety of guidance and research to date has focused on the implementation of ICs, ITRC's Long-term Contaminant Management Using Institutional Controls (IC-1, 2016) guidance and this associated training class focuses on post-implementation IC management, including monitoring, evaluation, stakeholder communications, enforcement, and termination. The ITRC guidance and training will assist those who are responsible for the management and stewardship of Ics. ITRC has developed a downloadable tool that steps users through the process of planning and designing IC management needs. This tool can help to create a long lasting record of the site that includes the regulatory authority, details of the IC, the responsibilities of all parties, a schedule for monitoring the performance of the IC, and more. The tool generates an editable Long Term Stewardship (LTS) plan in Microsoft Word.

After attending the training, participants will be able to:

• Describe best practices and evolving trends for IC management at individual sites and across state agency programs
• Use this guidance to
  • Improve IC reliability and prevent IC failures
  • Improve existing, or develop new, IC Management programs
  • Identify the pros and cons about differing IC management approaches
• Use the tools to establish an LTS plan for specific sites
• Use the elements in the tools to understand the information that should populate an IC registry or data management system.

The target audience for this guidance includes environmental regulators at all levels of government, private and public responsible or obligated parties (Ops), current site owners and operators, environmental consultants, and prospective purchasers of property and their agents. Other stakeholders who have an interest in a property can also use this guidance to help understand how to manage Ics.

Connecting the Science to Managing LNAPL Sites - 3-Part Series

The newly updated LNAPLs (Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids) 3-part training course series is based on the ITRC guidance: LNAPL Site Management: LCSM Evolution, Decision Process, and Remedial Technologies (LNAPL-3, 2018) and focuses on connecting the science to managing LNAPL sites and helping you:

• Build upon your Understanding of LNAPL Behavior in the Subsurface (Part 1)
• Develop your LNAPL Conceptual Site Model and LNAPL Remedial Goals (Part 2)
• Select/Implement LNAPL Technologies (Part 3)

In situ remediation technologies using amendment injections have advanced to mainstream acceptance and offer a competitive advantage over many forms of ex situ treatment of soil and groundwater. Developing a detailed site-specific strategy is absolutely critical to the success of such in situ remedies. These strategies include conducting a thorough site characterization that will allow development of a detailed Conceptual Site Model (CSM) to guide critical analysis of subsurface features and improving remediation effectiveness. In the interest of developing expedited solutions, many past in situ remediation projects have been executed based on an incomplete understanding of the hydrogeology, geology, and contaminant distribution and mass. Some of these sites have undergone multiple rounds of in situ injections but have not advanced to closure. Better strategies and minimum design standards are required to decrease uncertainty and improve remedy effectiveness.

In an effort to overcome these challenges and improve the effectiveness of in situ remediation using injected amendments, ITRC developed the guidance: Optimizing Injection Strategies and In Situ Remediation Performance (OIS-ISRP-1). The guidance and this associated training course identify challenges that may impede or limit remedy effectiveness and discuss the potential optimization strategies, and specific actions that can be pursued, to improve the performance of in situ remediation by:

• Refining and evaluating remedial design site characterization data;
  
• Selecting the correct amendment;
  
• Choosing delivery methods for site-specific conditions;
  
• Creating design specifications;
  
• Conducting performance evaluations, and
  
• Optimizing underperforming in situ remedies.

At some sites, complex site-specific conditions make it difficult to fully remediate environmental contamination. Both technical and nontechnical challenges can impede remediation and may prevent a site from achieving federal- and state-mandated regulatory cleanup goals within a reasonable time frame. For example, technical challenges may include geologic, hydrogeologic, geochemical, and contaminant-related conditions as well as large-scale or surface conditions. In addition, nontechnical challenges may also play a role such as managing changes that occur over long time frames, overlapping regulatory and financial responsibilities between agencies, setting achievable site objectives, maintaining effective institutional controls, redevelopment and changes in land use, and funding considerations.

This training course and associated ITRC guidance: Remediation Management of Complex Sites (RMCS-1, 2017), provide a recommended holistic process for management of challenging sites, termed "adaptive site management." This process is a comprehensive, flexible, and iterative process that is well-suited for sites where there is significant uncertainty in remedy performance predictions. Adaptive site management includes the establishment of interim objectives and long-term site objectives that consider both technical and nontechnical challenges. Periodic adjustment of the remedial approach may involve multiple technologies at any one time and changes in technologies over time. Comprehensive planning and scheduled evaluations of remedy performance help decision makers track remedy progress and improve the timeliness of remedy optimization, reevaluations, or transition to other technologies/contingency actions.

By participating in this training course we expect you will learn to apply the ITRC guidance document to:

• Identify and integrate technical and nontechnical challenges into a holistic approach to remediation
• Use the Remediation Potential Assessment to identify whether adaptive site management is warranted due to site complexity
• Understand and apply adaptive site management principles
• Develop a long-term performance-based action plan
  
• Apply well-demonstrated techniques for effective stakeholder engagement
• Access additional resources, tools, and case studies most relevant for complex sites
• Communicate the value of the guidance to regulators, practitioners, community members, and others

Ultimately, using the guidance that can lead to better decision making and remediation management at complex sites. The guidance is intended to benefit a variety of site decision makers, including regulators, responsible parties and their consultants, and public and tribal stakeholders.
Case studies are used to describe real-world applications of remediation and remediation management at complex sites. Training participants are encouraged to view the associated ITRC guidance Remediation Management of Complex Sites (RMCS-1, 2017) prior to attending the class.

Extreme weather events and wildfires are increasing and impacting hazardous waste sites. The primary goal of cleanups, which is protecting human health and the environment, is undermined. Confronted with these risks, environmental professionals should assess, and design remedies that are sustainable and resilient. Sustainable resilient remediation (SRR) is an optimized solution to cleaning up and reusing a hazardous waste site that limits negative environmental impacts, maximizes social and economic benefits, and creates resilience against increasing threats.

The objective of the ITRC Sustainable Resilient Remediation (SRR-1) is to provide resources and tools for regulators, stakeholders, consultants, and responsible parties to help integrate sustainable and resilient practices into remediation projects. This guidance updates the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council's (ITRC) Technical and Regulatory Guidance: Green and Sustainable Remediation: A Practical Framework (ITRC 2011a) and includes a strong resilience component to address the increasing threat of extreme weather events and wildfires. Recommendations for careful and continuous consideration of the social and economic costs and benefits of a cleanup project are included.

Training Objectives

• Educate participants about available SRR resources and tools
• Impart evolution from Green and Sustainable Remediation (GSR) to SRR
• Provide guidance on practical application and implementation of SRR
• Provide participants with information necessary to navigate the SRR guidance and tools

Training Goals

• Provide information and resources for the social and economic dimensions of sustainability, including state-of-the-art social and economic evaluation tools
• Provide a framework illustrating how and why sustainability and resilience should be integrated throughout the remedial project life cycle
• Offer checklists of key sustainable best management practices to address resilience based on specific vulnerabilities at a site, as well as resources for additional information
• Present interactive maps with links to available state and federal resources to quickly find examples and best practices from your state or other states and federal agencies
• Reference case studies illustrating the application of SRR considerations

After the SRR Training, a user will have the tools necessary to understand what SRR is and how it can be used to achieve a sustainable and resilient remediation outcome. This can be accomplished by remediation practitioners applying the principles and practices to a contaminated site and by providing SRR resources to help regulators and stakeholders in the development and review of project documents or submittals.

The intended users of this guidance and training course are those individuals responsible for managing contaminated sites. Users of this training and the associated documents will develop an understanding of SRR and its importance in achieving sustainability and resilience for site remediation. Principals, best practices, resources, and trainer insights will help users conduct SRR tailored to the needs of the sites under their care.

Recommended Reading: Participants are strongly encouraged to review the ITRC Sustainable Resilient Remediation, (SRR-1) document prior to participating in the training class. Also, because SRR-1 is an expansion and update of the concepts developed in Green and Sustainable Remediation: A Practical Framework, GSR-2, review of this document is recommended but is not a prerequisite.

Remediation at petroleum release sites is often infeasible for technical or cost reasons. Many of these sites could be depleted in typical indicator compounds, such as BTEXN, but still heavily contaminated in terms of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH). The traditional indicator compound approach for managing petroleum contaminants may not fully identify short- and long-term potential environmental concerns, can create delays in project schedules and cost overages for sub-surface utility work or redevelopment. It is important to consider a comprehensive cumulative risk-based approach to more effectively incorporate TPH data in addition to traditional BTEXN data for cleanup and long-term management decisions.

The basis for this training course is the ITRC guidance: TPH Risk Evaluation at Petroleum-Contaminated Sites (TPHRisk-1, 2018). The guidance builds on long-standing and current research and experience, and presents the current science for evaluating TPH risk at petroleum-contaminated sites. The methods and procedures to evaluate human and ecological risk and establish cleanup requirements in the various media at petroleum release sites will assist decision makers in developing and implementing a technically defensible approach. In addition, the guidance provides information and supplemental references to assist practitioners and project managers in the assessment of fate, transport, exposure, and toxicity of TPH. The guidance users will also gain information that may be used in conjunction with classic tiered approaches for risk-based decision making (ASTM 2015b, ITRC Risk 3 2015), including modifications in the assessment and remedial-decision and regulatory framework for TPH impacts through direct comparison to screening levels, site-specific modification of screening levels, and complete site-specific risk assessment for sources, receptors, and pathways, where appropriate.

The target audience for this guidance and training course is:

• Regulators and Program Managers interested in knowing how site management decisions can influence the TPH risk evaluation process.
  
• Risk assessors new to TPH data or those who want additional knowledge and training in the current methods and common practices for collecting and using TPH data in assessments to more accurately determine human health and/or ecological risks at petroleum-contaminated sites.
  
• Stakeholders who are either engaged in redevelopment at former petroleum release sites or folks who are involved in community engagement and revitalization activities.

• Recognize the ITRC document as a go-to resource for evaluating TPH risk at petroleum-contaminated sites
  
• Recognize how TPH -impacted media interacts with the environment and changes over time
  
• Select appropriate analytic method(s) to match site objectives
  
• Apply the decision framework to determine when a site-specific target level may be more appropriate than a generic screening level for TPH

The Vapor Intrusion Mitigation training is a series of eight (8) modules, presented over two sessions.

The Vapor Intrusion Mitigation training series provides an overview of vapor intrusion mitigation and presenting information from the ITRC fact sheets, technology information sheets, and checklists (VIM-1, 2021):

Session 1:

• Introduction & Overview of Vapor Intrusion Mitigation Training Team
• Conceptual Site Models for Vapor Intrusion Mitigation
• Public Outreach During Vapor Intrusion Mitigation
• Rapid Response & Ventilation for Vapor Intrusion Mitigation
• Remediation & Institutional Controls

Session 2:

• Active Mitigation Approaches
• Passive Mitigation Approaches
• System Verification, OM&M, and Exit Strategies

When certain contaminants or hazardous substances are released into the soil or groundwater, they may volatilize into soil gas. Vapor intrusion (VI) occurs when these vapors migrate up into overlying buildings and contaminate indoor air. ITRC has previously released guidance documents focused on VI, including the "Vapor Intrusion Pathway: A Practical Guidance" (VI-1, 2007) and "Petroleum Vapor Intrusion: Fundamentals of Screening, Investigation, and Management" (PVI, 2014). However, ITRC has received multiple requests for additional details and training on mitigation strategies for addressing this exposure pathway.

The ITRC Vapor Intrusion Mitigation Team (VIMT) created ten fact sheets, 16 technology information sheets, and 4 checklists with the goal of assisting regulators during review of vapor intrusion mitigation systems, and helping contractors understand the essential elements of planning, design, implementation, and operation, maintenance and monitoring (OM&M) of mitigation systems.

• How to locate and utilize the VIM-1 fact sheets, technology information sheets, and checklists
• The importance of a VI mitigation conceptual site model
• How public outreach for VI mitigation differs from other environmental matters
• When to implement rapid response for vapor intrusion and applicable methodologies
• The differences between remediation, mitigation, and institutional controls
• Available technologies for active and passive mitigation, and design considerations for various approaches
• How/when/why different mitigation technologies are appropriate
• How to verify mitigation system success, address underperformance, and develop a plan for discontinuing a mitigation system

The Harmful Cyanobacteria Blooms (HCBs) training reviews key information found in the ITRC Guidance Document, Strategies for Preventing and Managing Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms.

Cyanobacteria are microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that occur naturally in all aquatic systems but most often in freshwater systems. Under certain conditions, cyanobacteria can multiply and become very abundant, discoloring the water throughout a water body or accumulating at the surface. These occurrences are known as blooms. Cyanobacteria may produce potent toxins (cyanotoxins) that pose a threat to human health. They can also harm wildlife and domestic animals, aquatic ecosystems, and local economies by disrupting drinking water systems and source waters, recreational uses, commercial and recreational fishing, and property values. It is likely that continued population growth, land use change, increases in nutrient inputs to our waterways, and the warming climate will favor proliferation of these problematic species. Providing a range of practical approaches to minimize these blooms and their likely societal and wildlife effects is critical to our future vitality, health, and economic prosperity.

The Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom training provides an overview of cyanobacteria and their management, covering five sections from the ITRC guidance document:

• Introduction to the Cyanobacteria (Section 3)
• Monitoring (Section 4)
• Communication and Response Planning (Section 5)
• Management and Control (Section 6)
• Nutrient Management (Section 7)

• The basic ecology and physiology of cyanobacteria, and the harmful effects they have on health, the environment, and local economies
• Common approaches to monitoring for cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, and how to build a monitoring program
• The importance of good communication and coordinated response during cyanobacteria blooms, and the elements of a good response plan
• Available options for in-lake management and control of cyanobacteria blooms
• Nutrient management options to reduce the likelihood of cyanobacteria blooms in your water body