PARENT SESSION
PW4 - Uranbization Impacts & Issues
Wednesday, 20 November 2002
8:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Exhibit Hall
(P758) Development of an integrated ecological and human risk assessment model for urban areas.
Jones-Otazo, Heather*,1, Archbold, Josephine1, Diamond, Miriam1, 1 University of Toronto, Department of Geography, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT- A screening-level, predictive, integrated risk assessment model, that is intended to support decision-making, was developed in order to estimate potential health risks from chemical contaminants in a timely and resource-efficient manner. The model is generic insofar that it accounts for risks from multiple contaminants, multiple endpoints, multiple exposure routes, multiple receptors and life stages, and temporal trends, and incorporates multiple risk characterization techniques summed up using a weight-of-evidence approach. Contaminants considered by the model include semi-volatile organic compounds (SOCs) and metals, while receptors include wildlife, plants and humans. The model is comprised of both exposure and risk modules that are coupled to a fugacity/aquivalence-based fate and transport model that predicts multimedia contaminant concentrations in urban environments. Exposure estimates are made for wildlife and humans using tools such as species specific intake rates, order-based allometric equations, and mechanistically derived bio-concentration factors. Risk module parameters are linked to a geographic information system (GIS) for a visual display of spatially referenced risk outcomes. The model integrates human and ecological receptors into one framework. Results from a case study performed for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are presented to illustrate aspects of the model.
Key words: risk, exposure , urban , screening-level