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BASELINE HUMAN HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT: GRAND CALUMET RIVER/INDIANA HARBOR CANAL, INDIANA, AREA OF CONCERN

BY
JUDY L. CRANE
AScI CORPORATION
ATHENS, GEORGIA 30605

PROJECT OFFICER
ROBERT B. AMBROSE, JR.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORY
ATHENS, GEORGIA 30613

ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABORATORY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
ATHENS, GEORGIA 30613

ABSTRACT

The Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sediments (ARCS) program, a 5-year study and demonstration project relating to the control and removal of contaminanted sediments from the Great Lakes, is being coordinated and conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO). As part of the ARCS program, baseline human health risk assessments are being performed at five Areas of Concern (AOCs) in the Great Lakes region. The Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal (GCR/IHC), located in northwestern Indiana, is one of these AOCs.

In this report, exposure and risk assessment guidelines, developed for the EPA Superfund program, have been applied to determine the baseline human health risks associated with direct and indirect exposures to sediment-derived contaminants in the severely degraded GCR/IHC AOC. These risks were estimated for noncarcinogenic (e.g., reproductive toxicity, teratogenicity, liver toxicity) and carcinogenic (i.e., probability of an individual developing cancer over a lifetime) effects under different exposure scenarios.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • DISCLAIMER
  • PREFACE
  • FOREWORD
  • ABSTRACT
  • LIST OF FIGURES
  • LIST OF TABLES
  • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
    • 1.1 OVERVIEW
    • 1.2 EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT
    • 1.3 RISK ASSESSMENT
      • 1.3.1 Determination of Risk
      • 1.3.2 Dermal Exposure Risk Estimates
      • 1.3.3 Fish Consumption Risk Estimates
      • 1.3.4 Uncertainties

  2. INTRODUCTION

  3. GRAND CALUMET RIVER/INDIANA HARBOR CANAL AREA OF CONCERN
    • 3.1 INTRODUCTION
    • 3.2 GRAND CALUMET RIVER BASIN
      • 3.2.1 Environmental Setting
      • 3.2.2 Grand Calumet River
      • 3.2.3 Indiana Harbor Canal
      • 3.2.4 Indiana Harbor
    • 3.3 WATER QUALITY STANDARDS
    • 3.4 OVERVIEW OF CONTAMINATION PROBLEMS
    • 3.5 LAND USE PATTERNS
    • 3.6 DRINKING WATER INTAKES
    • 3.7 CONTAMINATION OF FISH
      • 3.7.1 Routes of Contamination
      • 3.7.2 Fish Advisories

  4. RISK ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK
    • 4.1 CONCEPT OF RISK
    • 4.2 RISK FRAMEWORK

  5. EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT
    • 5.1 OVERVIEW
    • 5.2 EXPOSURE PATHWAYS
      • 5.2.1 Incomplete Exposure Pathways
      • 5.2.2 Complete Exposure Pathways
        • 5.2.2.1 Complete Exposure Pathways in the Grand Calumet River
        • 5.2.2.2 Complete Exposure Pathways in the Indiana Harbor
    • 5.3 DATA USED IN THE EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT
      • 5.3.1 Sources of Data Reports
      • 5.3.2 Data Review
      • 5.3.3 Data Used
        • 5.3.3.1 Porewater Data
        • 5.3.3.2 Water Column Data
        • 5.3.3.3 Fish Data
    • 5.4 EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT
      • 5.4.1 General Determination of Chemical Intakes
      • 5.4.2 Intakes: Ingestion of Contaminated Fish
      • 5.4.3 Intakes: Dermal Contact with Surface Water
      • 5.4.4 Intakes: Dermal Contact with Sediments

  6. TOXICITY ASSESSMENT
    • 6.1 TOXICITY VALUES
    • 6.2 LIMITATIONS

  7. BASELINE RISK CHARACTERIZATION FOR THE GRAND CALUMET RIVER/INDIANA HARBOR CANAL AREA OF CONCERN
    • 7.1 PURPOSE OF THE RISK CHARACTERIZATION STEP
    • 7.2 QUANTIFYING RISKS
      • 7.2.1 Determination of Noncarcinogenic Risks
      • 7.2.2 Determination of Carcinogenic Effects
    • 7.3 HUMAN HEALTH RISKS IN THE GRAND CALUMET RIVER
      • 7.3.1 Dermal Exposure to Surface Water
      • 7.3.2 Dermal Exposure to Sediments
      • 7.3.3 Ingestion of Contaminated Fish
        • 7.3.3.1 Noncarcinogenic Effects
        • 7.3.3.2 Carcinogenic Effects
    • 7.4 HUMAN HEALTH RISKS IN INDIANA HARBOR
      • 7.4.1 Noncarcinogenic Effects from Consuming Fish
      • 7.4.2 Carcinogenic Effects from Consuming Fish

  8. CHARACTERIZATION OF QUALITATIVE UNCERTAINTIES
    • 8.1 INTRODUCTION
    • 8.2 QUALITATIVE LIST OF UNCERTAINTIES
      • 8.2.1 Data Compilation and Evaluation
      • 8.2.2 Exposure Assessment
      • 8.2.3 Toxicity Values
      • 8.2.4 Risk Characterization
    • 8.3 SUMMARY
  • REFERENCES
  • APPENDIX A: Fish Data for the Grand Calumet River and Indiana Harbor Canal
  • APPENDIX B: Human Toxicity Estimates for Contaminants Present in the Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal Area of Concern
  • APPENDIX C: Dermal Exposure Estimates at Other Sites Along the Grand Calumet River

LIST OF FIGURES

  • 2.1 Map of ARCS priority Areas of Concern (USEPA, 1991b)
  • 3.1 Grand Calumet River/Indiana Harbor Canal Area of Concern (IDEM, 1991)
  • 3.2 Location of point source discharges (HydroQual, 1986)
  • 3.3 Composite of all sampling in the GCR/IHC AOC from 1972 to 1989 ,li>3.4 Major land uses in the Area of Concern
  • 4.1 Components of the baseline human health risk assessments
  • 5.1 Location of potential exposure areas along the Grand Calumet River
  • 5.2 Location of Roxana Marsh

LIST OF TABLES

  • 1.1 Amount of Fish Assumed to be Consumed per Person per Day from the Grand Calumet River for each Exposure Scenario
  • 1.2 Results of the Dermal Exposure Assessment to the 7 to 17 Years Old Age Group at Roxana Pond
  • 1.3 Summary of Noncarcinogenic and Carcinogenic Risks Resulting from Fish Consumption in the GCR/IHC AOC
  • 5.1 Potential Pathways in the GCR/IHC AOC
  • 5.2 Complete Exposure Pathways in the GCR/IHC AOC
  • 5.3 Sediment Porewater and Surface Water Chemical Concentrations used in the Dermal Exposure Assessment
  • 5.4 Sampling Information for GCR/IHC Fish Species
  • 5.5 Generic Equation for Calculating Chemical Intakes (USEPA, 1989a)
  • 5.6 Equation Used to Estimate Contaminant Intakes Due to the Ingestion of Fish
  • 5.7 Parameters Used to Estimate Contaminant Intakes Resulting from the Consumption of Contaminated Fish from the GCR/IHC AOC
  • 5.8 Equation for Estimating Absorbed Doses of Contaminants due to Dermal Contact with Chemicals in the Sediment Porewater or Surface Water
  • 5.9 Parameter Values Used in Estimating the Absorbed Dose due to Dermal Contact with Chemicals in the Surface Water while Wading in Roxana Pond
  • 5.10 Estimated Permeability Constants (Kp) for Chemicals Used in the Dermal Exposure Assessment
  • 5.11 Parameter Values Used in Estimating the Absorbed Dose due to Dermal Contact with Chemicals in the Sediment Porewater while Wading in Roxana Pond
  • 6.1 EPA Weight-of-Evidence Classification System for Carcinogenicity (USEPA, 1989a)
  • 6.2 Human Health Risk Toxicity Data for Chemicals of Interest in the GCR/IHC Area of Concern
  • 7.1 Risk Associated with Dermal Exposure to Contaminated Surface Water, Typical Exposure, 7 to 17 Years Old Age Group
  • 7.2 Risk Associated with Dermal Exposure to Surface Water, Reasonable Maximum Exposure, 7 to 17 Years Old Age Group
  • 7.3 Risk Associated with Dermal Exposure to Contaminated Sediments, Typical Exposure, 7 to 17 Years Old Age Group
  • 7.4 Risk Associated with Dermal Exposure to Contaminated Sediments, Reasonable Maximum Exposure, 7 to 17 Years Old Age Group
  • 7.5 Noncarcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Whole Pumpkinseed Collected from the Grand Calumet River (7/8/87)
  • 7.6 Noncarcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Whole Golden Shiners Collected from the Grand Calumet River (7/8/87)
  • 7.7 Noncarcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Whole Carp Collected from the Grand Calumet River (11/18/87)
  • 7.8 Noncarcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Skin- on- Fillet Carp Collected from the Indiana Harbor Canal (11/1/88)
  • 7.9 Noncarcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Whole Carp Collected from the Indiana Harbor Canal (11/18/87)
  • 7.10 Carcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Whole Pumpkinseed Collected from the Grand Calumet River (7/8/87)
  • 7.11 Carcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Whole Golden Shiners Collected from the Grand Calumet River (7/8/87)
  • 7.12 Carcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Whole Carp Collected from the Grand Calumet River (11/18/87)
  • 7.13 Carcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Skin-on- Fillet Carp Collected from the Indiana Harbor Canal (11/1/88)
  • 7.14 Carcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Whole Carp Collected from the Indiana Harbor Canal (11/18/87)
  • 7.15 Noncarcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming a Mixture of Indiana Harbor Fish Excluding Carp
  • 7.16 Noncarcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Indiana Harbor Carp
  • 7.17 Noncarcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Nearshore Lake Michigan Fish
  • 7.18 Carcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming a Mixture of Indiana Harbor Fish Excluding Carp
  • 7.19 Carcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Indiana Harbor Carp
  • 7.20 Carcinogenic Risks Associated with Consuming Nearshore Lake Michigan Fish
  • 7.21 Summary of Noncarcinogenic and Carcinogenic Risks Resulting from Fish Consumption in the GCR/IHC AOC

 
 
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