Environmental Hazards & Risk Assessment Flashcards
7 cards from real Environmental Compliance Inspector practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Environmental Hazards & Risk Assessment flashcards as text
A Superfund site uses 'institutional controls' as part of its remedy. Which of the following is an example of an institutional control?
Answer: Recording a deed restriction prohibiting residential use of contaminated land
Deed restrictions are legal institutional controls that limit land use (e.g., prohibiting residential development) to reduce exposure when contamination remains on-site.
Under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom/GHS), a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Section 2 provides what information?
Answer: Hazard identification including GHS classification and signal words
SDS Section 2 covers hazard identification, including the GHS classification, signal word (Danger/Warning), hazard statements, and precautionary statements.
When conducting an environmental justice review of a proposed industrial facility, which factor is MOST important to evaluate?
Answer: Whether the facility is disproportionately siting near low-income or minority communities already bearing higher pollution burdens
Environmental justice analysis examines whether vulnerable or minority communities face cumulative disproportionate environmental burdens from the proposed project plus existing sources.
Which of the following contaminants is specifically regulated under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Section 302 due to its potential for acute hazards?
Answer: Anhydrous ammonia stored above threshold planning quantities
Anhydrous ammonia is an Extremely Hazardous Substance (EHS) under EPCRA Section 302; facilities storing it above threshold planning quantities must notify Local Emergency Planning Committees.
A risk assessor is evaluating a site near an industrial facility and finds that multiple contaminants are present. How should the risks from multiple carcinogens typically be combined?
Answer: Individual cancer risks are added together to calculate total cancer risk
EPA guidance states that individual cancer risks from multiple independent carcinogens should be summed to determine total site cancer risk, assuming dose additivity.
An inspector is reviewing sampling data and notices that many results are reported as 'non-detect' (ND). Which approach is commonly used to handle non-detects in risk calculations?
Answer: Substitute one-half the detection limit for statistical calculations
Using one-half the detection limit (or similar substitution methods) for non-detects is a common conservative approach that acknowledges the chemical may be present below analytical detection thresholds.
Which regulatory threshold defines when a facility must immediately notify the National Response Center (NRC) after a hazardous substance release under CERCLA Section 103?
Answer: A release that equals or exceeds the reportable quantity (RQ) of a hazardous substance
CERCLA Section 103 requires facilities to notify the NRC whenever a release equals or exceeds the EPA-established reportable quantity for that hazardous substance.