ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the need for the development of a structured and informed analytic process in the setting of risk management policy and the making of risk management decisions. It explores how the use of generic soil cleanup numbers that are not site-specific may forestall the development and maturation of such a process. Risk management at the state level would benefit greatly from a statewide risk assessment process and risk management policy. The concept of setting risk management goals in the context of concentration criteria is most applicable to air and water, since generalizations about exposure pathways can be made. The best application for generic soil cleanup numbers would appear to be in the case of those sites involving limited numbers of chemicals, area of contamination, and exposure pathways. Applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements do represent an additional consideration within the risk management process, along with factors such as cost and feasibility.
