This guide provides an overview of two different assessments commonly performed at hazardous waste sites. These are the risk assessment and the public health assessments; both are required for all sites – commonly referred to as “Superfund” sites – listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National Priorities List (NPL).

How should the community use the information about risk?

The risk assessment helps answer these three questions for people who might be exposed to hazards at a site:

1. Under what circumstances might I and my family and neighbors be exposed to hazardous substances at this site?

2. Is it possible that we might be exposed to hazardous substances at levels higher than those determined to be safe?

3. If the levels of hazardous substances are higher than regulatory standards, how low do the levels have to be for the risk to fall within regulatory standards?

Communities can participate in EPA risk assessments by helping to identify areas of environmental concern and by identifying local behavior patterns that might put people at risk. An example might be to identify areas where children often play, or a pond or stream where people swim and fish.

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