Terra Mentis Environmental Consulting

Scientific Environmental Services

• Risk Assessment
  • Assessment Protocols
  • Models and Objectives
  • Statistical Evaluations
  • Assessment and Parameters
  • Risk Characterization
• Risk Management

Scientific Environmental Services

• Risk Communications
  • Fundamentals

Industries

• Air Quality
• Explosives and Munitions
• Hazardous Waste
• Mining and Metals
• Petroleum
• Radionuclides
• Trash to Energy/Incineration
• Water Quality

Water Quality

Raytheon Aircraft Manufacturing, Boulder, CO: Prepared groundwater human health and ecological risk assessments for groundwater chemicals at a former rocket and missile manufacturing facility in Colorado.

• Prepared groundwater risk assessments for residential, commercial, and ecological exposure scenarios. Exposure pathways included groundwater consumption, showering, the inhalation of volatile compounds, and plant uptake of non-volatile COC
  
• Reduced data for multiple chemicals including solvents such as TCE and PCE and explosives such as ammonium perchlorate, RDX, HMX, and TNT to select chemical of concern
  
• These assessments were negotiated with EPA Region VIII to give clean up goals above the MCL

Lowry Air Force Base, Denver, CO: Provided expert review and input to a potentially responsible party on the clean up of chlorinated solvent contamination in groundwater.

• The review included review of air quality data, selection of chemicals of concern, recalculation of risks for PCE, TCE, and DCE in indoor air
  
• The report was reviewed by the CDPHE as part of the indoor air remediation plan for the base

Colorado Department of Transportation, Denver, CO: Responsible for risk assessment and toxicology activities for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Materials Testing Laboratory (MTL) over a 13 year period. This project was of high concern because area residents were actually exposed to chemical compounds migrating into homes and apartments from a potential underground source.

• Preparation of risk assessment work plans and the preparation of human health risk assessments for groundwater and indoor
  
• Reducing data for multiple chemicals from multiple groundwater wells to select chemicals of potential concern and develop exposure point concentrations
  
• Groundwater risk assessments were prepared for residential and commercial exposure scenarios. These assessments were negotiated to give clean up goals above the MCL and were approved by CDPHE
  
• Development of sampling and analysis plans for the collection of indoor air data at the appropriate risk-based detection limits
  
• Preparation of a community relations plan and attending public meetings as well as providing ongoing support to CDOT and the public when they had concerns or questions about clean up, health effects, or remediation

Raytheon Aircraft Manufacturing, Boulder, CO: Human health and ecological risk assessments for groundwater chemicals at a former rocket and missile manufacturing facility

• Reducing the groundwater risk assessments data for multiple chemicals including solvents such as TCE and PCE and explosives such as ammonium perchlorate, RDX, HMX, and TNT to select chemicals of concern
  
• Groundwater risk assessments were prepared for residential, commercial, and ecological exposure scenarios. Exposure pathways included groundwater consumption, showering, the inhalation of volatile compounds, and plant uptake of non-volatile COC
  
• Negotiated with EPA Region VIII to give clean up goals above the MCL

The Ensign-Bickford Company, Louviers, CO: Prepared risk assessment work plans and preliminary risk assessments for a former explosives manufacturing facility in Colorado.

• Preliminary groundwater risk assessments were for residential groundwater use and included the development of groundwater cleanup goals for explosives and their degradation byproducts
  
• Explosives included RDX, HMX, TNT and associated degradation products
  
• The risk assessment work plans were submitted to the CDPHE
  

ARCO Milltown Superfund Sediment Site, Milltown, MT: A unique, committee-driven, multi-million-dollar site investigation, risk assessment and cleanup feasibility for a National Priorities List site in Montana.

• Directed the development of site-specific sampling programs that included a river, a reservoir, soil and sediments, domestic residences, and gardens, and human biological samples
  
• The process was a unique committee-driven risk assessment process for the site with significant public involvement and risk communication
  
• Work products included the preparation of Work Plans, Sampling and Analysis Plans (SAPs), in addition to risk assessment and remedial investigation reports
  
• Extensive groundwater modeling and model results and data were used to prepare human health risk assessment for metals in groundwater. It also included surface water models and ecological risk assessment for surface water and sediments
  
• Extensive negotiations with the U.S. EPA and the Montana DHES, and conducted extensive public presentation work. Chemicals of concern included arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper, and zinc

Livingston Rail Yard, Livingston, MT: Provided risk assessment and toxicology support and guidance to consulting engineers on a state-led active railroad site that contained hazardous wastes, such as chlorinated solvents and diesel, in soil and groundwater.

• Worked with the PRP to determine the potential risk and liability associated with human exposures to groundwater and indoor air. Groundwater risk assessments included residential and industrial exposure, and ecological exposures at the groundwater-surface water interface
  
• High levels of TCE and PCE in groundwater were migrating into indoor air on- and off-site
  
• Attended numerous public and agency meetings and was involved in agency negotiations

Refineries

Former Chevron/Texaco Casper Refinery, Casper, WY: Working at the direction of Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) as the principal oversight contractor for all risk assessment aspects for the clean up at a RCRA sites owned by Chevron/Texaco. The units consisted of a former Refinery, a tank farm, and a section of the North Platte River running between these units.

• The risks associated with groundwater contamination were estimated independently for WDEQ to ensure that groundwater levels were protective for human health exposure
  
• Clean up levels were derived for thiophenol in groundwater based on toxicological studies found in the literature and EPA's method for the derivation of Reference Doses
  
• Included ecological risk assessment screening for selected receptors in surface water and wetlands

Former BP/AMOCA Refinery, Casper, WY: Working at the direction of WDEQ as the principal oversight contractor for all Risk Assessment aspects for the four large RCRA sites associated with the Former BP Amoco Refinery. The unit consisted of a 350-acre former Refinery, a 900-acre tank farm, the section of the North Platte River running between these units and a playa Soda Lake used as a sludge disposal area. Risk Assessment activities included: the development of Data Quality Objectives (DQO), designing sampling plans to meet the DQO for human health and ecological risk. Evaluated risk-based exposure areas for a site redevelopment plan and contractor prepared risk assessments. Indoor air work included the oversight of installation of soil vapor monitoring point for groundwater-to-indoor air attenuation studies in conjunction with Paul Johnson of Arizona. This work included the development of sampling and analysis plans, investigation oversight and the analysis of groundwater to indoor air pathway data for petroleum product beneath a residential neighborhood.

Sinclair Refineries, Casper and Sinclair, WY: Principal oversight contractor for risk assessment under Wyoming's Voluntary Remediation Program for the active Sinclair Refinery. Investigation and risk assessment oversight activities included:

• Screening of old data for DQOs
  
• Selecting of high priority areas of the refinery for further investigation and risk assessment. Also includes the review of investigation work plans and remedy negotiations
  
• It also included oversight of development of groundwater risk assessments for residential, commercial and ecological exposure

Exxon Refinery, Billings, MT: Developed risk assessments human health and ecological exposure in accordance with the scoping document and appropriate USEPA risk assessment guidance over a seven year period.

• Risk assessment activities included soil groundwater, surface water, air, and biota
  
• The risk assessment included the Exxon Fire Training Areas and various process areas
  
• The project has involved extensive negotiations with U.S. EPA Region VIII on behalf of the client
  

Industrial

Bia Mare, Romania, European Bank Consortium: Part of a five-member international team of experts sent to Romania to investigate the causes and potential adverse effects from a cyanide release at a gold recovery operation. The release was one of the largest in Europe and had environmental impacts through Romania, Hungary, and into the Black Sea.

• Evaluated groundwater, surface water, and fish tissue data to determine potential chemical concentrations and potential ecological and human health effects with time and with distance from the spill
  
• Investigated the scope of impact to human health and the environment due to free and metal-complexed cyanide

Old Demolition Area, Lone Star, TX: Served as primary risk assessment expert for the human health and ecological risk assessment at the Old Demolition Area, on the Lone Star base. The project involved the development of a risk assessment work plan and representing the plan to the Texas DNR, evaluating and reducing the data for the site, and preparing the human health and ecological risk assessment. Assisted the sampling team with the selection of sampling locations, sampling methods, and data quality objectives. The compounds of concern were primarily explosives (HMX, RDX, TNT, and associated degradation products) and metals. The work also included conducting a human health risk assessment for groundwater.

U.S. EPA Region VIII, Spanish Fork Site, UT: Former weapons manufacturing facility with elevated concentrations of RDX, HMX, and TNT in fruits and vegetables grown in soil and groundwater

• Prepared risk assessment on the potential exposure pathways. Modeling included root uptake, deposition, and ingestion modeling for adults and children
  
• Part of an ongoing site remediation

Red House, ACF Industries, St. Louis, MO: Consulted for excavation and disposal of dioxin-contaminated soil at a former rail road car tank washout area. Contaminated soil was removed by rail from West Virginia to Utah for disposal.

• Provided risk assessment expertise and developed risk assessment documents
  
• The risk assessment was for dioxins and difuran wastes and included the calculation of TCDD-toxic equivalents and congener specific risks
  
• Assessment was approved by the client, and by multiple EPA administrative regions, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  

Landfills

Paint Disposal Site, General Electric, Pittsburgh, PA: Risk assessment oversight guidance at a large PRP-led landfill investigation.

• Conducted a groundwater risk assessment for the COC for possible residential and commercial exposure
  
• Chemicals at the site included PCB manufactured by the client, metals, chlorinated and nonchlorinated solvents, and phthalates

Stoughton Landfill, Stoughton, WI: Project Manager and principal author of a risk assessment for a solid waste landfill in Wisconsin.

• Exposure media included soil, groundwater, and surface water, and exposure pathways included ingestion, dermal contact, inhalation, and biota
  
• Multi-pathway, multi-chemical human health risk assessment in compliance with RAGS and State of Wisconsin guidelines
  
• The site was found to have risks within the EPA acceptable risk range
  
• Involved extensive negotiations with the U.S. EPA and the State of Wisconsin

Neville Island Landfill, Pittsburgh, PA: A Superfund-listed hazardous waste site and landfill.

• The site contained in the soil and groundwater coal tar residues, cyanide, pesticides, dioxins, and volatile organic solvents
  
• Extensive data management, analysis, and risk assessment expertise to attorneys and client
  
• Developed work plans for risk assessment and remedial investigations at the site. Provided risk assessment guidance during negotiations with the U.S. EPA