A metal finishing facility is located on the bank of the fictional Flowing River in a fictional Country XYZ.

Conduct a complete risk assessment using the following fictional exposure scenario:

A metal finishing facility is located on the bank of the fictional Flowing River in a fictional Country XYZ. Liquid waste from the plating operations pours from a discharge pipe directly into the river in conjunction with the operating schedule (The facility runs 24 hours per day, 7 days per week). Additional information on the plant operations, such as the rate of production and the content of the liquid waste, is not available. The River flows directly through the community of Rivertown, which is a short distance downstream of the plating facility. Water from the river is used by the residents of Rivertown for drinking, cooking, and bathing. Preliminary research by the official Rivertown Department of Environmental Health (RDEH) has identified chromium as a by-product of chrome plating operations. To address public health concerns, RDEH undertakes an evaluation of the potential health risks of chromium releases into the Flowing River. 

Your risk assessment (at a minimum) should answer the following questions:

Hazard Identification 

1. What is the identity of the chemical of concern? Are there any other hazards that may be present in the effluent as a result of the plating process?

2. Is the chemical of concern potentially hazardous to humans?

3. What properties of the chemical have the potential to cause adverse health effects? 

4. Do health-based guidance or guideline values from local and/or international organizations exist for this chemical?

5. What assumptions about exposure and dose are incorporated into the chemical’s guideline/reference values?

6. Do those assumptions reflect conditions specific to the local situation?

Exposure Assessment

7. In what ways could people come into contact with the chemical?

8. How much exposure is likely to occur?

9. How long is exposure likely to occur?

10. What metric of exposure is appropriate for characterizing health risks?

11.. What sampling strategy would you use to assess exposure?

Risk Characterization

12. Estimate the exposure. How do the values calculated compare with reference/guidance values?

13. Does this exposure scenario pose a risk to the residents in Country XYZ?

14. How would you recommend mitigating the potential exposures in this town?