CIV440

FINAL REVIEW SESSION

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND RISK ASSESSMENT

APRIL 11, 2022

PROF. SARAH R. HAINES

FINAL – APRIL 25, 2022 @2:00PM
• Time: 2:00PM - 4:30PM EST
• Room: GB 304
• 2 hours and 30 min allotted to complete midterm
• No books, notes, other materials allowed during exam
• Bring a calculator – non-programmable!

o Pay extra attention to topics on starred slides

2
PURPOSE OF AN EA
• Examines the potential environmental impacts of the development/projects
actions.
- To identify and evaluate the potential impacts of a proposed development
actions, proposing strategies for managing those impacts and ensuring
that development proceeds in manner in public interest.
- Short term – ensure environmental and socioeconomic factors are considered in
decision making
- Long term – one of several public policy tools to regulate development and
promote sustainable resources use.

3
WHO IS INVOLVED?
• Project Proponents - PROPONENTS
o Proposes the development, responsible for implementation,, operations, impact
management. Private, government, public-private groups

• Regulators/government authority - AGENCY

o Government or agency responsible for the EA and ensuring process occurs

• Decision makers - MINISTER

o Responsible elected minister such as minister of the environment, who weighs the
information and determines if it is in the public and environmental interest to proceed

• Affected interests – PUBLIC/INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

o Any group potentially affected by the proposed development. Indigenous governments and
communities, public, landowners, special interest groups.

• Practitioners - CONSULTANTS
o Consultants who carry out the technical analysis and compile the environmental impact
statement

4
IMPACT ASSESSMENT ACT (IAA, 2019)

Phase 4

Phase 1 Phase 3 Phase 5

Phase 2
So far in this class we have mainly focused on
Phase 1 and Phase 2

5
PHASE 1 – PLANNING (AKA SCREENING AND SCOPING)
• What types of projects are subject to an IAA?
o Projects on the Project List
• Know key projects such as Pipelines, Mining, Fossil Fuels, etc. that are on
project list
o Projects designated by Minister of Environment and Climate Change
that may not be on the list
o Projects on Federal lands and outside of Canada assessed by federal
authorities

6
SCREENING: WHO HAS JURISDICTION?
Project on federal land?
proposal Federal EIA
on IAA project list?

No

Screening
Is an EA/IA required
and if so what kind
and who has Yes
Provincial EIA
jurisdiction?

No

No EIA
required
7
LARGE PROJECTS MAY BE ASSESSED FEDERALLY AND
PROVINCIALLY
Project on federal land?
proposal on list?
Federal EIA

case-by-case

No Review
Panel
“Harmonization”
between both groups
on comprehensive list? Comprehensive
EA

No
on streamline list? Streamline EA

No EIA No
required EA
case-by-case
8
SCOPING SETS THE STAGE FOR THE EA
• Scoping identifies potential issues and parameters that
are of concern
o Focuses EA on relevant issues of concern
o What issues and parameters should be addressed in the EA?
o Considers cumulative effects, social impacts, health risks,
environmental impacts
• Determine possible alternatives that address the same
purpose and need of proposed project/activity

9
SCOPING SERVES IMPORTANT FUNCTION IN EA:
• Facilitate meaningful public/stakeholder engagement
o Identify public concerns and values
• Defining spatial and temporal boundaries
o How long will impacts take place, set physical boundaries
of where assessment will take place
• Focus EA on issues of concern, determine baselines
o Ensures key issues identified
o Reduces volume of unneeded data and information

10
EXAMPLE: SCOPING THE NORTHERN GATEWAY PROJECT

11
1) DESCRIBE THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT AND
NEED FOR PROJECT

12
2) CONSIDER ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROJECT

13
RAIL TRANSPORT OF OIL MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE…

Source: U.S. State Department 14

2) CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE ROUTES/LOCATIONS

15
3. IDENTIFY WHAT’S AT STAKE – VCS

16
BIOPHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT (NATURAL RESOURCES)

VALUED COMPONENTS

17
HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

18
PROPONENT SELECTS VALUED COMPONENTS
• VCs are aspects of environment, physical and human, that people value and
consider important
• How do you determine what should be considered a VC?
• Often depends on the project and the area in use
• Consider:
o Regulatory status

o Ecological importance

o Socio-economic importance

o Conservation concern

o Technical values and concerns

o Importance to legal compliance

o Discussions with stakeholders – public and Indigenous groups

19
VC INDICATORS – MEASURABLE
• The VC you select may not be inherently measurable
• Use a “VC indicator” to evaluate status or threat to VC
• Examples
• VC = water quality
o VC indicator is phosphorus concentration and invertebrate abundance
or drinking water quality

• VC = wildlife
o VC indicator is moose, black bear population, core habitat area

• VC = air quality
o VC indicator SO2 or NOx, Air pollutants

20
4) DELINEATE THE SPATIAL BOUNDARIES OF ASSESSMENT

21
4) DELINEATE THE TEMPORAL BOUNDARIES

22
4) DELINEATE THE JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES

23
… INCLUDING FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL REGULATIONS…

24
… AND INDIGENOUS TREATY RIGHTS

25
5) IDENTIFY THE STAKEHOLDERS

26
6) CONSULT WITH STAKEHOLDERS

27
7) CONDUCT BASELINE SURVEYS TO ASSESS:

• Effect of construction and routine

operation on the environment

• Effect on malfunctions and

accidents on the environment

• Effect of the project on society,

culture, and Indigenous people
28
BASELINE ASSESSMENT AND BASELINE SURVEYS

• Also known as - Retrospective assessment

o Consists of identification and analysis of condition over

space and time to determine change, trends, patterns or

limits to assist in impact assessment or monitoring activities

o Baseline assessment should includes current

conditions but also changes over time

29
TO DETERMINE IF WE NEED BASELINE
ASSESSMENT ASK:

1. Is the VC likely to be affected, directly or indirectly by project

activities?
2. Is information needed about the VC to support the assessment
of project impacts on another VC?

30
EVALUATING TRENDS IN VCS OVER SPACE/TIME

• 3 important questions to consider:

o What will help us make an informed decision about the
acceptability of project impacts?

o What background conditions influence the current

environment?

o What would the baseline environment be without this

project (if this project were not to occur)?

31
EXAMPLES OF BASELINE ASSESSMENTS:
• Think about assessments used in your case study project as well as you should
have a good grasp of the methods used in those studies

32
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE SURVEYS

33
THE EFFECT OF CONSTRUCTION ON
INDICATOR SPECIES

34
HABITAT SURVEYS

35
FISH SURVEYS

36
IMPACT PREDICTION
STEPS TO IMPACT PREDICTION
1. Identify Impacts
a) Biophysical or Human Impacts
b) Climate change
c) Cumulative impacts

2. Predict the impacts

3. Characterize predicted impact

38
1. IDENTIFY IMPACTS
• Impact of project to
environment –
biophysical and human
• Impacts of environment
on the project (climate
change)
• Cumulative impacts of
the project

39
IMPACTS:
• Air impacts
• Terrestrial impacts
• Water impacts
• Socio-economic impacts
• Infrastructure and service impacts
• Socio-cultural impacts

40
THINK ABOUT YOUR TUTORIAL PROJECT CASE STUDY

WHAT BIOPHYSICAL OR HUMAN IMPACTS WERE

PREDICTED?

IS THERE ANOTHER IMPACT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN

CONSIDERED?

OTHER IDEAS FOR IMPACTS TO CONSIDER?

Relating Back 41
OTHER IMPACTS TO CONSIDER:
• Impacts of the environment on the project
o Climate change

• Cumulative impacts on a project

42
CUMULATIVE EFFECTS
forestry/sedimentation

withdrawal

discharge manufacturing

sewage runoff

pharmaceuticals

nitrogen fertilizer

CUMULATIVE EFFECT
43
2. PREDICT THE IMPACTS
• HOW?
o Models and extrapolations

o Threshold Levels

o Existing information (analogue approach) - learning

from the past

o Expert Judgement

44
MODELS AND EXTRAPOLATIONS

• Balance Models
o Mass balance, box model – input and output
o EX/ Dispersion model
• Dispersion models – CALPUFF
• Watershed model

• Statistical Models
o Linear or Multivariate regression
• Spatial Models
o Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

2. Predict the impacts 45

THRESHOLD LEVEL PREDICTIONS

2. Predict the impacts SHELL CANADA LIMITED 46

THRESHOLDS MAY NOT CARRY MUCH WEIGHT
HOWEVER…

47
3. CHARACTERIZING PREDICTED IMPACTS
Order
o Direct effects: first order
• Flooding of land during construction of hydroelectric project has direct
effect on land availability.

o Indirect effects: resulting from change by direct effect

• Indirectly humans may be exposed to increased mercury levels from fish
exposed to increased levels

o Induced effects: resulting from spin-off activity that proponent may

have little control over
• All-season access road in remote community may create new economic
opportunities for the community and attract new business

48
3. CHARACTERIZING PREDICTED IMPACTS
Nature
o Incremental effects: marginal changes
• Forestry leads to incremental loss of habitat each year
o Additive effects: consequence of individual but separate actions
that may be minor but together create significant impact
• Multiple projects in an area remove forest cover then we could end up with
double the land clearing than was expected
o Synergistic effect : interaction between effects greater than sum
of individual effects
• Chemical A into a river from one project cause 10% fish mortality, chemical
B from another project into the same river also cause 10% fish mortality.
However, when chemical A combines with chemical B and interact they
cause 30% fish mortality

49
IMPACT SIGNIFICANCE
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SIGNIFICANCE DETERMINATION
• Significance determination is not solely scientific
• What is significant is subjective – based on values and perceptions
of different stakeholders
• What is significant in one place and time may not be in another
• Significant determination made on incomplete information under
uncertain conditions
• No standard method for significant determination
• Determining significant impact does not mean project will not go
through

51
ARE THERE LEGAL OR REGULATORY STANDARDS
IN PLACE?

• Impact is always significant if it exceeds a regulatory

threshold/standard

• However, even if an impact is below a regulatory

threshold/standard it may still be significant

52
HOW DO YOU DETERMINE SIGNIFICANCE?
• Technical Approach
• Collaborative Approach
• Reasoned Argumentation
• Composite Approach

53
TECHNICAL APPROACH

• Standardized Scale or quantifiable methods

o Cost benefit analysis
o Impact magnitude matrices (Leopold matrix)

o Multi criteria evaluation

• Issues with this approach?

o Arbitrary weighting schemes
o Qualitative scores

54
COLLABORATIVE APPROACH
• What is important should results from interactions
between interested or affected parties
• No defined threshold of criteria
o Judgement based on what is important, acceptable or limits of
acceptable change through consultation with public
• Open House, community forums, web-forums, interviews,
intervener funding
• Issues?
o Public concerns may not be always be the same as actual
environmental effects resulting from project actions

55
REASONED ARGUMENTATION
• Reasoned judgments supported by evidence
• Sift through information, data, perspectives and
expressed values to focus on matters of importance
• Flexible and responsive to context
• Issues?
o Not ensure that all scientific data and public values have
been given full consideration

56
COMPOSITE APPROACH
• Combines Technical, Collaborative and Argumentative
models
• Technical analysis supported by public consultation or
traditional knowledge systems which together comprise
reasonable argument for significance
• Examples of composite approaches:
o Range of Acceptability
o Decision Tree

57
RANGE OF ACCEPTABILITY

Acceptable condition Unacceptable condition

Mitigation

No Impact Catastrophic
No significant Significant Impact
impact impact

58
DECISION TREE FOR ACCEPTABILITY OF IMPACTS

Potential impact

What is the impact?

How important or significant is it?

Overall, is it?

Acceptable Manageable Unacceptable

With proponent’s With regulatory Redesign to Abandon in part

commitments controls remove or avoid or whole

59
SIGNIFICANCE DETERMINATION IS HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE

• Key Principles to remember:

• Transparency : make sure how decisions are made are clear
• Inclusiveness and diversity in how significance
determinations are made
o Diversify appraisal framework
o Range of dialogues and stakeholders

• Consideration of uncertainty -> especially in effectiveness of

proposed mitigation measures

60
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
• Who should be responsible for determining impact
significance?
• Are there certain criteria that would apply to practically
all proposed developments?
• What is the role of public in determining impact
significance?

61
FOLLOW UP AND MONITORING
TYPES OF MONITORING ACTIVITIES
• Compliance Monitoring
• Monitoring for Management
• Monitoring for Understanding

63
COMPLIANCE MONITORING
• Determine project compliance with regulations, mitigation
commitments, agreements, legislation/laws
• Means to ensure what proponents said would be done in their
Impact Statement is actually done

Quest Carbon Capture Storage – EA, 2010 64

EXAMPLES OF COMPLIANCE MONITORING
• Implementation monitoring: checking that operating procedures
are followed and commitments or conditions are met
• Regulatory permit monitoring: tracking conditions that may be
required for maintenance or renewal of a project permit.
o Is everything being followed correctly so that the permit can be renewed?

• Monitoring of agreements: these may be between project

proponent and impacted groups
o Impact benefit agreements and socio-economic agreements -> required
under Indigenous land claims

65
MONITORING SOCIO-ECONOMIC AGREEMENTS EXAMPLE: DIAVIK
DIAMOND MINE
• Located 300km northeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on island
• Started in 2003 – produced 110 million carats
• Proponent, Diavik, entered agreement with Governemnt of Northwest territories,
Tichio Government, Yellowknives Dene FN, the Lutsel K’e Dene FN, Kitikmeot
Inuit Association and North Slave Metis Alliance

Diavik.ca 2022 66
MONITORING FOR MANAGEMENT
• Confirm anticipated outcomes
• Verify effectiveness of mitigation strategies
• Alert of unanticipated outcomes
• Allows managers to measure projects management and
environmental progress to respond to adverse impact if needed
• Examples:
o Ambient environmental quality monitoring
o Effectiveness monitoring
o Cumulative effects monitoring

67
MONITORING FOR UNDERSTANDING
• Need to understanding relationship between human actions and
environmental/social systems
• Function to learn and gain insight for future management of
projects
• Experimental monitoring: science driven, generate knowledge
through research
• Monitoring for knowledge: data collection and reporting that may
take place long after impact occurs
o Insight for future projects

68
HOW DO WE PERFORM EFFECTIVE FOLLOW-UP
AND MONITORING ??

Current post-decision follow-up in Canada and other

countries is less than ideal
Need:
• Clearly defined programs and objectives
• Targeted approach to data collection
• Hypothesis-based or threshold-based approaches
• Effect/stress based monitoring
• Control sites/continuity in data collection
• Open data sharing (allows for others to learn from
previous data)
• Community engagement
69
EFFECTS-BASED MONITORING
• Focuses on the condition or performance of the receiving environment
• Measures change in indicators or early warning indicators that impact VCs
– assumes this is most effect way of assessing change

Under Canada’s Fisheries Act (1985) effects- based monitoring is required

“monitoring the depleting fish stocks, reducing pollution and ensuring proper
management and control of fisheries across Canada ”

70
CONTROL-IMPACT MONITORING

Scenario A

Upstream control site

Indicator response
True Impact?
downstream
Yes or No?
exposure site
Project

Before After

71
CONTROL-IMPACT MONITORING

Scenario C

Upstream control site

Indicator response
True Impact?
downstream
Yes or No?
exposure site
Project

Before After

Menti.com code:9725 5383 72

OPEN DATA AND DATA SHARING
• EA monitoring data should be made available to the public -> this
is not often the case

Murray et al 2018 73
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
• Meaningful engagement with community is key
• Lots of good intentions -> not much follow through normally
• May involve communities but there is limited influence over EA follow-up
o Exception: Wood Buffalo Environmental Association

• When you are working in this field remember that this is critical for good follow-
up and monitoring.

74
CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ASSESSMENT
VALUED COMPONENT CENTERED APPROACH

76
PROJECT- OR ACTIVITY CENTERED APPROACH

77
WHICH METHOD WOULD BE BEST TO EXAMINE
CUMULATIVE EFFECTS?

• Project- or activity centered approach?

• Valued component centered approach?

Why???
78
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KNOWN
CHALLENGES TO CONDUCTING
CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ASSESSMENTS?

79
CHALLENGES TO CONDUCTING CEA
1. Context of CEA in different jurisdictions
o Federal IAA -> CEA is framed in project based reviews
o Moving to Regional Assessments should help
2. Projects are concerned with impacts of the project itself
o “non-significance” even though small incremental impacts may add
up
3. Thresholds – defined in-terms of project not overall effects on
environment
4. CEA is about the future and future impacts
5. Assumptions and collaboration in CEA

80
INDIGENOUS-LED ASSESSMENT

Laura Tanguay Lecture

MODELS FOR INDIGENOUS-LED IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

• Co-managed (with the crown)

• Co-developed (with the proponents)

• Independent
82
CO-MANAGED (WITH THE CROWN – AKA THE AGENCY)
• Good starting point to acquire experience and
know how to eventually adopt independent model
• Final power to greenlight project is with the crown
not communities

Tlicho project (N.W.T) 83

CO-DEVELOPED (WITH THE PROPONENTS)
• Good starting point to acquire
experience and know how to
eventually adopt independent model
• Saves time/resources by using
existing indigenous knowledge
• Chance of future litigation against
proponent reduced
• Location and timing of consultation
set by proponents
Glencore with Inuit nickel mine (Sivumut)
• Final power is with the crown not
communities
84
INDEPENDENT

• Power to consent
resides with indigenous
communities
• Several litigation
avenues to hold
proponents accountable
• Costly for community
Squamish nation – Woodfibre LNG

85
DUTY TO CONSULT
• “The duty to consult and, where appropriate, accommodate
Indigenous peoples, requires that federal and provincial governments
have a dialogue with Indigenous groups about contemplated
government actions or decisions that might have a negative impact
on Indigenous and treaty rights.”
• Consent during consultation is not a requirement however
• Does not give Indigenous people power to veto project

86
ENGAGEMENT WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN EA IS
DIFFERENT FROM “DUTY TO CONSULT”

• Government (Agency) holds

dusty to consult – not the
Proponent
• In both consultation and duty to
consult however:
o Rights, interest and values of
Indigenous peoples should be
better accounted

https://certificate.queenslaw.ca/blog/what-is-the-duty-to-consult

87
WHAT IS INDIGENOUS AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE?

• “A cumulative body of knowledge, practice, and

belief evolving by adaptive process and handed
down through generations by cultural transmission
about relationships between living beings with one
another and their environment”

88
CHALLENGES TO INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT
• Misaligned expectations about the scope and intent of EA
o Land based use beyond scope of single project
• Limited financial and human resource capacity
o Victor Mine Example
• Participation Fatigue in Resource-intense development region
o Mackenzie Valley
o Ring of Fire

89
RING OF FIRE EXAMPLE

90
EVALUATING NEEDS AND
ALTERNATIVES IN EA

Richard Hendriks Lecture

A. Hydroelectricity in Canada
 Hydroelectricity
Weir/Dam
Intake
Canal
Forebay
Penstock
Powerhouse
Tailrace
Spillway

Storage Pumped Storage Run-of-river

93
 Storage Hydroelectric
Muskrat
Parameter Site C Keeyask
Falls
Capacity 1132 MW 695 MW 824 MW
Annual Energy 5.1 TWh/y 4.8 TWh/y 4.9 TWh/y
River Peace Nelson Churchill
Reservoir 95 km2 93 km2 101 km2
On-line 2024 2021 2020
Proponent BC Hydro Manitoba Hydro Nalcor Energy

94
 Site C Project
Panel’s Reflections
“Someday, a growing B.C. economy will need another 5 TWh of energy.
The question is when. For a number of reasons set out in the text, the
Panel cannot conclude that the power of Site C is needed on the schedule
presented. A second question is what alternatives may be available when
that day comes.” (p.308)

Site C Joint Review Panel

95
 Environmental Effects: Site C
Project Significant Effects Significant Effects
Site C Project
Lower Churchill Project (inc. Muskrat Falls)
20
6
 Substantial flooding
New Prosperity Mine Project 5  Altered hydrology
Jackpine (Oilsands) Mine Expansion Project
Pacific Northwest LNG
5
3
 Aquatic, terrestrial and
Cheviot Coal Project 2
riparian effects
Encana Shallow Gas Infill Development 2  Land use and cultural
Kemess North 2 implications
LNG Canada 1
Northern Gateway 1  How to account for
White Pines Quarry 1 these?

96
 Muskrat Falls Project
Concluding Thoughts on the Final Project Decision

“If the financial review and alternatives assessments recommended by the Panel were to
show that there are alternative ways of meeting the electricity demands of the Island
over the medium term in a manner that is economically viable and environmentally and
socially responsible, the Project should likely not be permitted to proceed for purposes of
meeting Island demand. This is critical for the Muskrat Falls facility, because meeting
Island demand has been put forward as its main justification.” (p.278)

Lower Churchill Joint Review Panel

97
 Muskrat Falls
Commission of Inquiry Respecting the Muskrat Falls Project

“The Government of Newfoundland failed to ensure that all viable

options for the production of electricity for residents on the Island of
Newfoundland were appropriately considered and assessed prior to its
decision to proceed with the Project.” (p.45)

Muskrat Falls: A Misguided Project

98
 Reflection
We will move towards sustainability in the development of our
energy resources in Canada when …

… we have elected officials / independent boards make final

decisions whether to develop large-scale energy projects.

What do you think?

99
C. Evaluating Need and Alternatives
 “Purpose of” and “Need for”
 Purpose: what is to be achieved by carrying out the project
 Need:
 the problem or opportunity that the project is intending to solve or satisfy
 establishes the fundamental justification or rationale for the project
 Need and purpose:
 are established from the perspective of the project proponent
 provide the context for the consideration of alternatives

101
 “Alternatives to” vs. “Alternative means”

Alternatives to:
 functionally different ways to meet the project need and achieve the project
purpose
 established in relation to the project need and purpose from the perspective of
the proponent
 serve to validate (or not) that the preferred alternative is a reasonable
approach to meeting need and purpose

102
 “Alternatives to” vs. “Alternative means”

Alternatives means:
 the various technically and economically feasible ways the preferred project
can be implemented or carried out
 could include alternative:
 locations, sizes, and materials
 routes and methods of development
 implementation procedures
 mitigation or monitoring measures

103
Alternatives to the Site C Project
Resource Options
Demand-side Options Supply-side Options
 Energy-focused  Other hydroelectric
 5 conservation options  Run of river, pumped storage,
 Capacity-focused renewals
 Load curtailment  Biomass
 Demand response  Wind (onshore, offshore)
 Time of use pricing  Geothermal
 Solar, etc.

104
Alternatives to the Site C Project
Demand-side Management
 Most affordable option
 Savings difference between options:
 more than all the energy from Site C
 nearly all the capacity from Site C
 instead “moderated DSM spending”

105
 Alternatives to the Site C Project
Resource Attributes
Technical Financial Environmental Economic
 Annual Energy  Capital cost  Land  GDP
 Installed  O&M cost  Freshwater  Employment
Capacity  Taxes  Marine  Government
 Firm Energy  NPV  Atmosphere revenues
 Dependable  Project life  GHGs
Capacity  Lead time

106
ERA AND HHRA
ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT
• What is the probability that the environment (VCs) may
be impacted as a result of an environmental stressor
o Chemical exposure
o Land use

o Invasive species

o Pollution

108
ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT USED TO:
• Predict likelihood of future effects
o Prospective

• Evaluate likelihood that observed effects are caused by past or ongoing

exposure to specific stressors
o Retrospective

• Examples:
o Regulate hazardous waste/industrial chemicals/pesticides
o Manage watersheds
o Protect ecological components from chemical, physical and biological
stressors

109
MAINLY ASKING:

WHAT IS THE PROBABILITY THAT THIS STRESSOR/TOXIN WILL

SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT AN ECOLOGICAL COMPONENT (VC)

110
HUMAN HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT (HHRA)

• Used in assessment of major resources and infrastructure

projects in Canada

Health Canada, 2019 111

CANADIAN HUMAN HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT (HHRA)

1 2 3 4
Problem Formulation Exposure Toxicity Assessment Risk Characterization
Assessment
Identify all major identifying the potential quantification of the
factors to be Estimate the toxic effects of COPCs estimated risks
considered in risk concentration of and selecting or resulting from exposure
assessment each COPC* to developing toxicity to COPCs predicted as
which individuals reference values a result of activities
may be exposed (TRVs) from a proposed project

*COPC =
contaminant of
potential concern
Health Canada, 2019

112
EXPOSURE ROUTES

Ingestion Inhalation Dermal

113
https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/exposureassessment/exposureassessment3.html
THRESHOLD CHEMICALS – NON-CARCINOGENIC

• For threshold chemicals TRV is the daily dose (DD)

deemed “tolerable/acceptable”
o There is threshold where you can be exposed to this toxin and
there is not a negative effect
o You can be exposed to “a little” toxin and there should not be an
effect

Know Your Meme

Threshold Chemicals 114

THRESHOLD CHEMICALS – NON-CARCINOGENIC
• TRV is the daily dose (DD) deemed “tolerable/acceptable”
o There is threshold where you can be exposed to this toxin and
there is not a negative effect
• Oral
o Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) or reference doses (RfDs)

o mg/kg(bodyweight)-day

• Inhalation
o Reference concentrations (RfC) or Tolerable concentration

(TC) (depending on document/agency)

• Continuous inhalation exposure
o mg/m3

Threshold Chemicals 115

WHERE DO TRVS COME FROM? DOSE – RESPONSE CURVES

Toxicity

Threshold Chemicals 116

DOSE- RESPONSE CURVES
• NOAEL: no observed adverse effect level
o Highest dose at which there was not an observed toxic/adverse effect

• LOAEL: lowest observed adverse effect level

o Lowest dose at which there was an observed toxic/adverse effect

• LD50 : Lethal dose – amount of material given at once which causes 50% (half) of
the animals tested to die
o This testing often done on rats and mice

• POD: point on a dose response curve established from experimental or observed

data that corresponds to low effect or no-effect level
• These are all coming from experimental data or toxicology studies

Threshold Chemicals 117

DOSE-RESPONSE CURVE FOR THRESHOLD CHEMICALS

Dose – response curve

Threshold Chemicals 118

HAZARD QUOTIENT

Get a unitless value!

OR - Dose is what we
calculate
- TDI and TC are
TRVs taken from
spreadsheet

Threshold Chemicals 119

THRESHOLD CHEMICALS – NON-CARCINOGENIC
• HQ – Hazard Quotient
o HQ <1 deemed acceptable exposure IF all potential exposure
media and pathways are considered

o HQ < 0.2 is deemed acceptable exposure IF you are only

estimating daily intake related to the project
• This is if you do not calculate all background exposures as well

• You should be calculating all of the exposure pathway risks

o In an exam this would be stated as to whether the dose relates to
all potential exposure media and pathways or not

Threshold Chemicals 120

NON-THRESHOLD CHEMICALS – NORMALLY CARCINOGENS

• Any exposure is harmful, some level of risk/adverse side

effect to any level of exposure >0
o TRV is referred to as the:
• Oral:
o Slope factor (SF) for exposure dose
• Upper bound increased cancer risk from lifetime exposure to chemical
• mg/kg - day

• Inhalation:
o Unit risk (UR) for exposure concentration
• Air or sometimes water
• Upper-bound incremental lifetime cancer risk from continuous
exposure to agent in concentration of ug/m3 air

Non-threshold Chemicals 121

LOW EXPOSURE LEVELS CANNOT BE MEASURED
DIRECTLY
• Most human exposures
to carcinogens occur at
levels far below those
risk that may be
directly measured
• For non-threshold Slope factor
chemicals (aka determined by the
carcinogens) we can slope of the line (this
only guess about the used to be called
shape of the dose- potency)
response curve in the
range below our data

Non-threshold Chemicals 122

 INCREMENTAL LIFETIME CANCER RISK (ILCR)
• Only exposures from project activities are considered
when determining ILCR

OR

Acceptable level ILCR ≤ 1 X 10-5

Anything > 1 X 10-5 should be more closely examined

Non-threshold Chemicals 123

HOW DO WE CALCULATE DOSE?
• BASIC EQUATION:

C = concentration of contaminant
IR = ingestion rate (kg/d) or inhalation rate (m3/day)
RAF = relative absorption factor (unitless – this is normally 1, not always needed)
EF = exposure frequency (days/year – for carcinogens only)
ED = exposure duration (total years exposed – for carcinogens only)
BW = body weight
LE = life expectancy 70 years X 365d/y (carcinogens only)

124
HUMAN RECEPTOR
ASSUMPTIONS

125
PRACTICE WE DIDN’T DO IN CLASS –
CANCER INGESTION (GO THROUGH OTHER EXAMPLES ON YOUR OWN)

• A federal site has been contaminated with arsenic.

Concentration of arsenic in soil is 1.2 mg/kg. We want to
calculate the dose of a teenager exposed to this site for 8
years over their lifetime.

• You must determine if the dose is above or below the

allowable risk determined by TRV

126
2. WHAT DO WE KNOW?
• C = 1.2 mg/kg
• Ingestion rate IR = 0.00002 kg/day
• BW= 59.7 kg
• RAF = assume 1
• EF = 365 days/year
• ED = 8 years
• LE = 70 years at 365day/year

127
3. CALCULATE AND CHECK UNITS

128
NOT ACCEPTABLE RISK

𝒎𝒈 𝑚𝑔 1
𝐷𝑜𝑠𝑒=𝟎 .𝟕𝟔 𝐼𝐿𝐶𝑅=𝐷𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑋 𝑆𝐹 = 3 ∗
𝒌𝒈 − 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑚 𝑚𝑔
( )
−𝟏
𝒎𝒈 3
𝑺𝑭 =𝟏 .𝟖 𝑚
𝒌𝒈 −𝒅𝒂𝒚

( )
−𝟏
𝒎𝒈 𝒎𝒈
𝐼𝐿𝐶𝑅=𝟎. 𝟕𝟔 𝑥 𝟏. 𝟖 =𝟏.𝟑𝟔
𝒌𝒈− 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒌𝒈− 𝒅𝒂𝒚
Acceptable if ILCR <

>

129
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

130
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LCA AND IA/EA?
• Impact or Environmental Assessment (IA/EA)
o A regulatory process for assessing the environmental impacts of a
proposed project, including the risk of accidents

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

o A method for assessing environmental impacts at each stage in the
life cycle of a product, including the impacts of all inputs

131
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LCA?
• Used to address environmental aspects and potential impacts (on
environment) throughout the life cycle of a product
o Raw materials acquisition
o Production
o Recycling
o Final disposal (cradle – grave)

• Can be used for many products from your water bottle to building
materials to gasoline extracted form oil sands

132
OFTEN USED:
• To compare existing products or production systems
o which has a greater environmental impact?

• To evaluate emerging products or production systems

o Is the impact lower? Is it worth the added cost?

• To determine whether and how to extend life cycles

o Is the impact lower? Is it worth the added cost?

133
WHO USES LCA?
• Policy makers
o infrastructure projects, fuel standards

• Manufacturers/retailers
o design of products, selection of packaging

• Marketers and certifiers

o labelling, certification

134
LCA IN PUBLIC POLICY
• Legislative and regulatory frameworks
o Codes of regulations, laws, standards

• Governmental procurement policies

o Public procurement of goods, services and construction using LCA in deciding things
at different government levels

• Financial support
o Governments fund LCA by private actors or LCA is completed in collaboration with
other groups

• Strategic guidance
o LCA in high level government strategy documents, action plans

135
4 STEPS TO LCA
4.
1.
1. Goal and scope definition
2. Inventory analysis
3. Impact assessment 2.

4. Interpretation of results

3.
• These are outlined in
ISO 144044:2006/AMD 2:2020 Environmental Manag
ement – Life cycle assessment Standards

136
QUESTIONS???

137
QUESTIONS???

138