Microplastics (MP) are ubiquitous in our environment and pose one of the biggest emerging threats to the global environmental community. The science surrounding MP, their potential health effects, and knowledge of their fate and transport is very new and ongoing, with research articles being published at a rapidly accelerating rate. Even techniques and best practices for sample collection and analysis of these tiny particles and fibers are still very much evolving. ITRC's Microplastics Team has synthesized the available information on MP into a single comprehensive guidance document.

ITRC's Hydrocarbons Training Team (Effective Application of Guidance Documents for Hydrocarbons Sites) has developed new tools and training to address data gaps that occur from reviewing multiple source files on this topic. This training site builds upon the information presented in three popular ITRC Guidance Documents: Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (LNAPL), Petroleum Vapor Intrusion (PVI), and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) Risk Evaluation. 

There is a greater need to store, manage, and interpret environmental data for effective decision-making in today's ever-more complicated world, and the demand for accurate, reliable, and accessible data from state regulatory agencies and other organizations is only expected to grow. ITRC's Environmental Data Management Best Practices guidance documents are designed specifically for state, tribal, and federal environmental staff, as well as others (including stakeholders, project managers, and decision-makers), to gain a working knowledge of best practices for environmental data management (EDM). The document was developed by a team of over 400 environmental practitioners drawn from state and federal government, academia, industry, environmental consulting, and public interest groups.

These Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) online resources include Fact Sheets, Subtopic Sheets, Checklists, Case Studies, Interactive Tools, and Supporting Documents prepared by the Environmental Data Management Best Practices (EDMBP) Team. Links within the online document help the reader locate interrelated topics. The web-based nature of this document lends itself to updating key information in this continually evolving subject.

#EnvironmentalDataManagement

Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms (HCBs) are complex ecological phenomenon that can occur where cyanobacteria proliferate and dominate aquatic ecosystems including lakes, streams, rivers, reservoirs, ponds, and freshwater-influenced estuaries. They serve as vibrant hubs for recreation, tourism, and local identity. Human activities can influence and alter their natural ecological equilibrium. Freshwater inland lakes and reservoirs supply approximately 70% of our nation’s drinking water and industry withdrawals.

HCBs can occur in many parts of a water body. Planktonic HCBs occur when cyanobacteria dominate the water column (pelagic zones) of water bodies. In addition to being suspended in the open water, some cyanobacterial species grow attached to surfaces in a water body. These attached cyanobacteria can grow at the bottom of a water body (benthic zone) but may also be found nearer to the surface growing on submerged vegetation or woody debris.

A companion to ITRC's first Harmful Cyanobacterial Blooms document (HCB-1), this brand-new Benthic Harmful Cyanobacteria Blooms (HCB-2) document dives into the unique challenges in evaluating and communicating the public health and environmental risks of Benthic HCBs, and provides insight into contemporary best management practices for dealing with these harmful toxic blooms.

Although some state and federal agencies and other entities have guidance documents regarding soil background, there is not one comprehensive and widely accepted guidance document that summarizes the state of the science on this topic. This ITRC guidance document is intended to fill the gap by providing a comprehensive defensible framework for establishing and using soil background in risk assessments. It focuses on the process of establishing defensible background concentrations of naturally occurring or anthropogenic ambient chemicals to be used for risk assessment at contaminated sites.
#Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soil
#SoilBackgroundandRiskAssessment

2021-04-28

(SRR-1)

Sustainable Resilient Remediation (SRR) is an optimized solution to cleaning up and reusing a hazardous waste site that limits negative environmental impacts, maximizes social and economic benefits, and creates resilience against increasing threats. The objective of this SRR guidance is to provide resources for regulators, stakeholders, consultants and responsible parties to help integrate sustainability and resilience practices into remediation projects.

2021-03-01

(HCB-1)

Cyanobacteria are microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that are found naturally in all aquatic environments. Under certain conditions, cyanobacteria can multiply and become very abundant, discoloring the water throughout a water body or accumulating at the surface; these occurrences are known as blooms. This ITRC guidance discusses key aspects of harmful cyanobacterial blooms management that waterbody managers and other interested parties should consider as they respond to these events.

2020-12-01

(VIM-1)

Technical Resources for Vapor Intrusion Mitigation (VIM) is designed to aid state regulators in understanding various mitigation strategies, how they are installed and fundamentally work, and what factors to consider as part of the review process. This document is intended to guide regulators and project managers through the critical elements of selection, design, implementation, and operation of VIM.

2020-10-27

(ISM-1-Clarifications)

An updated ITRC guidance (ISM-2) was developed and posted in the fall of 2020. The ISM-2 Update Team clarified inappropriate or inconsistent information in ISM-1 is as seen in the attached statement.  Please review this document before downloading the ISM-1 PDF.

2020-10-27

(ISM-2)

This updated Incremental Sampling Methodology (ISM-2) web-based document builds upon the 2012 version (ISM-1) and reflects advancements in technology in the ensuing eight years.  ISM-type investigation methods have evolved, and regulators have gained more experience in the application of ISM in the field and in the laboratory. The original 2009 survey of regulators and industry environmental experts was updated with current information on ISM practices to measure progress and understand what obstacles are still being encountered.

This document is formatted as a website that is not meant to be printed. You can access the web document at any time from the ITRC website or you can bookmark the link. If you would like to print, please enter the document website and then use the "Print" button to print. Some of the web-based documents allow you to print either the entire document or a subsection.

The updated document includes multiple examples of site scenarios for DU designation and the collection of ISM samples under different field conditions. A separate section on the use of ISM investigation methods to support human health and ecological risk assessments has been added and the simulations in the original appendices have been updated and include a recent study on Student t and Chebyshev discussion of UCL. Current case studies are summarized to provide insight into the potential applications, benefits, and challenges of the approach from recent sites.