CEA Risk Management & Environmental Impact 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which risk assessment methodology uses a matrix combining likelihood and consequence ratings to prioritize environmental risks?
- Fault Tree Analysis
- Risk Ranking Matrix (Correct answer)
- Monte Carlo Simulation
- Bowtie Analysis
Correct answer: Risk Ranking Matrix
A Risk Ranking Matrix plots likelihood against consequence severity to assign priority scores, enabling auditors to focus on high-risk environmental issues first.
Question 2: Under RCRA, which characteristic makes a solid waste a hazardous waste due to its potential to cause an explosion or fire?
- Toxicity
- Corrosivity
- Ignitability (Correct answer)
- Reactivity
Correct answer: Ignitability
Ignitability (D001) is the RCRA characteristic applied to wastes that can catch fire under standard conditions, posing fire and explosion risks.
Question 3: An environmental auditor identifies that stormwater runoff from an industrial site is discharging to a wetland without an NPDES permit. What is the FIRST corrective action priority?
- Prepare a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan
- Cease or control the discharge and notify the regulatory agency (Correct answer)
- Conduct a wetland delineation study
- Install secondary containment around all storage tanks
Correct answer: Cease or control the discharge and notify the regulatory agency
Stopping an unpermitted discharge and notifying regulators is the immediate legal obligation to prevent ongoing Clean Water Act violations and demonstrate good faith.
Question 4: Which concept describes the maximum concentration of a pollutant in air that a healthy adult can be exposed to for a lifetime without appreciable health risk?
- Reference Dose (RfD)
- No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL)
- Inhalation Unit Risk (IUR)
- Reference Concentration (RfC) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Reference Concentration (RfC)
The Reference Concentration (RfC) is EPA's estimate of a continuous inhalation exposure level likely to be without risk of deleterious effects over a lifetime.
Question 5: A brownfield site risk assessment reveals arsenic soil concentrations above residential but below commercial screening levels. What risk management option is MOST appropriate if the site will become a parking lot?
- Full excavation and off-site disposal
- Institutional controls limiting residential use
- No action required since concentrations are below commercial levels (Correct answer)
- Pump-and-treat groundwater remediation
Correct answer: No action required since concentrations are below commercial levels
If concentrations fall below the applicable commercial/industrial screening level for the intended land use, the risk is considered acceptable and no remediation is required.
Question 6: Which document formally establishes the legal obligations for cleanup of a Superfund site and is enforceable against responsible parties?
- Record of Decision (ROD)
- Consent Decree (Correct answer)
- Remedial Investigation Report
- Feasibility Study
Correct answer: Consent Decree
A Consent Decree is a court-approved agreement under CERCLA that legally binds responsible parties to perform or fund site cleanup.
Question 7: When performing a Tier 2 ecological risk assessment, what is the primary purpose of the exposure-response relationship?
- To set cleanup standards based on human health benchmarks
- To quantify the probability and magnitude of adverse effects at measured exposure levels (Correct answer)
- To determine the source of contamination through forensic chemistry
- To calculate the total mass of contaminants present in the ecosystem
Correct answer: To quantify the probability and magnitude of adverse effects at measured exposure levels
Exposure-response relationships link measured or predicted contaminant concentrations to the likelihood and severity of harmful ecological effects.
CEA Risk Management & Environmental Impact 2
Which risk assessment methodology uses a matrix combining likelihood and consequence ratings to prioritize environmental risks?