MMSOILS

The Multimedia Contaminant Fate, Transport, and Exposure Model (MMSOILS) estimates the human exposure and health risk associated with releases of contamination from hazardous waste sites. The methodology consists of a multimedia model that addresses the transport of a chemical in groundwater, surface water, soil erosion, the atmosphere, and accumulation in the food chain. The human exposure pathways considered in the methodology include: soil ingestion, air inhalation of volatiles and particulates, dermal contact, ingestion of drinking water, consumption of fish, consumption of plants grown in contaminated soil, and consumption of animals grazing on contaminated pasture. For multimedia exposures, the methodology provides estimates of human exposure through individual pathways and combined exposure through all pathways considered. The risk associated with the total exposure dose is calculated based on chemical-specific toxicity data.

The methodology is intended for use as a screening tool. It is critical that the results are interpreted in the appropriate framework. The intended use of the exposure assessment tool is for screening and relative comparison of different waste sites, remediation activities, and hazard evaluation. The methodology can be used to provide an estimate of health risks for a specific site. Since the uncertainty of the estimated risk may be quite large (depending on the site characteristics and available data), MMSOILS addresses these uncertainties via Monte Carlo analysis.