Risk assessments prepared by ETSI professionals have been instrumental in reducing the stigma associated with real or perceived contamination. For example, industrial facilities and properties with a history of hazardous materials use and storage are often severely undervalued because of imprecise or incomplete contaminant characterization. The "cost to cure" for such properties may exceed their market value. ETSI professionals have used risk assessments as a vehicle to present the actual facts in cases where the actual or perceived presence of environmental contaminants is responsible for stigmatizing a property. The risk assessments are designed to present all the relevant site-specific, technical and scientific facts associated with the contaminants in an effort to counteract the negative emotions that are associated with the real or perceived presence of contaminants at a site.

ETSI can review site pertinent data and conduct very simple to complex risk assessments to determine the potential risks posed by a site. ETSI professionals can also review site relevant data to detect potential data gaps existing in the due diligence documentation for a site. By having an expert and realistic evaluation of the potential environmental risks posed by a site as well as an accurate idea of the existing data gaps, buyers and sellers can negotiate agreements that comprise the full scope of the environmental impact on the property.

Direction

ETSI's services are directed toward:

• Safeguarding human health and the environment
• Identifying and quantifying hazards from potentially toxic chemicals
• Facilitating complete and economical compliance with appropriate regulations
• Helping minimize liabilities associated with hazardous materials and real state transactions
• Providing accurate information to respond to community and regulatory concerns.

ETSI professionals routinely employ risk assessment as an integral component of difficult closure projects and as cost-effective alternatives to conventional "dig-and-haul" approaches. Doing so has allowed many of ETSI's clients to reach clean closure in situations where other consultants failed. Not only has this saved ETSI clients money in the short term, it has also reduced the long-term liability they might otherwise have faced.

Liability Assessment

ETSI professionals use risk assessment methodologies to assess the potential environmental liabilities that buyers and sellers of real estate assume as part of a property transaction. ETSI has considerable experience conducting human and ecological risk assessments, indoor air quality assessments and dose reconstruction studies. ETSI professionals have conducted these studies in support of real state transactions. The studies have been conducted in either a screening or detailed assessment format. In addition, ETSI professionals use risk assessment methodology to:

• Assess possible environmental impacts and health hazards that may result from the manufacture, storage, use or disposal of chemical substances at a property, and
• To determine the long-term liability associated with current conditions at the property.

If a potential hazard exists, ETSI can recommend risk management measures to mitigate the hazards or limit liability for the parties involved in the transaction.

Toxicological Resource

ETSI toxicologists specialize in human, occupational and environmental toxicology. In addition, ETSI has on-line access to many chemical and toxicological computer database systems that allow immediate retrieval and/or downloading of scientific data and information.

Availability and access to a broad spectrum of current and state-of-the-art information systems allows ETSI to provide rapid response to inquiries raised by our clients. Inquiries span the fields of chemistry and toxicology, including human health and ecological risk assessment, industrial hygiene, generation of material safety data sheets (MSDS), expert witness testimony, chemical physical and chemical properties, regulatory compliance, transportation requirements and labeling, and hazardous waste management.

The environmental awareness of property owners and developers is certainly growing. This growing environmental awareness has created an increasing demand for "no risk" and "no further action" documentation in real state transactions. ETSI professionals have used risk assessments to:

• Obtain "no further action" letters from regulatory agencies;
• To set acceptable cleanup levels for contaminated property; and,
• To demonstrate that remediated properties do not represent a health risk to its occupants and their neighbors.