Site Characterization Feedback

It is recommended that this tool should be used by a qualified statistician from your project team. Site characterization involves collecting environmental data to evaluate the nature and extent of contamination. Environmental data could consist of chemical analyses of soil, water or air samples. Typically site characterization data are statistically evaluated for two decision endpoints of interest: background comparisons; and, risk assessment. This SMARTe tool offers standard statistical methods for performing background comparisons and supporting risk assessment.

Background comparisons are used to determine if site chemical concentrations are greater than background levels. These comparisons are appropriate for naturally occurring chemicals and for some chemicals that occur because of anthropogenic activities. The comparisons assume that comparable data are available from the project site and from some appropriate background locations. This SMARTe tool provides some statistical analysis capabilities that can be used to support background comparison decisions. These include exploratory data analyses and some Classical two-sample statistical hypothesis tests. Both parametric and non-parametric tests are offered. Upper tolerance limits are also offered to characterize the background data.

Statistical support for risk assessment involves estimating concentration source terms for use in human health or ecological risk assessment, or performing Classical one-sample statistical tests to determine if the site concentration data are greater or less than a risk threshold concentration. This SMARTe tool provides some statistical analysis capabilities that can be used to support human health or ecological risk assessment. These include exploratory data analysis, spatial plots, confidence limits, and some Classical one-sample statistical hypothesis tests. Both parametric and non-parametric tests are offered

It is the responsibility of the user to ensure that the data are formatted appropriately, and to ensure that the data were collected using a sampling scheme that meets the requirements or assumptions of the statistical methods herein. The 'Upload your data' option includes a description of an appropriate data file format that could be used. Subsets of the data may be obtained using the panel and group variables, so that individual chemicals or sites can be evaluated.