Past activities at the site, such as wood treating, metal plating, dry cleaning, or waste disposal may have left hazardous substances in the buildings or soil. In many cases, these substances have moved into the ground water, surface water, or air. Every time you come into contact with these substances you face some risk.
Risk assessment is the process of estimating how dangerous a particular situation is.
Superfund s risk assessors seek to determine whether the hazardous substances at a site present a danger to you and your family. They also do separate studies to evaluate threats to the environment. Therefore it is important that they have as much information about the site as possible. You and other people who live and work near the site may have important knowledge and insights to share that can help the risk assessors. Your involvement is useful throughout the risk assessment, but it is most helpful early in the process.