Environmental Assessment
Volume B-5.4
Mine
Human and Ecological Health
Ambatovy Project
372
January 2006
human health, because no change will be induced by the project, and therefore
this topic was not assessed further.
Assessment Methods
The evaluations were conducted according to established risk assessment
methods endorsed by Health Canada (HC 2003) and the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA 1992) frameworks. The detailed
methodological approach as well as receptor parameters and toxicity reference
values are presented in the Human and Ecological Health Appendix (Volume K,
Appendix 4.2).
Impact Description Criteria
The assessment criteria used for interpreting impacts to human health is
presented in Table 5.4-2.
Table 5.4-2 Assessment Criteria for Evaluation of Human Health Effects
Resource
Direction
(a)
Magnitude
(b)
Geographic
Extent
(c)
Duration
(d)
Reversibility
(e)
Frequency
(f)
human
health
positive (
beneficial
in nature),
negative
(adverse
in nature), or
neutral
for the
measurement
endpoints
negligible
: HQ ≤0.2 and
ILCR ≤ 1x10
-5
or no change from
Baseline Case
low and likely to be
negligible
: 0.2>HQ≤10
and between 1x10
-5
a <
ILCR ≤1x10
-4
potentially elevated
:
HQ>10 and ILCR>1x10
-4
local
: effect
restricted to the
LSA
regional
: effect
extends beyond
the LSA into the
RSA
beyond
regional
:
effect extends
beyond the RSA
short-term
:
construction
medium-
term
:
operation
long-term
:
post-closure
reversible
or
irreversible
low
: occurs
once
medium
:
occurs
intermittently
high
: occurs
continuously
(a)
Direction: positive (beneficial to, or protective of health) or negative (adverse towards health).
(b)
Magnitude: degree of change to analysis endpoint: potential incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for carcinogenic
chemicals and hazard quotient (HQ) for carcinogenic chemicals.
(c)
Geographic Extent: area affected by the impact.
(d)
Duration: length of time over which the environmental effect occurs. Considers a three-year construction period and a 27-
year operations period.
(e)
Reversibility: effect on the resource (or resource capability) can or cannot be reversed.
(f)
Frequency: how often the environmental effect occurs.
LSA = local study area.
RSA = regional study area.
Results
Drinking Water Risk Results
Although cadmium and nickel were considered chemicals of potential concern in
drinking water during baseline investigations (See Section 5.4.3 Baseline
Summary) no incremental impact to human health from these metals is expected
