This document describes the process used to derive a set of risk-based ecological soil screening levels (Eco-SSLs) for many of the soil contaminants that are frequently of ecological concern for plants and animals at hazardous waste sites and provides guidance for their use. The Eco-SSL derivation process represents the group effort of a multi-stakeholder workgroup consisting of federal, state, consulting, industry, and academic participants led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI).

Use the links below to read or download the document and attachments.  You may also download Appendix A: Background Soil Concentration Database(8 MB) in Excel spreadsheet format.

For additional information, see the Ecological Soil Screening Level site.

• Executive Summary (PDF)(5 pp, 121 K)
• Guidance for Developing Ecological Soil Screening Levels (PDF)(85 pp, 3 MB)
• Attachment 1-1: Review of Existing Soil Screening Guidelines (PDF)(91 pp, 625 K)
• Attachment 1-2: Discussion Concerning Soil Microbial Processes (PDF)(5 pp, 108 K)
• Attachment 1-3: Review of Dermal and Inhalation Exposure Pathway for Wildlife (PDF)(18 pp, 455 K)
• Attachment 1-4: Review of Background Concentrations for Metals (PDF)(31 pp, 270 K)
• Attachment 3-1: Standard Operating Procedure #1: Plant and Soil Invertebrate Literature Search and Acquisition (PDF)(64 pp, 389 K)
• Attachment 3-2: Standard Operating Procedure #2: Plant and Soil Invertebrate Literature Evaluation and Data Extraction, Eco-SSL Derivation, Quality Assurance Review, and Technical Write-up (PDF)(18 pp, 221 K)
• Attachment 4-1: Exposure Factors and Bioaccumulation Models for Derivation of Wildlife Eco-SSL (PDF)(111 pp, 1 MB)
• Attachment 4-2: Standard Operating Procedure #3: Wildlife TRV:Literature Search and Retrieval (PDF)(82 pp, 666 K)
• Attachment 4-3: Standard Operating Procedure #4: Wildlife TRV Literature Review, Data Extraction and Coding (PDF)(106 pp, 1 MB)
• Attachment 4-4: Standard Operating Procedure #5: Wildlife TRV Data Evaluation (PDF)(21 pp, 265 K)
• Attachment 4-5: Standard Operating Procedure #6: Wildlife TRV Derivation (PDF)(32 pp, 610 K)