Background Level

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-002631",
  "term": "Background Level",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. 1. The concentration of a substance in an environmental media (air, water, or soil) that occurs naturally or is not the result of human activities.\n\n2. 2. In exposure assessment the concentration of a substance in a defined control area, during a fixed period of time before, during, or after a data-gathering operation.\n\n3. In toxic substances monitoring, the average presence of a substance in the environment, originally referring to naturally occurring phenomena.\n\n4. The concentration of a substance in an environmental media (air, water, or soil) that occurs naturally or is not the result of human activities.\n\n5. In exposure assessment, the concentration of a substance in a defined control area, during a fixed period of time before, during, or after a data-gathering operation.\n\n6. The concentration of a hazardous substance that provides a defensible reference point with which to evaluate whether or not a release from the site has occurred. The background level should be reflective of the concentration of the hazardous substance in the medium of concern for the environmental setting on or near a site. Background level does not necessarily represent pre - release conditions, nor conditions in the absence of influence from source(s) at the site. Background level may or may not be less than the detection limit, but if it is greater than the detection limit, it should account for variability in local concentrations. Background level need not be established by chemical analysis.",
  "subject": "Land, waste and cleanup",
  "references": [
    "RCRA Glossary of Terms",
    "Drinking Water Technical & Legal Terms",
    "Terms of Environment",
    "Hazard Ranking System Glossary"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/background-level/"
}