A materials (or mass) balance approach for contaminants of public health and/or environmental concern is used to determine the presence, fate and transport of contaminants in the environment. The materials balance approach, a fundamental principle of science, engineering, and industrial research and risk analysis, is familiar to professionals trained in the physical or life sciences and engineering. The use of a materials balance approach provides a technique to describe the environment as it is today and as it might be under conditions resulting from remedial actions or from changes in the way society produces, uses, and disposes of chemicals of environmental concern. It also provides a rational and fundamental basis for asking specific questions and for obtaining specific information, which is necessary for determining fate and transport of contaminants, selecting and evaluating remedial treatment options, and monitoring treatment effectiveness.

The determination or construction...