Principal Toxicologist
Expertise:
Toxicology/Risk Assessment
Regulatory Case Closure Strategies
Litigation Support/Expert Witness
Dr. Arulanantham has more than 15 years of experience in developing public policies surrounding environmental compliance for land use and water quality issues.
As the first toxicologist for the California State Regional Water Quality Control Boards, he provided expertise and leadership in expanding the application of risk assessment and risk management to the areas of policy development, case review, and staff training. In addition, he provided critical review and regulatory oversight of more than 500 multimedia risk assessments throughout California, involving a wide range of chemicals and exposure scenarios.
Since 1993, Dr. Arulanantham has been the principal instructor for U.S. EPA/Cal-EPA-sponsored training courses on risk-based decision making at petroleum-impacted sites. These courses have attracted more than 2,000 regulators, consultants, and responsible parties throughout the state, significantly affecting consultants’ and regulators’ movement toward accepting risk-based findings as a component of site closure decision making. From 1999 – 2001 Dr. Arulanantham provided state regulators nationwide with training on investigation and remediation of MTBE-impacted sites as part of the U.S. EPA’s effort to provide technical resources to successfully manage these sites.
During his tenure at CAL-EPA, he was the only regulator in the country certified by the ASTM as a national trainer for both the Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA) program and the Remediation by Natural Attenuation (RNA) standard and has trained more than 1,000 regulators, consultants, and responsible parties in more than 20 states. He has given numerous invited lectures on risk-based decision making to a range of audiences and has been nationally acknowledged as an expert on this subject.
Dr. Arulanantham has participated in several Brownfields projects in California and has published widely on this subject. He has been the principal coordinator and Regional Water Quality Board representative assisting the City of Emeryville in implementing their innovative Brownfields pilot project, which received a 1999 Global Bangemann Challenge award from the Swedish Government. He is also presently the technical director to the newly formed (2005) National Brownfields Association (NBA), Northern California Chapter. In addition, he has conducted a multi-phase investigation and remediation and regulatory approval for a former oil field property in Southern California for a large residential development (over 200 single-family homes, community center, and day care center).
Dr. Arulanantham’s has also acted as expert consultant on MtBE release litigation, San Francisco, California and provided expert written opinion on the toxicity of pre and post MtBE containing gasoline. He also was an expert consultant on a chlorinated solvent release litigation, San Diego, California; acted as testifying expert on crude oil pipeline, crude oil storage, and transfer facility release litigation in Southern California, and testified on a litigation matter involving a metal recycling facility in California. Provided expert report on hazardous waste classification, sampling protocols, and risk to human health
Highlights of Dr. Arulanantham’s work from 1993 - 2002 while at CAL-EPA includes:
- Presented more than 100 invited lectures on subjects such as toxicology, risk assessment, public health policy, Brownfields redevelopment, institutional controls, and long-term stewardship of residual contaminants to various academic, trade, manufacturing, insurance, and other professional organizations in California.
- Presented more than 25 invited lectures on similar topics to various national and international organizations in other states.
- Invited twice by the National Academy of Sciences to make presentations and recommendations regarding improving the groundwater cleanup dilemma faced by all the stakeholders.
- Served as peer reviewer for the Journal of Soil Contamination (published by the Association for the Environmental Health of Soils) and the International Journal of Environmental Forensics.
- Represented the state’s Water Quality Control Board on the Governor’s committee responsible for improving risk assessment methodologies in California.
- Represented California on the Institutional Controls Task Force at U.S. EPA headquarters.
Education:
- Post-Doctoral Research Scientist, Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 1989
- Ph.D. Physiology and Biochemistry, Fulbright Scholar, University of California, Berkeley, 1988
- M.S., Physiology and Biochemistry, Fulbright Scholar, University of California, Berkeley, 1985
- B.Sc. Biological Sciences, University of Sri Lanka, 1980
Affiliations:
- President, Society of Risk Analysis, Northern California Chapter, 2002
- Member, ASTM (E 50.04) Committee on Activity and Use Limitations (Institutional Controls)
- Instructor, American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), 1996 to present
- Instructor, University of California Extension, Riverside, 1995 to present
- Visiting Lecturer, Graduate Program in Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1992 to present
- Visiting Fellow, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Environmental Restoration Program, 2001 to present
- Instructor, Licensed Site Professionals Association of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1998 to present