What are sensitive receptors?

• A. Trees and shrubs located on the property.
• B. Parking lots and driveways.
• C. Buildings with gas appliances.
• D. Storm drains, nearby bodies of water, drinking water wells, or curb breaks where regulated substances could enter the environment.

Answer: (D)

Sensitive receptors are places or systems that could be affected by pollutants, serving as the endpoints where contamination can cause harm to people or the environment. In spill and environmental protection contexts, the focus is on where regulated substances could travel to and impact water quality or human health. That’s why storm drains, nearby bodies of water, drinking water wells, and curb breaks are identified as sensitive receptors—their exposure to pollutants would have direct environmental or public-health consequences.

Trees and shrubs are vegetation, not the exposure points regulators worry about for this scenario. Parking lots and driveways are surfaces that runoff flows across; they’re part of the pathway, not the receptor itself. Buildings with gas appliances may be potential sources of hazards, but they are not the receptors that would be affected by a contaminant entering the environment.