Assessment of medical care costs of injuries due to alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes

The purpose of this study was to estimate the total medical care costs of individuals injured in motor vehicle crashes and in crashes where alcohol was involved. Crashes were studied that involved 2,728 vehicle occupants and 191 pedestrians with injuries as reported in 1979 by the National Accident Sampling System, a probability sample of all motor vehicle crashes occurring in the united States. Medical care costs were assigned by using Abbreviated Injury Scale codes in accordance with other published research. Determination of alcohol involvement was based on crash characteristics. Results indicate that 20.2 % of medical care costs for motor vehicle crash injuries may be due to crashes where alcohol was involved. It was estimated that alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes cost between $434 million and $483 million in medical care alone in the United States in 1979.     

Simultaneous treatment of PVC and oyster-shell wastes by mechanochemical means

This work presents a new process for dechlorinating poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) by the use of oyster-shell waste. The process consists of milling of PVC waste with oyster-shell waste, followed by washing the milled sample with water. The milling of PVC and oyster-shell mixture results in size reduction and rupture in bonds, leading to mechanically induced reactions between the two to form CaCl2 and hydrocarbon with C=C bonds. Washing the milled mixtures with water at room temperature allows complete removal of chlorine from the milled sample. More than 95% of chlorine in PVC was removed when 2h grinding is conducted for the mixture. The present process could offer a potential route to the handling and disposal of oyster-shell and PVC wastes.     

Estimation of Cumulative Frequency Distribution for Carbon Monoxide Concentration from Wind-Speed Data, in Buenos Aires (Argentina)

In this article we apply and test a methodology to estimate cumulative frequency distribution for air pollutant concentration from wind-speed data. We use the inverse relationship after Simpson et al. (Atmospheric Environment, 19, 75–82, 1985) between the opposing percentile values in the statistical distributions for air pollutant concentrations and wind-speed data. This relationship is valid, irrespective of the statistical distributions of both variables, if an inverse relationship between them is also applicable. The available data are five years of 8-h average carbon monoxide concentration and 8-h mean wind-speed, observed in Buenos Aires (Argentina). The performance of the obtained empirical expressions in estimating cumulative frequency distributions for 8-h CO is statistically evaluated. The results show that it is possible to obtain an acceptable cumulative frequency distribution for 8-h CO concentration at the site if the cumulative frequency distribution for wind-speed is known. Q–Q plots show a good agreement between estimated and observed values. From our data, the mean relative error of the estimations was found to be as much as 8.0%.     

Treatment of chromium plating process effluents with ion exchange resins.

The surface treatment industry deals with various heavy metals, including the elements Cr, Zn, Ni, Cd, and Cu. Conventional treatments of effluents generate class I solid residue. The aim of this investigation was to study the viability of ion exchange as an alternative process for treatment of rinse water and to determine the efficacy of two ion exchange systems, System 1: "strong" cationic resin-"strong" anionic resin and System 2: "strong" cationic resin-"weak" anionic resin. Commercial resins and solutions taken from rinse tanks of chromium plating companies were used in this investigation. A two-column system, one for the cationic resin and another for the anionic resin, both with 150 ml capacity was mounted. The solution was percolated at a rate of 10 ml/min. The following solutions were used for regeneration of the resins: 2% H2SO4 for the cationic and 4% NaOH for the anionic. The percolated solutions revealed chromium contents of less than 0.25 mg/l, independent of the system used. The "strong" cationic resin-"weak" anionic resin gave excellent regeneration results. The "strong" cationic-"strong" anionic resin presented problems during regeneration, and did not release the retained ions after percolation of 2000 ml of 4% NaOH solution. It is concluded that for this type of treatment, the system composed of "strong" cationic resin and "weak" anionic resin is more appropriate.     

Thermal treatment and non-thermal technologies for remediation of manufactured gas plant sites

More than 1500 manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites exist throughout the U.S. Many are contaminated with coal tar from coal-fueled gas works which produced ‘town gas’ from the mid-1800s through the 1950s.^1,2 Virtually all old U.S. cities have such sites. Most are in downtown areas as they were installed for central distribution of manufactured gas. While a few sites are CERCLA/Superfund, most are not. However, the contaminants and methods used for remediation are similar to those used for Superfund clean-ups of coal tar contamination from wood-treating and coke oven facilities. Clean-up of sites is triggered by regulatory pressure, property transfers and re-development as well as releases to the environment — in particular, via groundwater migration. Due to utility de-regulation, site clean-ups may also be triggered by sale of a utility or of a specific utility site to other utilities. Utilities have used two approaches in dealing with their MGP sites. The first is ‘do nothing and hope for the best’. History suggests that, sooner or later, these sites become a bigger problem via a release, citizen lawsuit or regulatory/public service commission intervention. The second, far better approach is to define the problem now and make plans for waste treatment or immobilization. This paper describes recent experience with a high capacity/low cost thermal desorption process for this waste and reviews non-thermal technology, such as bio-treatment, capping, recycling, and dig and haul. Cost data is provided for all technologies, and a case study for thermal treatment is also presented.     

Industrial facility deactivation: A proactive approach for reducing costs and liabilities

For both private corporations and military branches, downsizing and consolidation are becoming more commonplace. A range of environmental concerns must be addressed to effectively implement a consolidation program. A facility deactivation program can often become a minefield for an organization. Responsible personnel are typically inexperienced with the process, and this can lead to costly mistakes. This article provides insight into this topic based on experience gained with a multifacility program and related environmental issues. It emphasizes the importance of detailed, up-front, proactive project planning; a solid program management system; and accurate identification of project objectives and deliverables.     

Estimation of odor emission rate from landfill areas using the sniffing team method

The monitoring of the odor annoyance generated by a landfill area is difficult, since it is a multi-area-sources problem, with a discontinuous odor emission. This paper proposes an adaptation of the method of sniffing team campaigns to the particular case of fresh waste odors. The method is based on the field determination of odor perception points, followed by data processing with a bi-Gaussian-type model, adapted to handle the odors. In a first step, field observers delineate the region in which odor impact is experienced and then the emission rate is manipulated in a dispersion model until the predicted size of the impact zone matches that observed in the field. In a second step the adjusted emission rate is entered into the model to calculate the percentiles corresponding to the average annoyance zone. The originality of the proposed method is the introduction of all observation points and of all recorded meteorological data into the model. The paper discusses the method limitations and the errors induced on the results, i.e. the odor emission rate and the percentile lines (or iso-concentration lines) which are used to describe the odor concentrations on a map of the surroundings of the plant. The proposed method proves to be reliable for diffuse sources, such as landfill areas. The obtained results are coherent with other results found in the literature with other techniques.     

Effects of Acidification and its Mitigation with Lime and Wood Ash on Forest Soil Processes: A Review

Anthropogenic acid deposition causes forest soil acidification and perturbation of the soil forming processes. The impact of soil acidification on tree growth is discussed in view of the role of mycorrhizal fungi in weathering and nutrient uptake. A review has been carried out of experiments involving treatments of forest soil by lime and wood ash, where soil properties and soil solution composition have been investigated. Results from these experiments in Europe and North America are summarized. In general, the content of C in the mor layer decreased as a result of treatment due to higher microbial activity and soil respiration as well as increased leakage of DOC. In addition, the content of N in the mor layer, in general, decreased after treatment and there are occasional peaks of high NO₃concentrations in soil solution. In nearly all reviewed investigations the pH of the deep mineral soil solution decreased and Al, SO₄and NO₃concentrations increased after treatment. These effects are probably due to the high ionic strength and increased microbial activity as a consequence of the treatments. In the soil, pH, CEC and base saturation increased in the upper horizons, but decreases in the upper mineral soil are also reported. In general, there was no increase in tree growth as a result of these treatments. The positive effects of the treatments on soil processes and tree growth are therefore questionable. In view of these conclusions, an investigation was carried out on the soil and soil solution chemistry and the role of mycorrhizal fungi in a spruce stand treated with two doses of lime and another treated with lime/ash in southern Sweden. The results of this investigation is reported in this volume.