EPA's monitoring program at Love Canal 1980

Summary As stated at the beginning of this paper conclusions reached thus far cannot be discussed in this paper. However, a great deal of information is available for examination.EPA displayed its ability to coordinate widely separated laboratories, both Federal and private, into a smooth working team in a very short period of time. A very comprehensive study plan was also developed and implemented quickly. EPA was fortunate to have already had GCA under contract when the emergency arose. In no small part the success of the field effort was due to the managerial and technical abilities of the GCA team.Within a period of 6 weeks a plan was developed, a prime contractor retained, subcontractors hired, and field activities begun. Within a period of 3 months in excess of 8600 field samples were collected and over 12,000 field and QC samples were analyzed. During this same period 2 major data systems were developed, debugged, and placed into operation.In short this EPA project was probably the most comprehensive multimedia field project ever attempted by EPA and certainly the data is being subjected to the most strenuous quality control measures ever imposed by this Agency. The entire program is presently under peer review and the results are being prepared for publication by EPA Headquarters.Note. Originally intended to be published as part of the special issue on Exposure Monitoring: An International Workshop (Las Vegas, Nevada, October 19–22, 1981).     

Large-scale mercury variations in Lake Vänern (Sweden) 1974-98

Lake V?nern, the largest lake in Sweden, has been seriously contaminated with mercury during the 20th century. In the 1970's and 80's the direct load, mainly from a chlor-alkali industry in the area, of mercury was drastically reduced as a response to new legislation, from three to five tons down to between five and ten kg yr(-1). Large amounts of the disposed pollutant have accumulated in the sediments. The question posed in this work is now, is the effect of the drastic load reduction after more than two decades visible in the sediments? The question is relevant as large areas still are blacklisted for fishing, but also as a follow-up of a major remedy action. The lake also serves as a freshwater reservoir for even Sweden's second largest city. This work synthesises and compares data of mercury in the sediments from three major field programs, in 1974, 1984 and 1998. The interest is focused on both spatial heterogeneity and temporal trends. In 1974, the surface concentrations are significantly higher than in subsequent surveys. Significant differences are also found between 1984 and 1998. Significant spatial differences within the lake are found for respective year. The most contaminated area is located in the north, close to the major point source (a former chlor-alkali industry). This is also the area with the largest improvement, as a direct response to the reduction in load. Further from the outlet, the recovery is more affected by burial and transport processes out into the deeper basins.     

Examples of the role of analytical chemistry in environmental risk management research

Analytical chemistry is an important tier of environmental protection and has been traditionally linked to compliance and/or exposure monitoring activities for environmental contaminants. The adoption of the risk management paradigm has led to special challenges for analytical chemistry applied to environmental risk analysis. Namely, methods developed for regulated contaminants may not be appropriate and/or applicable to risk management scenarios. This paper contains examples of analytical chemistry applied to risk management challenges broken down by the analytical approach and analyte for some selected work in our laboratory. Specific techniques discussed include stable association complex electrospray mass spectrometry (cESI-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), split-flow thin cell (SPLITT) fractionation and matrix-assisted laser desorption time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF-MS). Specific analytes include haloacetic acids (HAA9), perchlorate, bromate, triazine degradation products, metal-contaminated colloids and Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts.     

Luminescence spectroscopy as a screening tool for the potential carcinogenicity of asphalt fumes

A subset of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), which contain 4-6 annulated rings, has been documented as the source of carcinogenicity in animal skin painting studies of petroleum products and asphalt fumes (M. L. Machado, P. W. Beatty, J. C. Fetzer, A. H. Glickman and E. L. McGinnis, Fundam. Appl. Toxicol., 1993, 21, 492; T. A. Roy, S. W. Johnson, G. R. Blackburn and C. R. Mackerer, Fundam. Appl. Toxicol., 1988, 10, 466). Because of the chemical complexity of these materials, it has been difficult to identify the specific compounds within this broad range of PACs responsible for their carcinogenicity. An alternative approach using luminescence spectroscopy was taken in this study to quantify, without identification, a subset of these compounds that appears to cause cancer. The fluorescence response at a specific wavelength pair was obtained for 39 laboratory asphalt fume condensates from animal skin painting studies, yielding a linear correlation coefficient of R2 = 0.96 between the fluorescence response in these materials and the carcinogenicity found in animal studies. In the absence of other asphalt fume condensates from animal studies, 17 petroleum oils were also evaluated using this method and compared with the available animal skin painting data. The details of the method include a clean-up step that removes the highly polar compounds and spectral subtraction of two- and three-ring PAC interference, both of which add to the fluorescence response, yet were not found to contribute to a carcinogenic response from skin painting studies. Full scan fluorescence plots also produce a fingerprint which can be used to assess contamination, such as coal tar products or mixtures of materials, that are not defined as asphalt, yet may be present in the working environment.     

Assessing the Effects of Atmospheric Ethylene on Epinasty and Tuber Yield of Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) Near Polyethylene Manufacturing Plants

A multi-year programme was performed to assess the effects of atmospheric ethylene on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in the vicinity of polyethylene manufacturing plants. There was a strong temporal variation of the hourly ethylene concentrations measured close to the sources from 1982 through 1991. Growing seasonal means exceeded 12 g m^–3 ethylene, the threshold for phytotoxic effects under laboratory conditions. Young test plants of potato showed an epinastic response to enhanced levels of ethylene. This response was reversible and did not occur when atmospheric ethylene was not detected. Based on hourly observations for the growing seasons of 1984 through 1991, epinasty occurred on average during circa 5% of the growing season and varied from circa 1% in 1985 to circa 18% in 1991. At night, ethylene concentrations were higher and epinasty was more frequent than during daylight hours. The intermittent exposures to ethylene did not affect tuber yield for the growing seasons of 1982 through 1990. The occurrence of epinasty indicated that ethylene exposure levels in the vicinity of the industrial sources might be sufficiently high to affect sensitive plants.     

Lead in Soil and Sediment in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, and Links with Human Health

This study determined the spatial distribution of soiland of sediment-associated lead in Iqaluit, Nunavut.Samples were collected from the following areas:outside the built-up area of the town to reflectbackground concentrations; known or potential pointsources of lead, such as the Upper Base, the SylviaGrinnell Dump and the Metal Dump (North 40); andresidential and commercial areas of Iqaluit and Apex,a satellite community. In the laboratory, the <63 m sample fraction was analyzed for total lead andbioavailable lead, estimated by non-residual acidextractable lead content. The research findings revealthat elevated levels of bioavailable lead are presentin the study area. Total lead concentrations generallydo not exceed environmental guidelines. However, leadconcentrations in the Sylvia Grinnell Dump, and Apexand Iqaluit grid areas exceed health-based guidelines.The research concludes that there is not a serioushealth hazard posed by lead levels in the soil andsediment in the study area. However, severalenvironmental (elevated lead levels, bioavailableforms of lead and bare soil surfaces) and behaviouralfactors (vigorous and unsupervised play outside) maycreate a risk of lead exposure.     

Multi-level screening of a proposed hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility site--a case study

A comprehensive environmental assessment (EA) is a pre-requisite before the site for developing a hazardous waste treatment and disposal facility (HWTDF) is selected. However, the resource limitations, especially for developing countries, often dictatethat the detailed EA be restricted to those sites, which are constraint free and have low hazard potentials. Thus, a preliminary screening exercise for assessing the suitability ofsite for developing the HWTDF needs to be carried out to avoid huge costs involved in detailed EA. While screening a HWTDF site,various factors such as present land use, ecologically sensitiveareas, geology and hydrogeology of the area, the quality and quantity of wastes, engineered safeguards, and the operationalprocedures that need to be adopted, are required to be addressed. In this paper, a multi-level screening criteria employing RemoteSensing, Constraint Mapping, Groundwater Pollution Potential Index (DRASTIC Index), and the Site Ranking was used to assess the suitability of a proposed site for the development of HWTDF.The study helped to identify various constraints at the proposedsite and their significance on the development of the HWTDF.     

Economic and Spatial Impacts of an Existing Reserve Network on Future Augmentation

An optimization model for land reservation was developed that explicitly selects parcels in the most compact or contiguous manner possible while meeting habitat requirements and a budget limitation. The model was used to compare the effects of an existing reserve network on future parcel spatial locations and total cost. Using habitat and land value data from Josephine County, Oregon, it was found that a system of existing reserves created by various policies and overseen by different agencies can decrease future reserve compactness and contiguity, and increase total cost. This work suggests that coordinated planning can result in more efficient conservation efforts for less cost.     

Chromium speciation and fractionation in ground and surface waters in the vicinity of chromite ore processing residue disposal sites

Chromium concentrations of up to 91 mg l(-1) were found by ICP-OES for ground water from nine boreholes at four landfill sites in an area of S.E. Glasgow/S. Lanarkshire where high-lime chromite ore processing residue (COPR) from a local chemical works had been deposited from 1830 to 1968. Surface water concentrations of up to 6.7 mg l(-1) in a local tributary stream fell to 0.11 mg l(-1) in the River Clyde. Two independent techniques of complexation/colorimetry and speciated isotope dilution mass spectrometry (SIDMS) showed that Cr was predominantly (>90%) in hexavalent form (CrVI) as CrO4(2-), as anticipated at the high pH (7.5-12.5) of the sites. Some differences between the implied and directly determined concentrations of dissolved CrIII, however, appeared related to the total organic carbon (TOC) content. This was most significant for the ground water from one borehole that had the highest TOC concentration of 300 mg l(-1) and at which < 3% of Cr was in the form of CrVI. Subsequent ultrafiltration produced significant decreases in Cr concentration with decreasing size fractions, e.g. <0.45 microm, < 100 kDa, <30 kDa and < 1 kDa by the tangential-flow method. As this appeared related more to concentrations of humic substances than of TOC per se, horizontal bed gel electrophoresis of freeze-dried ultrafilter retentates was carried out to further characterise the CrIII-organic complex. This showed for the main Cr-containing fraction, 100 kDa-0.45 microm, that the Cr was associated with a dark brown band characteristic of organic (humic) matter. Comparison of gel electrophoresis and FTIR results for ultrafilter retentates of ground water from this borehole with those for a borehole at another site where CrVI predominated suggested the influence of carboxylate groups, both in reducing CrVI and in forming soluble CrIII-humic complexes. The implications of this for remediation strategies (especially those based on the addition of organic matter) designed to reduce highly mobile and carcinogenic Cr(VI)O4(2-) to the much less harmful CrIII as insoluble Cr(OH)3 are discussed.