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1
Cassel, Scott A. (Scott Alan). "Negotiating better Superfund settlements : prospects and protocols." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/72260.
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Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 1988.Title as it appeared in the M.I.T. Graduate List, June 1988: Negotiating better Superfund agreements.
Includes bibliographical references.
by Scott A. Cassel.
M.C.P.
2
Collins, Mary. "COLLABORATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION IN SUPERFUND ENFORCEMENT:DOES THE RESOLUTION APPROACH VARY BY COMMUNITY-LEVEL SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2008. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/2724.
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This research examines environmental dispute resolution as applied to Superfund site cleanup and how the use of collaborative dispute resolution approaches, in particular Alternative Dispute Resolution and Community Involvement, are related to a community's socioeconomic and demographic profile. It examines the sociodemographic characteristics of residents living in census tracts containing Superfund sites in relation to the type of dispute resolution technique used. I hypothesize that collaborative dispute resolution techniques, as opposed to traditional settlement and/or litigation, are less likely to occur in Superfund communities with high poverty levels and high minority populations than in those with low poverty levels and low minority populations. Although minority and lower class communities are less likely to be placed on the National Priorities List (NPL), are slower to be cleaned up once on the NPL, and experience lower quality cleanups (O'Neil 2005; Sigman 2001; Omohundro 2004), the findings of this research indicate that the dispute resolution processes studied here do not contribute to such environmental clean up injustices. Minority status and poverty levels do not impact the likelihood that collaborative dispute resolution will be used in settling Superfund disputes. This analysis does show a significant correlation between education and the use of collaborative dispute resolution. Superfund communities in which residents have low educational attainment are less likely to use collaborative dispute resolution. Low educational levels may be the paramount disadvantage to overcome in the use and successful implementation of collaborative dispute resolution.M.A.
Department of Sociology
Sciences
Applied Sociology MA
3
Franklin, Nicole. "The Superfund Program Past and Present Funding Implications." VCU Scholars Compass, 2011. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/2461.
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The present research examines the impact of not reauthorizing the Superfund taxes on the operations of the program. EPA NPL site status data were obtained from the EPA CERCLIS database for analysis in this study. Data were selected for the fiscal years 1981 to 2009 in four NPL listing status categories: proposal to the NPL, final NPL listing, deletion from the NPL, and achievement of construction completion. Since the Superfund tax expired in 1995, data from the 1981 to 1995 fiscal years and data from the 1996 to 2009 fiscal years were analyzed to determine if there were mean differences in NPL status achievements for those time frames potentially caused by lack of funding. The data in the fifth category (partial NPL deletion) were not analyzed because the EPA did not begin tracking this category as a program goal until 1997. EPA uses the status of sites in these categories to track achievement of program goals and effectiveness. The null hypothesis for this study is that there is no difference between program outcomes (NPL site status data reported by fiscal year) for the time period from 1981 to 1995 and 1996 to 2009 meaning that the failure to re-authorize the Superfund tax has not affected the clean-up of contaminated sites and how they are managed. The alternative hypothesis is that failure to re-authorize the Superfund tax has affected the clean-up of contaminated sites and how they are managed. In support of the alternative hypothesis, there were mean differences (for time frames 1981 to 1995 and 1996 to 2009) for NPL site status achievements for the following milestones: final listing on the NPL, deletion from the NPL, and achieving construction completion status on the NPL. These results suggest that variations in funding may have some impact on NPL status achievements. Annual funding trends from program inception to 2010, achievement of Superfund program goals for the 2009 and 2010 fiscal years, and the impact of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding on the program were also examined. Although program goals were generally met or exceeded, limited funds will continue to impact the cleanup of existing and future Superfund sites.
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Naughton, Joseph Patrick. "Salmonid response to superfund remediation in Silver Bow Creek, Montana." Thesis, Montana State University, 2013. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2013/naughton/NaughtonJ0513.pdf.
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Uncontrolled disposal of hard rock mining wastes in the Butte hill mining district of Montana, led to the extirpation of fish from Silver Bow Creek throughout the 20th century. Superfund remediation has been ongoing since 1998 and metal concentrations are reduced. However, water quality remains poor due to inadequate treatment of municipal sewage. To assess the effectiveness of Superfund remediation in reestablishing salmonid populations, we evaluated seasonal salmonid abundance and movement in the Silver Bow Creek watershed over a 3-year period. Spatially-continuous abundance surveys were conducted in 34 main stem stream km and each sampled westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi (n = 787) and brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis (n = 1,846) was PIT-tagged. Movements of PIT-tagged individuals were monitored at seven stationary antenna sites and during six seasonal portable antenna surveys. Monthly synoptic water quality samples were collected. In the main stem, water quality was poor below the wastewater effluent and was characterized by acutely toxic copper concentrations, elevated ammonia levels (e.g., NH ₃-N = 2.8 mg/L), and hypoxia during summer nights (e.g., DO = 1.4 mg/L). Longitudinal abundance of salmonids closely resembled the longitudinal trend in DO. Regression analysis revealed strong associations between salmonid occurrence and abundance with DO (positive) and copper (negative) concentrations during the summer. However, westslope cutthroat trout relative abundance increased between summer and winter in remediated segments that had been hypoxic during the summer. Few brook trout recolonized the remediated main stem during the study period and the wastewater effluent may have deterred brook trout movement. Westslope cutthroat trout moved into remediated segments during the late summer and early fall as hypoxia subsided. The majority of westslope cutthroat trout sampled in the main stem were large-bodied adults (≥200 mm TL) contrasting with the predominantly small-bodied counterparts in the tributaries. Despite hypoxia and copper toxicity, recolonization of indigenous westslope cutthroat trout apparently was driven by the reexpression of a fluvial-adfluvial migratory behavior, a pattern that was not possible during the 100-150 years of main stem contamination.
5
Jordan, Page C. "United States Environmental Protection Agency Technical Member of The Engineering Technical Support Center." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1544382977066234.
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Porfidio, Amanda Nicole. "REPORT FOR AN INTERNSHIP WITH THE FERNALD CLOSURE PROJECT SUPERFUND SITE." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1090515995.
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Stein, David Martin. "A 3-dimensional numerical flow analysis of a superfund site in Ohio /." Thesis, McGill University, 1992. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=61079.
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The closed Chem-Dyne Site is located in southwestern Butler County, Ohio. It operated from 1974 to 1980 as a waste recycling operation. Over the six year period of operation, the corporation built a clientele comprised of over 200 chemical and manufacturing companies throughout the United States. Due to inappropriate controls, numerous hazardous waste spills occurred during the period of operation. These spills resulted in severe contamination to the surface soils and underlying aquifer. Beginning in 1980, engineering consultants were contracted by federal and state environmental agencies to study the site and submit recommendations for remediating the environmental contamination. Since the start-up of the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study in 1980, approximately 5 professional consulting firms have been contracted to study the Chem-Dyne site. The site is currently in a cleanup phase.The objective of the present thesis study is to determine the effectiveness of the site remediation program since the commencement operations in January 1987. To accomplish this task, an analytical and 3-dimensional numerical flow analysis was performed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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Steele, Mark. "Ex-situ remediation of a metal-contaminated superfund soil using selective extractants." Virtual Press, 1997. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1048379.
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Extractive processes can permanently and significantly reduce the volume, toxicity and mobility of contaminated materials at affected sites. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), N-2 (acetamido)iminodiacetic acid (ADA), pyridine2,6-dicarboxylic acid (PDA), and hydrochloric acid (HC1) were evaluated in batch studies for their ability to remove lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) from a Superfund soil. The extraction of Pb as a function of time was limited and the order of Pb removal was EDTA > ADA > PDA > HC1. Repeated extractions did not treat the soil below the Pb regulatory limit (1,000 mg/kg); however, the Pb remaining occurs in an immobile form. All extractants treated the soil below the proposed Cd regulatory limit (40 mg/kg) within 1 h. Lead recovery from solution was accomplished by hydroxide precipitation in the presence of excess calcium, and recovery at pH 11 was 70%, 98%, and 97% from the EDTA, ADA, and PDA complexes, respectively.Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management
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Alden, Dan S. (Dan Stuart). "Subsurface characterization of the Massachusetts Military Reservation main base landfill Superfund site." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/43723.
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Hofe, Carolyn L. "Challenges and opportunities to rural nutrition education programs in Kentucky's superfund communities." Lexington, Ky. : [University of Kentucky Libraries], 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10225/886.
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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Kentucky, 2008.Title from document title page (viewed on October 30, 2008). Document formatted into pages; contains: vii, 63 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-62).
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Robinette, Paul R. "A Macroinvertebrate Study of the Shenango River Westinghouse Superfund Site, Sharon, PA." Connect to resource online, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1244087277.
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Di, Santo Denise Lynn 1961. "Public participation and environmental justice: Involving the public at two Superfund sites." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/278679.
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A case study is used to assess the public involvement strategies used by the Environmental Protection Agency and in particular how these efforts affect implementation of its environmental justice responsibilities, and further the goals of Executive Order 12898. Restoration Advisory Boards (RABs) at two Superfund sites in EPA's Region 9--Tucson International Airport Area and Moffett Naval Air Station--are used as a basis for comparison with critical elements of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council's Model Plan for Public Participation. Although some aspects of the model's critical elements are satisfied, some changes in approach are necessary to reach and involve broader public interests at the two sites. At the site where environmental justice is an issue, the goals of EPA's Environmental Justice Strategy are partially satisfied through the RAB and other agency activities, but efforts are limited by a traditional participatory approach and lack of community influence in decision-making.
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Mankoff, Lawrie. "Radioactive Contamination, Superfund Remediation, and Green Gentrification in San Francisco’s Hunters Point." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2019. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1328.
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Bayview-Hunters Point, a neighborhood in southeastern San Francisco, has long been one of the most impoverished and polluted areas in the city. In an example of environmental racism, much of the African American community in San Francisco was segregated to Bayview-Hunters Point by racist housing policies and practices. This neighborhood was home to the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard (HPNS), which was widely polluted with hazardous wastes from shipyard operation as well as radioactive contamination from the Navy Radiological Defense Laboratory established on this property. The former HPNS was made a federal Superfund site in 1989 and has been in remediation by the Navy since, with the goal of eventual transfer of the land to the city of San Francisco for redevelopment into residential and commercial areas. Throughout the history of the HPNS, government agencies have obscured both radioactive contamination and the nearby disadvantaged community in pursuit of military and economic power. As a result, the forces of redevelopment have outpaced remediation in Hunters Point. In this thesis, I argue that in continuing the environmental racism marginalizes the community in Bayview-Hunters Point and working to hide the contamination at the nearby Superfund site government agencies, primarily the Navy and city government, have fostered the conditions for green gentrification to occur, which could have ill effects on both the longstanding community and new residents.
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Stovern, Michael Kelly. "Development Of A Dust Deposition Forecast Model For A Mine Tailings Impoundment." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/338876.
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Wind erosion, transport and deposition of particulate matter can have significant impacts on the environment. It is observed that about 40% of the global land area and 30% of the earth's population lives in semiarid environments which are especially susceptible to wind erosion and airborne transport of contaminants. With the increased desertification caused by land use changes, anthropogenic activities and projected climate change impacts windblown dust will likely become more significant. An important anthropogenic source of windblown dust in this region is associated with mining operations including tailings impoundments. Tailings are especially susceptible to erosion due to their fine grain composition, lack of vegetative coverage and high height compared to the surrounding topography. This study is focused on emissions, dispersion and deposition of windblown dust from the Iron King mine tailings in Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, a Superfund site. The tailings impoundment is heavily contaminated with lead and arsenic and is located directly adjacent to the town of Dewey-Humboldt. The study includes in situ field measurements, computational fluid dynamic modeling and the development of a windblown dust deposition forecasting model that predicts deposition patterns of dust originating from the tailings impoundment. Two instrumented eddy flux towers were setup on the tailings impoundment to monitor the aeolian and meteorological conditions. The in situ observations were used in conjunction with a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model to simulate the transport of windblown dust from the mine tailings to the surrounding region. The CFD model simulations include gaseous plume dispersion to simulate the transport of the fine aerosols, while individual particle transport was used to track the trajectories of larger particles and to monitor their deposition locations. The CFD simulations were used to estimate deposition of tailings dust and identify topographic mechanisms that influence deposition. Simulation results indicated that particles preferentially deposit in regions of topographic upslope. In addition, turbulent wind fields enhanced deposition in the wake region downwind of the tailings. This study also describes a deposition forecasting model (DFM) that can be used to forecast the transport and deposition of windblown dust originating from a mine tailings impoundment. The DFM uses in situ observations from the tailings and theoretical simulations of aerosol transport to parameterize the model. The model was verified through the use of inverted-disc deposition samplers. The deposition forecasting model was initialized using data from an operational Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the forecast deposition patterns were compared to the inverted-disc samples through gravimetric, chemical composition and lead isotopic analysis. The DFM was verified over several month-long observing periods by comparing transects of arsenic and lead tracers measured by the samplers to the DFM PM₂₇ forecast. Results from the sampling periods indicated that the DFM was able to accurately capture the regional deposition patterns of the tailings dust up to 1 km. Lead isotopes were used for source apportionment and showed spatial patterns consistent with the DFM and the observed weather conditions. By providing reasonably accurate estimates of contaminant deposition rates, the DFM can improve the assessment of human health impacts caused by windblown dust from the Iron King tailings impoundment.
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Bösch, Christophe E. (Christophe Eric). "Massachusetts Military Reservation Superfund site did costs and benefits matter in remediation decisions?" Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41361.
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Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-106).
by Christopher E. Bösch.
M.Eng.
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Taketani, Maya. "SuperFun site : mining for play in the anthropocene." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/97275.
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Thesis: M. Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, 2015.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 124-126).
Today we live in a new geological era, the Anthropocene, where human intervention has taken over the entire globe. This accelerating manipulation of the landscape means that the divide between the bucolic and the manmade is going to dissolve. In 20 years, children will be the ones inheriting this condition that they cannot ignore. However, industrialized societies are still over-protective and paranoid about what children experience. They are shielded away from anything adults perceive as dangerous or polluted. Instead, children are only allowed to have an idealized version of play, which exists in mass-produced plastic playgrounds and in cyberspace. These are just the byproducts of industry, and they disengage children from the more fundamental way the world is changing. This thesis proposes to bring the realities of our world - its manufactured and manipulated landscapes - into view, and to accept this as the world that we have to face in the future. This landscape is not a marginalized region in the outskirts of the city that we cannot see, but is a new type of Theme Park, that people can play in. This Park, although it seems dangerous and uncomfortable, brings people together through its playful character. Children are the ones who initially find the place as an attraction, then the adults follow. This project faces the realities of the world today, but at the same time is optimistic about the future.
by Maya Taketani.
M. Arch.
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Hasenbank, Kathleen Anne. "Achieving environmental justice for the community of Opportunity, Montana an assessment of Superfund concerns /." CONNECT TO THIS TITLE ONLINE, 2007. http://etd.lib.umt.edu/theses/available/etd-03192007-182357/.
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Mayfield, Mariah Pine. "Limiting factors for trout populations in the upper Clark Fork River superfund site, Montana." Thesis, Montana State University, 2013. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2013/mayfield/MayfieldM0513.pdf.
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Large-scale heavy metal contamination of the upper Clark Fork River from mining deposits has created significant damage to aquatic habitat in the drainage. Trout are present in the system, although with abundances lower than expected. The objectives of this study were to identify critical habitat areas and to identify conditions that continue to limit both native and nonnative trout populations, with the focus of the study on the lingering environmental effects caused by high heavy metal concentrations. A radiotelemetry study, with 256 tagged brown trout Salmo trutta, westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi, and cutthroat/rainbow hybrid trout, was conducted from 2009 to 2011. The radiotelemetry relocation data was used to determine temporal and spatial patterns in movement and survival rates in relation to heavy metals and other environmental factors, and to identify critical habitat areas (e.g., spawning locations and overwintering areas). Brown trout spawning occurred in numerous tributaries throughout the basin and in the upper reaches of the mainstem. Cutthroat trout spawned only in tributaries, and these tributaries were often smaller and more degraded by land use practices than brown trout spawning tributaries. Multistate mark-recapture survival analysis estimated that survival is lowest in the stream segment with the greatest amount of heavy metal contamination; the weekly likelihood of survival was estimated at 0.97 (95% confidence interval 0.97 - 0.98) for brown trout and 0.90 (95% confidence interval 0.84 - 0.97) for cutthroat trout. Additionally, weekly survival estimates for cutthroat trout in tributaries was also low (0.92; 95% confidence interval 0.87 - 0.94), likely because of anthropogenic land use pressures. Very limited movement was observed, except in relation to spawning migrations. Cutthroat trout moved greater distances and at a higher rate than brown trout. The results from this study indicate that the remaining mining contamination continues to reduce trout survival rates throughout the basin and should be removed in order to increase trout densities. Additionally, restoration priority should be placed on tributaries that are negatively affected by land use pressures.
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Berry, Rebecca Lynn 1973. "Reading contamination : an environmental education center at the Wells G&H Superfund Site." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/64545.
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Thesis (M.Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1999.Vita.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-87).
This thesis proposes and architectural and programmatic methodology which makes legible the processes and consequences of site contamination. This methodology is chiefly demonstrated through a plan for the site which emerges from the examination of the intersection of site contamination with the site's (natural) characteristics and perceptual phenomena, The site plan arises from the (abstract) institutional entities associated with the site. These entities - the wetlands demarcation zone in particular - begin to organize the site in a way which speaks not to the site's (natural) systems, but to the institutional systems which govern the site, and the means by which these systems deal with contamination. The site is populated by wells which have been drilled to monitor pollutant levels in the groundwater. The wells (non-natural) monitor the (natural) processes of site contamination. The lines of sight between these wells (as abstraction) become the generators for site geometries, and the placement and form of the built (architectural) areas of the site. Each built area has two sides defined by the wetlands demarcation line. Within the non-protected zone, the ground is engaged and inhabited. Within the protected zone, users never engage the ground, but instead float above it. These varied experiences of ground delineate the idea of ground as more than plane, as instead a multi-layered strata. The tectonics of the individual built elements vary as one crosses the demarcation line. This contrast between (natural) materials in the non-protected zone and (non-natural) materials within the protected zone makes legible the invasion of contamination. The different construction methods also demonstrate the fragility of the wetlands soils. At the same time, the lifting of the structures from the ground emphasizes the danger to the ground from man, and the danger to man from the ground. Due to the nature of the wetlands soils, contamination from a point source has a tendency to distribute itself throughout the site. The institution, an "environmental education center," disperses itself throughout the site. This dispersion forces the users to continually re-confront the site, making the link between the site's contamination and its (natural) characteristics legible through experience.
by Rebecca Lynn Berry.
M.Arch.
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Lopez-Calva, Enrique J. (Enrique Jaiver). "Technical uncertainties in aquifer restoration, implications for remedial systems design, and Superfund policy implementation." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/43434.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1997.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-126).
by Enrique J. Lopez-Calva.
M.S.
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Goodling, Erin Katherine. "Grassroots Resistance in the Sustainable City: Portland Harbor Superfund Site Contamination, Cleanup, and Collective Action." PDXScholar, 2017. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3613.
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How does progressive change happen in so-called sustainable cities? In this dissertation, I present findings from a three year-long ethnographic investigation of grassroots organizing in Portland, Oregon, a city at the leading edge of the green urbanism movement. This research centered on an extended case study of the Portland Harbor Community Coalition (PHCC). PHCC is an alliance of grassroots groups working to ensure that cleanup of the Portland Harbor Superfund Site benefits those who have been most impacted by pollution. In this dissertation, I develop three main empirical findings. First, despite depoliticized (sustainability) discourse permeating the harbor cleanup planning process, which excluded impacted communities from and minimized disparate impacts resulting from contamination and cleanup, there has not necessarily been a green growth machine operating in the way that we would expect. Instead, a classic status quo growth machine has indirectly pushed depoliticized sustainability discourse, and benefited from it at the expense of vulnerable residents -- even in a paradigmatic sustainable city. Second, in contrast to the "just green enough" strategies put forth in previous research, there are, in fact, grassroots groups who are demanding robust environmental improvements as part of broader social and environmental justice outcomes. PHCC takes an "oppositional community development" approach in attempting to transcend the green development-displacement dialectic. This approach has entailed being strategically confrontational some of the time, and engaging through more established participation channels at other times. Third, individual and collective historicized learning has played a key role in PHCC's efforts to re-politicize the cleanup planning process in three ways: it helped coalition members connect their personal experiences to the harbor; it helped coalition members build a political analysis of the cumulative and inter-generational ways that harbor pollution has impacted different groups; and a collectively produced historical narrative ultimately contributed to the coalition's moderate success in pushing public agencies to be more responsive to impacted communities.
More broadly, this research draws attention to the historical contingencies, organizing approaches, challenges, and transformations experienced by ordinary people coming together to fight for a more just sustainability. It suggests that in order to develop a fuller understanding of urban socio-ecological change processes--and to make meaningful contributions to change in an era of environmental crisis, extreme housing instability, racial violence, and other forms of oppression--scholars must pay attention to those working on the front lines of change, themselves, in broader historical context.
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Collins, Mary B. "Collaborative dispute resolution in superfund enforcement does the resolution approach vary by community-level sociodemographic characteristics? /." Orlando, Fla. : University of Central Florida, 2008. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002118.
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Halfhill, Andrew James. "A Report on Internships at Donovan Law and Federated Department Stores, Inc." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1112033472.
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Wiles, Melinda Christine. "Chemical and biological methods for the analysis and remediation of environmental contaminants frequently identified at Superfund sites." Texas A&M University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/1244.
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Substantial environmental contamination has occurred from coal tar creosote and pentachlorophenol (C5P) in wood preserving solutions. The present studies focused on the characterization and remediation of these contaminants. The first objective was to delineate a sequence of biological changes caused by chlorinated phenol (CP) exposure. In Clone 9 cells, short-term exposure to 10 ?M C5P decreased pH, GJIC, and GSH, and increased ROS generation. Long-term exposure caused mitochondrial membrane depolarization (25 ?M), increased intracellular Ca2+ (50 ?M), and plasma membrane depolarization (100 ?M). Cells were affected similarly by C5P or 2,3,4,5-C4P, and similarly by 2,3,5-C3P or 3,5-C2P. Endpoints were affected by dose, time, and the number of chlorine substituents on specific congeners. Thus, this information may be used to identify and quantify unknown CPs in a mixture to be remediated.
Due to the toxic effects observed due to CP exposure in vitro, the objective of the second study was to develop multi-functional sorbents to remediate CPs and other components of wood preserving waste from groundwater. Cetylpyridinium-exchanged low pH montmorillonite clay (CP-LPHM) was bonded to either sand (CP-LPHM/sand) or granular activated carbon (CP-LPHM/GAC). Laboratory studies utilizing aqueous solution derived from wood preserving waste indicated that 3:2 CP-LPHM/GAC and CP-LPHM/sand were the most effective formulations. In situ elution of oil-water separator effluent indicated that both organoclay-containing composites have a high capacity for contaminants identified in wood preserving waste, in particular high molecular weight and carcinogenic PAHs. Further, GAC did not add substantial sorptive capacity to the composite formulation.
Following water remediation, the final aim of this work was to explore the safety of the parent clay minerals as potential enterosorbents for contaminants ingested in water and food. Calcium montmorillonite and sodium montmorillonite clays were added to the balanced diet of Sprague-Dawley rats throughout pregnancy. Based on evaluations of toxicity and neutron activation analysis of tissues, no significant differences were observed between animals receiving clay supplements and control animals, with the exception of slightly decreased brain Rb in animals ingesting clay. Overall, the results suggest that neither clay mineral, at relatively high dietary concentrations, influences mineral uptake or utilization in the pregnant rat.
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Hoover, Anna G. "COMMUNICATION AT SUPERFUND SITES AND THE REIFICATION OF DIVISION: TOWARD A CONVERGENCE-BUILDING MODEL OF RISK COMMUNICATION." UKnowledge, 2013. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/comm_etds/16.
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This case study evaluates government communication practices at Superfund sites. I describe agency communication practices in Superfund communities, paying particular attention to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk Communication and its role as a model for federal agencies engaged at these sites. Situating the study within a theoretical milieu that includes sensemaking and symbolic interactionism, I examine whether current practices deepen divisions among stakeholders, reducing the possibility for communicative convergence.
I implement textual analysis and narrative inquiry to examine written and spoken communication about the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant National Priorities List Superfund site. Through crystallized analysis of media coverage, public comments, focus group transcripts, and local blogs, I address the following research questions:
RQ1: How does the enactment of accepted agency risk communication practices affect relationships among stakeholders, specifically:
• how do stakeholders (including federal agency personnel) characterize past and present agency risk communication practices, and
• how do stakeholders (including federal agency personnel) characterize each other in relation to these communicative practices?
RQ2: What are the related implications for improving agency risk communication approaches?
The study concludes with recommendations for improving existing agency risk communication guidelines, as well as the creation of a new communication model to promote convergent communication at Superfund sites.
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Hines, James J. (James Joseph). "Uncertainty of risk to human health from groundwater impacted by the Massachusetts Military Reservation Superfund site landfill." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39060.
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Willett, Elizabeth Virginia. "ASSESSING THE PERCEPTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS, HEALTH AND NUTRITION BEHAVIOR TO IMPROVE RISK COMMUNICATIONS IN KENTUCKY." UKnowledge, 2011. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/48.
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Nutrition interventions are an effective way to improve the dietary habits and lifestyle choices and reduce the risk of chronic disease. The Researchers in the UK-SRP Community Engagement Core develop nutrition programs for communities affected by environmental pollutants. Risk communication is a discipline that can be used to develop targeted nutrition interventions that will yield positive behavior change. The purpose of this study was to examine knowledge, risk perception, and actions concerning environmental pollutants and nutrition behavior. Data was collected using a modified survey instrument based on the validated Environmental Health Engagement Profile (EHEP). Survey participants from diverse regions of the state included 1) health educators; 2) residents from a nonmetropolitan-non-Appalachian area; 3) a nonmetropolitan-Appalachian area; and 4) a metropolitan area. Results indicated a significant, positive correlation in all four groups between perception of environmental pollutants in a person’s surroundings and the extent of concern that pollutants cause adverse health effects (p < 0.01). Recognizing that participants see a link between environmental pollutants and their health allows nutrition researchers to develop targeted, effective nutrition interventions. This information will be useful in the development of future nutrition programs to improve the health of Superfund communities.
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Abel, Erin Jessica, and Erin Jessica Abel. "Identifying Optimal Electron Donors to Promote Biosequestration of Uranium for an UMTRCA Title 1 Site." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/620725.
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Biostimulation is the use of in-situ microorganisms and added reagents in order to biosequester, precipitate, or absorb contaminants from contaminated groundwater and sediment. To test the effectiveness of this remediation approach at a particular site, small scale experiments, such as miscible-displacement, batch, or microcosm experiments, should be performed before a large-scale in-situ biosequestration electron donor injection. In this study, electron donor solutions containing contaminated groundwater and ethanol, acetate, benzoate, or glucose were injected into aquifer sediments collected from a UMTRCA Title 1 Site in Monument Valley, AZ. These experiments showed that ethanol, acetate, and glucose were effective electron donors for the stimulation of microbial activity in order to sequester uranium and reduce nitrate and sulfate concentrations. Conversely, benzoate was not effective at sequestering or reducing the contaminants. After electron-donor deficient groundwater was injected into the columns, a rebound of nitrate, sulfate, and uranium concentrations was observed. Due to this rebound, it was inferred that the mechanism of sequestration of uranium and hence reduction of nitrate and sulfate was due to the creation of reducing conditions via microbial activity. The insoluble reduced uranium was hypothesized to have precipitated or adsorbed to surrounding sediments. Incoming groundwater contained dissolved oxygen and therefore oxidized the reduced contaminants, consequently returning them into solution. It was hypothesized that a similar rebound would occur if ethanol, acetate, or glucose were to be injected in-situ due to sustained groundwater flow through the aquifer sediments on site.
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Tucker, Carol Goldsberry 1965. "Remediation of place : the role of the United States Environmental Protection Agency in designing reuse at superfund sites." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70360.
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Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-102).
This thesis will explore what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) direct and indirect roles should and could be in fostering place making for Superfund site redevelopment. The EPA manages the clean up of severely contaminated abandoned property under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Liability Act (CERCLA), a.k.a. the Superfund Program, in order to protect human health and the environment. These neglected places are often a blight to the surrounding communities, causing disinvestment and decay. Redevelopment of these abandoned sites is often difficult and plagued with challenging circumstances and uncertainties. Impediments to Superfund site redevelopment include fears associated with health risks and liability, uncertainty on the length of clean up time, lack of willingness of the property owner, and stigma. The revitalization of these sites is vital to improving the quality of life of the surrounding community and the region. The redevelopment design is a critical component of revitalization and needs to be thoughtfully constructed. Urban design goals should be geared towards enhancing the public realm, improving quality of life, and creating a sense of place. This is place making and should be inclusive and account for the needs of the occupants. EPA's current policies and tools under the Superfund Redevelopment Initiative do not achieve pace making results. Recommendation for change include the development of urban design principles and reuse planning guidance, providing education and training for both EPA staff and affected communities, shifting the expertise of the workforce, providing more funding for planning activities and changing legislative to incorporate regional environmental solutions.
by Carol Goldsberry Tucker.
M.C.P.
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Bello, Susan M. "Characterization of resistance to halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons in a population of Fundulus heteroclitus from a marine superfund site." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84930.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-210).
by Susan M. Bello.
Ph.D.
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Ogundipe, Emmanuel Abiodun. "Lay Victims' Conceptions of Environmental Crime and Environmental Injustice: A Case Study of The Chem-Dyne Superfund Site." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1574617989541304.
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Zheng, Henry Yisheng. "Exploring problem intractability in public policy implementation : the cases of superfund policy and low-level radioactive waste management policy." The Ohio State University, 1999. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1283340744.
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Ochsenfeld, Frank [Verfasser]. "Direkthaftung von Konzernobergesellschaften in den USA. : Die Rechtsprechung zum Altlasten-Superfund als Modell für das deutsche Konzernhaftungsrecht? / Frank Ochsenfeld." Berlin : Duncker & Humblot, 1998. http://d-nb.info/123827899X/34.
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Mark, Kaya. "Colonialism and its Aftermaths in Vieques, Puerto Rico: How U.S. Hegemony Led to Contamination, a Superfund Site, and Local Mistrust." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2018. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1152.
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After sixty-two years of U.S. military testing, the small Puerto Rican island of Vieques and its residents continue to fight against ongoing environmental and social effects of U.S. hegemony. Starting with the arrival of the Spanish, then with U.S. occupation and use of Vieques as a military stopover, Viequense residents are used to U.S. governmental presence on their land. Despite the military’s removal from Vieques in 2003, many local residents have a fundamental lack of trust for the U.S. government. Because of this lack of trust and transparency with U.S. governmental actions in the post- World War II period, residents of Vieques do not see any difference between the USFWS, the EPA, CH2M Hill, and the U.S. Navy. However, many acknowledge that the U.S. government’s involvement may be good for the island, so there is some ambivalence about the U.S. government’s continued presence on the island, its role in developing Vieques, and bettering its current economic situation. While the majority of local activists claim that naval activities negatively affected island life through contamination of land and surrounding waters, also resulting in a range of human health problems, others argue that the U.S. Navy should not be demonized, and the island’s role in conservation should be paramount. These differing views reflect two opposing frameworks: one fighting against a colonizer and U.S. hegemony, and the other promoting a primarily conservation-based framework meant to protect non-human residents.
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Gil-Loaiza, Juliana, and Juliana Gil-Loaiza. "Establishment of a Vegetation Cover at the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter Superfund Site: Evaluation of Compost-Assisted Phytostabilization." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/623172.
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Mine tailings pose a health risk for populations and ecosystems in the Southwest; this is why effective, and low-cost solutions for the long term are needed. This work is groundbreaking since little information is available with regards to applying greenhouse studies of phytostabilization to the field for mine tailing remediation. Mine tailings from Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter Superfund (IKMHSS) site can be considered one of the worst scenarios due to the extreme conditions which prevent the growth of a vegetation cap. The high concentration of metals, such as arsenic and lead, highly acidic, lack of the nutrients carbon and nitrogen in the soil structure, and low microbial communities are factors that negatively affect plant growth. This project provides practical field-scale applications for the use of phytostabilization, which uses plants to create a vegetation cap that stabilizes metals in the root zone while preventing wind and water erosion in mine tailings. The project is divided into three main studies: (1) the assessment of the translation of successful greenhouse results to the field of phytostabilization using compost-assisted direct planting. This includes the use of different rates of compost as an amendment and different desert native plant species in addition to some potential parameters that could be used as indicators of a successful modification of biochemical and physical environment from a disturbed soil towards a more healthy soil when compost assisted direct planting phytostabilization is used; (2) the second study aims to evaluate the effect of the phytostabilization strategy on reducing windborne transport of particle and metal(loids) following the establishment of the vegetation cap. The results indicate that the vegetation resulted from direct planting decreases dust emissions from IKMHSS mine tailings; and (3) the third study focuses on one of the most important requirements for phytostabilization application in the field, the performance of the different plant species selected from the greenhouse studies. This performance was evaluated as the metal accumulation in aerial plant tissue based on metal concentration guidelines from the National Research Council as well as changes in the composition of plant species and canopy cover with time. The results derived from the translation of compost–assisted direct plating based on successful greenhouse results are showing the capacity of this technology on a field scale by maintaining a canopy cover over time that decreases mobilization by not hyper-accumulating metals in the aerial tissue and by preventing windborne particle dispersion with the potential of disrupting contamination pathways.
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Tang, Xi Yang John J. Goyne Keith William. "Risk and stability of phosphate-immobilized lead in contaminated urban soil and mining sites in the Jasper County Superfund Site." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/4911.
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Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on November 6, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.
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Morgan, Mary Helen. "Superfund communities and psychological stress : does a correlation exist between living in a superfundcommunity and high levels of psychological stress?" Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/28760.
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Kahler, Daniel V. "The role of Lois Marie Gibbs in the Love Canal crisis and its effect on federal "Superfund" legislation, 1973-1981." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2000. http://etd.wvu.edu/templates/showETD.cfm?recnum=1659.
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Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2000.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 233 p. : ill. (some col.), maps. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-178).
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Hadiuzzaman, Md. "Sustainable phytoremediation of chromium (VI) contaminated soil and tetrachloroethylene (PCE)/trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated groundwater from a Superfund site using sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)." OpenSIUC, 2019. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/2614.
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Cr (VI) contaminated soil and tetrachloroethylene (PCE)/trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated groundwater from a Superfund site were phytoremediated using sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), a plant with strong adaptability and a hyperaccumulator which possesses great potential for phytoremediation. The Cr (VI) concentration was low of 0.16±0.04 mg/kg in the contaminated soil, and concentrations of PCE and TCE in irrigation water used to reflect influence of groundwater were 2.68±0.27 and 0.80±0.14 mg/L, respectively. For Cr (VI) remediation, physical characteristics, uptake of Cr (VI), bioaccumulation factor (BAF) and translocation factor (TF) were quantified. Analysis of the plants and the soils suggested that Cr (VI) was phytoextracted by roots, then transported from roots to shoots, leaves, seeds and stored within the parts. Both low nitrogen chemical fertilizer and biosolids were used as soil amendments to compare the efficiency of both the amendments on phytoextraction of Cr (VI), and the biosolids treated soil plants showed comparable phytoextraction to low nitrogen fertilizer treated soil plants. During the remediation of Cr (VI) from the co-contaminated soil matrix of both Cr (VI) and PCE/TCE, PCE and TCE were removed >99.9% from the soil matrix while Cr (VI) remediation, and neither PCE nor TCE were detected in effluents, plant tissues and soils after phytoremediation. The remediation of PCE/TCE were accomplished possibly by plant dehalogenation, degradation, plant volatilization, or soil volatilization. Cr (VI) in plant seeds from the contaminated soil plants was 0.36±0.08 mg/kg, which is much lower than the limit of 5.00 mg/kg in soil that will bring health concern. Concerning biodiesel properties, acid value and density were within American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard limits. Therefore, the produced biodiesel could be used as a potential renewable fuel. In addition, microbial biomass in rhizosphere soil was also studied before and after the remediation. The results showed that after phytoremediation, both biomass carbon and nitrogen increased for both Cr (VI) contaminated and Cr (VI)/PCE/ TCE co-contaminated rhizosphere soil, compared to their control ones. Increase of biomass carbon and nitrogen should be due to and could help the phytoremediation process. In sum, phytoremediation of low concentration Cr (VI) using H. annuus L. with biodiesel production could be a sustainable approach for solving both the environmental pollution problem and the energy crisis issue.
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Smith, Kiara L. "Anaerobic Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons at a Creosote-Contaminated Superfund Site and the Significance of Increased Methane Production in an Organophilic Clay Sediment Cap." PDXScholar, 2010. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/101.
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The overall goal of this work was to investigate microbial activity leading to the anaerobic degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and an organophilic clay sediment cap used at a creosote-contaminated Superfund site. To determine whether or not PAHs were being degraded under anaerobic conditions in situ, groundwater and sediment porewater samples were analyzed for metabolic biomarkers, or metabolites, formed in the anaerobic degradation of naphthalene (a low-molecular weight PAH). In addition, a groundwater push-pull method was developed to evaluate whether the transformation of deuterated naphthalene to a deuterated metabolite could be monitored in situ and if conservative rates of transformation can be defined using this method. Metabolites of anaerobic naphthalene degradation were detected in all samples that also contained significant levels of naphthalene. Anaerobic degradation of naphthalene appears to be widespread in the upland contaminated aquifer, as well as within the adjacent river sediments. A zero-order rate of transformation of naphthalene-D₈ to naphthoic acid-D₇was calculated as 31 nM·d-¹. This study is the first reported use of deuterated naphthalene to provide both conclusive evidence of the in situ production of breakdown metabolites and an in situ rate of transformation. Methane ebullition was observed in areas of the sediment cap footprint associated with organophilic clay that was used a reactive capping material to sequester mobile non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) at the site. Anaerobic slurry incubations were constructed using sediment core samples to quantify the contribution of the native sediment and the different layers of capping material (sand and organophilic clay) to the overall methane production. Substrate addition experiments using fresh, unused organophilic clay, as well as measured changes in total carbon in organophilic clay over time supported the hypothesis that microbes can use organophilic clay as a carbon source. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) directed at the mcrA gene enumerated methanogens in field samples and incubations of native sediment and capping materials. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was also performed on DNA extracted from these samples to identify some of the predominant microorganisms within the sediment cap footprint. The organophilic clay incubations produced up to 1500 times more methane than the native sediment and sand cap incubations. The organophilic clay field sample contained the greatest number of methanogens and the native sediment contained the least. However, the native sediment incubations had greater numbers of methanogens compared to their respective field sample and comparable numbers to the organophilic clay incubation. An increase in methane production was observed with the addition of fresh, unused organophilic clay to the already active organophilic clay incubations indicating that organophilic clay stimulates methanogenesis. In addition, organophilic clay retrieved from the field lost about 10% of its total carbon over a 300-day incubation period suggesting that some component of organophilic clay may be converted to methane. DGGE results revealed that some of the predominant groups within the native sediment and sediment cap were Bacteriodetes, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, and Deltaproteobacteria. An organism 98% similar to Syntrophus sp. was identified in the organophilic clay suggesting this organism may be working in concert with methanogens to convert the organic component of organophilic clay ultimately to methane. The capacity of organophilic clay to sequester organic contaminants will likely change over time as the organic component is removed from the clay. This, in turn, affects the use of this material as a long-term remedial strategy in reduced, contaminated environments.
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Fine, Jonathan David. "At the End of the Peninsula." PDXScholar, 2012. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/558.
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In 1865, a settler named James John laid out a small neighborhood at the end of the north Portland peninsula, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. For a half century, until its annexation to Portland in 1915, St. Johns was an independent municipality. Factories lined the waterfront, and a full complement of businesses in the small downtown area--grocers, bakers, hardware stores, clothing shops--catered to all the residents' needs. St. Johns was always a working-class town with a strong sense of identity. But after World War II, as Portland grew, St. Johns began to seem defined less by self-sufficiency than by isolation and neglect. Mom-and-Pop shops had a hard time staying in business. Junkyards and drinking establishments proliferated. Residents began to realize the full extent of decades of industrial pollution on the St. Johns waterfront. At some point, St. Johns officially became the poorest neighborhood in Portland, a distinction it still holds today. But St. Johns never lost the loyalty of its residents. This thesis is about some of the people and places that embody the neighborhood's eclectic and stubborn character. As St. Johns undergoes a gradual and perhaps inevitable transformation into a trendier, more upscale area, time is running short to meet the old-timers and try to understand the neighborhood through their eyes. This thesis attempts to capture the essence of a neighborhood with a rich past, a colorful present, and a promising but uncertain future.
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Lemmons, Kelly Kristopher. "Salt Lake City's urban growth and Kennecott Utah Copper a geographical analysis of urban expansion onto a previously proposed Superfund site adjacent to the world's largest copper mine /." Connect to this title, 2008. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/206/.
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Hayes, Sarah. "Effects of Mineral Weathering and Plant Roots on Contaminant Metal Speciation and Lability in Arid Lead-Zinc Sulfide Mine Tailings at the Klondyke Superfund Site, Graham County, AZ." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/196007.
Full textAbstract:
Historic mine tailings pose a significant health risk to surrounding ecosystems and communities because of high residual concentrations of contaminant metals. The initial tailings mineral assemblage, metal sulfides, silicates, and carbonates are unstable at earth surface conditions and undergo oxidative and proton-promoted weathering. The weathering of metal sulfides generally produces acid that, if not balanced by protonconsuming dissolution of silicates and carbonates, leads to progressive acidification. The Klondyke State Superfund Site in Graham County, Arizona contains high concentrations of Pb (up to 13 g kg⁻¹) and Zn (up to 6 g kg⁻¹), and remains unvegetated 50 years after mining cessation. Field-scale investigation revealed a wide range of pH (2.5-8.0) and plant-available (DTPA-extractable) metals in the near surface of the tailings pile. Four samples were chosen for in-depth characterization ranging in pH, as denoted by subscript, from 2.6 to 5.4. The mineral transformations occurring in these four samples were investigated using a variety of techniques and the data indicated an increase in tailings weathering extent with increasing acidification (decreasing pH). Lead speciation, studied by a combination of chemical sequential extraction and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy, was found to vary with tailings depth. The principle lead-bearing mineral was plumbojarosite (PbFe₆(SO₄)₄(OH)₁₂), with smaller amounts of anglesite (PbSO₄) and lead-sorbed iron-oxide. Anglesite, the most bioavailable mineral form of Pb in the tailings, was found to accumulate at the tailings surface, which has important implications for health risks. Total Zn content decreased by an order of magnitude (from 6 to 0.4 g kg⁻¹) and showed a change in molecular speciation with decreasing pH. Zinc-rich phyllosilicates and Zn-containing manganese oxides predominate at high pH, whereas low pH samples contained principally Zn-sorbed iron oxides. One of the overarching goals of the project is to remediate the Klondyke site using phytostabilization to keep contaminant metals from eroding offsite either by wind or water transport mechanisms. However, the impacts of plant growth on metal bonding environment are unknown. To address that gap in knowledge, we have developed a technique for the study of root-microbe-mineral-metal interactions that occur in the rhizosphere, the volume of soil surrounding, and affected by, plant roots. This technique involves the conjunctive use of fluorescence in-situ hybridization, X-ray fluorescence elemental mapping, XAFS and Raman micro-spectroscopies, and electron microscopy on single roots. Manganese and iron root plaques collocalized with elevated Pb, Zn, and Cr demonstrate that the rhizosphere can affect metal speciation. Metal speciation is an important factor in determining metal bioavailability, and thus is critical for understanding the health risk associated with mine tailings. The results of this research provides site-specific information about Pb and Zn speciation, which will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of site remediation within the context of metal toxicity.
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Hammond, Corin, and Corin Hammond. "The Biogeochemical Response of Metal(Loid)S to a Phytostabilization Remediation Approach on Acidic Iron Sulfide Tailings at the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter Superfund Site in Semi-Arid Central Arizona." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/626675.
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Particulate and dissolved forms of arsenic and heavy metals are released from legacy mine tailings, particularly in (semi-) arid environments where tailings remain barren of vegetation and therefore highly susceptible to erosion. This leads to contamination of adjacent ecosystems and increased risk to public health. Establishment of a vegetative cap using amendments, such as composted organic matter to enhance plant growth, may be employed to reduce both physical erosion and leaching, but the impacts of such practices on molecular-scale mechanisms controlling metal(loid) speciation and lability remain poorly understood. Here we report on subsurface biogeochemical transformations of metal(loid)s in a phytostabilization field study at a Superfund site in Arizona, USA, where a legacy pyritic tailings (4,000 mg kg^-1 As, 2,438 mg kg^-1 Pb, 6,142 mg kg^-1 Zn, 13.25% Fe, and 11.71% S, averages for the top 0.5 m) has undergone oxidation in the top 1 m. Tailings were amended in the top 20 cm with 10%, 15%, and 20% composted organic matter by mass and seeded with native halotolerant plant species. All field treatments and the uncomposted control received irrigation of 0.36 ± 0.03 mm y^-1 in addition to 0.25 ± 0.16 mm y^-1 of precipitation, resulting in water input of 144% the annual precipitation rate. The field trial incorporated four annual samplings from 2010 – 2013. Sampling consisted of a single core of 90 cm in length and 2.54 cm in diameter collected from each field plot that was subsequently sectioned into 20 cm depth increments for analysis by synchrotron Fe and As X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) coupled with quantitative chemical extraction methods. Subsurface stabilization of arsenic by Prosopis juliflora (mesquite) was investigated by bulk and micro synchrotron XAS and multiple-energy microscale fluorescence mapping combined with chemical digestion of plant samples following 1, 2, and 3 months of growth in greenhouse microcosms as well as 14 and 36 months of growth at the field site. Results indicate persistence of oxidizing conditions following compost amendment in surface tailings despite addition of organic matter, development of heterotrophic microbial communities and irrigation of a poorly draining medium. Compost amendment of 20% corresponded with evidence of higher oxidative pyrite weathering activity at 40-60 cm depth during phytostabilization compared to treatments of 0% or 10% compost for which the highest oxidative pyrite weathering activity was observed closer to the surface at 20-40 cm depth.. Despite observed downward transport of As, Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr, V, and Co during phytostabilization, ≥ 75% of total As was found to be attenuated by ferrihydrite in surface depths. Attenuation of Mn, Co, and Ni was observed below 40 depth by tailings receiving compost amendment relative to the irrigated control. Root associated As(V) was immobilized on the root epidermis bound to ferric sulfate precipitates and within root vacuoles as trivalent As(III)-thiol complexes. Rhizoplane associated ferric sulfate phases were dissimilar from the bulk tailings mineralogy shown by XAS and exhibited a high capacity to scavenge As(V) with As:Fe ratios 2x higher than the compost amended growth medium, indicating a root surface mechanism for their formation or accumulation. Results indicate that arsenate attenuation in semi-arid mine tailings during phytostabilization greatly depends on the presence of high concentrations of Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxide minerals with a high capacity for arsenic adsorption.
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Metheny, Maura A. "Evaluation of groundwater flow and contaminant transport at the Wells G&H Superfund Site, Woburn, Massachusetts, from 1960 to 1986 and estimation of TCE and PCE concentrations delivered to Woburn residences." The Ohio State University, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1080248307.
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Metheny, Maura Agnew. "Evaluation of groundwater flow and contaminant transport at the Wells G&H Superfund Site, Woburn, Massachusetts, from 1960 to 1986 and estimation of TCE and PCE concentrations delivered to Woburn residences." Connect to this title online, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1080248307.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004.Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xx, 346 p.; also includes maps, graphics (some col.) Includes bibliographical references (p. 315-325). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center
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Swart, Katherine. "The mining legacy in South Africa - a superfund sized problem or a trust fund baby? a critical analysis of the market-based instruments applicable to mining, with specific focus on financial security mechanisms and suggestions for a new approach." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/4494.
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Pinto, Sofia Moreira Magno. "Candida auris : o avanço do “superfungo”." Master's thesis, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10451/47486.
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Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2020A emergência crescente de organismos multirresistentes às armas terapêuticas de que dispomos pode ser considerada “o outro lado da moeda” do avanço da medicina e dessas mesmas armas. Com o aumento da pressão selectiva sobre as espécies estas tornam-se cada vez mais difíceis de combater. Os fungos não são excepção e, também o uso amplamente disseminado de antifúngicos está a conduzir ao aumento da prevalência de infecções fúngicas por espécies atípicas e multirresistentes. Um exemplo é a emergência de infecções fúngicas por Candida não-albicans, como Candida Auris: uma nova espécie de Candida descrita, pela primeira vez, em 2009 no Japão e conseguindo o seu nome por ter sido identificada no ouvido de um doente. Desde então, o número de casos descritos tem aumentado e o seu aparecimento foi notado em inúmeros outros países, em 5 continentes diferentes. Sabe-se ser responsável por surtos hospitalares de difícil controlo e de ser principalmente um problema em doentes com múltiplas comorbilidades em Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos. No entanto, existem ainda muitas dúvidas acerca da sua forma de disseminação e contágio. Pela forma silenciosa e dispersa como emergiu, apenas recentemente começou a ser tratada como o problema grave que representa. A sua capacidade de multirresistência e elevada infecciosidade acrescentam grande dificuldade no seu controlo e, ao mesmo tempo, o seu isolamento laboratorial não é possível através de técnicas moleculares e fenotípicas convencionais, obrigando a um laboratório devidamente preparado. Pela sua difícil identificação, é provável que haja ainda um grande desconhecimento da sua verdadeira prevalência e impacto, sendo que os primeiros estudos realizados consideram que se possa tratar de um dos mais sérios organismos multirresistentes emergentes, com implicações graves de saúde pública.
The growing emergence of multidrug resistant organisms to the existing therapeutic weapons can be considered “the dark side” of medicine advance and those respective weapons. With the rising pressure on species, they increasingly become more and more selective and difficult to eradicate. Fungi are no exception, and the widespread use of antifungals is also leading to an increased prevalence of fungal infections by atypical species. An exemple is the emergence of fungal infections by non-albicans Candida, as Candida Auris: a new species of Candida described, for the first time, in 2009 in Japan and conquering its name due his identification in a patient’s ear. Since then, the number of cases has increased and its appearance has been noticed in countless other countries, on 5 different continents. It is known to be responsible for hospital outbreaks difficult to control and to be mainly a problem in patients with comorbidities in Intensive Care Units. However, there are still many doubts about its form of dissemination and contagion. Due to the silent and dispersed way in which it emerged, it has only recently started to be treated as the serious problem it represents. Its multi-resistance capacity and high infectivity add great difficulty in its control and, at the same time, its laboratory isolation is not possible through conventional molecular and phenotypic techniques, requiring a properly prepared laboratory. Due to its difficult identification, it is likely that there is still a lack of knowledge of its true prevalence and impact, beeing that the first studies consider that it may be one of the most serious multiresistant emerging organisms, with serious public health implications.
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Blakeman, Christopher John. "Radiologic sampling of surface soils near a USEPA superfund site." Thesis, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/30995.
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The human health effects of acute exposure to high levels of ionizing
radiation are well understood; however, when these irradiations occur at low levels,
there is controversy as to their potential health threat (BEIR V, 1990). For
individuals living in areas where the level of naturally occurring background
radiation is relatively high, the issue of additional exposure to anthropogenically
derived sources of ionizing radiation may be of some concern. This study
investigates the presence of radionuclides in surface soils near a United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site near Pocatello, Idaho,
where two phosphorus production facilities have operated for more than fifty years.
It is hypothesized that airborne particulates from these facilities are migrating into a
residential community, and are accumulating in the uppermost soil layers.
Soil samples were collected from seven sites located between 1.3 and 6.7
km along a transect aligned with the prevailing downwind direction. The transect
origin lies at the northern boundary of the Superfund site, and the sites were
selected for their ease of public access. Samples were collected at four different 2.5
cm depths (10 cm total) for each site, and these samples were analyzed for their
gamma emissions. Statistical evaluations of the sample data yielded results of no
significant difference in nuclide concentrations between soil layers, or between
sample sites (��=0.05).
This investigation corroborates the EPA discovery that nuclide
concentrations in surface soils decrease rapidly beyond 1 km from the site
boundary. This study extends the available information regarding the presence of
radionuclides in off-site surface soils by approximately 4 km in the prevailing
downwind direction. Additionally, these data appear to contradict the EPA's
conclusion that no residential exposure is occurring via a surface soil pathway. This
investigation finds that surface soil exposures, at locations such as public parks and
schools, may be occurring from radionuclide concentrations that are as high as 4
times that of published background radiation levels.Graduation date: 2002
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Taft, Mary Anderson. "Modeling Superfund: A hazardous waste bargaining model with rational threats." 2000. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9988845.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation takes a retrospective look at the first decade of EPA's implementation of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act commonly known as Superfund. Two models are employed that reflect EPA's implementation of Superfund: a rational threats game-theoretic bargaining model and a discrete choice empirical model. The game theoretic hazardous waste bargaining model produces an elegant and simple decision rule. Using this decision rule, EPA compares the expected transaction costs incurred because of litigation against EPA's prospects for a court-ordered award. The agency enters into bargaining when the savings from avoiding litigation is equal to the court-ordered award. EPA and the coalition of responsible parties bargain about how to share site clean-up costs (mixed funding) and when successful, enter into a voluntary settlement. The discrete choice empirical analysis reveals that high transaction costs, lengthy delays in site clean-ups and limited enforcement/litigation characterize EPAs implementation of CERCLA during the decade ending in 1990. Differences in how EPA implements this legislation across EPA Regions is explored. Compared to the other Eastern EPA Regions, EPA Region 4 is less likely to litigate and more likely to use Superfund monies to clean up hazardous waste sites.