Well, the overseer could be simple answer as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as it is the federal entity that not only enforces chemical, waste, and cleanup detailed by the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA), but they also support CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act created in 1980) in finding and remediating contaminated sites called Superfund sites.
Not only does hazardous waste pose a serious threat to humans directly, but it also can harm us indirectly if allowed to escape into soil or water. In order to effectively remove these wastes they need trained professionals to safely handle, treat, and store the waste. A number of these instances may include underground storage tanks, asbestos, lead paint, etc. Underground, you can imagine, is much more complex of an issue when it is necessary to not only contain the contaminant from traveling and spreading out, but also to successfully remove the pollution from each area affected.
The EPA has many important jobs concerning our environmental and human health, one of them being in charge of creating and managing various cleanup programs including the Superfund Program. This in particular was set up to manage life threatening sites on either short term sites or longer term sites on the National Priorities List.
For our safety, a waste management system called "Cradle to Grave", instilled by RCRA details how waste is managed during its creation and when it needs to be removed. Each waste has it's own threats, vulnerabilities, and specific regulations as listed in OSHA's MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets).
OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration created by Congress in 1970, was put in place to ensure that those who were responsible for removing toxic waste would understand the correct methodologies and resources while working in a safe working environment. With OSHA's training and all of the acts enacted by Congress during this time (late 60s through 90s), the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) was outlined and modified to assist the EPA and the states as what actions to take and how to set up who was in charge, including the necessary teams for the actual remediation, in certain circumstances. Per situation, either a state or Federal representative will oversee the progress, various teams will map out the contaminated area, and only certain people will be allowed in delegated zones in and around the affected areas. The whole ordeal is a huge undertaking and any mistakes or loose ends could be fatal.
In the end, depending on the severity and location of the spill or hazardous waste site, the NCP plan goes into affect and every task is then delegated from the federal tier to the local tier. Then again, prevention is better than cure.
What is a Dead Zone? What does Hypoxia mean? What does it mean to be Anoxic?
All of these terms refer to an environment in which the oxygen in a water body decreases so much that aquatic life can no longer live there. One such place is in the Gulf of Mexico (shown below on the toe of Louisiana), which is the second largest hypoxic zone in the world.
Freshwater discharge and nutrient loading of the Mississippi River
Nutrient-enhanced primary production, or eutrophication
Decomposition of biomass by bacteria on the ocean floor
Depletion of oxygen due to stratification
How Exactly Does It Work?
#1. Too much nutrients added to a field or urban area will not be absorbed, as plants can only absorb so much until they are full (nutrients such as Nitrogen & Phosphorus).
#2. When it rains this excess is carried off by runoff into the nearest body of water and then eventually ends up in the ocean.
#3. Once it reaches this "dead end", this huge amount of nutrients fertilize microscopic plants (phytoplankton) in a process called eutrophication.
#4. Once these micro plants eat it all up, they die and sink to the bottom and are then eaten by bacteria, which greatly increases the oxygen consumption by the bacteria, which depletes the total oxygen available.
So, Who Is The Main Culprit Behind Hypoxia?
Well, actually we all play a role whenever we toss trash on the side of the road and do not think about the consequences of our actions and the harm they may have on the environment and those that rely on those ecosystems (i.e. fishermen who earn their living fishing in the Gulf of Mexico). Of the major causes of hypoxia forming (listed above), much of this nutrient loading comes from Agriculture.
Pollution from nonpoint agricultural runoff has become a major problem facing our streams and rivers today. Not only are fish and aquatic life affected, but so is the quality of our drinking and recreational water resources. Studies have shown that wetlands have proven to be the most cost-effective and low maintenance method of removing nonpoint or diffused contaminate inputs. The biological processes and removal of nutrients in wetlands depend on the total surface area available for microbial activity in the soil and a certain period of water retention time. Since chemical processes take time, the measure of residence time is an important factor of the degree to which wetlands can change water chemistry. Knowing that nitrogen concentrations decrease as water residence time increases, a model of residence time will help interpret the mechanisms determining groundwater flow paths within and around the constructed wetlands. The main objectives of this research are to model water's residence time, compare the size and gradient of two experimental wetlands, and determine the water flow paths within the site and how they relate to the areas of high denitrification rates. The two constructed wetlands chosen are the West and Gully located in Lexington, Illinois. Of the two, Gully is about half as small and has a higher gradient. Using MODFLOW to create a local-scale model that includes both wetlands and the tile drainage will help to determine how groundwater influences the fate of nitrogen and the effectiveness of wetland construction parameters. Since the outflows from groundwater to the wetlands are significantly greater than the inflows from the surface water, it can be assumed that the wetlands have zones where they are being recharged from groundwater. Franklin West had an average residence time of about 1.41 days (121,580 sec) which is much slower than Gully's 0.011 day (918 sec). With a lower overall groundwater discharge into Franklin West, this may help to explain why the wetland system removes less N than Gully even though it has a longer surface water residence time. As the nutrients can also travel within the groundwater, they have the potential of contaminating the water supply, but with a long enough distance, denitrification and the process of diffusion within the subsurface can also remove excess N. With the 10 years of travel time from Franklin West to the Mackinaw River and the six years it takes water to travel from Gully to Turkey Creek, any nutrients from Franklin West will have more time, both within the wetland system itself and the groundwater, to denitrify and more effectively remove nutrients before the water reaches surface features. The results of this research will be beneficial when considering effective wetland design, monitoring procedures, and wetland management.
preventing animals from walking around and pooping in streams (lowers amount of Phosphorus added to the water),
planting cover crops and/or only adding as much fertilizer as needed (there are ways to figure out just how much is enough),
and maintain grassed or forested buffer strips along farm fields or install wetlands to filter and trap the extra nutrients before the water continues its trip to the ocean.
Further Reads
Modeling Groundwater Contaminant Transport Leading to the Gulf of Mexico
“Heat is a chronic problem here in Phoenix and most of the desert southwest which means that during the summer months it is extremely hot, pretty much all the time. And one of the challenges when you have a chronic health issue, like exposure to high heat and high temperature, is that people seem to not appreciate the risk as much. The subtlety of exposure to high heat is a challenge in both messaging as well as getting people to pay attention to those messages and take action.”
This is an applied research project that was completed in 10 weeks by myself and a team of scientists for NASA DEVELOP.
This project was proposed to us by the State of Arizona, specifically the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, as they wanted to have an updated methods of helping those suffering from severe health issues related to intense heat exposure.
http://www.urbanheatislands.com/
“We think we can deploy our intervention strategies really to where the greatest need is with high precision and it's our hope that compiling the thermal imagery that this DEVELOP team has will enable us to incorporate environmental conditions into that discussion in a way that has never been done before.”
Abstract:
Extreme heat causes more human fatalities in the United States than any other natural disaster, elevating the concern of heat-related mortality. Maricopa County Arizona is known for its high heat index and its sprawling metropolitan complex which makes this region a perfect candidate for human health research. Individuals at higher risk are unequally spatially distributed, leaving the poor, homeless, non-native English speakers, elderly, and the socially isolated vulnerable to heat events. The Arizona Department of Health Services, Arizona State University and NASA DEVELOP Langley Research Center are working to establish a more effective method of placing hydration and cooling centers in addition to enhancing the heat warning system to aid those with the highest exposure. Using NASA’s Earth Observation Systems from Aqua and Terra satellites, the daily spatial variability within the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect was quantified over the summer heat seasons from 2005 – 2014, effectively establishing a remotely sensed surface temperature climatology for the county. A series of One-way Analysis of Variance revealed significant differences between daily surface temperature averages of the top 30% of census tracts within the study period. Furthermore, synoptic upper tropospheric circulation patterns were classified to relate surface weather types and heat index. The surface weather observation networks were also reviewed for analyzing the veracity of the other methods. The results provide detailed information regarding nuances within the UHI effect and will allow pertinent recommendations regarding the health department’s adaptive capacity. They also hold essential components for future policy decision-making regarding appropriate locations for cooling centers and efficient warning systems.
Hurricanes bring out the worst in hazardous waste. Flooding takes out power lines and other electrical equipment, overloads sewage and storm drains, brakes buildings, releases dangerous animals, causes gas leaks (storage tanks, etc.), releases/picks up harmful chemicals and substances like lead, batteries, or e-coli, and more. Anything in and around town is up for grabs by the tempestuous waves of water collecting every bit of garbage, every leak or spill, and making the water absolutely unsafe to swim in or drink.
Can you imagine a day without water?
No water for drinking, washing hands, taking a shower, flushing the toilet, cooking, etc. Is your neighborhood prepared for a day+ without water?
We all know water is essential to life, human health, and our economy. Natural disasters like tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes, along with old infrastructure among other things can really destroy a communities chances for getting back on its feet. Being prepared as a community and having an action plan will provide better chances for rapid recovery.
How do I know whether my water is drinkable or not?
If it is contaminated, it should not be used for drinking, washing, making ice, brushing teeth, washing or preparing food, etc. Many boil water until they are certain that harmful microorganisms are removed. How do contaminants (germs and chemicals) get into my drinking water? Since there are many, I will only list the most common sources of contaminants (pollutants):
Local land use practices (fertilizers, pesticides, livestock, etc.)
Manufacturing processes
Sewer overflows
Malfunctioning wastewater treatment systems (e.g. nearby septic systems)
Many contaminants that are harmful to human health are regulated by the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). They pretty much put a limit on what can be polluted, but it is always higher than the actual amount or concentration that could harm us.
Dealing with debris and broken buildings is almost anyone's job, but along with the National Guard, the Red Cross, and amazing people all over the United States, the EPA is also heavily involved as there is an environmental degradation issue. We as citizens also have a responsibility. We may not be able to control mother nature, but we can prevent the majority of contamination issues as a result of precipitation and hurricanes.
For example, Hurricane Sandy stirred up pollution and debris that not only threatened human health, but also the coastal waters, which is another ecosystem in and of itself. Many of these sites turn into Superfund sites, where the government comes in and cleans up this "toxic soup" of a mess. Surprisingly, sediments are one of the top pollutants. Have you ever thought or heard of that? Well it is easy to understand when you think about how much we have altered the land's surface. With deforestation, farming practices, urbanization, etc. more soil erosion is occurring and more sediments get dumped into our streams and rivers and eventually the ocean. Sediment particles are very good at adsorbing chemicals on their surfaces and carrying them down to be dumped into the Gulf of Mexico or the Chesapeake Bay (for example).
Purpose of a storm drain (drainage system): to remove excess rainwater from paved streets, parking lots, etc., to decrease the chance of flooding.
Hopefully we all know the basics of surface runoff. Urban sprawl includes more buildings and roads, yes, but this includes more impervious surfaces (surface runoff can also occur in super-saturated soils). Here in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois most of the streams in and around the "twin cities" are lined. Having cement lined streams like Sugar Creek is nice in the sense that the nasty stuff we find dumped on the roadside and sidewalks that act as waste and potential water contaminants will less likely enter the groundwater...
The problem with this is that with impervious surfaces in town, eventually downstream will no longer have cement to act as a barrier. On its trip through town, the creek has collected nasty cigarette butts, oil leaks, discarded milk and other harmful trash. This waste water is then dumped out on the south end of town full of high loads of fertilizers, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc.
What prevents all of this concentrated nasty storm water from entering the unsaturated zone and therefore groundwater aquifers?
This project is focusing on a relatively small study area around the Bone Student Center and Milner Library, the majority of the project is boxed in from the four streets surrounding the campus buildings (minus the church property). There are more than 100 storm drains located in this ~14 acre area and all of it ends up in Sugar Creek.
Bing Map of Bloomington/Normal, IL with the study site within the red box and the outsource of stormwater into Sugar Creek.
Tasks: Find the direction of stormwater flow into each storm drain and go out during or after a storm event to see which drains gain the majority of the surface runoff and take photos of any potentially hazardous sites where there is garbage or spills entering the drains.
September 4 2014 - Gasoline Leak
9.4.14 08:14 In Bone Parking Lot facing south toward the Bone Student Center - gasoline spill/leak
9.4.14 08:14 In Bone Parking Lot facing south toward the Bone Student Center - gasoline spill
9.4.14 08:15 In Bone Parking Lot facing south toward the Bone Student Center - gasoline leak
September 4, 2014 - Oil & Trash Leak
9.4.14 09.21 N of BONE Student Center facing west - Spill into drain (container is open at the top, precipitation will enter and wash through, picking up all nastiness inside)
9.4.14 09.22 N of BONE Student Center facing west - Source of spill
9.4.14 09.22 N of BONE Student Center facing west - Source of spill
9.4.14 09.22 N of BONE Student Center facing west - Source of spill
September 4, 2014 - Spill & Trash
9.4.14 09.33 N Milner Library Loading Dock facing east - Spill and garbage
9.4.14 09.33 N Milner Library Loading Dock facing north - Spill and garbage
9.4.14 09.33 N Milner Library Loading Dock facing northeast - Covered containers, no evidence of spills
9.4.14 09.33 N Milner Library Loading Dock facing north - Corrosive materials, what are these used for?
Sugar Creek has minor water quality issues, but as you saw in the map, it goes right through town and collects all of our solid and liquid wastes. Eventually it will end up in our soil and percolate through the subsurface. Soils, as well as water bodies, can get contaminated and are actually harder to remediate.
Further Research:
Combined Sewer Overflows
Many counties still have these older sewer drainage systems that no longer work because of increasing population, housing, and businesses all sharing a system meant for a much smaller dependence. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/permits/cso.html
So, this semester I was busy with my internship preparing for Winona State's first Climate Summit!
It had begun in Bolivia when their Chacaltaya glacier (used to be the world's largest ski run located in the Andes Mountains) completely disappeared in ~2009. They decided something needed to be done and people needed to be aware that their actions were inducing an increase of greenhouse gas emissions which not only endangers the lives of polar bears and people from sea level rise, but also threatens the survival of people dependent on the freshwater springs that glaciers provide.
During the internship we had the opportunity to see real examples of what the effects of climate change were on health, declining water resources, contamination of water quality (due to sea level rise and salination of groundwater aquifers) and health effects.
Climate Change seems to be highly debated, but in fact, all of the scientists, statisticians, and researchers agree. The only folks who don't agree, are those who simply do not understand what it is or prefer to be ignorant of the issues climate change creates so they do not have to deal with the consequences and responsibilities.
I thought one of the best videos about relaying information to a broad audience came from scientist Anthony Leiserowitz, (a director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication who specializes in the psychology of risk perception) who spoke on Bill Moyers show. He describes his efforts to stimulate people to action over what could be seen as "the greatest single threat facing humanity" and gives great examples for how to change communities' behavior to make a difference.
*Use less electricity, or at least waste less. Sun is a free light and heat source, use it when you can and you'll save your energy bill and overall lifetime of appliances.
*Improve vehicle fuel-efficiency either by personally changing driving habits or getting a car that doesn't suck your money out of your pockets and is fuel-efficient.
*Conserve energy at the workplace, home, your yard, etc.
Like any normal water flea, Georgia enjoyed midnight
swims and doing water exercises in quiet pools of water. Unbeknown to her, she
houses a microscopic larva called the guinea worm. An elderly man enters the
pool for a few laps. While performing the front stroke he gasps and swallows
some pool water. Along with the chlorine, he ingests our friend Georgia and her
baby parasite. The stomach acid in his body dissolved the water flea and the
worm larva migrates down to the connective tissue, finding some soft cavity of
flesh to burrow into.
It begins growing. And growing.
A year goes by and the old man continues golfing and
playing with his grandchildren while growing deeper laugh wrinkles around the
eyes. The full sized guinea worm has now grown as tall as his three year-old
granddaughter. Being so large, cramped inside a human body is no place for an
adult guinea worm. The parasite tunnels through to the surface of the skin and
creates a blister along with a burning sensation. This makes the old man want
to dunk his leg into some water. This is exactly what the worm wants. When it
senses that the limb is immersed, the worm wriggles through, pokes its head out
of the blister, and releases a milky cocktail into the water, containing
hundreds of thousands new larvae. More Georgias promptly eat them and the
process starts all over again.
This is just one type of parasite one may find in
your backyard.
Pathogenic microorganisms, also known as disease
producing bacteria, viruses and parasites that enter water through defecation
by swimmers or the flooding of sewage drains can cause serious health damage. Several
problems include paralysis, heart inflammation, fever and diarrhea. Parasites
vary from tiny, one-celled protozoa to multi-cellular worms that can easily be seen
ranging from 1 micrometer to 2 meters long. They can be consumed from
contaminated food or water, a bug bite or sexual contact. They live protected in
other host bodies such as fish, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, snails or humans and
either manipulate, mutilate, or consume nutrients from us. Some choose a
permanent host and others go through different stages of growth or feeding in
different hosts.
No one likes mosquitoes. Not only do they spread horrifying
diseases like malaria, caused by injecting the parasite Plasmodium into our
bodies therefore disrupting the blood supply to vital organs and causing
fevers, comas or death, but these dirty needles also inoculate filarial worms.
Spending a year maturing in our bodies, these worms finally move into the
lymphatic system. Doesn’t sound so bad, right? Well, here’s the kicker. The
lymphatic system is the part of the circulatory system responsible for allowing
our excess fluids to keep moving out of our body. When the worms clog it up,
causing vessels near the lymph nodes to become obstructed and inflamed, tissue
starts inflating like a hot air balloon. As a result and the addition of
gravity, we find ourselves with unbearable enlargements of our legs and
genitalia. In conjunction with this condition’s common name Elephantitis, we can
now lumber around as human elephants, our skin billowing out and folding over
itself. This might be a stretch, but we probably could have replaced the rock
monster in the fight against Tim Allen’s character fromGalaxy Quest.
When considering malaria, yellow fever, Dengue
fever, or cholera, most often a picture of a wild tropical jungle swarming with
thirsty mosquitoes or the dirty brown surface waters of many African countries.
The climate and humidity is optimal but it is not restricted to conditions in
the tropics for disease spreading organisms. Serious epidemics have occurred worldwide
since ancient times to the present day Haiti cholera outbreak. Not all cases
result in death. In some cases no symptoms of the disease are seen.
MaryMallon had never intended to inflict pain, but she was a murderer. By the age
of 32 she had killed her first victim, an innocent laundress. In her eyes she
was completely innocent and no one was going to convince her otherwise.
Mary
was born in Cookstown, Ireland in 1869. When she was 15 years old she immigrated
to the United States and became a cook in New York City. From 1900 to 1907 Mary
had a hard time keeping a job. She would move from family to family leaving a
trail of ill household members in her wake. Mary had always been a healthy girl
and during her time spent in the U.S. she maintained a deceptively healthy
appearance.
Her
life became this predictable pattern of getting hired, infecting people and quitting
her job. Three weeks after being hired by a family, a number of residents would
develop seriously high fevers. She would then leave about three weeks after the
outbreak occurred. Her short stay in each home was either due to her removal or
the wise choice to leave before the family chose to fire her. In a period of 6
years she had left eight or more homes with members suffering from fevers,
diarrhea and even death. These were cases of typhoid fever.
Typhoid
is an illness spread by bacteria called Salmonellatyphi. Salmonella, like tropical Mike and Ikes, is consumed by many who
have contaminated water, drink or food. In the early 1900s an estimated 3,000
to 4,500 new cases of typhoid fever were reported in NYC. 3% of typhoid victims
became carriers, which meant that there were around 100 new carriers each year.
Mary Mallon was one of them. Unknowingly Mary was the host of a hungry hoard of
bacteria. Like the ship she took to reach the shores of the United States, she
was shipping multitudes of bacteria to the expectant mouths of those she cooked
for.
The
seemingly harmless act of preparing a meal was the source of severe diarrhea,
fever, abdominal pain, delirium, hallucinations and bloody stools for many who
depended on her for their source of nutrition. Once consumed, this infection traveled,
carried by white blood cells, into the intestines then into the bloodstream
where they get to the liver, spleen and bone marrow. Salmonella typhi
multiplied in the cells of these organs then reentered the bloodstream. Invading
the biliary system, gallbladder and lymphatic tissues of the bowels, they continued
to release bacteria in body waste for years.
An
investigation was made of the outbreaks and Mary was found to have a rare case
of typhoid fever that showed no external effects. Forever remembered as Typhoid
Mary, Mary Mallon had the best opportunity to infect people. As a cook in the
1900s, she made the mistake of not washing her hands thoroughly and many
suffered as a result.
From
a young age we are taught to wash our hands after using the toilet and before
preparing food. In many developing countries there may not be clean water to
wash with or drink, but even in areas that have appropriate sewage disposal, health
education, proper hygiene and good sanitation may have the same issues from
natural disasters such as flooding.
Those of us most likely at risk of parasites or
waterborne diseases include young children, those with weaker immune systems, daycare
providers, International travelers, hikers, campers or anyone else who drinks untreated
or contaminated water whether it be while swimming in lakes or rivers or simply
using ice cubes in your soda. There are many waterborne diseases caused by human
or animal excrement, but it would be a crime to neglect those caused from
chemical pollutants such as fertilizers, pesticides or heavy metals such as
lead from pipes.
Nitrates, phosphates, lead and so many other chemicals in
high concentrations can be quite harmful to our health. Water is rarely a huge
source of lead exposure unless the pipes used are old. Unto this day, there is still
no known biological benefit of lead metal to humans. Too much can damage the
kidneys along with the nervous and reproductive systems. Consumption could lead
to high blood pressure or even anemia, an insufficient amount of red blood
cells and transported oxygen to the body’s tissues. Young children or those of
us with weaker immune systems may develop learning disabilities, mental retardation,
convulsions, comas or possibly death.
Nitrates are even worse because it is much more frequent
and causes “blue baby” disease. If there are too much fertilizer added that isn’t
taken up by plants, it ends up in the groundwater. If babies drink water that
contains too much, they will lose oxygen flow to their brains and can cause
pulmonary disease (chronic obstructive airway), cardiac failure, severe hypoxemia,
death.
Of
these waterborne and water-related diseases, the bacteria causing diseases are
probably easily cured through the use of antibiotics, unless they adapt and
become immune. The most sustainable and sensible way to prevent these diseases
is to prevent them from occurring in the first place. Some ways to prevent
microorganisms from contaminating your body or water source is through vaccines
(oral and injectable), purifying water, having good hygiene and sanitation. Health
education is crucial for all ages whether it concerns washing a child’s hands
or helping a farmer know the optimal amount of fertilizer that his crop can
handle so there is no excess.
I hope you enjoy your stay here at the World of Waste and that you share your knowledge of these issues with others so we can create a more sustainable and pleasant place for future generations.
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