Contamination What is it? Where does it come from? How does it affect us?

Contamination  What is it?  Human toxins and poisons that have been added to the soil.  “Soil contamination is either solid or liquid hazardous substances mixed with the naturally occurring soil. Usually, contaminants in the soil are physically or chemically attached to soil particles, or, if they are not attached, are trapped in the small spaces between soil particles”.EPA

What is meant by the term “Hazardous waste”?  1. toxic materials or by-products which can pose safety concerns if not properly managed.  A waste product with one or more of the following characteristics:  ignitable (it can catch fire easily)  corrosive (it can eat away material)  reactive (it reacts violently or harmfully)  toxic (it is poisonous).

 The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Americans are responsible for generating more than one metric ton of hazardous waste per person per annum (Congressional Budget Office 1985).

It’s not just the soil.

Soil/Air/Water  Smokestacks can release small particles which may be deposited on the surrounding soil as they fall out of the air.  Can be deposited into water.  Can be picked up by water and carried over the soil.  Directly spilled or deposited.

Common ways water is contaminated.  Dumping into “sealed” and unsealed lagoons.  Illegal dumping of liquid or solid materials directly into surface water which either runs off to rivers/streams or is absorbed into the ground.  Burrowing animals may also assist in transfer of materials.

How do we get contaminated ?  Airborne/inhalation  Ingestion/drinking  Contact/Absorption

How do we get contaminated ?  When plants attempt to grow in contaminated soil and take up the contamination through their roots.  When animals or humans ingest, inhale, or touch contaminated soil, or eat plants or animals that have themselves been affected by soil contamination.

 Animals ingest and come into contact with contaminants when they burrow in contaminated soil.  Humans ingest and come into contact with contaminants when they play in contaminated soil or dig in the soil as part of their work.

 Some can be absorbed into our bodies.  When contaminants are attached to small surface soil particles they can become airborne as dust and can be inhaled.

How do we clean this mess up?  Soil can be excavated from the ground and either be treated or disposed of.

 Soil can be left in the ground and contained to prevent the contamination from becoming more widespread and reaching plants, animals, or humans

 flushing contaminants out of the soil using water, chemical solvents, or air;  destroying the contaminants by incineration;  encouraging natural organisms in the soil to break them down;  or adding material to the soil to encapsulate the contaminants and prevent them from spreading.

What is a Superfund?  1. A Federal program that cleans up the nation's worst hazardous waste sites.  2. A fund made up of Federal tax revenues used to pay for hazardous waste site cleanups.

What is a Superfund site?  A Superfund site is an uncontrolled or abandoned place where hazardous waste is located, possibly affecting local ecosystems or people.

How many Superfund Sites are there?  As of November 29, 2010, there were 1280 Superfund sites on the National Priorities List in the United States.  347 sites have been cleaned-up and removed from the list  Sixty-two additional sites have been proposed for entry on the list

Who is responsible for cleaning up hazardous waste sites?  1. The U.S. Environment Protection Agency.  2. State and local environment agencies.  3. The U.S. Coast Guard.  4. Organizations and people responsible for contamination at the sites.

Red =current yellow = proposed green =deleted

Who pays for the sites to be cleaned up?  1. Organization and people responsible for contamination at the sites.  2. EPA through the Superfund trust fund, if responsible parties cannot be identified or cannot perform the cleanup.  3. The public through a sales tax.

What is a Brownfield?  Brownfields are properties which have been abandoned or are not being used and may be suspected of contamination  cannot be reused or redeveloped until it is cleaned up.  * not identified or categorized by the EPA as a location in need of remediation.

How common are Brownfields?  According to estimates made by the United States General Accounting Office, there are as many as 425,000 throughout the U.S.;  Other estimates suggest that there are 5 million acres of abandoned industrial property in urban areas.

 A 2001 survey of180 cities estimated that they had over 19,000 Brownfield sites.  Or more than 178,000 acres of land, acreage that exceeds the total land area of Atlanta, Seattle, and San Francisco.

Do we have Brownfields here?  n_up/brownfields/brownfieldsinventory.pd f n_up/brownfields/brownfieldsinventory.pd f