Environmental Protection And Risk Assessment Of Organic Contaminants

This volume addresses the issue of environmental protection and risk assessment of organic contaminants in the soil environment. It is based on selected papers presented during the second International Conference on Contaminants in Soil Environment, held in December 1999 in Delhi, India.

The most recent volume in the Drinking Water and Health series contains the results of a two-part study on the toxicity of drinking water contaminants. The first part examines current practices in risk assessment, identifies new noncancerous toxic responses to chemicals found in drinking water, and discusses the use of pharmacokinetic data to estimate the delivered dose and response. The second part of the book provides risk assessments for 14 specific compounds, 9 presented here for the first time.

The Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) established the "Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society" (CCMS) in 1969. The CCMS was charged with developing meaningful environmental and social programmes for solving existing problems and developing long-range goals for environmental protection. In 1983, at the Fall Plenary of the CCMS, the Norwegian delegate Dr. H.C. Christensen, proposed a Pilot Study on "Risk Management of Chemicals in the Environment". A draft proposal, written by Dr. Kari Kveseth of the Center for Industrial Research in Oslo, was presented. Dr. Christensen also informed the participants at the meeting that Norway was willing to act as the Pilot Country. The project was initially planned for 3 years, but it was later extended through 1987. The inaugural meeting was held in Oslo in April 1984 with participants from Denmark, Greece, France and Italy, in addition to representatives from several Norwegian institutions. The attendees concluded that a Pilot Study, as delineated in the draft proposal, would be useful, and it was decided to work out a detailed project plan based on the proposal.

This book presents an integrated approach to understanding environmental contamination problems through the use of techniques from environmental chemistry, toxicology, ecology, and ecotoxicology. Basing much of his information on his 21 years of experience in the field, the author proposes innovative strategies for studying the environmental fate of contaminants, evaluating the effects, and producing scientific criteria for environmental safety. The book is clearly written, with all terms defined and equations explained with examples of their application. Weak points in the present knowledge are pointed out and discussed. An extensive list of references is provided for individuals who wish to delve deeper into the subject.

This book provides up-to-date information on chlorinated organics in the environment that can be used in monitoring, impact assessment, and decision-making processes. The text assists readers in predicting the potential for organic contamination as well as the critical medium of exposure to the health of the ecosystem and humans. Toxicity profiles provided for each chemical allow for evaluation of the short- and long-term effects on the environment. Discussions of environmental residues and pertinent worldwide regulations help readers compare chloroorganic contamination in different areas and analyze the associated regulatory approaches. Chlorinated Organic Compounds in the Environment begins with an introduction to chlorinated organic compounds and discussions of fate processes and environmental migration, based on their physical properties and processes. Next, the text focuses on chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons; chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons-monocyclic and polycyclic compounds; and chlorinated biocides, phenols, dioxins, and furans in the environment. The North American and International regulations and advisories in the management of chlorinated organic compounds are reviewed in Chapters 3-8. The last two chapters of the book deal with prioritization for regulatory and monitoring assessment and regulatory decision-making processes. A glossary and comprehensive subject index makes terms easy to understand and find throughout the text. Environmental managers, regulatory personnel, scientists, and students will gain a broader understanding of environmental problems and how they can be applied to different disciplines such as chemistry, life sciences, and engineering with this important reference.

The objective of this hugely important text is to contribute to the existing knowledge on soil pollution and remediation. Stress is given to the critical assessment of the used analyses and methods for study effects in combined chemical pollution (organic pollutants and pesticides, metals) on soil biota and fertility. Also featured is, among other things, an evaluation of specific aspects of risk assessment, and an assessment of advanced technologies for soil remediation.