Perchlorate In The Environment

Based on a symposium sponsored by the Environmental Division of the American Chemical Society, Perchlorate in the Environment is the first comprehensive book to address perchlorate as a potable water contaminant. The two main topics are: analytical chemistry (focusing on ion chromatography and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry), and treatment or remediation. Also included are topics such as ion exchange, phytoremediation, bacterial reduction of perchlorate, bioreactors, and in situ bioremediation. To provide complete coverage, background chapters on fundamental chemistry, toxicology, and reulatory issues are also included. The authors are environmental consultants, government researchers, industry experts, and university professors from a wide array of disciplines.

The development of analytical methods for identifying widespread perchlorate contamination brought about an explosion of research into the environmental problems and their potential solutions along with a corresponding increase in the availability of information. Unlike reference works that focus on only a few aspects of this contaminant, Perchlorate: Environmental Problems and Solutions offers a comprehensive, single source of information on perchlorate contamination in the environment. Summarizing the state of the science and developments in engineering, the book describes: Common sources of perchlorate Its behavior in the environment Methods for analyzing perchlorate in environmental samples Potential risks to human health and the environment Regulatory standards and criteria Techniques for remediating environmental contamination The authors illustrate these points with case studies of perchlorate contamination in soil, groundwater, and surface water. These case studies provide perspective on issues commonly faced by scientists, engineers, and managers of perchlorate-impacted sites. Organized to follow the logical sequence of identifying and solving contamination problems, the book provides the foundation necessary to understand perchlorate's occurrence, environmental behavior, regulatory status, and remediation.

Provides a detailed description of perchlorate chemistry and recent advances in innovative remediation technologies for perchlorate contamination and their pros and cons Additionally, the first book to describe the natural occurrence of perchlorate and its unique isotopic signatures for environmental forensics and its detection in the environment, particularly the real-time analysis using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Perchlorateâ€"a powerful oxidant used in solid rocket fuels by the military and aerospace industryâ€"has been detected in public drinking water supplies of over 11 million people at concentrations of at least 4 parts per billion (ppb). High doses of perchlorate can decrease thyroid hormone production by inhibiting the uptake of iodide by the thyroid. Thyroid hormones are critical for normal growth and development of the central nervous system of fetuses and infants. This report evaluates the potential health effects of perchlorate and the scientific underpinnings of the 2002 draft risk assessment issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report finds that the body can compensate for iodide deficiency, and that iodide uptake would likely have to be reduced by at least 75% for months or longer for adverse health effects, such as hypothryroidism, to occur. The report recommends using clinical studies of iodide uptake in humans as the basis for determining a reference dose rather than using studies of adverse health effects in rats that serve as EPA's basis. The report suggests that daily ingestion of 0.0007 milligrams of perchlorate per kilograms of body weightâ€"an amount more than 20 times the reference dose proposed by EPAâ€"should not threaten the health of even the most sensitive populations.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, our nation began to grapple with the legacy of past disposal practices for toxic chemicals. With the passage in 1980 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund, it became the law of the land to remediate these sites. The U. S. Department of Defense (DoD), the nation’s largest industrial organization, also recognized that it too had a legacy of contaminated sites. Historic operations at Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps facilities, ranges, manufacturing sites, shipyards, and depots had resulted in widespread contamination of soil, groundwater, and sediment. While Superfund began in 1980 to focus on remediation of heavily contaminated sites largely abandoned or neglected by the private sector, the DoD had already initiated its Installation Restoration Program in the mid 1970s. In 1984, the DoD began the Defense Environmental Restoration Program (DERP) for contaminated site assessment and remediation. Two years later, the U. S. Congress codified the DERP and directed the Secretary of Defense to carry out a concurrent program of research, development, and demonstration of innovative remediation technologies. As chronicled in the 1994 National Research Council report, “Ranking Hazardous-Waste Sites for Remedial Action”, our early estimates on the cost and suitability of existing technologies for cleaning up contaminated sites were wildly optimistic. Original estimates, in 1980, projected an average Superfund cleanup cost of a mere $3.