Environmental Contamination Monitoring Project

The data collected in these experiments could be useful in (1) the planning and study design of projects that will use honey bees as monitors of environmental contamination, (2) ideas for the management of honey bee colonies when used in monitoring projects (i.e. how long to leave a colony in a particular area), and (3) the development of protocols for sample collection. 

Hirschfeld, T. Deaton, T. Milanovich, F. Klainer, S. Fitzsimmons, C. Project Summary—Feasibility of Using Fiber Optics for Monitoring Groundwater Contaminants U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Monitoring Systems Lab. Las Vegas, NV, January 1984. 

Shanklin DE, Sidle WC, Ferguson ME (1995) Micro-purge low-flow sampling of uranium-contaminated ground-water at the Femald environmental management project. Ground Water Monitor Remediat 15 168-176... 

Once the inhalation exposure questions have been identified, the specifications for each personal monitor must be determined and the monitor must be validated for the contaminant being measured. Table I, updated from Samet et al. (14), identifies currently available personal monitors, and Table II, taken from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report (15), shows the projected needs in the 1990s. There are a number of opportunities for research on personal monitors Table II indicates that relatively few commercial units are currently available for either particulate or gas-phase species. For compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a two-stage sampler is required because some PAHs exist simultaneously in the gaseous and particulate phase (16). Consequently, research must be ranked with respect to the significance of the air pollution problem, and the technological developments required to provide reliable samplers must be defined. 

Field studies can be classified as either manipulative or observational. In manipulative studies, previously unexposed organisms are used, and the experimenter determines the level of contamination to which they are exposed. In contrast, in observational studies the level of contamination to which the organisms are exposed is not under the control of the experimenter. These studies may be part of an independent research project, or may be mandated by a regulatory authority for monitoring organismal health and environmental quality. Manipulative field studies may employ microcosms and mesocosms, enclosures, and field applications of chemicals, while observational studies involve field surveys and collections. 

Environmental Protection The public was concerned about possible contamination of soil and surface water at the waste storage sites and what impact incinerator emissions would have on the environment. The public requested that additional environmental monitoring be carried out by an independent agency and that an independent consultant be hired to review the project environmental assessment documentation. 

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