Environmental projects

UFORDAT Umweltbun- desamt, Germany environmental projects direc- tory 68000 FIZ Kails-mhe onhne, CD-ROM twice a year wuAv.umwdt- bundesamt.de/ index-e.htm... 

A No. We have a long-established project approval system which applies to all projects. We prioritize our investments based on the return they will bring to the company. In the case of safety and environmental projects they would receive priority treatment only if we b>elieved our current performance fell short of the standards expected of us. 

U.S. EPA uses the guidelines in the Civil Penalty Policy for assessing penalty amounts and uses the Final U.S. EPA Supplemental Environmental Projects Policy to allow for flexibility in assessing penalties. Enforcement of RCRA at federal facilities is now similar to enforcement at TSDFs, as a result of the Federal Facility Compliance Act of 1992. 

U.S. EPA, Supplemental Environmental Projects, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2009. Available at http //www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/seps/index.html... 

Laursen, S.E. Hansen, J. et al. Environmental Assessment of Textiles. Environmental Project No. 369, Danish Environmental Protection Agency, 1997. 

INERAS (1998) LCA graphic paper and print products (Part 2 Report on the industrial processes assessment). An environmental project of Axel Springer Verlag, STORA and CANFOR. Scientific consultant INFRAS, Zurich... 

Larsen HF, Tprslpv J, Damborg A (1995) Areas of intervention for cleaner technology in the printing industry - assessment of waste water (report in Danish). Environmental Project No. 284. Danish Ministry of Environment. Environmental Protection Agency, Copenhagen... 

Torslov J, Samsoe-Petersen L, Rasmussen JO, Kristensen P (1997) Use of waste products in agriculture. Contamination level, environmental risk assessment and recommendations for quality criteria. Environmental Project No. 366, Danish Environmental Protection Agency... 

Acknowledgements This study was part of a larger multidisciplinary environmental project carried out in the framework of an INTERREG IIA Programme of the European Community between Portugal and Spain. 

Christiansen LB, Winther-Nielsen M, Helweg C (2002) Feminization of fish. The effect of estrogenic compounds and their fate in sewage treatment plants and nature. Environmental Project No. 729. Danish EPA, Copenhagen,http //www.mst.dk/homepage/... 

Hansen, W. J., Orth, K. D., and Robinson, R. K., 1998, Cost Effectiveness and Incremental Cost Analyses Alternative to Benefit-Cost Analysis for Environmental Projects Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic and Radioactive Waste Management, January, pp. 8-12. 

Paleologos, E. K. and Fletcher, C. D., 1999, Assessing Risk Retention Strategies for Environmental Project Management Environmental Geosciences, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 130-138. 

Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Brominated Flame Retardants Substance Flow Analysis and Assessment of Alternatives. Environmental Project 494,1999... 

Nielsen, E., I. Thorup, A. Schnipper, et al. 2001. Children and the unborn child. Exposure and susceptibility to chemical substances - An evaluation. Environmental Project No. 589. Copenhagen Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of the Environment and Energy. http //www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/pubhcations/ 2001/87-7909-574-7/html/default eng.htm... 

Nielsen, E., G. 0stergaard, J.C. Larsen, and O. Ladefoged. 2005. Principles for human health assessments of chemical substances in relation to the establishment of health based quality criteria for ambient air, soil and drinking water. Environmental Project No. 974/2004. Copenhagen Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Danish Ministry of the Environment (in Danish with a summary in Enghsh). 

Nielsen, T., Jprgensen, H.E., Poulsen, M., Jensen, F.P., Larsen, J.C., Jensen, A.B., Schramm, J., andTpnnesen, J. 1995. Trajfic PAH and other mutagens in air in Denmark. Environmental Project No. 285/1995. Copenhagen Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Denmark. 

Settling companies have agreed to invest more than 5 billion in control technologies, pay civil penalties of more than 73 million, and perform supplemental environmental projects valued at approximately 67 million. 

One of the main concerns of any environmental project is the collection of relevant and valid data. These are the data of the type, quantity, and quality that are appropriate and sufficient for the project decisions. The standards for data relevancy and validity stem from the intended use of the data since different uses require different type, quantity, and quality of data. For example, the data requirements for a risk assessment project are drastically different from those of a waste disposal project the requirements for site investigation data are different from these for site closure. 

Environmental projects revolve around environmental data collection, analytical chemistry data for toxic pollutants in particular. Chemical data enable us to conclude, whether hazardous conditions exist at a site and whether such conditions create a risk to human health and the environment. We gather environmental chemical data by collecting samples of soil, water, and other environmental media at the right time and at the right place and by analyzing them for chemical pollutants. In other words, in the core of every environmental project lies an environmental sample. 

The Sample is analyzed at the laboratory (Step 5), and in the course of analysis it often ceases to exist (Step 6), being completely used up in the analytical procedure. Step 5 conceals many dangers for the Sample s wellbeing, for laboratory mistakes in preparation or analysis may threaten the production of the desired data and render the Sample useless. If not completely used up during analysis, the Sample nevertheless expires (Step 6) when it reaches the limit of its holding time as prescribed by the analytical method. The Sample thus reaches the end of its life and is discarded. However, its spirit is reincarnated in the form of chemical data (Step 7). In the afterlife of the Sample, chemical data becomes the Sample s alter ego and acquire a life of their own. Whether they are valid or invalid, the chemical data are the Sample s immortal legacy and a testimony to our ability to plan and execute environmental projects. 

Similar to the PARCC parameters, acceptance criteria are expressed in qualitative and quantitative terms. Some of them are statistically derived values, while others are purely qualitative and represent industry standards and accepted practices. Quantitative parameters (precision, accuracy, and completeness) are evaluated mathematically and compared to numerical acceptance criteria representativeness, which is a qualitative parameter, is established by comparing documented field and laboratory procedures to applicable standards and specifications. Comparability is estimated as the closeness of analytical results obtained at two different laboratories, and is usually expressed qualitatively. In environmental project work, acceptance criteria for the PARCC parameters are documented in the SAP. 

The target population is a set of all samples for which the decision-maker wants to draw conclusions. It represents environmental conditions within certain spatial or temporal boundaries. For environmental projects, the target populations are usually samples of surface and subsurface soil, groundwater, surface water, or air, collected from a certain space at a certain time. 

The decision rule assumes that perfect information has been obtained from an unlimited number of samples and that the sample mean concentration (x) is equal to the true mean concentration (p). (The definitions of sample mean and true mean concentrations can be found in Appendix 1). The reality is that we never have perfect information and unlimited data, and that is why this decision rule is only a theoretical one. In fact, environmental project decisions are made on data that are obtained from... 

Depending on the project objectives, Step 6 may be the most complex of all DQO process steps. However, for a majority of environmental projects that are driven by... 

Based on the sample data, we may reject the null hypothesis when in fact it is true, and consequently accept the alternative hypothesis. By failing to recognize a true state and rejecting it in favor of a false state, we will make a decision error called a false rejection decision error. It is also called a false positive error, or in statistical terms, Type I decision error. The measure of the size of this error or the probability is named alpha (a). The probability of making a correct decision (accepting the null hypothesis when it is true) is then equal to 1—a. For environmental projects, a is usually selected in the range of 0.05-0.20. 

Is there a need to conduct the DQO process for every environmental project Not necessarily so. The DQO process can be lengthy and complicated. Because it is often poorly understood, it also can be somewhat intimidating. And yet, in essence, the DQO process addresses very basic issues that lay the foundation for the project s success. Systematic planning that forms the core of the DQO process is the scaffold upon which defensible site decisions are constructed (Lesnik, 2001). 

The use of screening data enables project teams to estimate an environmental condition in a rapid manner and to facilitate real-time decision-making in the field. Screening results usually determine future action at the project site, and that is why screening data, imprecise as they may be, must reliably reflect the true site conditions. Screening data may help formulate important decisions for many types of environmental projects, such as the following ... 

The concept of the action level emerges in every environmental project. The action level comes in many different forms, and there are a number of guidance and reference materials available today that allow us to competently establish a basis for choosing an action level. The following discussion provides an overview of various types of action levels that are typically used during implementation of environmental projects in the USA. The EPA summarizes these laws and regulations on its Web Page at http //www.epa.gov and provides the links to their full texts. 

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Annual Book of Standards is another important source of consensus methods used in environmental project work. 

The use of American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practices is not uncommon in environmental project work, particularly for the characterization of recovered petroleum products that have accumulated in the subsurface from leaking USTs and pipelines. 

However, not every environmental project requires a comprehensive and elaborate planning document. Usually the contents and the format of the SAP are determined by such factors as contractual requirements, regulatory agency oversight, or by financial constraints. A smaller document that contains the most essential SAP elements in combination with the Laboratory QA Manual may be as functional as a full-scale SAP. Appendix 7 presents an example of a SAP table of contents. A SAP prepared in this format is a very effective document that communicates the information essential for project implementation and assessment phases without being overloaded with information available from other sources. 

Detector sensitivity is best explained in terms of signal to noise ratio, which is the minimum detectable quantity with a signal to noise ratio of two (Willard, 1988). Detector sensitivity is linked to the method detection limit, a concept that we routinely use in environmental project work. (The definitions of detection limits in environmental pollutant analysis are discussed in Chapter 4.5.1.) The MDLs, however, while being related to detector sensitivity, greatly depend on the analytical method, sample matrix, and the analyte itself. In this chapter, we will address detector sensitivity in relative terms by comparing sensitivities of various chromatography detectors. 

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