Groundwater public concern

Perc spills have led to groundwater and soil contamination. Of 1190 National Priorities List sites in the United States, nearly two-thirds (771) have perchloroethylene contamination (ATSDR, 1995). Even filters and lint from perc machines must be disposed of as hazardous waste. In addition, ever-increasing taxes and regulations on the use of perchlor-othethylene reflect the growing public concern over continued use of this solvent. 

Groundwater Contamination The Measure of Public Concern," Center for Communication Dynamics Washington, DC,... 

Groundwater Contamination, The Measure of Public Concern" Center for Communication Dynamics, Washington, D.C., 1985. 

The effective disposal of small volumes of aqueous pesticide wastes Is one of the major practical problems facing American agriculture today. Public concern for the state of groundwater purity and the broad regulations embodied In the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) have stimulated renewed and Increased Interest In the use of microorganisms with unique blodegradatlve properties for the safe disposal of agrochemical wastes. 

For question 9, the municipal landfill has had public relations problems with the community. There has been concern over both odor issues and possible groundwater contamination. Taking these concerns into consideration, can you develop addional arguments that make the investment more finacially attractive ... 

A primary directive of CERCLA is the protection of public health. Because the hazards that exist at Superfund sites tend to be quite variable, it has not been possible to establish specific cleanup criteria for the hazardous substances regulated under CERCLA potential human health effects must be evaluated by quantitative risk assessment on a site-by-site basis. Each Superfund site is assessed individually to determine how clean is clean. The rationale is that the hazard of a contaminant is a function of its potential to reach a receptor (e.g., groundwater, population) and the potential harm to the exposed receptor. The ability of a contaminant to migrate, its potential to degrade, and its distance to a receptor of concern (i.e., the risk), all are site-specific. Only on the basis of such individualized risk assessment is it possible to achieve efficient and cost-effective cleanup of the thousands of hazardous waste sites throughout the US. 

The principal public health concern with arsenic is from the development of naturally high-arsenic groundwaters (Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002). Extensive arsenicosis from such sources has been... 

In 1991, the National Academy of Sciences studied the health effects attributable to toxic waste sites and concluded, [W]e find that the health of some members of the public is in danger, but We are currently unable to answer the question of the overall impact on public health of hazardous wastes. The Academy pointed out that Millions of tons of hazardous materials are slowly migrating into groundwater in areas where they could pose problems in the future, even though current risks could be negligible. The Academy concluded, ...the committee does find sufficient evidence that hazardous wastes have produced health effects in some populations. We are concerned that populations may be at risk that have not been adequately identified, because of the inadequate program of site identification and assessment. ... 

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