Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments

Bioavailability of Contaminants in Soils and Sediments

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2003-05-03

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 0309086256

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Bioavailability refers to the extent to which humans and ecological receptors are exposed to contaminants in soil or sediment. The concept of bioavailability has recently piqued the interest of the hazardous waste industry as an important consideration in deciding how much waste to clean up. The rationale is that if contaminants in soil and sediment are not bioavailable, then more contaminant mass can be left in place without creating additional risk. A new NRC report notes that the potential for the consideration of bioavailability to influence decision-making is greatest where certain chemical, environmental, and regulatory factors align. The current use of bioavailability in risk assessment and hazardous waste cleanup regulations is demystified, and acceptable tools and models for bioavailability assessment are discussed and ranked according to seven criteria. Finally, the intimate link between bioavailability and bioremediation is explored. The report concludes with suggestions for moving bioavailability forward in the regulatory arena for both soil and sediment cleanup.


Waste Incineration and Public Health

Waste Incineration and Public Health

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2000-10-21

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 030906371X

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Incineration has been used widely for waste disposal, including household, hazardous, and medical wasteâ€"but there is increasing public concern over the benefits of combusting the waste versus the health risk from pollutants emitted during combustion. Waste Incineration and Public Health informs the emerging debate with the most up-to-date information available on incineration, pollution, and human healthâ€"along with expert conclusions and recommendations for further research and improvement of such areas as risk communication. The committee provides details on: Processes involved in incineration and how contaminants are released. Environmental dynamics of contaminants and routes of human exposure. Tools and approaches for assessing possible human health effects. Scientific concerns pertinent to future regulatory actions. The book also examines some of the social, psychological, and economic factors that affect the communities where incineration takes place and addresses the problem of uncertainty and variation in predicting the health effects of incineration processes.


Soil and Environmental Chemistry

Soil and Environmental Chemistry

Author: William F. Bleam

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2016-11-30

Total Pages: 592

ISBN-13: 0128041951

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Soil and Environmental Chemistry, Second Edition, presents key aspects of soil chemistry in environmental science, including dose responses, risk characterization, and practical applications of calculations using spreadsheets. The book offers a holistic, practical approach to the application of environmental chemistry to soil science and is designed to equip the reader with the chemistry knowledge and problem-solving skills necessary to validate and interpret data. This updated edition features significantly revised chapters, averaging almost a 50% revision overall, including some reordering of chapters. All new problem sets and solutions are found at the end of each chapter, and linked to a companion site that reflects advances in the field, including expanded coverage of such topics as sample collection, soil moisture, soil carbon cycle models, water chemistry simulation, alkalinity, and redox reactions. There is also additional pedagogy, including key term and real-world scenarios. This book is a must-have reference for researchers and practitioners in environmental and soil sciences, as well as intermediate and advanced students in soil science and/or environmental chemistry. - Includes additional pedagogy, such as key terms and real-world scenarios - Supplemented by over 100 spreadsheets to migrate readers from calculator-based to spreadsheet-based problem-solving that are directly linked from the text - Includes example problems and solutions to enhance understanding - Significantly revised chapters link to a companion site that reflects advances in the field, including expanded coverage of such topics as sample collection, soil moisture, soil carbon cycle models, water chemistry simulation, alkalinity, and redox reactions