To address and help mitigate potential public health and ecological impacts associated with contaminated soil, most state environmental agencies have promulgated cleanup standards or action level criteria that are bas...To address and help mitigate potential public health and ecological impacts associated with contaminated soil, most state environmental agencies have promulgated cleanup standards or action level criteria that are based broadly on US Environmental Protection Agency risk assessment methodologies. These standards or criteria often are assembled into easy-to-use look-up tables that allow responsible parties (RPs) to determine quickly the extent of remediation that could be required simply by comparing site investigation data to the listed cleanup goal or standard. This paper compares and contrasts soil remediation standards and criteria for 20 common soil pollutants taken from state environmental agency look-up tables for five Middle Atlantic States: New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. We examine the differences between numeric remedial goals for these pollutants and propose a relative rank for each state based on the overall degree of soil cleanup standard or criterion stringency. In order to identify and rank the stringency of the residential cleanup goals or standards published by the six Mid-Atlantic States, a three-step process was used that included compiling in one data set, the numerical (mg/kg), residential or unrestricted use look-up values published by state for each of the 20 contaminants;organizing and grouping those values in numerical sequence into one of three categories ranging from lowest (Most Restrictive) to highest (Least Restrictive);and then ranking each state by the number of first place finishes in each stringency category: Most Restrictive, Moderately Restrictive, and Least Restrictive. The socioeconomic consequences of these ranks were examined relative to their effects on gross state product, unemployment, and health.展开更多
Groundwater pollution by fluoride is one of the prime concerns of the world population due to its toxicity,which results in adverse health impacts.In this paper,we review the current scenario of the fluoride contamina...Groundwater pollution by fluoride is one of the prime concerns of the world population due to its toxicity,which results in adverse health impacts.In this paper,we review the current scenario of the fluoride contamination of groundwater in various countries across the globe and its impact on human health.During the last decade,several newly affected regions have been reported all over the world,with more than 100 countries affected by fluoride contamination in groundwater(concentration exceeding the acceptable limit of 1.5 mg/L defined by the World Health Organization).Fluoride poisoning is mainly due to the unsupervised ingestion of products for dental and oral hygiene and over-fluoridated drinking water.It is estimated that more than 200 million people from different countries are affected by fluoriderelated groundwater issues and health problems.The highest among these are from the countries in Africa(38),Asia(28),and Europe(24),followed by countries like South America(5),North America(3),and Australia(2).The source of fluoride in drinking water is primarily geogenic,together with forage,grasses and grains,tea,and anthropogenic sources.These countries affected were correlated with climatic zones and geological factors to gain insights into geospatial relations.Our analyses show that most of the fluoride pollution-prone zones are located in high-grade metamorphic terranes with granitoid or alkaline intrusions,geothermal hot springs,and volcanic regions with arid or semi-arid climatic conditions.This study also finds that children across the globe are more vulnerable than adults to fluoride contamination.The review finds that,although there are efficient fluoride removal techniques,including filters with next-generation nanomaterials,to date,there has not been a single technique developed that can claim to be a practically robust solution for fluoride removal from drinking water.Therefore,we suggest developing next-generation filters that can retain essential minerals in water and remove only harmful ones and selecting purification technologies according to need,climate,geology,and geographic location.The findings from our review would help policymakers take effective and sustainable measures for safe water supply in the affected areas.Within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs),particularly SDG 3(Good Health and Well-being)and SDG 6(Clean Water and Sanitation),this study emphasizes the critical role of fluoride as a key indicator.It underscores the imperative of addressing elevated fluoride levels in drinking water,particularly in African and Asian countries,to achieve the overarching objective of universal and equitable access to safe,affordable,and uncontaminated drinking water for global society by the targeted year of 2030.展开更多
文摘To address and help mitigate potential public health and ecological impacts associated with contaminated soil, most state environmental agencies have promulgated cleanup standards or action level criteria that are based broadly on US Environmental Protection Agency risk assessment methodologies. These standards or criteria often are assembled into easy-to-use look-up tables that allow responsible parties (RPs) to determine quickly the extent of remediation that could be required simply by comparing site investigation data to the listed cleanup goal or standard. This paper compares and contrasts soil remediation standards and criteria for 20 common soil pollutants taken from state environmental agency look-up tables for five Middle Atlantic States: New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. We examine the differences between numeric remedial goals for these pollutants and propose a relative rank for each state based on the overall degree of soil cleanup standard or criterion stringency. In order to identify and rank the stringency of the residential cleanup goals or standards published by the six Mid-Atlantic States, a three-step process was used that included compiling in one data set, the numerical (mg/kg), residential or unrestricted use look-up values published by state for each of the 20 contaminants;organizing and grouping those values in numerical sequence into one of three categories ranging from lowest (Most Restrictive) to highest (Least Restrictive);and then ranking each state by the number of first place finishes in each stringency category: Most Restrictive, Moderately Restrictive, and Least Restrictive. The socioeconomic consequences of these ranks were examined relative to their effects on gross state product, unemployment, and health.
文摘Groundwater pollution by fluoride is one of the prime concerns of the world population due to its toxicity,which results in adverse health impacts.In this paper,we review the current scenario of the fluoride contamination of groundwater in various countries across the globe and its impact on human health.During the last decade,several newly affected regions have been reported all over the world,with more than 100 countries affected by fluoride contamination in groundwater(concentration exceeding the acceptable limit of 1.5 mg/L defined by the World Health Organization).Fluoride poisoning is mainly due to the unsupervised ingestion of products for dental and oral hygiene and over-fluoridated drinking water.It is estimated that more than 200 million people from different countries are affected by fluoriderelated groundwater issues and health problems.The highest among these are from the countries in Africa(38),Asia(28),and Europe(24),followed by countries like South America(5),North America(3),and Australia(2).The source of fluoride in drinking water is primarily geogenic,together with forage,grasses and grains,tea,and anthropogenic sources.These countries affected were correlated with climatic zones and geological factors to gain insights into geospatial relations.Our analyses show that most of the fluoride pollution-prone zones are located in high-grade metamorphic terranes with granitoid or alkaline intrusions,geothermal hot springs,and volcanic regions with arid or semi-arid climatic conditions.This study also finds that children across the globe are more vulnerable than adults to fluoride contamination.The review finds that,although there are efficient fluoride removal techniques,including filters with next-generation nanomaterials,to date,there has not been a single technique developed that can claim to be a practically robust solution for fluoride removal from drinking water.Therefore,we suggest developing next-generation filters that can retain essential minerals in water and remove only harmful ones and selecting purification technologies according to need,climate,geology,and geographic location.The findings from our review would help policymakers take effective and sustainable measures for safe water supply in the affected areas.Within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs),particularly SDG 3(Good Health and Well-being)and SDG 6(Clean Water and Sanitation),this study emphasizes the critical role of fluoride as a key indicator.It underscores the imperative of addressing elevated fluoride levels in drinking water,particularly in African and Asian countries,to achieve the overarching objective of universal and equitable access to safe,affordable,and uncontaminated drinking water for global society by the targeted year of 2030.
