The Perchlorate crisis in Bordeaux
For this post of Environmental Geochemistry Issues Semi-Monthly (EGISM), I began an investigation of Perchlorate contamination; its impacts on water quality, and its deleterious effects on human health.
To begin, a brief summary of this persistent contaminant may be found in the following “Technical Fact Sheet” by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) in May 2012. It can be perused at the link below:
Technical Fact Sheet – Perchlorate
(EPA 505-F-11-003)
http://www.epa.gov/fedfac/pdf/technical_fact_sheet_perchlorate.pdf
Although perchlorate is both a naturally occurring, as well as an anthropogenic chemical compound, its dispersion and persistence in the environment has been found to be directly connected to its use as “a common oxidizer in solid propellants (e. g., rocket fuel), munitions (e. g., missiles, explosives), fireworks, and signal flares” (EPA 2005). Because this contaminant’s high solubility and stability in aqueous solution, upon its atmospheric deposition, perchlorate migrates quickly from soil to the groundwater system, where it eventually becomes bioavailable. In humans, its ingestion via food or contaminated water consumption has been found to lead to thyroid disruption, as perchlorate inhibits iodide uptake (NAS 2005), and it is also considered as a “likely human carcinogen” by the EPA. Because of the various deleterious health effects of this contaminant, the EPA is now regulating perchlorate under the Safe Drinking Water Act (EPA 2011).
However, a global standard for this contaminant does not yet exist, and this needs to be remedied! Below, I have selected three recent research articles from the USGS in California, collaborating Universities in South Korea and Taiwan, as well as Universities in Israel that are treating the issues of perchlorate detection and remediation. I have also chosen to include a video from SUEZenvironnement, which tells of how the perchlorate contamination of the local area drinking water supply was dealt with in 2011 in the urban community of Bordeaux, FRANCE.
Probability of Detecting Perchlorate under Natural Conditions in Deep Groundwater in California and Southwestern United States
(FRAM and BELITZ, 2011)
http://ca.water.usgs.gov/gama/media/Fram%26Belitz_2011.pdf
Perchlorate Removal from Aqueous Solutions by Granular Ferric Hydroxide (GFH)
[KUMAR et al., 2010]
http://cc.kangwon.ac.kr/~ymjung/jh2/sub3/doc/201005.pdf
Perchlorate Biodegradation in Contaminated Soils and the Deep Unsaturated Zone
(GAL et al., 2008)
http://web2.bgu.ac.il/ziwr/faculty/weisbrod/documents/Galetal.2008.pdf
The Perchlorate Crisis in Bordeaux (SUEZenvironnement, 2011)
Technical Fact Sheet – Perchlorate
(EPA 505-F-11-003)
http://www.epa.gov/fedfac/pdf/technical_fact_sheet_perchlorate.pdf
Although perchlorate is both a naturally occurring, as well as an anthropogenic chemical compound, its dispersion and persistence in the environment has been found to be directly connected to its use as “a common oxidizer in solid propellants (e. g., rocket fuel), munitions (e. g., missiles, explosives), fireworks, and signal flares” (EPA 2005). Because this contaminant’s high solubility and stability in aqueous solution, upon its atmospheric deposition, perchlorate migrates quickly from soil to the groundwater system, where it eventually becomes bioavailable. In humans, its ingestion via food or contaminated water consumption has been found to lead to thyroid disruption, as perchlorate inhibits iodide uptake (NAS 2005), and it is also considered as a “likely human carcinogen” by the EPA. Because of the various deleterious health effects of this contaminant, the EPA is now regulating perchlorate under the Safe Drinking Water Act (EPA 2011).
However, a global standard for this contaminant does not yet exist, and this needs to be remedied! Below, I have selected three recent research articles from the USGS in California, collaborating Universities in South Korea and Taiwan, as well as Universities in Israel that are treating the issues of perchlorate detection and remediation. I have also chosen to include a video from SUEZenvironnement, which tells of how the perchlorate contamination of the local area drinking water supply was dealt with in 2011 in the urban community of Bordeaux, FRANCE.
Probability of Detecting Perchlorate under Natural Conditions in Deep Groundwater in California and Southwestern United States
(FRAM and BELITZ, 2011)
http://ca.water.usgs.gov/gama/media/Fram%26Belitz_2011.pdf
Perchlorate Removal from Aqueous Solutions by Granular Ferric Hydroxide (GFH)
[KUMAR et al., 2010]
http://cc.kangwon.ac.kr/~ymjung/jh2/sub3/doc/201005.pdf
Perchlorate Biodegradation in Contaminated Soils and the Deep Unsaturated Zone
(GAL et al., 2008)
http://web2.bgu.ac.il/ziwr/faculty/weisbrod/documents/Galetal.2008.pdf
The Perchlorate Crisis in Bordeaux (SUEZenvironnement, 2011)
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