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Contaminated waste sites proliferate across the United States. However, current cleanup incentives fail to induce necessary private sector engagement. Environmental taxation can be a crucial instrument for addressing this issue. This Note begins by exploring why neither the free market, nor regulation is well-suited to manage contamination cleanups on abandoned properties. The Note then proposes a two-phase tax reform for addressing hazardous waste. First, Congress should expand the incentives available to developers to perform the necessary cleanups. Second, an effluent tax should be implemented on large quantity hazardous waste producers to promote the polluter-pays principle and to enhance the efficiency of waste management. This second phase should be introduced in conjunction with the phasing out of detrimental expenditures that distort market forces in favor of polluting behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most hazardous-waste sites are located in urban areas populated by disproportionate numbers of children, minorities, and poor people who, as a result, face more severe pollution threats and environmental-health inequalities. Partly to address this harm, in 2017 the United Nations unanimously endorsed the New Urban Agenda, which includes redeveloping urban-infill-toxic-waste sites. However, no systematic, independent analyses assess the public-health adequacy of such hazardous-facility redevelopments. Our objective is to provide a preliminary data-quality assessment (PDQA) of urban-infill-toxic-site testing, conducted by private redevelopers, including whether it adequately addresses pollution threats. To this end, we used two qualitative, weight-of-evidence methods . Method 1 employs nine criteria to select assessments for PDQA and help control for confounders. To conduct PDQA, Method 2 uses three US Environmental Protection Agency standards-the temporal, geographical, and technological representativeness of sampling. Our Method 1 results reveal four current toxic-site assessments (by CBRE/Trammell Crow, the world's largest commercial developer); at all of these sites the main risk drivers are solvents, volatile organic compounds, including trichloroethylene. Our Method 2 results indicate that all four assessments violate most PDQA standards and systematically underestimate health risk. These results reveal environmental injustice, disproportionate health threats to children/minorities/poor people at all four sites. Although preliminary, our conclusion is that alleviating harm and environmental-health inequalities posed by urban-infill-toxic-site pollution may require improving both the testing/cleanup/redevelopment requirements of the New Urban Agenda and the regulatory oversight of assessment and remediation performed by private redevelopers., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies suggest that there may be an association between environmental exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and diabetes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that residential proximity to POP-contaminated waste sites result in increased rates of hospitalization for diabetes. METHODS: We determined the number of hospitalized patients 25-74 years of age diagnosed with diabetes in New York State exclusive of New York City for the years 1993-2000. Descriptive statistics and negative binomial regression were used to compare diabetes hospitalization rates in individuals who resided in ZIP codes containing or abutting hazardous waste sites containing POPs ("POP" sites); ZIP codes containing hazardous waste sites but with wastes other than POPs ("other" sites); and ZIP codes without any identified hazardous waste sites ("clean" sites). RESULTS: Compared with the hospitalization rates for diabetes in clean sites, the rate ratios for diabetes discharges for people residing in POP sites and "other" sites, after adjustment for potential confounders were 1.23 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-1.32] and 1.25 (95% CI, 1.16-1.34), respectively. In a subset of POP sites along the Hudson River, where there is higher income, less smoking, better diet, and more exercise, the rate ratio was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.26-1.47) compared to clean sites. CONCLUSIONS: After controlling for major confounders, we found a statistically significant increase in the rate of hospitalization for diabetes among the population residing in the ZIP codes containing toxic waste sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) developed the Adult Lead Methodology (ALM) to provide an interim approach to assessing risks from non-residential exposures to lead. Because such exposures often involve occupational activities of adults, the ALM was directed at assessing soil-related lead risks to adults. Consistent with other approaches used in Superfund risk assessment, the ALM was designed to predict quasi-steady state blood lead concentrations (PbB) that might result from soil exposure. These predictions are converted to a risk estimate, expressed as the probability of exceeding a PbB level of concern. To examine the assumptions and variables in the ALM that have become available since 1996, a comparison was made of the attributes of seven alternative research models for which adequate documentation is available to understand and implement each approach. Several of these models have been used in regulatory decision-making; however, the USEPA has officially embraced none for general use. This analysis suggests that the ALM can continue to serve as a reasonable tool for assessing risks associated with non-residential exposures to soil. Under certain circumstances other models may be more applicable ( i . e ., for assessing acute or intensive exposures); however, the ALM is recommended for the majority of risk assessment applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the linkage of data from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey and the 1990 Environmental Protection Agency's list of hazardous waste sites. Aim to determine the relationship between living near hazardous waste sites and low birthweight; Adjustment for maternal age, parity, infant sex, prenatal care, behavioral and socioeconomic factors.

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund program was established to identify, assess and clean up the nation's worst hazardous waste sites to protect human health and the environment. Community involvement is an important part of the Superfund program for at least three reasons. First, involving communities in decision making at Superfund sites is a statutory requirement. Second, community involvement is important so that clean up decisions will support reuse in the surrounding community. Third, because even after cleanup many sites have residual contamination that warrants administrative and legal controls to protect health and the environment, community members should understand these controls to both help protect community members and any limitations on site reuse. Community feedback informs both proposed actions and local reuse decisions. While the EPA recognizes that the agency performs many activities that are helpful to support community involvement, there are areas in need of improvement and further research would be helpful for communities in the future.

The articles in this special issue on New Directions in Environmental Communication in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health present new research and perspectives on engaging communities impacted by Superfund sites-the hazardous waste sites that have been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as needing cleanup. In particular, these articles focus on the community engagement cores (CECs) that work with affected communities as part the Superfund Research Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The purpose of this closing article is to highlight important themes evident across the eight articles in the special issue. When considered together, the findings reveal important lessons learned about community engagement and environmental communication, but also reveal that much more remains to be known. Recommendations are made for how these teams can continue to practice, reflect on, and research community engagement in ways that build toward a better understanding and implementation of best practices.

ABSTRACT. The incidence of pediatric (i.e., 0-17 y of age) cancers in North Carolina was studied for the years 1990-1993 in counties and ZIP-code areas that contained a National Priorities List hazardous-waste site. We analyzed the areas to determine if there was an excess incidence of cancer among the pediatric population. We used geographic information systems technology to address-match and map the cancer cases, along with county and National Priorities List hazardous waste-site location. No significantly elevated cancer incidence rates were found at the county level. Two ZIP-code areas had statistically significant elevations in cancer incidence (p < .05). Only 3 of the cancer cases we mapped resided within a 1.6-km (1 mi) buffer zone of a National Priorities List hazardous-waste site. These 3 cases were not in the ZIP-code areas that had increased incidence rates. The small numerators throughout the study led us to question the accuracy of the assessment of underlying rates. The general capabilities of the geographic information systems, as well as advantages and limitations of the system, are discussed. As an exploratory study, this study serves as a springboard into more in-depth environmental-health hypotheses and more-specific investigations of point sources of hazardous exposures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of environmental justice in the United States started more than four decades ago when an African American dominant community was chosen as the site of a hazardous landfill. Many works have emerged since then, evolving around the concepts of distribution justice, representation justice, and recognition justice. Scholars attempt to address the environmental justice topic from a wide range of angles with multiple modern research methods. As an important aspect of sustainable development, we conducted a literature review in an attempt to summarize the progress of environmental justice studies in recent years. Under the broad framework of sustainable development, we investigate the origin of environmental justice studies, the traditional and modern approaches scholars applied to investigate the subject, and the applications of the concepts in recent years, especially in the era of a global pandemic. We also explore the application of environmental justice in recent planning practices. The purposes of the study are to further exploration of environmental justice, and analyze theories and explanations on what causes environmental justice and injustice. This study will pave a way for future advancements in sustainability science that will provide new opportunities and tools to be used by academics, policymakers, and urban planners alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the 2011 promulgation of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the successful negotiation by the United Nations Environment Program of the Minamata Convention, emissions of mercury (Hg) have declined in the United States. While the declines in atmospheric Hg concentrations in North America are encouraging, linking the declines to changing domestic and global source portfolios remains challenging. To address these research gaps, the U.S. Geological Survey initiated the first national‐scale effort to establish a baseline of total gaseous mercury stable isotope values at 31 sites distributed across the United States. Results indicated that unique Hg sources, such as Hg evasion from an elemental Hg contaminated site or free tropospheric intrusions in high altitude sites, were distinguishable from background atmospheric values. Minor gradients were observed across the nation, with regions of heavy industrial activity demonstrating lower δ202Hg, but no consistent changes in other isotopes such as Δ199Hg and Δ200Hg were observed. Furthermore, δ202Hg was impacted by foliar uptake and senescence but trends varied between forested regions in the northeastern and midwestern United States. These data demonstrate regional emission sources and other environmental variables can impact total gaseous Hg (TGM) isotope values, highlighting the need to characterize atmospheric Hg isotopes over larger geographical areas to evaluate changes related to national and international Hg regulations. Plain Language Summary: A simple, economic total gaseous mercury analyzer was deployed across the United States to determine if atmospheric sources of mercury were distinguishable across regions and seasons using mercury stable isotope values. Results indicated that heavily contaminated sites and high elevation sites did have different mercury isotope values, but overall values across the country were similar. Further application of these measurements may aid in assessing the impact and changing sources of mercury because of federal and global initiatives, including the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Key Points: Mercury isotope values were measured on a national scale across a wide range of environmentsSource proximity and seasonal variables dictate Hg isotope values for total gaseous mercuryExtreme industrial contributions can be distinguished from background atmospheric mercury [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landfills are linked to major forms of environmental harms, such as water contamination, production of greenhouse gases, and accumulation of toxins in human and natural systems. The presence of hazardous waste landfills has been shown to be co-located in rural communities, particularly in poor communities of color. This analysis examines the key relationships between the presence of 93% of all landfills other than hazardous--construction and demolotion (C&D), industrial, and municipal--and social inequality, a question as yet unexamined in the academic literature. Analyzing secondary data compiled into a unique dataset, the author examines associations among ruralness, race, class, gender, disaster occurrences, and the presence of a non-hazardous waste landfill across the 48 contiguous United States. Findings suggest that similar to research on hazardous waste landfills, nonhazardous waste landfills are more likely to occur in counties with higher percentages of poverty and people of color. Furthermore, using the USDA Rural- Urban Continuum, more urban areas have a ten times greater likelihood of hosting a hazardous waste landfill compared to the most rural areas. Results further indicate that counties with a greater percentage of single female-headed households in poverty have greater odds that a landfill will be present. Findings indicate the importance of investigating multiple landfill types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Polish Nofer Institute of Occupational Health collaborate on issues related to hazardous chemical exposure at or near hazardous waste sites. This paper outlines the scope of hazardous chemical exposure in the United States and in Poland and identifies priority chemicals and chemical mixtures. Special attention is paid to exposures to metals and to evaluation of the health risks associated with those exposures. Studies in the United States indicate that exposure to hazardous waste site chemicals may be associated with an increased risk of adverse developmental – specifically cardiovascular and neurodevelopmental – effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article takes a look at trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated hazardous waste sites and the need for a lower health guideline. Topics covered include the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's (ATSDR) aim of notifying pregnant women who are exposed to contaminated hazardous wastes to lower their risks to fetal heart malformation and the ATSDR's two-step triage process for reevaluating hazardous waste sites.

This article presents information on a study related to congenital heart disease (CHD) that occurs as a result of disruption of normal cardiac development during the first trimester of pregnancy. Although in most cases specific genetic causes are not known, it has been postulated that these defects result from the interaction of a susceptible genetic constitution and an environmental exposure. Exposure to toxins has been implicated as a cause of CHD in animal studies and epidemiologic investigations. These toxins and other mutagenic chemicals are present in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hazardous waste sites located near residential areas. Although it is believed that genetic, familial, and environmental factors contribute in a multifactorial fashion to cause CHD, several laboratory and epidemiological studies have raised the suspicion that the environment, and toxic chemicals in particular, may play roles. This study has important methodological limitations, which could have affected the results.

Background The Superfund program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1980 to address public health concerns posed by toxic substances released into the environment in the United States. Forty-two of the 1328 hazardous waste sites that remain on the Superfund National Priority List are located in the state of North Carolina. Methods We set out to develop a database that contained information on both the prevalence and biological activity of chemicals present at Superfund sites in North Carolina. A chemical characterization tool, the Toxicological Priority Index (ToxPi), was used to rank the biological activity of these chemicals based on their predicted bioavailability, documented associations with biological pathways, and activity in in vitro assays of the ToxCast and Tox21 programs. Results The ten most prevalent chemicals found at North Carolina Superfund sites were chromium, trichloroethene, lead, tetrachloroethene, arsenic, benzene, manganese, 1,2-dichloroethane, nickel, and barium. For all chemicals found at North Carolina Superfund sites, ToxPi analysis was used to rank their biological activity. Through this data integration, residual pesticides and organic solvents were identified to be some of the most highly-ranking predicted bioactive chemicals. This study provides a novel methodology for creating state or regional databases of biological activity of contaminants at Superfund sites. Conclusions These data represent a novel integrated profile of the most prevalent chemicals at North Carolina Superfund sites. This information, and the associated methodology, is useful to toxicologists, risk assessors, and the communities living in close proximity to these sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contaminated land risk assessments generally focus on the chronic health risks, arising from long-term, low-level exposure to the contaminants, and a number of risk assessment tools are in routine use. Situations where significant acute risks might be present are not commonly encountered, and methods for risk assessment are less well established. We present two recent case studies from the northwest of England, the first an area of public open space, and the second an occupied school site, with the associated risk assessments.

Approximately $6 billion is spent annually in the United States on the cleanup of sites regulated under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA, or Superfund). The current health risks posed by such sites are thought to be quite small; the expenditures are justified primarily as protecting hypothetical future residents of these sites. Approximately 0.05% of this amount, or $3 million, is spent annually by the U.S. government on the detection of asteroids or comets that could strike the earth. Such damaging impacts do occur from time to time — most recently in 1908 in an unpopulated region of Siberia — but no person is confirmed ever to have died as a result. Anticipated impacts over the course of 1 million years would yield deaths that, when annualized, total approximately 4,000 per year. The risk reduction goal for CERCLA is 15 orders of magnitude greater than that for asteroid/comet detection. A modest increase in resources devoted to asteroid detection would greatly increase the chances of early detection of a threatening object, allowing an effective defense to be attempted. This article argues that the much lower risk-to-resources ratio for CERCLA cleanups than for asteroid and comet detection can be explained by four primary factors: (1) the regard for future generations, since CERCLA benefits mainly the unborn; (2) concrete fears, since toxics are much more feared than asteroids or comets; (3) the source of the threat, since toxic contamination is caused by human beings, unlike impacts from space objects; and (4) the greater political constituencies for hazardous waste cleanup than for space object detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most serious environmental issues is soil pollution. With the increase in contaminated sites, how to safely and effectively remediate these contaminated soils has become an urgent environmental problem in our country. This paper summarizes the most commonly used remediation technologies and research progress for contaminated soil in the United States and abroad, including physical remediation, chemical remediation, and bioremediation. Each repair technique has advantages and disadvantages. To get around the problems with a single method and make the most of the benefits of different remediation technologies, it was suggested that research and development of comprehensive remediation technologies for contaminated soils be stepped up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polluter pays principal is justified as a deterrent to future pollution. However, the US experience suggests that it has considerably reduced the clean up rate of existing hazardous waste sites. Coase's theorem is used as basis to propose that a partnership between the polluters and property owners near these sites will not only ease financial burden but will also speed up the pace of cleanup. A hedonic price model is used to empirically estimate the impact of siting of hazardous waste sites on property values and determine the economic feasibility of the proposed partnership. The empirical estimates are based on municipality level data from the state of New Jersey. The benefits from speedy clean up of hazardous waste sites to New Jersey property owners are observed to exceed the cleanup cost of these sites. The above analysis suggests that if HW sites are cleaned up, the positive effect of this improvement in environmental quality will be internalized or captured by property owners. The benefits of the clean-up of HW sites will be realized by the property owners when they sell their properties at a price higher than if they had sold their property before the clean-up, assuming that everything else remains unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protozoa play important roles in microbial communities, regulating populations via predation and contributing to nutrient cycling. While amoebae have been identified in acid rock drainage (ARD) systems, our understanding of their symbioses in these extreme environments is limited. Here, we report the first isolation of the amoeba Stemonitis from an ARD environment as well as the genome sequence and annotation of an associated bacterium, Dyella terrae strain Ely Copper Mine, from Ely Brook at the Ely Copper Mine Superfund site in Vershire, Vermont, United States. Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis showed this bacterium colonizing cells of Stemonitis sp. in addition to being outside of amoebal cells. This amoeba-resistant bacterium is Gram-negative with a genome size of 5.36 Mbp and GC content of 62.5%. The genome of the D. terrae strain Ely Copper Mine encodes de novo biosynthetic pathways for amino acids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and lipids. Genes involved in nitrate (1) and sulfate (7) reduction, metal (229) and antibiotic resistance (37), and secondary metabolite production (6) were identified. Notably, 26 hydrolases were identified by RAST as well as other biomass degradation genes, suggesting roles in carbon and energy cycling within the microbial community. The genome also contains type IV secretion system genes involved in amoebae resistance, revealing how this bacterium likely survives predation from Stemonitis sp. This genome analysis and the association of D. terrae strain Ely Copper Mine with Stemonitis sp. provide insight into the functional roles of amoebae and bacteria within ARD environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does representative hazardous-waste-site testing tend to follow or to violate government technical guidance? This is an important question, because following such guidance promotes reliable risk analysis, adequate remediation, and environmental-justice and -health protection. Yet only government documents typically address this question, usually only when it is too late, when citizens have already exhibited health harm, allegedly from living or working near current/former hazardous-waste sites. Because no systematic, representative, scientific analyses have answered the preceding question, this article begins to investigate it by posing a narrower part of the question: Does representative US testing of volatile-organic-compound (VOC) waste sites tend to follow or to violate government technical requirements? The article (i) outlines US/state-government technical guidance for VOC testing; (ii) develops criteria for discovering representative US cases of VOC testing; (iii) uses the dominant US Environmental Protection Agency method to assess whether these representative cases follow such guidance; (iv) employs the results of (iii) to begin to answer the preceding question; then (v) discusses the degree to which, if any, these results suggest threats to environmental health or justice. Our initial, but representative, results show that almost all US VOC-waste-site testing (that we investigated) violates government technical requirements and systematically underestimates risks, and this may help justify less expensive, potentially health-threatening cleanups, mostly in environmental justice communities. We outline needed future research and suggest two strategies to promote following government technical guidance for hazardous-waste testing.

Reviews policies in the U.S. concerning the involvement of communities in hazardous waste site management. Theory and practice of community involvement; Role of nurses in the process; Information on the field of environmental health nursing.

Superfund sites could affect life expectancy (LE) via increasing the likelihood of exposure to toxic chemicals. Here, we assess to what extent such presence could alter the LE independently and in the context of sociodemographic determinants. A nationwide geocoded statistical modeling at the census tract level was undertaken to estimate the magnitude of impact. Results showed a significant difference in LE among census tracts with at least one Superfund site and their neighboring tracts with no sites. The presence of a Superfund site could cause a decrease of −0.186 ± 0.027 years in LE. This adverse effect could be as high as −1.22 years in tracts with Superfund sites and high sociodemographic disadvantage. Specific characteristics of Superfund sites such as being prone to flooding and the absence of a cleanup strategy could amplify the adverse effect. Furthermore, the presence of Superfund sites amplifies the negative influence of sociodemographic factors at lower LEs. Superfund sites have hazardous wastes that could affect the health of those who live near them, but this has not been assessed across the USA. Here the authors find that proximity to superfund sites decreases life expectancy and is further exacerbated by sociodemographic and climate change factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis for hazardous waste sites in the United States. Information on the assessed risk for hazardous waste sites; Discussion on data and modelling.

Uncontrolled hazardous-waste sites are a major environmental and public health concern in the United States and elsewhere. The remediation of and public health responses to these sites is mandated by the federal Superfund statute. Approximately 40,000 uncontrolled waste sites have been reported to U.S. federal agencies. About 1,300 of these sites constitute the current National Priorities List (NPL) of sites for remediation. Findings from a national database on NPL sites show approximately 40% present completed exposure pathways, although this figure rose to 80% in 1996. Data from 1992 through 1996 indicate that 46% of sites are a hazard to public health. Thirty substances are found at 6% or more of sites with completed pathways. Eighteen of the substances are known human carcinogens or reasonably anticipated to be carcinogenic. Many of the 30 substances also possess systemic toxicity. The high percentage of sites with completed exposure pathways and the toxicity potential of substances in these pathways show that uncontrolled hazardous-waste sites are a major environmental threat to human health. Findings from the United States' experience in responding to uncontrolled waste sites are relevant to other countries as they address similar environmental and public health concerns.

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA or Superfund) section 104 mandate, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986 USC 9604 (i)(2), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is to identify individual substances and combinations of substances that pose the greatest public health hazard at hazardous waste sites. This has led to certain mandated activities of the Agency, including development of toxicological profiles, identification of data gaps, and, ultimately, establishment of a research agenda. The Agency has also developed HazDat, a database that captures pertinent information from public health assessments conducted at hazardous waste sites. As a preliminary step, data from sites have been analysed to identify the combinations of chemicals found in various environmental media. The most frequently found combinations were perchloroethylene (PERC) and trichloroethylene (TCE) in water (23.5% of sites); chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) in soil (20.5%); benzene and toluene in air (3.5%); PERC, 1,1,1-trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCA) and TCE in water (11.6%); Cr, cadmium (Cd) and Pb in soil (12.0%); and benzene, PERC and TCE in air (2.2%). The findings of this analysis can be enhanced by factoring into the algorithm paramenters such as toxicity, source contribution, and likelihood of human exposure similar to that used for the Agency's priority list of 275 single substances. Assessment of the impact of chemical mixtures on human health is a formidable task, and estimating the toxicity of such mixtures, including the role of chemical interactions, is an equally demanding challenge. Because limited experimental data exist for chemical interactions, alternative methods such as predictive approaches and in vitro techniques are needed to address the many substances and their potential combinations.

In this paper we present an overview of the chemicals released from hazardous waste sites (HWS) and some of the mixtures of substances that have been released into environmental media. We describe how this information can be used to assess the public health hazard of releases of chemical mixtures from waste sites. Wherever possible, research on chemical mixtures should use chemical mixtures actually identified in, or representative of, mixtures in environmental media. A narrative, weight-of-evidence approach to characterize the toxicity of mixtures that incorporates mechanistic insights on chemical interactions is described. The utility of this information in the context of risk analysis and public health practice is discussed.

The science of exposure assessment has been expanding both its theoretical and experimental bases over the past two years. Recent theoretical work published by the authors in the Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology (Volume 4, Number 3, 1994) has defined a multistep process to couple measurement data with mathematical models of exposure and dose. The present manuscript discusses the need for improving the measurement of exposure in order to reduce uncertainties in the potential risk and, eventually, the occurrences of health outcomes in the community environment. The discussion focuses on hazardous waste sites and how improving or routinely introducing exposure measurements to the remedial investigation can lead to a better understanding of how the potential population can get exposed via single or multiple activities. This information can help to better understand the need for specific remediation actions and selection of the types of models that can be used to predict exposure for a large population and to estimate the reduction in postremediation exposure for a local population (National Research Council, 1991).

Uncontrolled hazardous waste sites (HWS) and exposure to hazardous substances continue to pose complex public health problems. This paper presents an overview of chemicals, including chemical mixtures, that have been released into environmental media in the vicinity of HWS. We describe how this type of information is being used to assess the public health implications of exposures to chemical mixtures and to develop an integrated program of applied research to more accurately characterize the potential health effects of chemical mixtures. A narrative, weight-of-evidence approach, incorporating mechanistic insights on chemical interactions is described. The utility of this information in the context of risk analysis and public health practice is discussed.

Uncontrolled hazardous waste sites are major environmental and public health concerns in the United States and elsewhere. The identification and remediation of and public health responses to these sites are mandated by the U.S. federal Superfund statute. Since its enactment into law in 1980, approximately 40,000 uncontrolled waste sites have been identified in the United States. Approximately 1,300 of these sites constitute the current national Superfund priority list of sites for remediation. Results from analyses are described that characterize the priority hazardous substances released from Superfund sites and the extent of hazard posed to residential communities. Findings from the United States' experience in responding to uncontrolled waste sites are relevant to other countries as they address similar environmental and public health concerns.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential for integrating surveillance techniques in reproductive epidemiology with geographic information system technology in order to identify populations at risk around hazardous waste sites. Environmental epidemiologic studies have had problems with estimating or measuring exposures to individuals, and of detecting effects when the exposure is low, but continuous. In addition, exposures around hazardous waste sites are complex and frequently involve chemical mixtures. The birth weight of human babies has been reported to be sensitive to many environmental influences. Birth weight can be analyzed as a continuous variable or as a dichotomous one using the standard cutpoint of 2500 g or less to indicate low birth weight. It has the potential to be a powerful surveillance tool since exposures to the fetus reflect maternal and paternal exposures. The advent of recent environmental regulations pertaining to hazardous waste sites has greatly increased the availability of environmental data for many sites. The major problem with incorporating these data into epidemiologic studies has been with the logistics of data management and analysis. Computer-assisted geographic information systems hold promise in providing capabilities needed to address the data management and analysis requirements for effective epidemiologic studies around to hazardous waste sites.

Uncontrolled disposal sites containing hazardous waste and other contaminants have created national environmental problems (1). Because of potential health problems associated with the more than 33,000 hazardous-waste sites in the United States, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)--as part of its federally legislated mandate--has developed a list of seven priority health conditions (PHCs) to 1) assist in evaluating potential health risks to persons living near these sites and 2) determine program and applied human health research activities involving hazardous substances identified at the sites. This report summarizes the development and intended applications of the seven PHCs.

The current ranking system for Superfund sites considers only the costs of physically cleaning the site, ignoring the social benefits obtained by cleaning. This study estimates the effect of the existence of toxic sites on house values from before information on their toxicity was released by the federal government until several years after cleaning strategies were announced. The results indicate that community knowledge of the site, as well as government agency announcements, causes house prices to decline. It does not appear that assurances that the sites will be cleaned in the future lead to a rebound in house prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a summary of the results of an 18-month study conducted by Clean Sites, Inc. of Alexandria, Virginia. The study was designed to take a critical look at the way remedies are selected for abandoned hazardous waste sites that are cleaned up under the authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) and to develop recommendations for improving that process. The recommendations were released in an October 1990 report entitled "Improving Remedy Selection: An Explicit and Interactive Process for the Superfund Program." Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Sites is working to test these recommendations. At two actual Superfund sites, Clean Sites will assist EPA in performing the remedy selection in accordance with the process Clean Sites has developed.

This paper discusses asbestos regulations that are not part of Superfund and examines how these regulations can help to identify, evaluate and manage the risk associated with Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) at hazardous waste cleanup sites. Unless one knows where to look for ACM at hazardous waste sites, it may go undetected even after all the traditional sampling is done. Although EPA is currently developing a policy for evaluating risk from asbestos exposure at certain Superfund sites, information from existing regulations can be used to manage hazards associated with asbestos exposure at hazardous waste sites. This paper also identifies where to find governmental agency personnel and consultants who may be retained for site-specific help.

Cancer is a disease that is widely feared because of its prevalence and incidence, its widespread causes (heredity, environment, lifestyle) and the belief that 'everything causes cancer'. We review evidence on knowledge of cancer and find that knowledge is very limited. Then we examine factors that are related to knowledge of cancer and the pursuit of additional knowledge about cancer and factors that are related to health care behavior such as low rates of participation in cancer screening tests. This review leads us to conceptualize the essential, and perhaps central, role that fear of cancer has in the psychology of cancer. We then explore why cancer and fear of cancer have gained much attention in communities located near hazardous waste sites.

The United States has 121 million ha of marginal land that could be used to produce renewable energy. Approximately 1.73 million ha of this land includes federally funded brownfields, closed landfills, and abandoned mine lands. This study presents a GIS model to evaluate a range of site-specific energy production potentials on brownfields, closed landfills, and abandoned mine lands. Five energy sources are considered: soybeans, sunflowers, and algae for biodiesel, and solar and wind for electricity. Using soybeans, sunflowers, and algae, the United States could produce 39.9×10 3 TJ–59.1×10 3 TJ of renewable fuel per year from biodiesel. Using solar and wind resources, the United States could produce 114–53 TW h per year of electricity. The lower end of the range for each resource represents marginal yields as expected under marginal conditions. The upper end of the range represents prime conditions and is used for comparison to other, more productive types of land and U.S. regional climates. While renewable energy sources sited on individual sites may produce marginal amounts of energy, strategic uses of land and combinations of sources can supplement the national energy matrix. The five renewable energy sources examined in this study could meet up to 39% of the total U.S. 2013 energy demand for biofuel and electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sampling can be a significant source of error in the measurement process. The characterization and cleanup of hazardous waste sites require data that meet site-specific levels of acceptable quality if scientifically supportable decisions are to be made. In support of this effort, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating methods that relate sample characteristics to analytical performance. Predicted uncertainty levels allow appropriate study design decisions to be made, facilitating more timely and less expensive evaluations. Gy sampling theory can predict a significant fraction of sampling error when certain conditions are met. We report on several controlled studies of subsampling procedures to evaluate the utility of Gy sampling theory applied to laboratory subsampling practices. Several sample types were studied and both analyte and non-analyte containing particles were shown to play important roles affecting the measured uncertainty.Gy sampling theory was useful in predicting minimum uncertainty levels provided the theoretical assumptions were met. Predicted fundamental errors ranged from 46 to 68% of the total measurement variability. The study results also showed sectorial splitting outperformed incremental sampling for simple model systems and suggested that sectorial splitters divide each size fraction independently. Under the limited conditions tested in this study, incremental sampling with a spatula produced biased results when sampling particulate matrices with grain sizes about 1 mm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Previous studies on contamination spread by flooding undercount sites. • 3.3 million people are at risk of contamination from flooding in US urban areas. • Due to changes in urbanization and climate change these figures are likely to increase. • These risks pose complex challenges for environmental managers and urban planners. Climate change is imposing substantial consequences across physical and social infrastructures. The extent of social disruption and risk to human health are, however, potentially much broader than these general consequences, taken individually, would suggest. To address this gap, we assess the distribution of contaminated sites in the United States (US) and then estimate the impact that flood hazards in urban areas will have on these contaminated sites. Using these measures, we draw inferences about the risk of contamination from climate-impacted extreme weather events, climate adaptation at the local level, social risk and how it is distributed, and a broader understanding of the potential global consequences of climate change. In this paper we address three critical points: 1) the role classification of contaminated sites on our understanding of risk due to climate change; 2) the relationship between contaminated sites and flood risk; and 3) the potential for climate adaption strategies to mediate this risk. We estimate that of the roughly one-third of the US population living in urban areas, up to 3,338,518 people, are living in high-risk flood zones near contaminated sites. Our results suggest severe potential implications for estimates of the negative consequences from climate change and contamination and provide critical insights into the relationship between climate change and the built environment for urban planners and environmental policy makers and managers alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: This research was designed to understand the effects of landfill soil gases on the events of subsurface landfill fires or elevated temperature which is experienced by many landfills during their operational and post-operational period. A framework proposed in this article can assist landfill authorities in controlling or preventing such hazardous incidents related to subsurface elevated thermal conditions. Subsurface temperature is a critical indicator for the identification of the risk associated with subsurface fire hazards in landfills. Most operational landfills in the United States (US) have experienced exothermic reactions in their subsurface. The subsurface landfill area is composed of various gases generated from chemical reactions inside the landfills. Federal laws in the US mandate the monitoring of gases in landfills to prevent hazardous events such as landfill fire breakouts. There are insufficient investigations conducted to identify the causes of landfill fire hazards. The objective of this research is to develop a methodological approach to this issue. In this study, the relationship was investigated between the subsurface elevated temperature (SET) and soil gases (i.e., methane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and oxygen) with the greatest influence in landfills. The significance level of the effect of soil gases on the SET was assessed using a decision tree approach. A naïve Bayes technique for conditional probability was implemented to investigate how different gas combinations can affect different temperature ranges with respect to the safe and unsafe states of these gases. The results indicate that methane and carbon dioxide gases are strongly associated with SETs. Among sixteen possible gas combinations, three were identified as the most probable predictors of SETs. A three-step risk assessment framework is proposed to identify the risk of landfill fire incidents. The key findings of this research could be beneficial to landfill authorities and better ensure the safety of the community health and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]