Unit 1 Remediation Lab Report

Bioassays, Daphnia magna, were used to monitor water for the presence of toxic compounds in various water samples, including samples 1 mile upstream from the Fletcher’s Paint dump site and one mile downstream. A bioassay is a living organism that serves as a detector for toxins. It is hypothesized that if the Daphnia mortality rate when exposed to water samples from various locations is higher in greater solutions, then their deaths' indicate that the water contains toxic compounds due to the harmful toxins that originated from human pollution. This is the same hypothesis for the Fletcher’s Paint experiment.

The sample tube taken from the pond down by the turf field at USM was taken out of the incubator and observed. This sample was taken February 7th at around 2:30 in the afternoon. The results showed the entire 50ml sample mixed with COLISURE being completely purple, meaning it tested positive for Coliforms. What was different was the 44 wells with the pipetted samples in it. 8 of the wells remained yellow, meaning they were negative for Coliforms and the remaining 36 were all shades of purple meaning they were positive for Coliforms. The well plate along with the 50ml tube of the sample taken from the pond near the turf was then put under an ultra violet light, this helped us detect if the sample was positive for Escherichia coli. Under the ultra violet light, the entire tube sample as well as 3 wells in the well plate were glowing, meaning they were positive for Escherichia coli. In comparison to the other samples, this pond was by far the most dangerous for human consumption or swimming in. After this discovery, the most probable number (MPN) of both positive wells as well as wells positive for Escherichia coli were calculated. For the first sample from the pond near the turf field the MPN was calculated by first identifying the total volume dispensed into the wells. This was calculated was using the equation 0.2ml x 44 wells = 8.8ml. Next, the number of cells per

Available resources during this course includes two textbooks; “Introduction to ecotoxicology,” and “A textbook of modern toxicology.” Additional resources include various videos, complimentary transcripts to the videos, supplemental readings, the UOP online Library, and web searches.

The idea here is to find out if the ecosystem is contaminated to the point that it will risk populations from further expanding along the river.

Espanola’s superfund site on North Railroad Avenue use to be the Norge Town Laundromat and Dry Cleaning. Evidence of water plume contamination was found within a fifty-eight acre area extending south from the site. The contaminates found in the ground water/aquifer of the site were tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene, cis-1, 2-dichloroethylene, trans-1, 2-dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride (VC). On September 27, 2001, a Record of Decision by the EPA was signed to start clean up/remedy of the site.

The next Superfund that has greatly influenced the environment of Butler County is the Skinner Landfill. The Landfill is on 85 acres in West Chester (2). The facility was privately owned and was never actually licensed, so it closed in the 1970's (5). The landfill contains about 100 drums of chlorinated organics, and heavy metals. Along with the presence of the drums is the fact that a nearby lagoon was once used as a disposal for these contaminants, and that the site had problems with unauthorized dumping (5). Fortunately, no contaminants have been discovered leaving the site (5). The presence of these

In this experiment we tested ground water contaminants. The materials that were used was eight 250mL beakers, three wooden stir sticks, 100mL graduated cylinder, 10mL of vegetable oil, 10mL of vinegar, 10mL of liquid laundry detergent, 100mL beaker, 240mL of soil, funnel, cheesecloth, and water.

Contaminated sediments are a significant problem in the Great Lakes basin. To reduced the discharge of toxic and persistent chemicals to the Great Lakes we must concentrations of contaminants in the bottom of rivers and harbors and have to raised considerable concern about potential risks to aquatic organisms, wildlife, and

The lack of oversight in waste management and sanitation has led to the contamination of the food supply. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, “Farms that are not properly maintained can be breeding grounds for salmonella and E. coli, which are passed to humans through meat, dairy and eggs” (ASPCA). Reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Robinson, salmonella and E. coli are types of bacterial diseases that affect the intestinal tract and some symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps (WebMD). This can be a serious food poisoning problem because if not treated wisely people who are exposed are at risk with dying. Each year 76 million Americans become sick from food borne illness and thousands of people die according to the ASPCA.

According to the EPA's Toxic Releases Inventory, large processing facilities account for approximately 2.2% of the total hexavalent chromium release into the environment via air (NJDPH, 2010). There were 3,391 such

George’s University Bay, and to quantify the bacterial colonies using various experimental methods. Drinking or eating seafood from bacterially contaminated water sources has lead to pathogenic infection due to Escherichia coli (Das et al., 2013). Escherichia coli has been used in multiple studies to research aspects of water quality and bacterial affects on specific target hosts. Escherichia coli is mostly known for causing diarrhea symptoms and gastrointestinal difficulties (Kenny et al., 1997). Enteropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli are known to cause serious cases of diarrhea, such as, cholera and shigella (Kenny et al., 1997). Many sea organisms can become in contact with pathogenic microbes due to the amount of contaminated matter present in the water (Potasman et al., 2002). This can lead to the ingestion of E.coli bacteria and the hospitalization of victims who consumed the seafood (Potasman et al.,

Throughout this field study there are many concerns that revolve around superfund and landfill sites that can cause disruption within our water systems and its negative impact on air quality. In the article “Policy Implementation and the Environmental Protection Agency: What Factors Influence Remediation at Superfund Sites?” by Dorothy M. and David F. Layton, they stated, “The impact of contaminant mixtures on human health remains largely unknown; however, substances commonly found at Superfund sites have been linked to a variety of human health problems, such as birth defects, infertility, cancer, and changes in neurobehavioral functions (Hall, Price-Green, Dhara, & Kaye, 1995; Johnson, 1995; and Johnson & DeRosa, 1997).”(Pg. 375) This shows

Contaminated water poses health risks on humans, pets, wild animals, and farm animals. (Mcdermott-Levy 2013)

The particular case study in review was an incident involving a waste Mercury reclaiming facility which contaminated the surrounding area to include a body of water. Any form of hazardous material contamination to the environment is a serious issue that should be taken with immediate serious reactions. Anytime a hazardous material is handled, moreover one that has been expended from its primary use should come with the automatic question of how proper disposal must be conducted. There is generally zero excuse for openly dumping a non-natural substance, let alone a waste product into nature. Operations dealing with hazardous chemicals need to use common sense and good housekeeping despite any delay in production or efficiency when results can have detrimental impacts to the environment furthermore the good standings of their operation.

With the vast diversity of pollutants being introduced to these waters, it is becoming more and more difficult to analyze and identify the exact effects each pollutant has on the water quality as well as the organisms living in them (Howe and Clark, 2014). Scientists, though, have discovered new ways of identifying these negative effects the pollutants have by analyzing certain