Environmental Protection Agency

On the contrary, in this paper a very detailed database was used. This database consists of three years of hourly measured emission data, and coincident six air quality and meteorological observations associated to a power plant located in Central Portugal. Ground level concentrations of several pollutants were estimated with the ISCST3 model developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Application of the model followed a methodology developed for environmental impact assessment and results were analysed considering the philosophy of the EU framework directive (96/62/EC) recently transposed to the Portuguese law. A large number of simulations, with different but equally valid input data set, were performed in order to compare the results with a typical EIA simulation. METHODOLOGY

Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) concentrations associated with 202 24-hr samples collected at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) particulate matter (PM) characterization site in south Pittsburgh from October 1999 through September 2001 were used to apportion PM 2.5 into primary and secondary contributions using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF2). Input included the concentrations of PM 2.5 mass determined with a Federal Reference Method (FRM) sampler, semi-volatile PM 2.5 organic material, elemental carbon (EC), and trace element components of PM 2.5. A total of 11 factors were identified. The results of potential source contributions function (PSCF) analysis using PMF2 factors and HYSPLIT-calculated back-trajectories were used to identify those factors associated with specific meteorological transport conditions. The 11 factors were identified as being associated with emissions from various specific regions and facilities including crustal material, gasoline combustion, diesel combustion, and three nearby sources high in trace metals. Three sources associated with transport from coalfired power plants to the southeast, a combination of point sources to the northwest, and a steel mill and associated sources to the west were identified. In addition, two secondary-material-dominated sources were identified, one was associated with secondary products of local emissions and one was dominated by secondary ammonium sulfate transported to the NETL site from the west and southwest. Of these 11 factors, the four largest contributors to PM 2.5 were the secondary transported material (dominated by ammonium sulfate) (47%), local secondary material (19%), diesel combustion emissions (10%), and gasoline combustion emissions (8%). The other seven factors accounted for the remaining 16% of the PM 2.5 mass. The findings are consistent with the major source of PM 2.5 in the Pittsburgh area being dominated by ammonium sulfate from distant transport and so decoupled from local activity emitting organic pollutants in the IMPLICATIONS Using PMF2 and PSCF analysis, particulate pollutant component concentrations, and HYSPLIT back-trajectory information obtained over a 2-yr study period, we determined sources of PM 2.5 at NETL, an urban Pittsburgh facility. The results indicate that the major pollutant in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area is secondary ammonium sulfate originating from distant sources in the Ohio River Valley and is decoupled from local activity involving organic pollutants in the metropolitan area. In contrast, the major local secondary sources were dominated by organic material, most of which may come from local mobile sources. Primary emissions from mobile sources were lower in concentration than these secondary sources. This study infers that effective state implementation plans for the Pittsburgh metropolitan area must consider reductions in PM and PM precursors from the Ohio River Valley, and more stringent controls on mobile emission sources.

Apportionment of primary and secondary pollutants during the summer 2001 Pittsburgh Air Quality Study (PAQS) is reported. Several sites were included in PAQS, with the main site (the supersite) adjacent to the Carnegie Mellon University campus in Schenley Park. One of the additional sampling sites was located at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, located ϳ18 km southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) mass, gas-phase volatile organic material (VOM), particulate semivolatile and nonvolatile organic material (NVOM), and ammonium sulfate were apportioned at the two sites into their primary and secondary contributions using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency UNMIX 2.3 multivariate receptor modeling and analysis software. A portion of each of these species was identified as originating from gasoline and diesel primary mobile sources. Some of the organic material was formed from local secondary transformation processes, whereas the great majority of the secondary sulfate was associated with regional transformation contributions. The results indicated that the diurnal patterns of secondary gas-phase VOM and particulate semivolatile and NVOM were not correlated with secondary ammonium sulfate contributions but were associated with separate formation pathways. These findings are consistent with the bulk of the secondary ammonium sulfate in the Pittsburgh area being the result of contributions from distant transport and, thus, decoupled from local activity involving organic pollutants in the metropolitan area. IMPLICATIONS Source apportionment of PM 2.5 and fine particulate components provides information that is valuable in identifying optimum procedures for pollutant abatement and in the elucidation of etiological agents related to particulate matter health effects. Usual apportionment approaches use daily averaged data and require difficult-to-obtain information, such as elemental content of fine particles. An approach is described here using UNMIX and atmospheric species, which are frequently measured in monitoring programs. The approach takes advantage of the additional resolving power obtained from multiple samples per day. The approach may be generally applicable to urban apportionment problems.

CEBS (Chemical Effects in Biological Systems) is an integrated public repository for toxicogenomics data, including the study design and timeline, clinical chemistry and histopathology findings and microarray and proteomics data. CEBS contains data derived from studies of chemicals and of genetic alterations, and is compatible with clinical and environmental studies. CEBS is designed to permit the user to query the data using the study conditions, the subject responses and then, having identified an appropriate set of subjects, to move to the microarray module of CEBS to carry out gene signature and pathway analysis. Scope of CEBS: CEBS currently holds 22 studies of rats, four studies of mice and one study of Caenorhabditis elegans. CEBS can also accommodate data from studies of human subjects. Toxicogenomics studies currently in CEBS comprise over 4000 microarray hybridizations, and 75 2D gel images annotated with protein identification performed by MALDI and MS/MS. CEBS contains raw microarray data collected in accordance with MIAME guidelines and provides tools for data selection, pre-processing and analysis resulting in annotated lists of genes of interest. Additionally, clinical chemistry and histopathology findings from over 1500 animals are included in CEBS. CEBS/BID: The BID (Biomedical Investigation Database) is another component of the CEBS system. BID is a relational database used to load and curate study data prior to export to CEBS, in addition to capturing and displaying novel data types such as PCR data, or additional fields of interest, including those defined by the HESI Toxicogenomics Committee (in preparation). BID has been shared with Health Canada and the US

The absence of human exposure information constitutes a critical source of uncertainty for risk-based regulatory decision making. Risk assessments are used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) to estimate the likelihood that exposure to a given pollutant will produce an adverse health effect and to determine what regulatory actions are necessary to protect public health. In the absence of human exposure data, policy makers, risk assessors, regulators, researchers, and public health officials often must rely on estimates or surrogates of human exposure levels, such as proximity to a hazardous waste site or regional ambient air quality data. Such estimates may be derived from models that predict levels of environmental contamination in the air. These approaches are limited in identifying health risks because they rely on assumptions about actual exposures experienced by people, thus introducing uncertainty in their risk estimates and ensuing policies. Although monitoring

This work assumes that the small area quantities of interest follow a Fay-Herriot model with spatially correlated random area effects. Under this model, parametric and nonparametric bootstrap procedures are proposed for estimating the mean squared error of the EBLUP (Empirical Best Linear ...

In 1997 President Clinton signed Executive Order (EO) 13045, Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks (Clinton 1997). This order directs each federal agency to "make it a high priority to identify and assess environmental health risks and safety risks that may disproportionately affect children" and to "ensure that its policies, programs, activities, and standards address disproportionate risks to children that result from environmental health risks or safety risks" (Clinton 1997). That same year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Office of Children's Health Protection to support its implementation of the Executive Order and its National Agenda to Protect Children's Health from Environmental Threats (U.S. EPA 1996). Finally, U.S. EPA created the Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC) in 1997, which is an independent body that advises U.S. EPA on regulations, research, and communication issues relevant to children. These actions were taken in direct response to the growing body of scientific knowledge that demonstrated that children may suffer disproportionately from environmental health and safety risks [National Research Council (NRC) 1993, 1994]. Disproportionate risks to or impacts on children may occur when children are more sensitive to, are more likely to be exposed to, or are likely to be exposed to higher levels of a particular pollutant or agent being considered in the rulemaking than adults are (U.S. EPA 2006c). Although EO 13045 has been pointed to as a model policy because it specifically addresses children and directs federal agencies to deliberately consider disproportionate risks to children (Fischer 2007), others say that the impact of EO has waned over the years (Carlson 2005; Spady 2006). The U.S. EPA recently marked the tenth anniversary of EO 13045, and CHPAC concluded that children's environmental health considerations are still not explicitly addressed in U.S. EPA decisions, policies, and programs and urged renewed commitment to EO 13045 (Johnson 2007; Marty 2007). In this article we review U.S. EPA regulatory actions to evaluate applicability of EO 13045 and consideration of children's health issues in U.S. EPA rulemakings. Requirements to consider children's health in regulatory development at U.S. EPA. In addition to EO 13045, U.S. EPA has several policies that seek to ensure that children's health is adequately analyzed and addressed in regulatory actions. These policies are often complemented by specific statutory requirements that direct U.S. EPA to further evaluate and protect children's environmental health. Executive Order 13045. Signed in 1997, EO 13045 establishes a federal-wide policy for identifying, assessing, and addressing disproportionate health and safety risks to children (Clinton 1997). Section 5 establishes requirements for regulations that a) are initiated after 21 April 1997 or proposed after 21 April 1998, b) are economically significant according to EO 12866 (Clinton 1993), and c) concern an environmental health or safety risk that an agency has reason to believe may disproportionately affect children. For these actions, the agency must submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) an evaluation of the environmental health or safety effects of the planned regulation on children and an explanation of why the planned regulation is preferable to other alternatives considered. The policy does not, however, direct a federal agency to select a particular outcome. U.S. EPA children's environmental health policies. Two years before President Clinton signed EO 13045, U.S. EPA announced its Policy on Evaluating Health Risks to Children (U.S. EPA 1995), which requires that U.S. EPA consistently and explicitly evaluate health risks to infants and children in all risk assessments, risk characterizations, and environmental and public health standards. The policy states that to the "degree permitted by available data in each case, the Agency will develop a separate assessment of risks to infants and children or state clearly why this is not done" (U.S. EPA 1995). This policy applies whether or not risks to children are disproportionate or different from risks to adults (U.S. EPA 2006c). Consideration of children's environmental health risks is also incorporated in U.S. EPA guidance documents that explain the action development process and establish consistent practices (U.

This paper summarizes the methods and results of estimating risks of cancer incidence resulting from plutonium, carbon tetrachloride, and beryllium releases from operations at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, near Denver, Colorado, from 1953 through 1989. The key findings show that people who lived near the facility were exposed to plutonium mainly through inhalation during routine operations, from a major fire in 1957, and from plutonium resuspended from contaminated soil from an outdoor drum storage area, called the 903 Area. Results were presented for five exposure scenarios that were location-independent. Individuals described by the laborer scenario received the highest risk of all scenarios considered. Upper bound (95th percentile) incremental lifetime cancer incidence risks for the laborer scenario were in about the 10 À 4 range (1 chance in 10,000) for developing cancer from Rocky Flats plutonium releases during a lifetime. At the 5th percentile level, the maximum cancer risk was about 10 À 7 (1 chance in 10 million) for developing cancer during a lifetime. Estimated cancer risks at the 95th percentile level are within the range of for acceptable risks established by the US Environmental Protection Agency of 10 À 6 to 10 À 4. Carbon tetrachloride was found to be the chemical that presented the highest risk to the public. The 5th and 95th percentile risk values for exposure to carbon tetrachloride were 9.2Â10 À 7 and 2.5Â10 À 5 , respectively.

This paper summarizes the methods and results of estimating risks of cancer incidence resulting from plutonium, carbon tetrachloride, and beryllium releases from operations at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, near Denver, Colorado, from 1953 through 1989. The key findings show that people who lived near the facility were exposed to plutonium mainly through inhalation during routine operations, from a major fire in 1957, and from plutonium resuspended from contaminated soil from an outdoor drum storage area, called the 903 Area. Results were presented for five exposure scenarios that were location-independent. Individuals described by the laborer scenario received the highest risk of all scenarios considered. Upper bound (95th percentile) incremental lifetime cancer incidence risks for the laborer scenario were in about the 10 À 4 range (1 chance in 10,000) for developing cancer from Rocky Flats plutonium releases during a lifetime. At the 5th percentile level, the maximum cancer risk was about 10 À 7 (1 chance in 10 million) for developing cancer during a lifetime. Estimated cancer risks at the 95th percentile level are within the range of for acceptable risks established by the US Environmental Protection Agency of 10 À 6 to 10 À 4. Carbon tetrachloride was found to be the chemical that presented the highest risk to the public. The 5th and 95th percentile risk values for exposure to carbon tetrachloride were 9.2Â10 À 7 and 2.5Â10 À 5 , respectively.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 1623 is designed to detect and determine concentrations of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in water through concentration, immunomagnetic separation (IMS), and immuno-fluorescence assay with microscopic examination. A seasonal interference with the method was observed in some municipal source waters collected from reservoirs and as reported to Shaw Environmental, Inc. in the summers of 2005, 2006, and 2007. This interference, which was not confined to a single region of the nation, caused clumping of the IMS beads during the acid dissociation of the IMS procedure in Method 1623. This effect lowered method recoveries for both Cryptosporidium and Giardia; however, the effect was more pronounced for Giardia. A heat dissociation technique (Ware et al., (2003) J. Microbiol. Methods 55, 575-583) was shown to be a viable option for samples which demonstrate the clumping matrix effect and improved Giardia recoveries in partially clumped samples. The heat dissociation application holds promise for fully clumped samples and warrants further investigation.

Although the Clean Air Act is an imperfect tool for addressing the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, it is the only available federal mechanism for directly addressing power plant carbon emissions. The Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan, published in final form in August 2015, tackles the challenge. This paper from the Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) compiles 13 separately authored essays from 11 CPR Member Scholars, each addressing a different topic related to the Clean Power Plan, and each representing the expertise and views of its individual author(s). Published in July 2015, just before the release of the final rule, the essays tee up key questions about the rule’s legality, implications for the energy sector, and a series of discrete implementation questions, including the role of cap-and-trade (and offsets), the nature and distribution of state targets, and implications for environmental justice.

The main objective of this study was to monitor the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the stack gas released from organic chemical industrial plants to determine emission factors. Samples from 52 stacks, with or without air pollution control devices (APCDs), from seven industrial processes were taken and VOCs measured using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 18. These 7 processes, including 26 plants, were the manufacturers of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), acrylic resin (ACR), vinyl chloride (VC), para-terephthalic acid (PTA), and synthetic fiber (SYF). The results clearly indicate significant variations of emission factors among the various industrial processes, particularly emission factors for those without APCDs. As expected, those with APCDs yield much less emission factors. Regardless of those with or without APCDs, the order of manufacturing processes with regard to VOC emission factors is SYF Ͼ ABS Ͼ PS ϾACR Ͼ PTA Ͼ PVC Ͼ VC. The emission factors for some processes also differ from those in EPA-42 data file. The VOC profiles further indicate that some VOCs are not listed in the U.S. VOC/Particulate Matter Speciation Data System (SPECIATE). The potential O 3 formation is determined from the total amount of VOC emitted for each of seven processes. The resultant O 3 yield varied from 0.22 (ACR) to 2.33 g O 3 g Ϫ1 VOC (PTA). The significance of this O 3 yield is discussed. IMPLICATIONS The VOC profiles and emission factors from 52 stacks (26 plants) of 7 industrial manufacturing processes were compared with SPECIATE 3 and AP-42, respectively. The resulting comparisons indicate significant differences because of the nature of site specificity and the type of APCDs used. The results expand the usefulness of the current EPA AP-42 and SPECIATE 3 databases. The installation of pollution control devices is a must for reducing hazardous air pollutants and O 3 formation potential. The estimated potential O 3 formation for each process is useful, because there is no need to determine individual VOC species to determine O 3 formation.

Almond harvest accounts for substantial particulate matter less than 10 m in aerodynamic diameter (PM 10) emissions in California each harvest season. This paper addresses the reduction of harvester ground speed from a standard 8 km/hr (5 mph) to 4 km/hr (2.5 mph) as a possible mitigation measure for reducing PM 10 emissions. Ambient total suspended particulate (TSP) and PM 10 sampling was conducted during harvest with alternating control (8 km/hr [5 mph]) and experimental (4 km/hr [2.5 mph]) treatments. On-site meteorological data were used in conjunction with both Industrial Source Complex-Short Term version 3 (ISCST3) and the American Meteorological Society/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regulatory Model (AERMOD) dispersion models to backcalculate emission rates from the measured concentrations. Baseline annual emission factors for nut pickup of 381 Ϯ 122 and 361 Ϯ 123 kg PM 10 /km 2 ⅐yr were determined using ISCST3 and AERMOD, respectively. Both of these values are substantially lower than the current PM 10 emission factor for almond pickup of 4120 kg PM 10 / km 2 ⅐yr. The particulate matter less than 2.5 m in aerodynamic diameter (PM 2.5) emission factors for nut pickup developed from this study were 25 Ϯ 8 kg PM 2.5 /km 2 ⅐yr and 24 Ϯ 8 kg PM 10 /km 2 ⅐yr were determined using ISCST3 and AERMOD, respectively. Reducing harvester speed resulted in an emissions reduction of 42% for TSP, but no differences were detected in emissions of PM 10 and PM 2.5. Differences detected in the emission factors developed using ISCST3 and AERMOD were not statistically significant, indicating that almond harvest emission factors previously developed using ISCST3 may be applied appropriately in AERMOD.

Several bioassay methods have been developed since the US EPA/COE (United States Environmental Protection Agency/ Army Corps of Engineers) testing protocol was devised, involving a great variety of test species. The amphipods and the polychates are now beginning to be used routinely as standard bioassay organisms for assessing the toxicity of marine sediments for regulatory purposes. The present review has confirmed the potential of both the amphipods and the polychaetes for sediments toxicity bioassays.

In this study, the amphipod Corophium volutator (Pallas) was evaluated as test organisms for use in sediment toxicity tests by adapting standard protocols for conducting 10-day and 28-day sediment toxicity tests. Combine laboratory and field bioassays showed that Corophium can survive in organically enriched sediment if they have no alternative, suggesting that Corophium is relatively tolerant of organically enriched sediment. Neither were there effects on emergence or reburying behaviour. Therefore this bioassay is considered inappropriate for estimating the quality of organically enricment sediment.

An inventory of standing waters (freshwater lakes and lochs) was derived from Ordnance Survey digital map data at a scale of 1:50 000 and represents the most comprehensive survey of its kind for Great Britain. The inventory includes 43 738 water bodies in England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man and contains basic physical data such as location, surface area, perimeter and altitude. Catchment areas were computed for water bodies with a surface area larger than 1 ha from a digital terrain model (DTM) using customised routines in a geographical information system (GIS). The resulting polygons were then used to derive catchment-related information from a variety of national datasets including population density, livestock density, land cover, solid and drift geology, meteorological data, freshwater sensitivity status, acid deposition and conservation status. Using data derived from the inventory a risk-based prioritisation protocol was developed to identify standing waters at risk of harm from acidification and eutrophication. This information is required by the Environment Agency, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and the U.K. statutory conservation bodies to coordinate actions and monitor change under international, European and national legislation.

HCHs, DDTs, and PCBs were analyzed in fish flesh collected from fish ponds in the Pearl River Delta and compared with those from the Mai Po Marshes (a nature reserve) in Hong Kong, which was considered an unpolluted area. The concentrations for these contaminants were Ͻ0.01-7.8 ng/g lipid for HCHs, 22.3-381 ng/g lipid for DDTs, and 60-480 ng/g lipid for PCBs. Nevertheless, levels of HCHs and DDTs in fish flesh were lower than the China National Environmental Protection Agency maximum permissible limits set for foodstuffs. As for PCBs, 16% of fish collected from the Pearl River Delta exceeded the US EPA guideline concentration.

This paper summarizes and assesses over 70 tools that could aid with gathering information and taking action on environmental issues related to community-based cumulative risk assessments (CBCRA). Information on tool use, as well as development and research needs, was gathered from websites, documents, and CBCRA program participants and researchers, including 25 project officers who work directly with community groups. The tools were assessed on the basis of information provided by project officers, community members, CBCRA researchers, and by case study applications. Tables summarize key environmental issues and tool features: (1) a listing of CBCRA-related environmental issues of concern to communities; (2) webbased tools that map environmental information; (3) step-by-step guidance documents; (4) databases of environmental information; (5) computer models that simulate human exposure to chemical stressors. All tools described here are publicly available, with the focus being on tools developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. These tables provide sources of information to promote risk identification and prioritization beyond risk perception approaches, and could be used by CBCRA participants and researchers. The purpose of this overview is twofold: (1) To present a comprehensive, though not exhaustive, summary of numerous tools that could aid with performing CBCRAs; and (2) To use this toolset as a sample of the current state of CBCRA tools to critically examine their utility and guide research for the development of new and improved tools.

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Problem statement: This study's goal was to assess the arsenic concentration of various beverages and broths purchased from a local chain supermarket. A source of chronic arsenic exposure occurs via food and beverage consumption. Groundwater levels of total arsenic are regulated (<10 µg L −1) by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) but few studies have examined arsenic concentrations in common beverages. Approach: In the initial analysis of 19 items, total arsenic concentration was assessed from a variety of fruit juices, sports drinks, sodas and broths. Items found to contain levels of total arsenic ≥5.0 µg L −1 were further evaluated. Additional analysis included purchasing multiple brands of items ≥5.0 µg L −1 and analyzing them for total arsenic and chemical species of arsenic. Results: Among the beverages in the initial analysis, apple juice (10.79 µg L −1) and grape juice (49.87 µg L −1) contained the highest levels of total arsenic. Upon examination of items with As concentrations above 5.0 µg L −1 , varying concentrations of total arsenic were found in apple cider (range: 5.41-15.27 µg L −1), apple juice (range: 10.67-22.35 µg L −1), baby fruit juice (range: 13.91-16.51 µg L −1) and grape juice (range: 17.69-47.59 µg L −1). Conclusion: Many commercially available juices contained concentrations of arsenic that were higher than the standard for total arsenic allowed in groundwater as set forth by the EPA. The concentration of As in these juices varied between and within brands. In general, those consuming apple and grape juices are the young and elderly and it is these populations that may be more vulnerable to over exposure of heavy metals.

The ability of receptor models to estimate regional contributions to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) was assessed with synthetic, speciated datasets at Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge (BRIG) in New Jersey and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) in Tennessee. Synthetic PM 2.5 chemical concentrations were generated for the summer of 2002 using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model and chemically speciated PM 2.5 source profiles from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s SPECIATE and Desert Research Institute's source profile databases. CMAQ estimated the "true" contributions of seven regions in the eastern United States to chemical species concentrations and individual source contributions to primary PM 2.5 at both sites. A seven-factor solution by the positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor model explained approximately 99% of the variability in the data at both sites. At BRIG, PMF captured the first four major contributing sources (including a secondary sulfate factor), although diesel and gasoline vehicle contributions were not separated. However, at GRSM, the resolved factors did not correspond well to major PM 2.5 sources. There were no correlations between PMF factors and regional contributions to sulfate at either site. Unmix produced five-and seven-factor solutions, including a secondary sulfate factor, at both sites. Some PMF factors were combined or missing in the Unmix factors. The trajectory mass balance regression (TMBR) model apportioned sulfate concentrations to the seven source regions using Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) trajectories based on Meteorological Model Version 5 (MM5) and Eta Data Simulation System (EDAS) meteorological input. The largest estimated sulfate contributions at both sites were from the local regions; this agreed qualitatively with the true regional apportionments. Estimated regional contributions depended on the starting elevation of the trajectories and on the meteorological input data.

Largely accessible organic wastes can be turned into valuable compost product for raising crops organically on one hand, and get them disposed off safely at the other end. Straight use of organic wastes has tribulations like transportation and handling, wider C:N ratio, high application rates, nutrient overloading, weed seeds, pathogens, and metal toxicities. Composting bestows a tactic for coping high volumes of organic wastes in environmentally sound and desirable manners. Composted materials are remarkably regarded for their ability to improve soil health and plant growth, and suppress pathogens and plant diseases. Currently several composting systems have become available; ranging from a crude and slow windrows method, to the most speedy and computer monitored in-vessel system. Scientific investigations of this biological cum chemical process have reached to molecular level. Value addition of compost through beneficial microorganisms, mineral materials and fertilisers is also being considered. The nature and composition of materials put into composting is imperative for its quality rationale. On the whole, principles and processes governing composting are not so straightforward that ordinary enterprises could develop efficient composting facilities for the treatment of organic wastes. In this scenario, accessibility of comprehensive information to the scientific community as well as environmental protection agencies is imperative. This review article brings together the current information necessary for effective composting of organic wastes from different origins with diversified characteristics under various situations. It also covers the schematic description of well known composting systems, and various factors controlling the process.

As part of a Department of Defense project, the US Environmental Protection Agency was responsible for designing, building and field operating a pilot-scale pervaporation unit. The field site was an active dry cleaning facility on the grounds of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC. The overall goal of the project was to remove tetrachloroethylene (PCE) from the soil beneath the dry cleaning shop using a surfactant-based soil remediation fluid and to recycle/reuse the surfactant. In order to reinject the recovered surfactant, the pervaporation unit was required to achieve an average 95% removal of contaminants from the extracted fluid over the duration of the test period. PCE removal averaged 95.8% during peak surfactant levels and exceeded 99.9% in the absence of surfactant, thereby meeting the reinjection requirement. Removal of a group of secondary contaminants at the site, termed Varsol TM compounds, was monitored via concentrations of three Varsol TM marker compounds: decane, undecane and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene. The pervaporation system processed 100,000 gal of groundwater and surfactant solution over a period of 70 days. In order to evaluate and validate process performance, a variety of process variables and properties were monitored over the course of the demonstration. Pervaporation costs are projected to be on the order of $20 per 1000 gal of surfactant solution treated for a moderate size system (10 gpm). Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

This paper describes the derivation of the chronic reference concentration (RfC) for human inhalation of phosgene that was recently added to the Environmental Protection Agency&#39;s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) data base (U.S. EPA, 2005. Toxicological Review of Phosgene: In Support of Summary Information on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Available online at: &lt;http://www.epa.gov/IRIS&gt;). The RfC is an estimate of daily phosgene exposure to the human population that is likely to be without appreciable risk of deleterious effects during a lifetime. [For this and other definitions relevant to EPA risk assessments refer to the glossary of terms in the US EPA IRIS website (http://www.epa.gov/IRIS).] Phosgene is a potential environmental pollutant that is primarily used as a catalyst in the polyurethane industry. It is a gas at room temperature, and in aqueous solution it rapidly hydrolyzes to CO2 and HCl. In the absence of chronic human health effe...

In 1995, the Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) sponsored efforts by the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee and the National Council of the Pulp and Paper Industry for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) to conduct a review of the literature concerning the use of constructed wetlands for treating concentrated livestock wastewaters. The scope of the literature review and summary of design/operation data included all of North America. Both published and unpublished data have been provided by researchers to be included in the database. The database format used for the GMP project is only slightly modified from the format developed for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) North America Treatment Wetland Database, which includes information from municipal, industrial and stormwater treatment wetlands. The GMP Livestock Wastewater Treatment Wetland Database includes information from 68 sites with a total of 135 pilot and full-scale wetland systems (systems include parallel units at individual research facilities). Types of livestock wastewater being treated by constructed wetlands include dairy manure and milkhouse wash water, runoff from concentrated cattle-feeding operations, poultry manure, swine manure and catfish pond water. Over 1300 operational data records are summarized in the database. These data indicate that removal rates for 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonium nitrogen (NH 4-N), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and fecal coliforms are potentially very high in constructed wetlands receiving animal wastewaters. Average concentration reduction efficiencies were: BOD 5 65%, TSS 53%, NH 4-N 48%, TN 42%, and TP 42%. Removals are a function of inlet concentrations and hydraulic loading rates. Successful wetland design must include adequate pretreatment to protect the health of the wetland biota and must include adequate wetland area to meet the quality goals.

PT Perkebunan Nusantara VIII is a state-owned plantation engaged in the Agribusiness and Agro-Industry sectors.. The budget preparation process that involves subordinates can improve the performance of subordinates in achieving budget targets. Participatory budgets can be carried out to achieve budget targets by negotiating between superiors and subordinates. In addition to being measured by employees and the cultural linkages attached to them, organizational success can also be seen from the overall performance of the organization. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of budgetary participation and organizational culture on managerial performance. The total population of this study was 23 PTPN VIII tea gardens in West Java. Respondents in this study were garden managers, assistant heads, assistants, and large foremen of PTPN VIII (Persero) who were involved in the participation process (proposing and or implementing) the budget with a total sample of 63 respondents selected through purposive sampling. testing the quality of the data used is the validity and reliability of the data. The classical assumptions used are normality test, multicollinearity, and heteroscedasticity test. Model analysis uses multiple linear regression is used to analyze data with the help of the SPSS.23.0 program. The results showed that budget participation had a significant effect on managerial performance and organizational culture had a significant effect on managerial performance.

͓͑2002͒. American National Standard Methods for the Measuring Real-Ear Attenuation of Hearing Protectors, American National Standards Institute, New York͔. Six hearing protection devices ͑two earmuffs, foam, premolded, custom-molded earplugs, and canal-caps͒ were tested in six laboratories using the experimenter-supervised, Method A, and ͑naïve͒ subject-fit, Method B, protocols with 24 subjects per laboratory. Within-subject, between-subject, and between-laboratory standard deviations were determined for individual frequencies and A-weighted attenuations. The differences for the within-subject standard deviations were not statistically significant between Methods A and B. Using between-subject standard deviations from Method A, 3-12 subjects would be required to identify 6-dB differences between attenuation distributions. Whereas using between-subject standard deviations from Method B, 5-19 subjects would be required to identify 6-dB differences in attenuation distributions of a product tested within the same laboratory. However, the between-laboratory standard deviations for Method B were −0.1 to 3.0 dB less than the Method A results. These differences resulted in considerably more subjects being required to identify statistically significant differences between laboratories for Method A ͑12-132 subjects͒ than for Method B ͑9-28 subjects͒.

The ability of receptor models to estimate regional contributions to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) was assessed with synthetic, speciated datasets at Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge (BRIG) in New Jersey and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) in Tennessee. Synthetic PM 2.5 chemical concentrations were generated for the summer of 2002 using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model and chemically speciated PM 2.5 source profiles from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s SPECIATE and Desert Research Institute's source profile databases. CMAQ estimated the "true" contributions of seven regions in the eastern United States to chemical species concentrations and individual source contributions to primary PM 2.5 at both sites. A seven-factor solution by the positive matrix factorization (PMF) receptor model explained approximately 99% of the variability in the data at both sites. At BRIG, PMF captured the first four major contributing sources (including a secondary sulfate factor), although diesel and gasoline vehicle contributions were not separated. However, at GRSM, the resolved factors did not correspond well to major PM 2.5 sources. There were no correlations between PMF factors and regional contributions to sulfate at either site. Unmix produced five-and seven-factor solutions, including a secondary sulfate factor, at both sites. Some PMF factors were combined or missing in the Unmix factors. The trajectory mass balance regression (TMBR) model apportioned sulfate concentrations to the seven source regions using Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) trajectories based on Meteorological Model Version 5 (MM5) and Eta Data Simulation System (EDAS) meteorological input. The largest estimated sulfate contributions at both sites were from the local regions; this agreed qualitatively with the true regional apportionments. Estimated regional contributions depended on the starting elevation of the trajectories and on the meteorological input data.