Drinking water-contamination education:

TCE- How does it affect your health?

This article is courtesy of University of Arizona Superfund Research Program

The theme of the University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (UA SRP) is “Hazardous Waste Risk and Remediation in the Southwest.” Our goals are to address the health effects of contaminants of concern in the U.S. Southwest (and Mexico border), and to characterize, contain, and remediate hazardous waste sites.

We focus on the arid Southwest, where water is precious, and dust is ever-present. However, the results of our studies are directly relevant to problems faced in many areas of world. Currently one-third of land surfaces are arid or semi-arid, and this proportion is expected to increase with climate change. Exposure routes, contaminant characterization, and remediation in such environments differ from temperate regions of the world. Furthermore, the main toxicants being examined, arsenic and chlorinated solvents, are of significant concern throughout the world. Thus, our program will also provide principles of toxicology and remediation that can be applied both nationally and internationally, regardless of climatic conditions.

Water testing in and around Fort Detrick in Frederick has revealed levels of a cancer-causing agent 3,000 times federal safe drinking-water standards, a consultant hired by the U.S. Army said Wednesday night.

The discovery was made by Arcadis, a consultant hired to test groundwater contamination on the base as part of cleanup efforts mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009.

“The good news is we’re honing in on the problem,” said John Cherry of Arcadis, who presented the preliminary findings to the Restoration Advisory Board at the Hampton Inn in Frederick. “The bad news is there’s a problem.”

The consultants identified tetracholoroethene, or PCE, trichloroethene, or TCE, and chloroform as having the highest levels of concentration in and around Area B.