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Dive into our publications and explore the science from the Environmental Health Program (Toxic Substances Hydrology and Contaminant Biology).

Filter Total Items: 3746

Mineral dissolution in the Cape Cod aquifer, Massachusetts, USA: I . Reaction stoichiometry and impact of accessory feldspar and glauconite on strontium isotopes, solute concentrations, and REY distribution

To compare relative reaction rates of mineral dissolution in a mineralogically simple groundwater aquifer, we studied the controls on solute concentrations, Sr isotopes, and rare earth element and yttrium (REY) systematics in the Cape Cod aquifer. This aquifer comprises mostly carbonate-free Pleistocene sediments that are about 90% quartz with minor K-feldspar, plagioclase, glauconite, and Fe-oxid
Authors
Michael Bau, Brian Alexander, John T. Chesley, Peter Dulski, Susan L. Brantley

Evaluation of volatilization as a natural attenuation pathway for MTBE

Volatilization and diffusion through the unsaturated zone can be an important pathway for natural attenuation remediation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) at gasoline spill sites. The significance of this pathway depends primarily on the distribution of immiscible product within the unsaturated zone and the relative magnitude of aqueous-phase advection (ground water recharge) to gaseous-phase dif
Authors
Matthew A. Lahvis, Arthur L. Baehr, Ronald J. Baker

Editors' message: Hydrogeology Journal in 2003

Hydrogeology Journal appeared in six issues containing a total of 710 pages and 48 major articles, including 31 Papers and 14 Reports, as well as some Technical Notes and Book Reviews. The number of submitted manuscripts continues to increase. The final issue of 2003 also contained the annual volume index. Hydrogeology Journal (HJ) is an international forum for hydrogeology and related disciplines
Authors
Clifford Voss, Perry Olcott, Robert Schneider

Mineral stimulation of subsurface microorganisms: release of limiting nutrients from silicates

Microorganisms play an important role in the weathering of silicate minerals in many subsurface environments, but an unanswered question is whether the mineral plays an important role in the microbial ecology. Silicate minerals often contain nutrients necessary for microbial growth, but whether the microbial community benefits from their release during weathering is unclear. In this study, we used
Authors
Jennifer Roberts Roger, Philip C. Bennett

Use and environmental occurrence of veterinary pharmaceuticals in the United States

The purpose of this chapter is to familiarise the reader with the range of veterinary pharmaceuticals used in agriculture in the United States and to provide examples of the environmental occurrence of selected veterinary pharmaceuticals. A 1998 survey conducted by the Animal Health Institute (AHI) reported that there were 109 million cattle, 7.5 billion chickens, 92 million swine, and 292 million
Authors
M. T. Meyer

Pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants within a leachate plume downgradient of a municipal landfill

Ground water samples collected from the Norman Landfill research site in central Oklahoma were analyzed as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Toxic Substances Hydrology Program's national reconnaissance of pharmaceuticals and other organic waste water contaminants (OWCs) in ground water. Five sites, four of which are located downgradient of the landfill, were sampled in 2000 and analyzed fo
Authors
Kimberlee K. Barnes, Scott C. Christenson, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael J. Focazio, Edward T. Furlong, Steven D. Zaugg, Michael T. Meyer, Larry B. Barber

Occurrence of human pharmaceuticals in water resources of the United States: A review

The widespread environmental presence of some pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater compounds has been documented globally (e.g. Buser et al. 1998; Ternes 1998; Stumpf et al.1999; Heberer et al. 2001; Kümmerer 2001; Ternes et al. 2001; Scheytt et al. 2001; Golet et al. 2002; Kolpin et al. 2002; Boyd et al. 2003; Metcalf et al. 2003). Recently, there have been several literature reviews and
Authors
M. J. Focazio, D.W. Kolpin, E. T. Furlong

Inhibition of acetoclastic methanogenesis in crude oil- and creosote-contaminated groundwater

Results from a series of studies of methanogenic processes in crude oil- and creosote-contaminated aquifers indicate that acetoclastic methanogenesis is inhibited near non-aqueous sources. At a crude oil-contaminated site, numbers of acetoclastic methanogens found close to crude oil were one hundred times fewer than those of hydrogen- and formate-utilizing methanogens. In laboratory toxicity assay
Authors
Ean Warren, Barbara A. Bekins, E. Michael Godsy, Virginia K. Smith

Selenium, iron, and chromium stable isotope ratio measurements by the double isotope spike TIMS method

This chapter focuses on the double-spike calibrated thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) methods for measurement of mass dependent isotope fractionation in Se, Fe, and Cr. Current measurement precision is approximately ± 0.2 per mil on 80Se / 76Se, 56Fe / 54Fe, and 53Cr / 52Cr. Sample size requirements are 500ng, 1μg, and 250ng for Se, Fe, and Cr respectively. These measurements have been d
Authors
Thomas M. Johnson, Thomas D. Bullen

Molecular markers and their use in environmental organic geochemistry

Molecular markers are organic substances that carry information about sources of organic matter or contamination. The source/marker relation can be used to indicate the presence of a given source material (qualitative), or, under appropriate conditions, to estimate the amount of a source material (quantitative source apportionment) in the environment. Assemblages of markers can also be used as pro
Authors
Robert P. Eganhouse