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Publications

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

Filter Total Items: 4098

Transport behavior of groundwater protozoa and protozoan-sized microspheres in sandy aquifer sediments Transport behavior of groundwater protozoa and protozoan-sized microspheres in sandy aquifer sediments

Transport behaviors of unidentified flagellated protozoa (flagellates) and flagellate-sized carboxylated microspheres in sandy, organically contaminated aquifer sediments were investigated in a small-scale (1 to 4-m travel distance) natural-gradient tracer test on Cape Cod and in flow-through columns packed with sieved (0.5-to 1.0-mm grain size) aquifer sediments. The minute (average in...
Authors
R.W. Harvey, N.E. Kinner, A. Bunn, Duncan MacDonald, D. Metge

Sewage contamination in the upper Mississippi River as measured by the fecal sterol, coprostanol Sewage contamination in the upper Mississippi River as measured by the fecal sterol, coprostanol

The molecular sewage indicator, coprostanol, was measured in bed sediments of the Mississippi River for the purpose of determining sewage contamination. Coprostanol is a non-ionic, non-polar, organic molecule that associates with sediments in surface waters, and concentrations of coprostanol in bed sediments provide an indication of long-term sewage loads. Because coprostanol...
Authors
J.H. Writer, J.A. Leenheer, L. B. Barber, G.L. Amy, S.C. Chapra

Interpretation of prematurely terminated air-pressurized slug tests Interpretation of prematurely terminated air-pressurized slug tests

An air-pressurized slug test consists of applying a constant pressure to the column of air in a well, monitoring the declining water level, and then releasing the air pressure and monitoring the recovering water level. Such tests offer a means of estimating formation transmissivity and storativity without extensive downhole equipment and the associated safety risks. This paper analyzes...
Authors
Allen M. Shapiro, Earl A. Greene

Pesticides in near-surface aquifers: An assessment using highly sensitive analytical methods and tritium Pesticides in near-surface aquifers: An assessment using highly sensitive analytical methods and tritium

In 1992, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) determined the distribution of pesticides in near-surface aquifers of the midwestern USA to be much more widespread than originally determined during a 1991 USGS study. The frequency of pesticide detection increased from 28.4% during the 1991 study to 59.0% during the 1992 study. This increase in pesticide detection was primarily the result of a...
Authors
D.W. Kolpin, D. A. Goolsby, E.M. Thurman

Partition of nonpolar organic pollutants from water to soil and sediment organic matters Partition of nonpolar organic pollutants from water to soil and sediment organic matters

The partition coefficients (Koc) of carbon tetrachloride and 1,2-dichlorobenzene between normal soil/sediment organic matter and water have been determined for a large set of soils, bed sediments, and suspended solids from the United States and the People's Republic of China. The Koc values for both solutes are quite invariant either for the soils or for the bed sediments; the values on...
Authors
Daniel E. Kile, C. T. Chiou, H. Zhou

Pb2+ and Zn2+ adsorption by a natural aluminum- and iron-bearing surface coating on an aquifer sand Pb2+ and Zn2+ adsorption by a natural aluminum- and iron-bearing surface coating on an aquifer sand

Pb2+ and Zn2+ adsorption was studied in batch experiments with material collected from a shallow, unconfined aquifer of glacial outwash sand and gravel in Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA. The aquifer solids contain primarily quartz (95% w/w), with minor amounts of alkali feldspars and ferromagnetic minerals. Pb2+ and Zn2+ adsorption experiments with various grain size and mineral fractions...
Authors
J.A. Coston, C. C. Fuller, J.A. Davis

Pathway models could aid management of contaminants Pathway models could aid management of contaminants

Heavy metal and trace organic contaminants are often cited as factors that could affect the riclmess of the biological community of San Francisco Bay as well as the health of resident organisms. Silver (Ag), selenium (Se), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and cadmium (Cd) are among the trace elements of current regulatory interest. All these elements can be toxic to...
Authors
S. N. Luoma

Waste burial in arid environments - Application of Information from a field laboratory in the Mojave Desert, Southern Nevada Waste burial in arid environments - Application of Information from a field laboratory in the Mojave Desert, Southern Nevada

Because of the potentially harmful effect of improper waste disposal on water resources in the arid West, comprehensive laboratory and field studies are critical to identifying likely contaminant-release pathways and the potential for waste migration at arid sites. However, the quandary for those charged with assessment of the suitability of potential disposal sites is that site...
Authors
Brian J. Andraski, David E. Prudic, William D. Nichols

Tritium and radioactive carbon (14C) analyses of gas collected from unsaturated sediments next to a low-level radioactive-waste burial site south of Beatty, Nevada, April 1994 and July 1995 Tritium and radioactive carbon (14C) analyses of gas collected from unsaturated sediments next to a low-level radioactive-waste burial site south of Beatty, Nevada, April 1994 and July 1995

Tritium activities in water vapor and radioactive carbon (14C) activities in carbon dioxide were determined in gas samples pumped from small-diameter air ports installed in a test hole within the unsaturated sediments next to a commercial burial site for low-level radioactive waste south of Beatty, Nevada. In April 1994, gas samples were collected from test hole UZB-2, which was drilled...
Authors
David E. Prudic, Robert G. Striegl

Preliminary compilation of descriptive geoenvironmental mineral deposit models Preliminary compilation of descriptive geoenvironmental mineral deposit models

Summary: This book was released in paper form in June, 1996. After its release, it was converted to digital form as Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files using Acrobat version 2.1. The Acrobat presentation you are accessing is a facsimile of the published book. A few minor editorial changes were made to the book to correct errors and some of the figures have been enhanced. The figures are the same...
Authors
Edward A. du Bray
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