Firefighting foams contain per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) -a class of compounds widely used as surfactants. PFAS are persistent organic pollutants that have been reported in waterways and drinking water systems across the United States. These substances are of interest to both regulatory agencies and the general public because of their persistence in the environment
The Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) region faces numerous environmental and public health challenges from both natural disasters and industrial activity, but the historically disadvantaged communities most often impacted by such risks have limited ability to access and utilize big data for advocacy efforts. We developed HGBEnviroScreen to identify and prioritize regions of heightened vulnerability, in part to assist communities in understanding risk factors and developing environmental justice action plans. While similar in objectives to existing environmental justice tools, HGBEnviroScreen is unique in its ability to integrate and visualize national and local data to address regional concerns. For the 1090 census tracts in the HGB region, we accrued data into five domains: (i) social vulnerability, (ii) baseline health, (iii) environmental exposures and risks, (iv) environmental sources, and (v) flooding. We then integrated and visualized these data using the Toxicological Prioritization Index (ToxPi). We found that the highest vulnerability census tracts have multifactorial risk factors, with common drivers being flooding, social vulnerability, and proximity to environmental sources. Thus, HGBEnviroScreen is not only helping identify communities of greatest overall vulnerability but is also providing insights into which domains would most benefit from improved planning, policy, and action in order to reduce future vulnerability.
Background:
The fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC, Deer Park,
La Porte, TX, USA) from March 17-20, 2019 resulted in substantial releases
of chemical contaminants to the environment, including the surface waters of
the Houston Ship Channel.
Objective:
To characterize spatial and temporal trends, as well as potential
human health risks, from these releases.
Methods:
Out of 433 substances with available data, seven were selected for
analysis: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, oil & grease,
suspended solids, and total petroleum hydrocarbons. Spatial and temporal
concentration trends were characterized, and hazard quotients and cancer
risks were calculated to estimate the potential for human health impacts
from these contaminants.
Results:
Temporal analysis showed presence of these chemical contaminants in
water immediately after the event; their concentrations dissipated
substantially within 4 weeks. The spatial distribution of contaminants
indicated the highest concentrations in the waterways within about 1km of
the ITC. The greatest potential human health risks stemmed from presence of
benzene.
Significance:
A short-term but substantial spike in the concentrations of a number
of hazardous contaminants occurred near the incident, with concentrations
returning to apparent baseline levels within one month likely due to a
combination of volatization, dilution and degradation.
Natural and anthropogenic disasters are associated with air quality concerns due to the potential redistribution of pollutants in the environment. Our objective was to conduct a spatiotemporal analysis of air concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzne, and xylene (BTEX) and criteria air pollutants in North Carolina during and after Hurricane Florence. Three sampling campaigns were carried out immediately after the storm (September 2018) and at four-month intervals. BTEX were measured along major roads. Concurrent criteria air pollutant concentrations were predicted from modeling. Correlation between air pollutants and possible point sources was conducted using spatial regression. Exceedances of ambient air criteria were observed for benzene (in all sampling periods) and PM2.5 (mostly immediately after Florence). For both, there was an association between higher concentrations and fueling stations, particularly immediately after Florence. For other pollutants, concentrations were generally below levels of regulatory concern. Through characterization of air quality under both disaster and “normal” conditions, this study demonstrates spatial and temporal variation in air pollutants. We found that only benzene and PM2.5 were present at levels of potential concern, and there were localized increases immediately after the hurricane. These substances warrant particular attention in future disaster response research (DR2) investigations.
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