U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

The Camp Lejeune water contaminationincidenthappened first in the year 1952 up to the year 1987. In the span of 30 years or so, there have been as many as 500,000 people who were exposed to the chemicals found in the contaminated water of the camp.

People who are living there were affected by various life threatening and fatal diseases like cancer (liver, kidney, breast, bladder, ovarian, cervical and lungs), reproductive disorders, birth defects and many other rare conditions because of the nasty chemicals,. This is one example that shows how fracking water contamination can become deadly.

Families and other residents of the camp were actually drinking and bathing themselves with water packed with various chemicals and carcinogens like Trichloroethylene (or TCE), Tetrachloroethylene (PCE), Benzene and Vinyl Chloride. After some time, the Camp Lejeune water contamination symptoms surfaced.

The water filtering methods you can use to counter these chemicals are,Air Stripping, forces air through the water and evaporating the VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and TCE.Granulated Activated Carbonfor the PCE, it will absorb the chemical in the water andActivated Carbon Filtrationfor Benzene and Vinyl Chloride, same process with GAC but with the use of whole or tiny pieces of carbons not the granules.

The Camp Lejeune water contamination claims are truly terrifying and alarming. It is not a laughing matter and people should do the right thing here. A perfect example of that would be, filing a Camp Lejeune water contamination lawsuit.

Yamuna India

The once blue-colored river is now one of themost pollutedrivers in the world. Despite it being polluted, there are still millions of people who are greatly depending on it. As stated onhardsoftwater, this river is the source of 70% of New Delhi’s water supply. Water contamination in India is a serious case because of the fact that, western filtering techniques are actually quite expensive there and people will have to resort to drinking the polluted water to survive.

For this Indian river, death comes through water contamination. Symptoms of cancer, organ damage, autoimmunity, and kidney and circulatory system diseases are just some of the serious problems people face if they depend on the Yamanu River in India.

Major cause of its pollution is mainly pesticides. However, recentstudyreveals that heavy metals are also present in the river like lead, copper, cadmium, chromium, zinc, nickel and arsenic.Solid Block Carbon Filtersare the best solution so far for treating heavy metals in your drinking water—and it can even filter VOCs in your water. Also, using Activated Carbon Filters can also tackle the pesticide part of the problem.

Ghana, West Africa Cyanide Spill

The Ghana incident is big in a sense that, the long term repercussion of it may have a huge impact in the health of the people in the area. Dubbed as the “worst disaster ever in a West African nation,” bycorpwatch, the tragic incident occurred on October 16, 2001 where thousands of cubic meters of mine wastewater were spilled in the River Asuman. The amount of wastewater shows that this is indeed the worst water contamination in Africa.

As cited in that report, “Hundreds of dead fish, crabs and birds can be seen littering the banks of the river. Others float on the surface of the river which is the only source of drinking water for Abekoase, Huni and surrounding villages.”

There are no reports or water contamination facts that specify how many people were affected. Health-wise, however, the risks of it when exposed can be fatal if you had consumed large amount of polluted water/food. Nerve damage, thyroid problems and cancer are just a few of the risks you might develop when exposed.

According to the test results, cyanide is not the only threat here; heavy metals were also present—and some, if not all of them are carcinogens. A combination of GAC and packed tower aeration is the best solution to remove cyanide from the water. As for the heavy metals, solid block carbon filters is the ideal filtration method to use.

Just like in India, if not more severe, water contamination in Africa is also one of the most serious issues they have to face.

Flint, Michigan Water Crisis

Facts:
Flint, located 70 miles north of Detroit, is a city of 98,310, where 41.6% of residents live below the poverty line and the median household income is $24,679,according to the US Census Bureau.The median household income for the rest of Michigan is $49,087. The city is 56.6% African-American.

Flint once thrived as the home of the nation's largest General Motors plant.The city's economic decline began during the 1980s, whenGMdownsized its sprawling industrial complex.

In 2011, the state of Michigan took over Flint's finances afteran audit projected a $25 million deficit.Even though Flint's water supply fund was $9 million in the red, officials were using some of this money to cover shortfalls in its general fund.A receivership ended in April 2015, when the water fund was declared solvent and the remaining deficit was eliminated by an emergency loan.

In order to reduce the water fund shortfall, the city switched water sources in 2014.While a new pipeline connecting Flint with Lake Huron was under construction, the city turned to the Flint River as a water source during the two-year transition.The Flint River had been the city's primary water source decades earlier, but Flint switched to Lake Huron in 1967, purchasing its supply through the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.

Contaminated Water Supply:
Historically, the water in the Flint River downstream of Flint has been of poor quality,and was severely degraded during the 1970s, due to "the presence of fecal coliform bacteria, low dissolved oxygen, plant nutrients, oils, and toxic substances."In 2001, the state ordered the monitoring and cleanup of 134 polluted sites within the Flint River watershed, including industrial complexes, landfills and farms laden with pesticides and fertilizer.According to a class-action lawsuit, the state Department of Environmental Quality was not treating the Flint River water with an anti-corrosive agent, in violation of federal law.The river water was found to be 19 times more corrosive than water from Detroit, which was from Lake Huron, according to a study by Virginia Tech.Since the water wasn't properly treated, lead from aging service lines to homes began leaching into the Flint water supplyafter the city tapped into the Flint River as its main water source.Health effects of lead exposure in children include impaired cognition, behavioral disorders, hearing problems and delayed puberty.In pregnant women, lead is associated with reduced fetal growth. In everyone, lead consumption can affect the heart, kidneys and nerves. Although there are medications that may reduce the amount of lead in the blood, treatments for the adverse health effects of lead have yet to be developed.

Timeline:

2007 -Flint prepares to tap into the Flint River as a backup water source, despite residents' concerns about sewage spills and industrial waste.Flint is the only city in Genesee County poised to use the Flint River as an emergency water source, according to thecounty's drain commissioner.

August 14, 2014 -The city announces fecal coliform bacterium has been detected in the water supply, prompting a boil water advisory for a neighborhood on the west side of Flint.The city boosts the amount of chlorine in the water and flushes the system.The advisory is lifted on August 20.

September 5, 2014 -Flint issues another boil water advisory after a positive test for total coliform bacteria.The presence of this type of bacteria is a warning signthatE. colior other disease-causing organisms may be contaminating the water. City officials tell residents they will flush the pipes and add more chlorine to the water. After four days, residents are told they can safely resume drinking water from the tap.

October 2014 -The General Motors plant in Flint stops using the city's water due to concerns about high levels of chlorine corroding engine parts.The company strikes a deal with a neighboring township to purchase water from Lake Huron in lieu of using water from the Flint River. The switch is anticipated to cost the city $400,000.

January 12, 2015 -The DWSD offers to reconnect the city with Lake Huron water, waiving a $4 million fee to restore service.City officials decline,citing concerns water rates could go up more than $12 million each year, even with the reconnection fee waiver.

January 21, 2015 -Residents tote jugs of discolored water to a community forum.The Detroit Free Press reports children are developing rashes and suffering from mysterious illnesses.

February 2015 -The MDEQ notes some "hiccups" in the transition, including a buildup of TTHM, a cancer-causing byproduct of chlorine and organic matter.In a background paper submitted to Governor Rick Snyder, the MDEQ states that elevated TTHM levels are not an immediate health emergency because the risk of disease increases only after years of consumption.Snyder announces a $2 million dollar grant to fix problems in the pipes and sewers.

February 26, 2015 -The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notifies the MDEQ it has detected dangerous levels of lead in the water at the home of Flint resident Lee-Anne Walters.A mother of four, she had first contacted the EPA with concerns about dark sediment in her tap water possibly making her children sick. Testing revealed that her water had 104 parts per billion (ppb) of lead, nearly seven times greater than the EPA limit of 15 ppb.

September 8, 2015 -The Virginia Tech team issues a preliminary report indicating 40% of Flint homes have elevated lead levels.

September 11, 2015 -After concluding that Flint water is 19 times more corrosive than Detroit water, Virginia Tech recommends the state declare that the water is not safe for drinking or cooking.The river water is corroding old pipes and lead is leaching into the water, according to the study.

September 24, 2015 -A research team led by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician from the Hurley Medical Center, releases a study revealing the number of children with elevated lead levels in their blood nearly doubled after the city switched its water source.In neighborhoods with the most severe contamination problems, testing showed lead levels tripled.

December 14, 2015 -Flint declares a state of emergency.

January 21, 2016 -The EPA criticizes the state's slow response to the crisis and expresses concerns about the construction of the new pipeline to Lake Huron.The agency issues an emergency administrative order to ensure state regulators are complying with the Safe Drinking Water Act and are being transparent in their response to the crisis.The EPA says it will begin testing the water and publishing the results on a government website.An EPA administrator who was notified in June about Flint's high lead levels resigns effective February 1.

January 27, 2016 -A new federal lawsuit is filed in Detroit against the state,alleging the violation of the Safe Water Drinking Act.

March 31, 2016 -Lawyers, including some with the NAACP, file a class action lawsuit against Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, PC, the state of Michigan, Governor Snyder and others. Plaintiffs seek damages for those affected by the water crisis.

Cultural Eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay

How do excess nutrients enter the Chesapeake Bay?

While nutrients are a natural part of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, nutrients have never been so abundant in the environment. Before humans built roads, homes and farm fields, most nutrients were trapped and absorbed by forest and wetland plants. As these habitats were removed to accommodate a growingpopulation, nutrient pollution to the Bay increased.

Almost all people and industries in the watershed—and even some outside of the watershed—send nutrients into the Bay and its tributaries. Nitrogen and phosphorous are the two nutrients of concern in the area. In general, these nutrients reach the Bay from three sources: wastewater treatment plants; urban, suburban and agricultural runoff; and air pollution.

• There are hundreds ofwastewatertreatment plants in the watershed. In 2005, watershed jurisdictions put a new permit process in place to limit the amount of nutrients these plants could send into rivers and streams. Computer simulations of pollution controls put in place between 2009 and 2013 indicate thatnitrogen loadsto the Bay from wastewater treatment plants and combined sewer overflows have declined 54 percent since 1985, whilephosphorous loadsfrom the same sources have declined 72 percent.
• Nutrients that run off of the land and into the water through urban, suburban and agricultural runoff come from a range of sources, including lawn fertilizers, septic systems and livestock manure.
• Air pollution emitted by cars and trucks, industries, gas-powered lawn tools and other sources contributes about one-third of the total nitrogen load entering Chesapeake waterways. Thisair pollutioncan come from any location within the Bay’s “airshed,” which measures about 570,000 square miles and stretches to Canada, Ohio and South Carolina.

Nutrients can also come from natural sources, like soil, plant material and wild animal waste.

Why are excess nutrients a problem for the Chesapeake Bay?

Excess nutrients fuel the growth of harmful algae blooms, which:

• Block sunlight from reaching underwater grasses
• During decomposition, create “dead zones” that rob the water of oxygen and suffocate marine life

A case study in nutrients: the Conowingo Dam and Chesapeake Bay water quality

Each year, the Susquehanna River provides the Chesapeake Bay with about 41 percent of its nitrogen loads and 25 percent of its phosphorous loads. For decades, three large reservoirs that sit behind dams located along the lower portion of the river have held back some of the nutrient pollution that would have otherwise entered the Bay. But recent studies have drawn attention to these reservoirs’ changing effectiveness as “pollution gates,” with special attention paid to the reservoir behind the Conowingo Hydroelectric Generating Station, orConowingo Dam.

In 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)reportedthat the reservoir behind the Conowingo Dam had lost its ability to trap sediment and attached nutrients over the long term.

In 2014, theLower Susquehanna River Watershed Assessment(LSRWA) team released the results of its evaluation of sediment management options at the Conowingo Dam. It found:

• The reservoir behind the Conowingo Dam is trapping sediment in the short-term. Because the reservoir is essentially full, it is trapping smaller amounts of incoming sediment and, during large storms, sending more silt and attached nutrients over the dam and into the Bay more often.
• The nutrients that enter the river upstream and attach to particles of sediment are a bigger threat to water quality than sediment alone.
• The management and mitigation of nutrients and sediment upstream of the reservoir would be more beneficial to Bay health than attempting to manage sediment at the dam through dredging, bypassing or operational changes.

While the sediment that can scour from behind the dam doesn’t take long to settle to the bottom of waterways, the nutrients that are attached to this sediment are released back up into the water column in dissolved form. Because nutrient pollution has a lingering effect on water quality, lowering both nutrient and sediment pollution upstream of the Conowingo Dam would benefit Bay health.

Invasive Species in Lake Victoria, Kenya

Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake by area, and it is the largest tropical lake in the world. Lake Victoria is the world’s 2nd largest freshwater lake by surface area; it is home to a large number of popular aquarium species, many of them endemic to the lake. Unfortunately, the native wildlife in Lake Victoria is under constant threat from invasive species, pollution, and over fishing.

The Water hyacinth has been a major invasive plant species in Lake Victoria. The release of large amounts of sewage, agricultural and industrial runoff directly into Lake Victoria over the past 30 years, has greatly increased the nutrient levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the lake triggering massive growth of exotic Water hyacinth, which colonised the lake in the late 1990’s. Water hyacinth has covered as much as 680 square kilometres of the lake.