SusChEM: EAGER - The occurrence and distribution of hexavalent chromium and other contaminants in groundwater from aquifers of the Eastern United States

联邦和国际饮用水标准并没有专门针对六价铬，尽管它具有已知的致癌作用。北卡罗来纳州含水层中六价铬和其他污染物的自然来源和普遍分布的证据提高了公众的认识，并呼吁对饮用水中的六价铬进行监管。然而，缺乏关于地下水中六价铬的总体分布和来源的数据，导致决策过程含糊不清。拟议的EIGER项目将为州和联邦机构提供所需的信息，以评估和预测美国东部饮用水井中六价铬和其他自然存在的污染物(如砷和钒)的存在。这些信息对于评估六价铬和其他自然存在的污染物的风险至关重要，从而将更好地评估相关的人类健康影响。拟议的EIGER项目旨在评估控制美国东部不同含水层地下水中六价铬、砷和钒污染物出现的因素。该项目将建立一个全面的地球化学数据库，结合同位素指纹(87锶/86锶)，追踪污染物所在的含水层岩性。该项目将建立一个预测地下水中六价铬和其他自然存在的污染物的地球化学模型，该模型结合了控制这些污染物在地下水资源中的形态和溶解度的多种因素(地质、水文地质、氧化还原状态、pH值、水化学)。

Federal and international drinking water standards do not specifically address hexavalent chromium despite its known carcinogenic effects. Evidence for naturally occurring sources and ubiquitous distribution of hexavalent chromium and other contaminants in aquifers in North Carolina has increased public awareness and calls for regulation of hexavalent chromium in drinking water. Yet the lack of data on the overall distribution and sources of hexavalent chromium in groundwater has caused ambiguity in the decision making process. The proposed EAGER project will provide state and federal agencies the needed information to evaluate and predict the occurrence of hexavalent chromium and other naturally occurring contaminants such as arsenic and vanadium in drinking water wells in the Eastern U.S. This information is critical for assessing the risks of hexavalent chromium and other naturally occurring contaminants and thus will provide better assessment on the associated human health implications.The proposed EAGER project aims to evaluate the factors that control the occurrence of hexavalent chromium, arsenic, and vanadium contaminants in groundwater from different aquifers in the Eastern U.S. The project will establish a comprehensive geochemical database, combined with isotopic fingerprints (87Sr/86Sr) for tracing the aquifer lithology from which the contaminants are mobilized. The project will establish a geochemical model for the prediction of the occurrence of hexavalent chromium and other naturally occurring contaminants in groundwater that incorporates multiple factors (geology, hydrogeology, redox state, pH, water chemistry) that control the speciation and solubility of these contaminants in groundwater resources.