Hazardous Waste Risk and Remediation in the US Southwest

亚利桑那大学超级基金研究项目(UA SRP)正在调查人类和环境风险 与干旱环境中的金属(硬岩)开采相关，并开发创新的补救技术，以限制 这些风险。目前关于矿山废物系统的知识差距很大，涉及人类和 环境健康，尽管硬岩采矿业是美国最大的工业污染源 许多采矿地点已被列为超级基金地点。令人担忧的污染物包括砷、铅和许多 其他金属以及可能加剧现有健康状况的非常细的颗粒物(粉尘)。大多数硬通货 采矿发生在美国西部和世界其他干旱和半干旱地区。面临的一个核心挑战 在干旱的环境中，污染物的暴露途径和去向与降雨量较多的地区不同。 例如，与尘埃颗粒有关的污染物在风中的移动在干旱地区更为显著。 环境。因此，吸入和摄入粉尘成为接触的重要途径。UA SRP有两个 以确定矿山废物中金属毒物对健康的影响为中心的生物医学项目，重点是 砷及其对成人原代培养细胞能量代谢和上皮间充质转化的影响 以及成年和新生小鼠模型系统。这三个环境项目的重点是描述 与采矿废物有关的金属在开采前后的地表(粉尘)和地下(水)迁移和去向 补救措施。所获得的信息将用于建立概念模型和定量模型，这些模型描述了 金属毒性以及金属污染物的非现场转移。这些模型将有助于：1)提供关键的 关于砷，矿山废物中最普遍的毒物之一，如何发挥其影响的信息；以及2)评估 地表和地下修复技术在减少污染物向周围迁移方面的有效性 社区和生态系统。UA SRP研究人员与我们的研究翻译社区无缝合作 参与度和培训核心，以支持将我们的研究动态转换到邻近的社区 超级基金网站，联邦(EPA，ATSDR)和州(AZ部门环境质量，亚洲区部门。医疗服务) 利益攸关方和采矿业。为了进一步扩大我们的影响力，我们将继续制定相辅相成的措施，如 作为环境可持续采矿中心，一个行业和学术合作机构，允许我们 将研究成果实时带入该领域。UA SRP的指导原则是产生能够 推动基础科学，同时也有助于改变采矿业使用的全行业做法，以改善 环境/生态系统保护和保护人类健康。

The University of Arizona Superfund Research Program (UA SRP) is investigating the human and environmental risks associated with metal (hardrock) mining in arid environments and developing innovative remediation technologies to limit these risks. There is currently a large knowledge gap regarding mine waste systems in relation to human and environmental health despite the fact that the hardrock mining industry is the largest industrial polluter in the United States and many mining sites have become listed as Superfund sites. Pollutants of concern include arsenic, lead, and many other metals as well as very fine particulates (dusts) that can exacerbate existing health conditions. A majority of hardrock mining takes place in the western United States and other arid and semi-arid parts of the world. A central challenge for arid environments is that exposure routes and the fate of pollutants are different than for areas that receive more rainfall. For example, the wind-borne movement of pollutants associated with dust particulates is much more significant in arid environments. As a result, inhalation and ingestion of dust becomes an important route of exposure. The UA SRP has two biomedical projects that center around defining health impacts of the metal toxicants in mine waste with a focus on arsenic and its effects on cellular energy metabolism and on epithelial to mesenchymal transition in adult primary culture and adult and neonatal mouse model systems. The three environmental projects are focused on characterizing the surface (dust) and subsurface (water) transport and fate of metals associated with mining waste before and after remediation. Information obtained will be used to build conceptual and quantitative models that describe mechanisms of metal toxicity as well as the off-site transport of metal contaminants. These models will contribute to: 1) providing critical information on how arsenic, one of the most prevalent toxicants in mine waste, exerts its effects; and 2) evaluating the effectiveness of surface and subsurface remediation technologies on reducing contaminant transport into surrounding communities and ecosystems. UA SRP researchers work seamlessly with our Research Translation, Community Engagement, and Training Cores to support the dynamic translation of our research to communities adjacent to Superfund sites, federal (EPA, ATSDR) and state (AZ Dept. Environmental Quality, AZ Dept. Health Services) stakeholders, and the mining industry. To further our impact we will continue to develop complementary initiatives, such as the Center for Environmentally Sustainable Mining, an industry-academic cooperative that is allowing us to move research results into the field in real-time. The guiding principle for the UA SRP is to produce innovative research that can advance fundamental science while also contributing to change in industry-wide practices used in mining to improve environment/ecosystem preservation and protection of human health.