Project 4: Dynamic Transport and Exposure Pathways of Contaminants in Karst Groun

项目4：喀斯特地貌污染物的动态迁移和暴露路径

• 批准号: 9926980
• 负责人: Ingrid Y Padilla
• 金额: $ 28.65万
• 依托单位: NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 至
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9926980
• 关键词: Affect; Area; Attenuated; Behavior; Characteristics; Complex; Data; Detection; Diffuse; Diffusion; Dimensions; Ecosystem; Engineering; Environment; Environment and Public Health; Environmental Exposure; Event; Exposure to; Fracture; Funding; Goals; Grant; Hazardous Chemicals; Hazardous Substances; Hazardous Waste Sites; Health; Human; Knowledge; Laboratories; Malawi; Measurement; Measures; Methods; Modeling; Outcome; Pathway interactions; Pattern; Population; Premature Birth; Process; Property; Public Health; Puerto Rico; Research; Research Infrastructure; Research Personnel; Scientific Advances and Accomplishments; Scientist; Seasons; Series; Source; Spatial Distribution; Statistical Models; Superfund; System; Systems Development; Technology; Testing; Time; Tracer; Transport Process; Water; Work; contaminant transport; drinking; experimental study; exposed human population; exposure pathway; ground water; improved; migration; organic contaminant; phthalates; physical model; pollutant; prevent; remediation; scale up; spatial integration; spatiotemporal; stem; volatile organic compound; water quality

PROJECT SUMMARY The proposed project studies the fate and transport of Superfund-related organic contaminants and the processes controlling their mobility, persistence, distribution, and paths toward potential exposures and/or remediation zones in karst groundwater systems. The project's specific aims are directed at characterizing fate and transport processes and concentration distributions of contaminants in karst groundwater systems typified by variable conduit and/or diffusion dominated flow, as those found in northern Puerto Rico. This region is the focal area of PROTECT's work to study exposure to Superfund hazardous chemicals and their potential contribution to high rates of preterm birth in Puerto Rico, which are the highest among U.S. jurisdictions, second second only to Malawi globally. The project focuses on chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) and phthalates as model contaminants because they are ubiquitous and have been shown to have potential health impacts. The research will build on the physical, data, and collaborative research infrastructure developed by the investigators during the first three years of the project. Karst groundwater systems, which provide over 40% of the groundwater used for drinking in the U.S., develop in soluble rocks, such as limestone and dolomites. Flow in these systems may occur through fractures, conduits, and the rock matrix. In such systems, conduits can concentrate water and contaminants from direct sources and/or diffuse flow and convey them rapidly to potential-exposure discharge points such as springs. They can also convey contaminants to "trapping" diffuse-flow zones, which can result in long-term storage and subsequent release of contaminants. Developing the ability to assess and predict contaminant transport and potential exposure to contaminants in these type of aquifers is essential to understanding and preventing health effects stemming from contaminants in the groundwater. This project will characterize and quantify the factors affecting fate and transport of contaminants in karst systems. Using experimental data and field measurements, spatiotemporal contaminant distributions and transport properties will be characterized, quantified and statistically modeled. Fundamental knowledge developed from hydraulic and transport experiments in laboratory-scale models will be integrated into field- scale measurements and tracer tests through the use of geostatistical methods. At the field scale, contaminant concentrations in groundwater wells and springs in the karst system of northern Puerto Rico will be measured during wet and dry seasons. Field-scale models will be populated with historical contamination, water quality, and hydrogeologic data from the karst groundwater of northern Puerto Rico, and used to describe spatial and temporal changes in contaminant distribution, providing the ability to predict potential dynamic exposure to contaminants in karst groundwater systems and establish strategies to protect public health.

项目摘要 拟议的项目研究了与超级基金相关的有机污染物的命运和运输 控制其流动性，持久性，分布和通向潜在暴露和/或的过程 喀斯特地下水系统中的修复区。该项目的具体目的旨在表征命运 以及在喀斯特地下水系统中污染物的运输过程和集中分布 通过可变导管和/或扩散占主导的流，如北波多黎各所发现的流动。这个地区是 保护焦点的焦点领域，研究对超级基金有害化学物质的暴露及其潜力 波多黎各的高早产率的贡献，这是美国司法管辖区中最高的 第二次仅次于马拉维。该项目着重于氯化挥发性有机化合物 （CVOC）和邻苯二甲酸盐作为模型污染物，因为它们无处不在，并且已证明具有 潜在的健康影响。该研究将基于物理，数据和协作研究基础架构 由调查人员在项目的前三年开发。 喀斯特地下水系统提供了用于美国饮酒的40％以上的地下水 在可溶性岩石中，例如石灰石和白云岩。这些系统中的流量可能通过裂缝而发生， 导管和岩石矩阵。在这样的系统中，导管可以将水和污染物集中在直接 来源和/或扩散流，并将它们迅速传达到潜在的暴露排放点，例如弹簧。 它们还可以将污染物传达给“捕获”漫射流动区，这可能导致长期存储和 随后释放污染物。开发评估和预测污染物运输的能力和 在这类含水层中，潜在暴露于污染物对于理解和预防是必不可少的 健康影响来自地下水中的污染物。 该项目将表征和量化影响喀斯特污染物命运和运输的因素 系统。使用实验数据和现场测量，时空污染物分布和 运输特性将被表征，量化和统计建模。基本知识 由实验室规模模型中的液压和运输实验开发的 通过使用地统计学方法，进行比例测量和示踪剂测试。在现场尺度上，污染物 将测量北波多黎各喀斯特系统的地下水井和泉水的浓度 在潮湿和干燥的季节。现场规模的模型将带有历史污染，水质， 以及来自波多黎各北部地下水的水文地质数据，用于描述空间和 污染物分布的时间变化，提供了预测潜在动态暴露的能力 喀斯特地下水系统中的污染物，并制定保护公共卫生的策略。