Common Chemical Hazards and Superfund Sites

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“Common Chemical Hazards and Superfund Sites”

There are exists various reasons why some groundwater sources are more vulnerable to chemical contamination that others. Firstly, the exposure of some groundwater sources to chemicals and road salts make them more vulnerable than others. According to the YouTube video, the chemical products from fertilizers plants and homes could increase chemical contamination among the ground water sources due to the seepage of the chemicals. On the other hand, the groundwater sources in forests and away from cities might be pure unlike to have chemical contamination due to the reduced exposure to chemical and other salts from fertilizers. Secondly, the effects of atmospheric contaminants also lead to making some groundwater sources more vulnerable than others make. The hydrologic cycle usually causes contamination of the groundwater after dissolved chemicals in rain falls is transferred into groundwater supplies. This occurs mostly to groundwater sources nearing towns and urban centers.

One of the main strategy the government should implement to reduce groundwater contamination is to establish relevant regulations and act. Such regulation would help in controlling and regulating contamination of groundwater by toxic chemicals and hazardous substances. Therefore, the drafting on new laws against chemical disposal would be relevant in reducing groundwater contamination.

The Alpha Chemical Corporation is one of the superfund sites from region 4 of Caliber sites in Florida. The site describes the current site status, site location and background, threats and contaminants, oversight, site cleanup plan, cleanup progress, enforcement activities, community involvement and future work. It also offers additional information including the site information and repository at the location. The site repository is located at Lakeland, Florida.

The community involvement explains how EPA collaborated with the community and its state partners to establish a long term clean up for the site. It also focuses on reflecting the agency’s integration to safe, healthy and environmental protection. Most importantly, community engagement and public outreach forms a necessary part of the EPA program events. Outreach programs include interviews, public notices, and information meetings on cleanup activities (U.S Environmental Protection Agency, 2015). If I found out I lived close to superfund site, I would like to know about the site location and background. This is one of the most important information in order to understand the nature of background of the superfund site. I would not move to a new location, as the information offered in the new location is adequate.

References

U.S Environmental Protection Agency. Region 4: Superfund, Alpha Chemical Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/region4/superfund/sites/npl/florida/alphchemfl.html.

Groundwater Contamination. YouTube.com. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xs1jLlbztE.