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Toxics in our Environment Goshen College—January 11, 2011

Learn how IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) works to protect human health and the environment through regulations, permits, inspections, and education.

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Toxics in our Environment Goshen College—January 11, 2011

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  1. Toxics in our EnvironmentGoshen College—January 11, 2011 Thomas W. Easterly, P.E., DEE, QEP Commissioner, Indiana Department of Environmental Management

  2. IDEM’s Mission We Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment IDEM’s mission is to implement federal and state regulations to protect human health and the environment while allowing the environmentally sound operations of industrial, agricultural, commercial and government activities vital to a prosperous economy.

  3. How Does IDEM Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment? • Develop regulations and issue permits to restrict discharges to the environment to safe levels. • Inspect and monitor permitted facilities to ensure compliance with the permits.

  4. How Does IDEM Protect Hoosiers and Our Environment? • Use compliance assistance and/or enforcement when people exceed their permit levels or violate regulations. • Educate people on their environmental responsibilities.

  5. Performance Metrics Dec 2010

  6. Performance Metrics June 2005

  7. Pharmaceuticals in Water Supply “This glass of water that you’ve given me—I’m sure has superb Bloomington water, has no measurable benzene in it right now. Ten years from now it will. Now that’s not because your water’s going to get bad. Its because we, as scientists, cannot measure the level of benzene that’s in there now. We will ten years from now because our analytical techniques will get better.” Dr. Bernard Goldstein 4/19/2006

  8. Pharmaceuticals in Water Supply • USA Today published an article in March 2008 identifying “pharmaceuticals” in 24 drinking water supplies. • In Indiana, Indianapolis was identified as having “caffeine” in finished drinking water—no level was given.

  9. Pharmaceuticals in Water Supply • Illinois followed up on the USA Today article by testing drinking water supplies for 56 different contaminants in: • Chicago • Aurora • East St. Louis • Elgin • Rock Island

  10. Pharmaceuticals in Water Supply • Illinois found detectable levels of 16 substances in untreated water and 12 substances in finished drinking water. • Illinois EPA used a safety factor of 10,000 and other adjustments to calculate a “safe level” for these compounds.

  11. Pharmaceuticals in Water Supply • The highest pollutant level in finished drinking water (for cotinine, a breakdown product of nicotine) was 1/333rd of the calculated safe level. A person would need to drink 1,470 pounds (175 gallons) of water a day to reach the calculated safe intake level of cotinine. • All other pollutants detected were much lower in relation to the “safe intake level.”

  12. Pharmaceuticals in Water Supply • The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) looked for 158 potential contaminants at 25 locations on and near the Ohio River, including at the discharges from sewage treatment plants. • At least one of the 25 samples had detectable results for 71 of the 158 compounds. No unsafe levels have yet been identified.

  13. Sampling Challenges • What do you sample for? • As of April 2007, U.S. EPA had identified 31,000,000 organic and inorganic compounds. • About 14,000,000 of these compounds were commercially available at that time. • U.S. EPA has calculated that there are potentially 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (1060) compounds in the environment.

  14. Sampling Challenges • What do you sample for? • About 245,000 (0.8%) of the commercially available compounds were being tracked or regulated by some entity. • One ounce of water contains about 520,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules. • We currently can detect compounds at the 1 ppt level so need 520,000,000,000 molecules of a compound in an ounce of water to detect that compound.

  15. Sampling Challenges • What can we afford to sample for? • The ORSANCO analytical cost for 158 compounds was $3,120 per sample (average of $20 per compound per sample). • If it was possible to analyze for all of the 245,000 compounds being tracked or regulated at $20 per compound, the cost would be about $5,000,000 ($5 million) per sample.

  16. Science Challenges • What is a safe level? • New drugs go through rigorous testing to determine both the therapeutic dose and the level below which there is no effect—both for humans and other living organisms such as fish and amphibians. • Most other compounds in commerce have not been through enough testing to determine a level that is safe for all organisms.

  17. U.S. EPA’s Plan • U.S. EPA recently recognized that it would take them 70 years to develop safe levels for the compounds currently in their backlog if they continued with their normal scientific process. • U.S. EPA has developed a new four step process to significantly accelerate their process to ensure that drinking water is safe.

  18. U.S. EPA’s Four Step Process • Rather than working on each compound one at a time, U.S. EPA plans to address water contaminants in groups. • U.S. EPA will engage private innovators, entrepreneurs and small business to improve drinking water treatment technology.

  19. U.S. EPA’s Four Step Process 3. U.S. EPA will leverage all appropriate authorities—such as pesticide and chemical laws—to confront and preempt drinking water contaminants. 4. U.S. EPA will work closely with State and Local Partners on up-to-date information sharing, monitoring, analysis and other assistance.

  20. IDEM’s Recommendations • Continue with common sense programs to keep contaminants, such as unwanted medications, out of our waters (brochure). • Follow the work of U.S. EPA and others in their efforts to determine which, if any, products have the potential to reach unsafe levels. • Continue to participate with ORSANCO and other States to develop the science.

  21. Information Needs? • What is the safe level for every chemical? • What synergistic effects should be considered? • What is the optimum level for nutrients in lakes and rivers? (Gulf Hypoxia) • What is an affordable way to determine surface water quality around the state in real time?

  22. Information Needs? • What are the sources of mercury in fish? • Methylization process and bioavailability • Impact and source of air deposition • Impact of sediment reservoirs of mercury • What is the proper indicator of viral and bacterial contamination and how can we measure it inexpensively in real time?

  23. Information Needs? • What are the sources of nutrients in our waters and how do we control them? • Air deposition • Point source discharges • Lawn fertilization • Row crop agriculture • Animal agriculture • Natural or background sources

  24. Information Needs? • How do we deal with dissolved solids? • What is the safest disinfection method of water and wastewater (including consideration of disinfection byproducts and residual treatment of contamination in the distribution system)?

  25. Office of Water Quality Blue Green Algae Initiative Increasing Public Awareness. Concerns from citizens around Geist Reservoir in 2007. Senator Gard urged agencies to investigate. Partnership among ISDH, IDNR, IUPUI Center for Earth and the Environmental Science to collect and report information.

  26. Office of Water QualityActivities Blue Green Algae Blue Green Algae in Central Indiana Reservoirs This Algae known as Cynobacteria that can produce toxins Microcystins - liver, tumor promotor Saxitoxins - neurotoxin Anatoxin-a - neurotoxin Anatoxin-b - neurotoxin Nodularins - liver, tumor promotor Lipopolysaccharide - inflammation Cylindrospermopsin – liver other organs

  27. Phosphorus Reductions • IDEM encourages the use of low phosphorus fertilizer in yards through our “Know Your Numbers” education campaign. • IDEM currently regulates the application of phosphorous in manures at CAFOs and is revising its CFO regulatory program to regulate phosphorous application at all regulated animal feeding operations.

  28. Phosphorus Science • Most phosphorus binds to soil particles, so control of soil erosion and keeping grass clippings out of waters reduces phosphorus loadings. • Phosphorus is an essential nutrient, so the goal is to achieve proper levels, not to eliminate all phosphorus.

  29. IDEM’s TOXWATCH Report • Air toxics risk levels in Indiana are comparable to levels normally found in urban areas in the U.S. • Except for two pollutants associated with motor vehicle emission (benzene and acrolein) and one pollutant no longer produced (carbon tetrachloride), all measured air toxics are at levels considered safe.

  30. IDEM’s TOXWATCH Report • http://www.in.gov/idem/files/air_ambient_toxwatch_report.pdf • http://www.in.gov/idem/6544.htm

  31. Nitrogen Dioxide

  32. Ozone

  33. Particulate Matter

  34. Particulate Matter

  35. Particulate Matter

  36. Particulate Matter

  37. Particulate Matter

  38. Particulate Matter

  39. Lead

  40. Lead

  41. Thank You Tom Easterly Commissioner Indiana Department of Environmental Management 317-232-8611 teasterly@idem.in.gov

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