K. Kucharzyk, T. Soule, Andrzej
Apr 1, 2011
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Abstract
The reason for an increasing interest in perchlorate pollution includes recent advances in both analytical chemistry and better understanding of perchlorate’s health impacts. The advances and developments of chemical methods have allowed detection of concentrations at low part-per-billion (microgram per liter [μg/L] (Urbansky, 2000), and the toxicological research has suggested that such concentrations may be a potential risk for developing fetuses and infants (USEPA, 2002; Kucharzyk et al., 2010). Perchlorate inhibits iodide uptake by the thyroid causing disruption in normal thyroid function, which can lead to a number of serious health problems, especially pertaining to early neurological development (Blount et al., 2006). There have been several high-profile cases of perchlorate contamination of surface waters and drinking water supplies in major metropolitan areas (Gullick et al., 2001) and the parties such as U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) responsible for the events had to quickly respond to the regulatory and public demand to prevent further exposures and clean up contaminated sites (Stroo et al., 2009). In January 2009, the EPA issued a heath advisory to assist state and local officials in addressing local contamination of perchlorate in drinking water. The interim health advisory level of 15 micrograms per liter (mg/L), or ppb, is based on the reference dose recommended by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) (Kucharzyk et al., 2009). The most recent technologies for remediation of perchlorate in groundwater are in the group of phytobioremediation, in situ bioremediation with the application of the Genetic Algorithms (GAs). More detailed descriptions of the technologies listed, along with the discussion of their scientific basis, current status and specific advantages and limitations are provided in this chapter.