Arsonous wildfires are complex investigations due to the high abundance of natural background compounds and subsequent pyrolysis by-products formed during combustion. These interfering compounds can be present in large concentrations and overwhelm the marker compounds used to identify ignitable liquid residue (ILR). Complex matrix effects often interfere with the identification of ILR, providing ambiguous results.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs industrial development is increasing near northern Canadian communities, human health risk assessments (HHRA) are conducted to assess the predicted magnitude of impacts of chemical emissions on human health. One exposure pathway assessed for First Nations communities is the consumption of traditional plants, such as muskeg tea (Labrador tea) (Ledum/Rhododendron groenlandicum) and mint (Mentha arvensis). These plants are used to make tea and are not typically consumed in their raw form.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
September 2014
The illicit manufacture of methamphetamine (MAP) produces substantial amounts of hazardous waste that is dumped illegally. This study presents the first environmental evaluation of waste produced from illicit MAP manufacture. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) was measured to assess immediate oxygen depletion effects.
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