Pollution and threats to the environment

This report summarizes a workshopStrengthening Science-Based Decision-Making: Implementing the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants held June 7-10, 2004, in Beijing, China.

In 2000, the nations next-generation National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program anticipated purchasing six satellites for $6.

This report contains a collection of papers presented at a workshop in Merida, MexicoStrengthening Science-Based Decision Making: Sustainable Management of Groundwater in Mexico.

This book describes the Conference on Fire and Smoke-Resistant Materials held at the National Academy of Sciences on November 8-10, 1994.

Over the past several decades, public concern over exposure to ionizing radiation has increased.

The TOGA (Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere) Program was designed to study short-term climate variations.

The two principal objectives of this book were (1) to identify promising materials technologies, design issues (both overall and for individual components), and fire performance parameters (both full scale and for individual components) that, if properly optimized, would lead to improved fire and smoke resistance of materials and components used in aircraft interiors; and (2) to identify long-range research directions that hold the most promise for producing predictive modeling capability, new advanced materials, and the required product development to achieve totally fire-resistant interiors in future aircrafts.

Antarctica is the center from which all surrounding continental bodies separated millions of years ago.

People are exposed to a variety of chemicals throughout their daily lives.

Water is essential to life for humans and their food crops, and for ecosystems.

In light of recent evidence on the relationship of ozone to mortality and questions about its implications for benefit analysis, the Environmental Protection Agency asked the National Research Council to establish a committee of experts to evaluate independently the contributions of recent epidemiologic studies to understanding the size of the ozone-mortality effect in the context of benefit analysis.

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This publication features papers presented at the Workshop on Cleaning Up Sites Contaminated with Radioactive Materials, held in Moscow in June 2007.

Beginning with the Manhattan Project and continuing through the Cold War, the United States government constructed and operated a massive industrial complex to produce and test nuclear weapons and related technologies.

Growing public concern about releases of radiation into the environment has focused attention on the measurement of exposure of people living near nuclear weapons production facilities or in areas affected by accidental releases of radiation.

This novel volume delves into a specific and crucial aspect of early years pedagogy - the intersection between early childhood education and spirituality, offering tips on nurturing spirituality and a sense of connectedness with nature through outdoor learning.

This book addresses the technical, health, regulatory, and social aspects of ground water withdrawals, water use, and water quality in the metropolitan area of Mexico City, and makes recommendations to improve the balance of water supply, water demand, and water conservation.

The United States and China are the top two energy consumers in the world.

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The new field of toxicogenomics presents a potentially powerful set of tools to better understand the health effects of exposures to toxicants in the environment.

Recent studies of past climate and streamflow conditions have broadened understanding of long-term water availability in the Colorado River, revealing many periods when streamflow was lower than at any time in the past 100 years of recorded flows.

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has developed spacecraft maximum allowable concentrations (SMACs) for contaminants that might be found in the atmosphere within spacecraft during space missions to ensure the health and well-being of astronauts traveling and working in this unique environment.

Small communities violate federal requirements for safe drinking water as much as three times more often than cities.

This book reviews a draft report from the federal government that assesses the effects of oxygenated gasoline on public health, air quality, fuel economy, engine performance, and water quality.

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has measured numerous airborne contaminants in spacecraft during space missions because of the potential toxicological hazards to humans that might be associated with prolonged spacecraft missions.

This book discusses the technical alternatives for cleanup of radioactive fluoride salts that were the fuel for the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, a novel nuclear reactor design that was tested in the 1960s at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

To control the migration of radioactive and hazardous wastes currently contained underground, barriers made of natural materials and man-made substances are constructed atop, and possibly around, the contaminated area.

The United States produces 25% of the world's wood output, and wood supports a major segment of the U.

Over the past decades, environmental problems have attracted enormous attention and public concern.

The passage of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) by Congress and subsequent modifications of international maritime regulations resulted in a far-reaching change in the design of tank vessels.

Incineration has been used widely for waste disposal, including household, hazardous, and medical wastebut there is increasing public concern over the benefits of combusting the waste versus the health risk from pollutants emitted during combustion.

No reliable acute-exposure1 standards have been established for the particular purpose of protecting soldiers from toxic exposures to chemical warfare (CW) agents.

The reduction of the fire hazard of fuel is critical to improving survivability in impact-survivable aircraft accidents.

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Information derived from climate modeling has become increasingly important in recent years.

Americans drink many gallons of tap water every day, but many of them question the safety of tap water every day as well.

The National Research Council's Committee on Atmospheric Chemistry (NRC/CAC) was established to serve as a focal point for NRC activities on issues related to atmospheric chemical change and its impacts on air quality, climate, stratospheric ozone depletion, and other related issues.

Fluid flow and solute transport within the vadose zone, the unsaturated zone between the land surface and the water table, can be the cause of expanded plumes arising from localized contaminant sources.

Standing Operating Procedures for Developing Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Hazardous Chemicals contains a detailed and comprehensive methodology for developing acute exposure guideline levels (AEGLs) for toxic substances from inhalation exposures.

As the world's population exceeds an incredible 6 billion people, governmentsand scientistseverywhere are concerned about the prospects for sustainable development.

Over the last 30 years, water quality management in the United States has been driven by the control of point sources of pollution and the use of effluent-based water quality standards.

With an increasing population, use of new and diverse chemicals that can enter the water supply, and emergence of new microbial pathogens, the U.

This book presents a comprehensive, up-to-date review of technologies for cleaning up contaminants in groundwater and soil.

In the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 1996, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) was directed to assess the risk of spills for oils that may sink or be negatively buoyant, to examine and evaluate existing cleanup technologies, and to identify and appraise technological and financial barriers that could impede a prompt response to such spills.

In 1997, New York City adopted a mammoth watershed agreement to protect its drinking water and avoid filtration of its large upstate surface water supply.

This book describes the development of ocean sciences over the past 50 years, highlighting the contributions of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the field's progress.

In 1986, officials of the US Department of Energy revealed that the Hanford Atomic Products Operations in Richland, Washington, had been releasing radioactive material, in particular iodine-131, into the environment over a period of years.