Contaminant Fate and Transport - Urban Watersheds: Geology, Contamination, and Sustainable Development - page 309

Halogenated contaminants (those containing chlorine, fluorine, bromine, or iodine
within their structure) have the ability to remain in the environment for long periods of
time (e.g., chlorinated solvents). Several of these compounds have the ability to accumulate
in the bodies of living organisms (e.g., PCBs) and through bioaccumulation may expose
humans after they work their way up the food chain. Some contaminants can change from
a gas to a liquid or a liquid to a gas and cycle between the soil, air, and water if they last
long enough (e.g., some VOCs). Other contaminants not changing form can be found in
sinks or areas where they accumulate (e.g., river and lake sediment).
Heavy metals pose special challenges in urbanized watersheds because they are persis-
tent, highly toxic, and some, like hexavalent chromium, exhibit high mobility in ground-
water. In Chapter 9, case studies of heavy metals in the soil and groundwater are presented
for the highly urbanized Rouge River watershed of southeastern Michigan.
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