Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Frank Pallone of New Jersey, and Nita Lowey of New York are introducing the measure in
the House of Representatives. “This is not the irst time we have been alerted to the dan-
gers of arsenic, and quite simply we must do more to ensure that our food supply is safe,”
DeLauro said in a statement. There are no federal standards for arsenic in most foods,
including rice and rice-based products. South Korea has temporarily halted imports and
domestic sales of US rice, citing concerns about possible arsenic contamination. The RICE
Act could face a tough road to passage since it was introduced by Democratic lawmakers
in a bitterly partisan chamber with a Republican majority. A new study from
Consumer
Reports
found an increased amount of arsenic in some of the most popular brands of rice
products, TODAY's national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen reports.
The
Consumer Reports
study found higher levels of arsenic in brown rice than white rice,
a result of how the two different types are processed. It also found higher levels in rice pro-
duced in southern US states than in rice from California or Asia. Earlier this year, DeLauro
and Pallone introduced a bill to limit arsenic in fruit juice, after reports showed that some
fruit juices contained arsenic and lead,
USA To d ay
reported.
9.6 Testing Protocols and Certifications for Arsenic Removal
Technologies: ANSI/NSF International Testing
15
There are so many water treatment technologies and systems to choose from; international
testing standards were developed with testing protocol for treatment technologies; and
component treatment systems are made from the claims each component or manufac-
turer is making. NSF International is a global independent public health and environ-
mental organization that provides standards development, product certiication, testing,
auditing, education, and risk management services for public health and the environ-
ment. Additionally, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a nonproit orga-
nization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products,
services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organization also
coordinates US standards with international standards so that American products can be
used worldwide.
9.7 Fate of Arsenic in Landfills
16
In the United States, RCRA (1976) led to the establishment of federal standards for the dis-
posal of solid waste and hazardous waste. RCRA requires that industrial wastes and other
wastes must be characterized following testing protocols published by the EPA. The TCLP
is one of these tests.
The Environmental Compliance Supervisor (the “gatekeeper”) at a typical municipal
landill (as deined by RCRA Subtitle D) uses TCLP data to determine whether a waste
may be accepted into the facility. If TCLP analytical results are below the TCLP D-list
MCLs, the waste can be accepted. If they are above these levels, the waste must be taken to
a hazardous waste disposal facility and the cost of disposal may increase from about $20/ton
to as much as $500/ton.
