Quantities of Arsenic Within the State of Florida
Description
Quantities of Arsenic Within the State of Florida Completed on June 30, 2003
Helena Solo-Gabriele, Ph.D., P.E. Donna-May Sakura-Lemessy, M.S. University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
Timothy Townsend, Ph.D., P.E. Brajesh Dubey Jenna Jambeck, M.S. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
State University System of Florida FLORIDA CENTER FOR SOLID AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT 2207 NW 13 Street, Suite D Gainesville, FL 32609 Report #03-06
ABSTRACT Quantities of arsenic were estimated for the State of Florida from readily available information. Arsenic quantities evaluated included those associated with CCA-treated wood, arsenical pesticides not including CCA, geologic sources, fertilizers not produced from phosphate rock, fuels, food sources, wastes generated within the State, the hydrosphere, and other potential sources. Sources evaluated were identified as representing an input to the state, an output, as “cycled” arsenic, or as residing within Florida as a “reservoir.” Two arsenic reservoirs were considered: a “surface” reservoir which is a reservoir of arsenic near the ground surface and a geologic reservoir which is located below ground. Inputs of arsenic were quantified at 2000 metric tons for the year 2000. This quantity represents roughly 1/10th of the arsenic input into the U.S. Among the 2,000 metric tons of arsenic, roughly 70% was associated with the production of CCA-treated wood, 20% was associated with geologic sources (phosphate rock and limestone mining), 5% was associated with coal imports, and 4% was associated with the arsenical herbicide, MSMA. Approximately 170 metric tons of arsenic have been quantified and labeled as outputs for the year 2000. This represents slightly less than 1/10th of the arsenic that was imported. As a consequence, more than 90% of the arsenic that was imported, was added to the Florida environment during the year 2000. CCA-treated wood is the one input characterized by both an elevated quantity and an elevated concentration of arsenic. Of the 2000 metric tons of arsenic quantified in this study for the year 2000, 1,400 were associated with CCA-treated wood. The concentration of arsenic in CCA-treated wood is also very high at approximately, 3,100 mg of arsenic per kilogram of wood, on average. Geologic and coal sources of arsenic are characterized by huge volumes of material but lower concentrations of arsenic (<8 mg/kg). MSMA represents an arsenic source that is characterized by a relatively small quantity (50 to 90 metric tons) but by elevated concentrations on the order of 1000’s of mg/L as applied to soils. Management of the arsenic sources entering Florida should focus primarily on miminizing CCA inputs to the state and by properly managing the wood during in-service use and disposal. Although the arsenical herbicides (e.g. MSMA) represent a relatively small input flux of arsenic to the state, their mode of application and elevated concentration are of concern and efforts should focus on identifying alternatives to the use of these pesticides. Further efforts should focus on quantifying the amount of arsenic within inputs and reservoirs not included within this study. Non-phosphate fertilizers were found to contain considerable variability in their arsenic content and the flux of arsenic associated with this source should be quantified in future efforts. Additional reservoirs that merit an evaluation include industrial sites and sites with historical contamination by arsenical pesticides (e.g. orchards, railroad rights-of-way, and cemeteries).
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