Yet Another Toxic Consequence of Oil Spills: Arsenic Contamination

[unhappycamper]

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/02/02/yet-another-toxic-consequence-oil-spills-arsenic-contamination



The natural bio-degradation of oil underground can lead to the release of arsenic into the drinking water supply, new research shows.

Yet Another Toxic Consequence of Oil Spills: Arsenic Contamination
Deirdre Fulton, staff writer
Monday, February 02, 2015

Underground petroleum leaks can trigger "potentially significant and overlooked arsenic groundwater contamination," says new research from the U.S. Geological Survey, adding a layer of complexity to dealing with pipeline spills like the one that occurred just last month near the Yellowstone River in Montana.

The long-term field study conducted by USGS and Virginia Tech scientists found that changes in geochemistry from the natural breakdown of petroleum hydrocarbons underground can prompt the release of naturally occurring arsenic, a toxic heavy metal, into groundwater. The mobile arsenic can flow with the underground water to new locations away from the original spill site.

The supporting data was collected over 32 years by a group of researchers at the site of a 1979 petroleum spill in a shallow, glacial aquifer near Bemidji, Minnesota.

"While arsenic is naturally present in most soils and sediments at various concentrations, it is not commonly a health concern until it is mobilized by a chemical reaction and dissolves into groundwater," reads a USGS press release. "Elevated arsenic levels in groundwater used for drinking water is a significant public health concern since arsenic, a toxin and carcinogen, is linked to numerous forms of skin, bladder, and lung cancer."