Scientific Paper
Communicating science about the Gold King mine spill and water quality in the Animas river
Essential Questions:
- How have geological, biological and human factors created and exacerbated acid mine drainage and water quality issues in the Animas River?
- What ecological and human health threats might be associated with the Gold King Mine spill: initially, currently and in the future?
- What actions can be taken to improve the water quality in Cement Creek and the Animas River watershed?
- What is the role of science in making policy decisions?
Reflection
For this project, my group chose to divide into two smaller groups. My partner and I were looking at the levels of arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, barium and selenium in the Animas river at farmington and compared the pre-spill levels and the post-spill levels to the New Mexico drinking water standards. Berr and Emily the other people in my group were focusing on the toxic metals as well but comparing them to them to the aquatic life standards to determine how the fish were affected. My partner and I found that by the time the plume reached Farmington the concentrations of all of the metals were low enough that they did not pose health threats to humans. The safety standards were for chronic exposure, which means that you would have to ingest two liters of water with that concentration of heavy metal for 30 years before there would be negative health effects. None of the metal levels even got close to the chronic toxicity level so there were never any immediate or long term health concerns when the plume reached Farmington. Further upstream where Cement creek meets the Animas some of the metals were at a toxic level for chronic exposure but the ploom quickly was diluted. The cause of the Animas river spill was the EPA breaching a barrier holding back three million gallons of heavy metal laden water which spilled into Cement creek which meets with the animas below Silverton. In the Animas, there were already high levels of heavy metals that are toxic in high concentrations. This happens when the water is mixed with air and pyrite and becomes acidic which dissolves the heavy metals. The mine makes this process happen much more quickly than it does naturally because it allows it to mix with a lot more air than it otherwise would be if the water was just seeping through the rocks, making the concentration a lot higher. When the plume first came out of the mine, some of the metals were at a toxic level for human consumption, but as it got further downstream it became diluted by cleaner water.
It is very important for scientists to communicate to the public what the the effects of the river spill will be and what the test results mean. Many of the people in the community took chemistry many years ago and some never at all, so it is very important to clearly convey the results, and if that is not done than the public will not know the true effect of the spill. I personally was very scared to go in the river even weeks after the spill though I am an avid kayaker because I had no idea what metals like arsenic and lead could do to you and even less of an idea of what dangerous levels of those metals were. I have heard many people blow the spill out of proportion when it really was not that big of a deal and that is due to their ignorance surrounding the spill. My own understanding of both the methods used in finding information about the river and how to analyze that information. I thought one of the most interesting things that I learned this year so far in chemistry is spectroscopy, it was very interesting being able to see exactly how scientists determine the metals present in the water samples. I have also learned a lot about how to write scientifically by doing labs and creating charts and graphs. I was able to interpret results found by scientists for my project by using the skills in interpreting charts that we practiced in class as well as looking up terms that I did not understand. It was very cool being able to get my work critiqued by scientists during exhibition. I learned a lot from them and think that I was able to teach them something too, but the most useful feedback I got was from the public. Since the point of the project was to inform the public, the questions that they had showed me where I did well in the project and where I fell short.
It is very important for scientists to communicate to the public what the the effects of the river spill will be and what the test results mean. Many of the people in the community took chemistry many years ago and some never at all, so it is very important to clearly convey the results, and if that is not done than the public will not know the true effect of the spill. I personally was very scared to go in the river even weeks after the spill though I am an avid kayaker because I had no idea what metals like arsenic and lead could do to you and even less of an idea of what dangerous levels of those metals were. I have heard many people blow the spill out of proportion when it really was not that big of a deal and that is due to their ignorance surrounding the spill. My own understanding of both the methods used in finding information about the river and how to analyze that information. I thought one of the most interesting things that I learned this year so far in chemistry is spectroscopy, it was very interesting being able to see exactly how scientists determine the metals present in the water samples. I have also learned a lot about how to write scientifically by doing labs and creating charts and graphs. I was able to interpret results found by scientists for my project by using the skills in interpreting charts that we practiced in class as well as looking up terms that I did not understand. It was very cool being able to get my work critiqued by scientists during exhibition. I learned a lot from them and think that I was able to teach them something too, but the most useful feedback I got was from the public. Since the point of the project was to inform the public, the questions that they had showed me where I did well in the project and where I fell short.
Poster
Which metals if any reached toxic levels for ingestion during the Animas river spill when the plume passed through Farmington, and how does that compare to pre spill levels?
Introduction
On August 5, 2015 the EPA was attempting to pump out and clean the water in the Gold King mine, when the barrier holding the water back was breached and released three million gallons of toxic, metal laden water into Cement creek which flowed into the Animas river. The plume of mine water reached Durango the next day and it made its way into Farmington on the 9th of August. Colorado declared a state of emergency for the Animas River and the river was closed down due to the fear that there may be toxic levels of heavy metals in the water from the mine. Though the spill put many people into a panic, the actual environmental impact was not very substantial and the concentrations of all but a few metals were well below the water quality standards especially once the plume got passed Durango it became very diluted and did not pose a health risk. This project is focused on Farmington because there is not as much easily understood data on that area. We chose arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, barium, and selenium to analyze because they were the toxic metals that had the highest concentration when passing through Farmington.
Arsenic(As): Arsenic is a metalloid, and is well known for being used as poison. In very low doses arsenic is thought to be crucial for our diet, but in higher doses can be deadly. The health effects associated with arsenic from acute exposure include, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain. When exposed for longer periods of time the effects the stomach and intestines including, anemia, peripheral neuropathy, skin lesions, and liver or kidney damage. The most exposure to humans comes from mine dust being inhaled, but if dissolved in water, arsenic is still very toxic. Arsenic was one of the metals that many people were worried about during and after the Gold King mine spill. For the state of New Mexico, the drinking water standards say that if there is more than 10 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic in water, than it can be harmful for human consumption. Water samples showed that there were 1.2ppb of arsenic in the water. When the plume went through Farmington, the concentration of arsenic was 4.1ppb. So even when the plume was passing through Farmington the concentration of arsenic never reached a toxic level as shown on the graph below.
Beryllium(Be): Beryllium is a chemical element, it is light and very strong and is used to make cell phones and airplanes. Like arsenic, beryllium is very toxic and was one of the metals detected when the plume passed through Farmington. Beryllium is found in cigarettes and that is the main way humans come into contact with it, beryllium can also be harmful if inhaled when mining. The acute effect for humans is lung tissue irritation, long term exposure can result in granulomatous lesions on the inside of the lungs, which is called beryllium's disease. The drinking water standards in New Mexico say that if the concentration of beryllium is more than 4ppb. Before the Animas river spill, the concentration of beryllium was 0.1ppb. During the plume the concentration was 0.53ppb which means that beryllium was not concentrated enough to be harmful to humans during the spill.
Cadmium(Cd): Cadmium is an element found in low concentrations in the earth's crust in about 100 to 500 ppb. Cadmium is also found in zinc ore and zinc mines. Cadmium can be used in a variety of ways including stabilizing plastic to components in solar panels but because it is so toxic it is not used very often. When ingested, cadmium can be build up in the in kidneys and cause kidneys to shut down and destroys the filter of the human body. This effect can be a result of acute poisoning and well as a chronic build up depending on the concentration of the dose.
When sampling the water in the Animas River at Farmington, the cadmium levels were 0.2ppb before the spill. When the Plume hit Farmington, the concentration of cadmium was 0.13ppb. The drinking water standard for cadmium in New Mexico is 5ppb, meaning that cadmium was never a health risk for drinking water in Farmington. The concentration was actually higher before the spill than when the plume hit Farmington.
Barium(Ba): Barium is a chemical element, it is never found as a free element due to the fact that it has such a high chemical reactivity. By New Mexico's drinking water standards, anything below a concentration of 2000 parts per billion is safe to consume. Health risks for acute poisoning from barium can cause paralysis in or change the rhythm of the heart. Ingesting barium in the water could potentially cause these effects if the levels were past the standard set by the EPA for drinking water. Before the spill, the concentration was 91 ppb, well within the standards. During the spill the level of barium rose to 180 ppb, which is almost double the pre-spill level but still well within the standards. Health risks for acute poisoning from barium can cause paralysis in or change the rhythm of the heart. Ingesting barium in the water could potentially cause these effects if the levels were past the standard set by the EPA for drinking water.
Selenium(Se): Selenium is a semimetal, it appears in two forms, as a silver colored metal or as a red powder. Selenium is toxic at a concentration of more than 50 ppb if ingested according to New Mexico drinking water standards. Although selenium is a key part of humans, nutritionally, it is harmful when acutely exposed in larger doses results in hair loss, skin discoloration and fingernail loss. As shown in the graph below, before the spill there was 0.6ppb of selenium present in the animas. During the ploom, selenium was actually not detected at all meaning that it was less than 0.58ppb which was the detection limit. So selenium was found in higher concentrations before the plume which was far from a toxic level.
Analysis
We chose five of the most toxic metals for ingestion detected in the Animas river at Farmington before and after the Gold King mine spill, we looked at selenium, barium, cadmium, beryllium, and arsenic. We compared the pre-spill and post-spill concentrations of the metals to New Mexico’s drinking water standards. We found that even when the plume was passing through Farmington none of the metal concentrations came close to the toxic ingestion levels. Some reasons for this could be that by the time the plume got to Farmington it was a lot more diluted than when it passed through durango. Another reason could be that the pH of the river rose as it got further down stream and some of the metals precipitated out. So the water from the Animas, which the people of farmington rely on for their drinking water, was never toxic and did not pose a threat if ingested. Further upstream however there were toxic levels of some heavy metals because the plume was not as diluted.
Introduction
On August 5, 2015 the EPA was attempting to pump out and clean the water in the Gold King mine, when the barrier holding the water back was breached and released three million gallons of toxic, metal laden water into Cement creek which flowed into the Animas river. The plume of mine water reached Durango the next day and it made its way into Farmington on the 9th of August. Colorado declared a state of emergency for the Animas River and the river was closed down due to the fear that there may be toxic levels of heavy metals in the water from the mine. Though the spill put many people into a panic, the actual environmental impact was not very substantial and the concentrations of all but a few metals were well below the water quality standards especially once the plume got passed Durango it became very diluted and did not pose a health risk. This project is focused on Farmington because there is not as much easily understood data on that area. We chose arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, barium, and selenium to analyze because they were the toxic metals that had the highest concentration when passing through Farmington.
Arsenic(As): Arsenic is a metalloid, and is well known for being used as poison. In very low doses arsenic is thought to be crucial for our diet, but in higher doses can be deadly. The health effects associated with arsenic from acute exposure include, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain. When exposed for longer periods of time the effects the stomach and intestines including, anemia, peripheral neuropathy, skin lesions, and liver or kidney damage. The most exposure to humans comes from mine dust being inhaled, but if dissolved in water, arsenic is still very toxic. Arsenic was one of the metals that many people were worried about during and after the Gold King mine spill. For the state of New Mexico, the drinking water standards say that if there is more than 10 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic in water, than it can be harmful for human consumption. Water samples showed that there were 1.2ppb of arsenic in the water. When the plume went through Farmington, the concentration of arsenic was 4.1ppb. So even when the plume was passing through Farmington the concentration of arsenic never reached a toxic level as shown on the graph below.
Beryllium(Be): Beryllium is a chemical element, it is light and very strong and is used to make cell phones and airplanes. Like arsenic, beryllium is very toxic and was one of the metals detected when the plume passed through Farmington. Beryllium is found in cigarettes and that is the main way humans come into contact with it, beryllium can also be harmful if inhaled when mining. The acute effect for humans is lung tissue irritation, long term exposure can result in granulomatous lesions on the inside of the lungs, which is called beryllium's disease. The drinking water standards in New Mexico say that if the concentration of beryllium is more than 4ppb. Before the Animas river spill, the concentration of beryllium was 0.1ppb. During the plume the concentration was 0.53ppb which means that beryllium was not concentrated enough to be harmful to humans during the spill.
Cadmium(Cd): Cadmium is an element found in low concentrations in the earth's crust in about 100 to 500 ppb. Cadmium is also found in zinc ore and zinc mines. Cadmium can be used in a variety of ways including stabilizing plastic to components in solar panels but because it is so toxic it is not used very often. When ingested, cadmium can be build up in the in kidneys and cause kidneys to shut down and destroys the filter of the human body. This effect can be a result of acute poisoning and well as a chronic build up depending on the concentration of the dose.
When sampling the water in the Animas River at Farmington, the cadmium levels were 0.2ppb before the spill. When the Plume hit Farmington, the concentration of cadmium was 0.13ppb. The drinking water standard for cadmium in New Mexico is 5ppb, meaning that cadmium was never a health risk for drinking water in Farmington. The concentration was actually higher before the spill than when the plume hit Farmington.
Barium(Ba): Barium is a chemical element, it is never found as a free element due to the fact that it has such a high chemical reactivity. By New Mexico's drinking water standards, anything below a concentration of 2000 parts per billion is safe to consume. Health risks for acute poisoning from barium can cause paralysis in or change the rhythm of the heart. Ingesting barium in the water could potentially cause these effects if the levels were past the standard set by the EPA for drinking water. Before the spill, the concentration was 91 ppb, well within the standards. During the spill the level of barium rose to 180 ppb, which is almost double the pre-spill level but still well within the standards. Health risks for acute poisoning from barium can cause paralysis in or change the rhythm of the heart. Ingesting barium in the water could potentially cause these effects if the levels were past the standard set by the EPA for drinking water.
Selenium(Se): Selenium is a semimetal, it appears in two forms, as a silver colored metal or as a red powder. Selenium is toxic at a concentration of more than 50 ppb if ingested according to New Mexico drinking water standards. Although selenium is a key part of humans, nutritionally, it is harmful when acutely exposed in larger doses results in hair loss, skin discoloration and fingernail loss. As shown in the graph below, before the spill there was 0.6ppb of selenium present in the animas. During the ploom, selenium was actually not detected at all meaning that it was less than 0.58ppb which was the detection limit. So selenium was found in higher concentrations before the plume which was far from a toxic level.
Analysis
We chose five of the most toxic metals for ingestion detected in the Animas river at Farmington before and after the Gold King mine spill, we looked at selenium, barium, cadmium, beryllium, and arsenic. We compared the pre-spill and post-spill concentrations of the metals to New Mexico’s drinking water standards. We found that even when the plume was passing through Farmington none of the metal concentrations came close to the toxic ingestion levels. Some reasons for this could be that by the time the plume got to Farmington it was a lot more diluted than when it passed through durango. Another reason could be that the pH of the river rose as it got further down stream and some of the metals precipitated out. So the water from the Animas, which the people of farmington rely on for their drinking water, was never toxic and did not pose a threat if ingested. Further upstream however there were toxic levels of some heavy metals because the plume was not as diluted.
Link to my interview with Alex Mickel for humanities project - https://storycorps.me/interviews/voices-from-the-animas-ahs-student-coleman-bader-interviews-alex-mickel/
Link to the 11th Grade humanities archive- https://storycorps.me/?s=%23Voicesfromtheanimas&post_type=interviews
Link to the 11th Grade humanities archive- https://storycorps.me/?s=%23Voicesfromtheanimas&post_type=interviews