A Survey of Superfund Chemicals in Massachusetts Farms

Heavy metals and organic pollutants in the environment can present a public health threat, and understanding how different pollutants are distributed in our agricultural resources and in the food chain is fundamental to predicting and preventing their negative health impacts. The purpose of this study was to measure the concentrations of 22 inorganic elements (including arsenic and lead) and 334 organic compounds (including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)) in water, soil and produce samples from organic farms in Massachusetts, USA. Measured concentrations were compared to regional and federal limits where applicable; few exceedances of these limits were found. Comparisons of compound levels across water, soil, and produce at individual sites displayed no significant patterns (i.e., correlations related to fundamental partitioning between media). Lastly, a distance analysis showed little indication that detected compounds migrated from nearby EPA Superfund sites. Theses results indicate that there is no systemic contamination associated with transport between historic EPA Superfund sites and contemporary organic farms in Massachusetts. The low concentrations of these elements found in this study suggest little health risk from locally grown produce.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Riedinger, Kristen A.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Plata, Desirée

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
• Copyright MIT

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/147553

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/147553