RUNOFF FROM COAL PILES: EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE PUBLIC'S HEALTH

The use of coal for fuel in place of oil and natural gas has been increasing in the United States. Typically, users store their reserves of coal outdoors in large piles and rainfall on the coal creates runoffs which may contain materials hazardous to the environment and the public's health. To study this hazard, rainfall on model coal piles was simulated, using deionized water and four coals of varying sulfur content. The simulated surface runoffs were collected during 9 rainfall simulations spaced 15 days apart. The runoffs were analyzed for 13 standard water quality parameters, extracted with organic solvents and then analyzed with capillary column GC/MS, and the extracts were tested for mutagenicity with the Ames Salmonella microsomal assay and for clastogenicity with Chinese hamster ovary cells.^ The runoffs from the high-sulfur coals and the lignite exhibited extremes of pH (acidity), specific conductance, chemical oxygen demand, and total suspended solids; the low-sulfur coal runoffs did not exhibit these extremes. Without treatment, effluents from these high-sulfur coals and lignite would not comply with federal water quality guidelines.^ Most extracts of the simulated surface runoffs contained at least 10 organic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, their methyl and ethyl homologs, olefins, paraffins, and some terpenes. The concentrations of these compounds were generally less than 50 (mu)g/l in most extracts.^ Some of the extracts were weakly mutagenic and affected both a DNA-repair proficient and deficient Salmonella strain. The addition of S9 decreased the effect significantly. Extracts of runoffs from the low-sulfur coal were not mutagenic.^ All extracts were clastogenic. Extracts of runoffs from the high-sulfur coals were both clastogenic and cytotoxic; those from the low-sulfur coal and the lignite were less clastogenic and not cytotoxic. Clastogenicity occurred with and without S9 activation. Chromosomal lesions included gaps, breaks and exchanges. These data suggest a relationship between the sulfur content of a coal, its mutagenicity and also its clastogenicity.^ The runoffs from actual coal piles should be investigated for possible genotoxic effects in view of the data presented in this study.^

Integrated Water Resources Management: Principles for Coordination in the Coal River Watershed, West Virginia

Mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining has had a significant influence on the water sources within the Coal River watershed of West Virginia. Using an approach such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) may improve management for the long-term protection and sustainability of the Coal River watershed‰Ûªs water resources. This Capstone project analyzes current site-specific information related to water quality and quantity and the impacts of MTR in the region, reviews current management challenges, and identifies key stakeholders to be included in IWRM planning. This information provided a foundation for the development of a preliminary IWRM coordination plan for the Coal River watershed based on IWRM principles and guidelines. It is hoped that this preliminary plan will contribute to the development of a final coordinated IWRM plan.

Potential effects of surface coal mining on the hydrology of the Snider Creek area, Rosebud and Ashland coal fields, southeastern Montana /

"February 1983."

Hydrology of area 34, eastern region, interior coal province, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois /

Mode of access: Internet.

Coal blending in Illinois /

Project conducted by Energy and Environmental Systems Division of Argonne National Laboratory.

Economic impact of dissolved solids regulation upon the coal mining industry (R76-7) /

Includes bibliographical references.

Evaluation of existing data on discharges from active coal mines in Illinois /

"Project no. 60.040."

Potential relaxation of Illinois sulfur dioxide regulations and source-specific emission limits and their effect on the use of Illinois coal /

"October, 1983."

The Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and its Association with Quality of Life in Ambulatory Patients Receiving Radiotherapy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the scored Patient-generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) tool as an outcome measure in clinical nutrition practice and determine its association with quality of life (QoL). DESIGN: A prospective 4 week study assessing the nutritional status and QoL of ambulatory patients receiving radiation therapy to the head, neck, rectal or abdominal area. SETTING: Australian radiation oncology facilities. SUBJECTS: Sixty cancer patients aged 24-85 y. INTERVENTION: Scored PG-SGA questionnaire, subjective global assessment (SGA), QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30 version 3). RESULTS: According to SGA, 65.0% (39) of subjects were well-nourished, 28.3% (17) moderately or suspected of being malnourished and 6.7% (4) severely malnourished. PG-SGA score and global QoL were correlated (r=-0.66, P<0.001) at baseline. There was a decrease in nutritional status according to PG-SGA score (P<0.001) and SGA (P<0.001); and a decrease in global QoL (P<0.001) after 4 weeks of radiotherapy. There was a linear trend for change in PG-SGA score (P<0.001) and change in global QoL (P=0.003) between those patients who improved (5%) maintained (56.7%) or deteriorated (33.3%) in nutritional status according to SGA. There was a correlation between change in PG-SGA score and change in QoL after 4 weeks of radiotherapy (r=-0.55, P<0.001). Regression analysis determined that 26% of the variation of change in QoL was explained by change in PG-SGA (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: The scored PG-SGA is a nutrition assessment tool that identifies malnutrition in ambulatory oncology patients receiving radiotherapy and can be used to predict the magnitude of change in QoL.