| Popis: |
In many industrialised countries, contamination of soils and groundwater from improper disposal of hazardous industrial wastes is an environmental issue of increasing public concern, regulatory activity, and scientific investigation. In the United States (USA) alone, there are estimated to be about 400000 waste disposal sites where soil and groundwater contamination is deemed to be of sufficient extent and magnitude, that some type of remedial action is warranted to protect public health or to minimise adverse environmental and ecological impacts. The costs of cleaning up such sites over the next 20–30 years may easily exceed one trillion USA dollars. Experiences of environmental scientists and engineers in the USA over the past decade have shown, however, that the required regulatory levels may not be achieved at most sites, even after several decades of clean-up efforts using the existing technologies. |
