HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Aircraft De-Icers Hold A Hidden Hazard

POISONOUS additives from fluids used to de-ice aircraft are polluting groundwater near airports, say researchers from Western Washington University in Bellingham. The team has found the additives in high concentrations in groundwater under an airport, and their toxic effects are being felt in watercourses downstream.

Until recently, the de-icing fluids were thought to be relatively harmless because glycol-their major component-is not highly toxic. But the additives are far more toxic than glycol. "The toxicity measures [of the de-icer] didn't match up with the known toxicity of the glycols themselves," says Devon Cancilla of the Western Washington team. "When you start to test the whole solution, things just jump off the scale."

De-icer manufacturers do not reveal what additives they use, because they regard this as proprietary information. So Cancilla decided to isolate the toxic component. Using a microorganism test, he identified the culprit as a family of chemicals called tolyltriazoles, which are also used as corrosion inhibitors in car antifreeze.

Cancilla has since found tolyltriazoles in the groundwater beneath an airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Environmental Science & Technology, vol 32, p 3834). "We found it in very high concentrations," Cancilla says. This made the water extremely toxic to the test bacteria, Vibrio fischeri.

Steven Corsi of the US Geological Survey in Madison, Wisconsin, verified that water taken from the stream that drains the airport can be highly toxic to aquatic life. On three occasions when heavy de-icing had been carried out, all of the fathead minnows and water fleas he put in the water died. On a fourth occasion, less de-icer washed into the streams because an ice storm froze the runoff, but half of the organisms still died. In the summer, when de-icer is not used, more than 80 per cent of the organisms survived in all tests. "It's quite apparent that de-icer runoff is ca
'"/>

Contact: Claire Bowles
claire.bowles@rbi.co.uk
44-171-331-2751
New Scientist
6-Jan-1999


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Spray Forming Aerospace Alloys For Bigger Aircraft
2. NCAR Scientists, Aircraft, Instruments Head To Indian Ocean For Climate ChangeExperiment; UCAR Directs Operations
3. Common Type Of Aircraft Wing Susceptible To Hazardous Icing
4. Radio Controlled Aircraft To Sniff Out Biowar Bacteria
5. Hidden diversity: DNA barcoding reveals a common butterfly is actually 10 different species
6. Hidden cost of Colorado River diversions is $2.4 billion annually
7. Hidden toxin gene in chlamydia linked to chronic illnesses
8. Geologist Finds Hidden Patterns Of Diversification In Ordovician Radiation
9. Genetically engineered organisms: Hazardous or beneficial
10. Some Smelter Slags Represent A Significant Environmental Hazard
11. Researchers Offer DOD New Hazardous Waste Clean-Up Methods

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Aircraft Icers Hold Hidden Hazard

(Date:5/18/2013)... 18, 2013) Research presented today at Digestive Disease ... with findings about the impact of coffee on autoimmune ... While coffee consumption recently has been associated with reduced ... a few more cups of java each month also ... disease. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, linked ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and ... new formulation called Visikol TM that effectively clears ... used in place of chloral hydrate, which is one ... which is tightly regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration ... Clearing solutions, or clearing agents, are vital for viewing ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... A new Dartmouth College study finds human-caused climate ... of tropical lizards, contradicting a host of recent ... rapidly warming planet. , The findings, which appear ... offer new hope for survival of a creature ... Most predictions that tropical cold-blooded animals, especially forest ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Coffee consumption associated with reduced risk of autoimmune liver disease 2New formula invented for microscope viewing, substitutes for federally controlled drug 2New formula invented for microscope viewing, substitutes for federally controlled drug 3Climate change may have little impact on tropical lizards 2
(Date:5/20/2013)... Recognizing exciting and innovative scientific research, ... 2013 Class of Young Professors. Over the ... outstanding international group with more than $824,000 to ... meet global challenges.     , The DuPont Young Professor ... untenured research faculty working in areas of interest ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... Kitware, a leader in data visualization, today unveils ... exploration of hospital costs across the United States . ... release of “Medicare Provider Charge Data,” a dataset of ... the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. , The ... across the country has sparked considerable controversy; however, it ...
(Date:5/20/2013)... Culver City, CA (PRWEB) May 20, 2013 ... Trustees has announced the appointment of Lisa Baird as ... WMIS on July 8, 2013. The WMIS ... multi-modal imaging applications to understand and effectively treat diseases ... Molecular Imaging Society (WMIS) was established in 2011 by ...
(Date:5/19/2013)... 2013 The JM Internet Group (web: ... has proudly announced that the company's YouTube channel on ... 175,000 views on YouTube. The company uses YouTube as ... tips and training for small businesses with much success. ... YouTube tips helpful for their SEO strategies", explained Jason ...
Breaking Biology Technology:DuPont Celebrates Scientific Innovation by Recognizing Young Professors 2DuPont Celebrates Scientific Innovation by Recognizing Young Professors 3Kitware Enables Interactive Exploration of CMS Medicare Data 2WMIS Appoints Lisa Baird as Next Executive Director 2YouTube Channel on SEO Tips Surpasses 175,000 Views, Announces JM Internet Group 2
Cached News: