Labs may be small and mobile, or they may blend in with the surrounding neighborhood, making them hard to locate until a disaster occurs. These response teams are trained to handle unlabeled containers, unknown mixtures of chemicals, and high concentrations of toxic or explosive fumes. This video lists telltale signs of illicit drug lab activities. The video shows precautions to follow when a lab or dump site is discovered, and it gives contact information regarding the Superfund s response training program. Running time is 25 minutes.
Bioremediation uses microorganisms to break down petroleum wastes into nontoxic end products.
The Lovell site is in its third year of treatment. Periodic testing is done to ensure that petroleum contamination levels continue to decrease and that the microorganism populations remain healthy and active. Running time is 8 minutes. At the Summitville Mine site in Colorado, highly contaminated water runs through an abandoned mine shaft. The investigation that is underway focuses on the presence and nature of fractures in the adjacent rock where the water could migrate, leach metals, and eventually contaminate the environment downstream.