ETM Thesis Abstracts
Richard Besserman, M.D
Thesis Title
FORMATION OF A CENTRAL ARIZONA DISASTER MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TEAM
Concentration Area
Emergency Management
Abstract
The state of Arizona recognizes the need to better manage its ability to respond to emergencies. In most disaster situations, the initial burden to respond falls on the local community and since medical resources in most cities operate close to capacity, healthcare systems are easily overwhelmed. The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) created an all volunteer federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) program called to provide such assistance. Despite the sizeable population growth within Maricopa County, no DMAT has been organized to represent central Arizona. This document provides a detailed explanation of the DMAT program; the formation process; the steps taken by the organizing committee to form a DMAT in Maricopa County; the obstacles encountered; and the progress to date.
Anjila Lebsock
Thesis Title
THE COMPONENTS OF BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL FIRE BRIGADE
Concentration Area
Emergency Management
Abstract
This applied project deals specifically with the decision to re-implement a fire brigade at the city of Phoenix Solid Waste Disposal Management facilities. The fire brigade was implemented at the incipient interior and advanced exterior levels of fire fighting for the initial training. Municipal solid waste undergoes an anaerobic decomposition, which generates methane this causes an inherently high risk of a fire at the facilities. A literature review was done to establish the process that is needed to determine if there is a need for a fire brigade, applicable regulations and standards, sample training outlines, fire fighting methods for municipal solid waste fires, and personal protective equipment (PPE). The applied project contains: a Needs Assessment, a communication system between the SWDM and the Phoenix Fire Department, an Organization Statement training outline, a method to maintain a fire brigade, the procedure for transfer of command between the fire brigade and the Phoenix Fire Department once they are on-scene, and the method that will be utilized to coordinate the responsibilities between the two departments.
Craig J. Chavet
Thesis Title
GASEOUS AMMONIA RELEASE RESULTING FROM BOILER CHEMICAL CLEANING USING UNBUFFERED AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE SOLUTION
Concentration Area
Environmental Management
Abstract
The electric utility industry commonly uses copper containing components as an essential component in boilers. As part of the steam generating process, copper can be transported and deposited on boiler tubes, resulting in decreased performance and higher operating costs. Chemically cleaning boiler tubes is the only viable means to remove the deposits and restore the boiler’s heat transfer capabilities. The most commonly used chemical cleaning processes for natural circulation boilers use solutions containing ammonium hydroxide, heat and air to promote the dissolution of copper. EPCRA and CERCLA regulations require the reporting of ammonia releases to the environment in quantities of 100 pounds or greater. A bench scale test was developed to assess the quantity of ammonia released from chemical cleaning solutions containing ammonium hydroxide. The test apparatus was developed to scale based on an actual boiler chemical cleaning that used a similar process that included heating and air sparging a solution containing ammonium hydroxide as the primary constituent. The test was successful in quantifying the ammonia gas released and provided a means of correlating the data to large scale applications, as well as demonstrating the effective use of demineralized water to scrub ammonia to greatly reduce releases to the environment. Although the bench scale results of this experiment were conclusive, further studies are needed in the areas of: 1. Quantifying ammonia releases from chemical cleaning processes that use buffered solutions or organic complexes with ammonium hydroxide; and 2. Optimizing the test apparatus to a larger scale and exact conditions.
Stacy Gutierrez
Thesis Title
Developing a Standardized Sampling Strategy for Microbial Investigations
Concentration Area
Environmental Management
Abstract
Conducting microbial investigations in indoor environments is a relatively new and controversial field. There are no federal or state guidelines stipulating “safe” levels of mold to which populations can be exposed to with no adverse health effects. Likewise there is currently no federal or state licensing board to govern microbial investigators. There are some accepted industry standards for the investigation of mold in indoor environments including general sampling techniques and analytical methods. There is, however, no accepted microbial sampling strategy to follow when conducting a microbial investigation. Much of the investigation is left to the investigator including sample locations, number of samples, sampling technique, analytical methods, and data interpretation. Data interpretation has significant variation. “Acceptable” levels to one investigator may be considered “unacceptable” to another investigator. This research project involved developing a Standard Microbial Sampling Strategy, and allowing an expert panel of microbial professionals to provide comments on the sampling strategy. The comments were then incorporated into a revised sampling strategy. There were several items in the strategy that experts themselves disagreed on. These issues included the validity of moisture meter readings and wall cavity data. These issues will be left for further research in this field.
Kathy A. Knoop
Thesis Title
IMPACT OF THE EIGHT-HOUR OZONE STANDARD
Concentration Area
Environmental Management
Abstract
On April 15, 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the final rule to implement the 8-hour national ambient air quality standard for ozone as well as attainment designations for all parts of the United States. Large portions of Maricopa County were found to be nonattainment for the 8-hour ozone standard. The state implementation plan due to the EPA by 2007 may include additional requirements for the control of the ozone precursors such as nitrogen oxides (NOx). This will have significant implications for the electric utility industry, as it may possibly require the addition of retrofit NOx control equipment on some generating units in the nonattainment area. This project identified five potential control technologies, and selected Low-NOx burners and induced flue gas recirculation as the best technologies to evaluate potential NOx reduction quantities as well as costs for the installation and maintenance of these two technologies to selected generating units. This project found potential NOx reductions from 1999 nonattainment area by installing the selected technologies equal to 3.3% of NOx emissions from all sources at a cost of $31.67 million. It is unlikely that this decrease will have a significant impact on attainment of the 8-hour ozone standard in the Maricopa County nonattainment area.
Martin J. Minter
Thesis Title
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE SPREAD OF WEST NILE VIRUS
Concentration Area
Environmental Management
Abstract
Since the initial outbreak in New York City in 1999, the geographic range for West Nile Virus (WNV) in the United States has been rapidly increasing. The total number of human cases reported during 2002 and 2003 in the United States, with a relatively high percentage resulting in death in 2002, is the largest WNV epidemic ever recorded in the world. In addition to the human casualties, scientists for the federal government have identified nearly 140 species of wild birds, fifteen mammal species, and one reptile species that have been impacted by WNV. The scope of this project was concerned primarily with those environmental factors that appear to be contributing to the spread of human WNV infection in the United States. Specific objectives of the work included: a review of existing historical literature on the spread of WNV; a review of national climatological clearinghouse literature for precipitation and temperature data; and, a review of publicly-available literature on the location of existing and changes of major migratory birds flyways. This information was used to develop a human WNV infection model, with the following basic components: correlation of human WNV infections (including severity) with precipitation/temperature trends and documented rare bird sightings; and, correlation of human WNV infections with temporal changes in the life cycle process of the Culex pipien mosquito, which is the primary mosquito vector in MNV transmission. Based on the results presented in this study, all three components of the human WNV infection model were validated. As such, the GIS spatial data layers generated for this study, which are part of the human WNV infection model, could assist environmental professionals (e.g., risk/planning managers and epidemiologists) in making risk management decisions.
Bradley T. Neufuss
Thesis Title
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY; A REVIEW OF APPLICABLE AIR, WATER AND WASTE REGULATIONS IN MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA
Concentration Area
Environmental Management
Abstract
Interpreting environmental rules and regulations and determining applicability is difficult due to the rules being constantly revised and updated and the complexity of the requirements. This study identifies air quality, water quality and waste management rules and regulations applicable to industrial construction sites within Maricopa County, Arizona, identifies operations and practices which can minimize regulatory burden and Includes checklists, which can assist sites in determining rule applicability and ensure regulatory compliance. Each agency granted legal authority to permit and enforce the regulations, as well as specific criteria, is stated. This study excludes rules and regulations that have minimal or no impact or applicability to industrial construction sites within Maricopa County, Arizona. Rules specifically addressed include Maricopa County Air Pollution Control Rules and Regulations, the Arizona Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, the Oil Pollution Prevention Program, Hazardous Waste regulated by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Management of Used Oil and Petroleum Contaminated Soil regulated as an Arizona Special Waste To ensure compliance with environmental regulations, industrial construction sites should review current and up-to-date environmental regulations, conduct a thorough review of the regulations to ensure proper interpretation and site applicability and to create site-specific checklist which address all the operations and practices performed at each site.
Karruthers Begyina Boison
Thesis Title
DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES COURSE FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Concentration Area
International Environmental Management and Sustainability
Abstract
The emergence of environmental education in recent decades is due in part to the emphasis placed on it by the major United Nations conferences, starting from the 1972 Stockholm conference. The Environmental Technology Management (ETM) program at Arizona State University (ASU), the fourth largest university in the United States, started in the early 1980s as a certificate course for employees handling hazardous wastes, who needed training to meet requirements of United States environmental laws. The program now has a completely online and regular Master of Science program with International Environmental Management and Sustainability as one of its three concentrations, under which a course in current Issues in Environmental Sustainability was started in 2000. Using feedback from students and faculty, the program deemed it desirable to investigate the possibility of having a follow-up to the “Current Issues in Environmental Sustainability” course, due to the vast range of material needing to be covered (Burk, 2003). The course in “Sustainability Practices” is meant to show that sustainability is practical technology, economically and socially, and not just a theoretical conception. Paying attention to focus areas for recent UN environmental conferences, recommendations from textbooks and organizations, student and faculty suggestions, the following theme topics for the course were selected –Global Sustainable Development/Sustainability Issues; Sustainability Indicators & Valuing the Environment; Sustainability of Cities; Industrial Ecology; Renewable/Alternative Energy and Fuels; Green Buildings and Sustainable Construction; Sustainable Agriculture and Biotechnology; Sustainable Transportation; Sustainable Business Practices and Issues; and Sustainable Management of Biodiversity, Water and Natural Resources. A Special Topics segment was also added for additional topics. A structure for the course was developed, which utilizes foundational themes to provide students with the understanding and skills they need for subsequent applied themes. From an internet search, six textbooks were eventually evaluated by ranking comprehensiveness, clarity, affordability, availability and multidisciplinary content, out of which the textbook “Technology, Humans and Society: Toward a Sustainable World” edited and partially written by Emeritus Professor Richard Dorf, who is a Professor of Management, and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Emeritus of the University of California, Davis, was selected as the main textbook for the course. A second textbook, Sustainability and Cities: Reducing Automobile Dependence by Newman and Kenworthy (1999) was selected as a supplementary textbook for the course. Using these two texts, a pool of assessment questions was compiled. Useful websites dealing with international and national sustainability issues were listed as sources of further information. In addition, candidate sites for field visits within driving distance of the ETM program were selected. Alternative activities for online students were determined, suitable for the BlackboardTM distance learning computer program used at ASU. The course has been scheduled for start-up in Fall 2005.
Mark Alan Henry
Thesis Title
AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF SEAWATER DESALINATION IN FOUR REGIONS OF THE WORLD
Concentration Area
International Environmental Management and Sustainability
Abstract
Research has indicated that many regions of the world are experiencing freshwater shortages for municipal drinking water purposes. As the global population is expected to increase by nearly 50% between 2000 and 2050, this issue will increase in severity. With as much as 60% of the world’s population living within 50 miles of the oceanic coastlines, seawater desalination has the potential to substantially impact the availability of municipal drinking water for these populations. As an example, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, located in the United Arab Emirates, has recently completed one of the largest dual-purpose power production and seawater desalination facilities in the world, AL Taweelah A2. The Purpose of this research project was to analyze the financial and economic requirements necessary to implement projects similar to AL Taweelah A2 in four regions of the world: the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the island of Barbados. To accomplish this, a Microsoft Excel® based spreadsheet model, with a third-party add-in package from Palisade entitled @Risk 4.5®, was constructed to analyze the financial and operational parameters and calculate the net present value (NPV) of the investment over the life of the project. The @Risk program was used to vary input parameters for plant availability, plant demand, inflation, and energy cost per kilowatt-hour. During the modeling exercise, two simulations of 5,000 iterations each were conducted. In Simulation 1, which holds energy prices constant, the results ranged from a minimum NPV in Barbados of ($123,900,936) to a maximum NPV of $56,411,448 in the United Arab Emirates. In Simulation 2, which allows fluctuations in energy prices based on country inflation rates, the results ranged from a minimum NPV of ($198,344,560) in Barbados to a maximum NPV of $50,700,840 in the United Arab Emirates. For projects similar to A1 Taweelah A2, other things being equal, energy costs must remain below approximately $0.06/kWh for large seawater desalination facilities to be economically viable.
Kiril Dragoslav Hristovski
Thesis Title
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN MACEDONIA: A MODEL OF A REPRESENTATIVE MUNICIPALITY
Concentration Area
International Environmental Management and Sustainability
Abstract
In order to develop proper municipal solid waste management practices, reliable information and data pertaining to a municipal solid waste management system are imperative. However, in Macedonia, as in many other former Socialist countries, there are very limited financial and other resources available to provide extensive analysis of the entire national municipal solid waste management system. Therefore, a model, which focuses on the data and information collected from a single representative municipality, was proposed and evaluated. To evaluate the model, the four most widely used municipal solid waste indicators and parameters were measured at the municipality of Veles and compared with indicators and parameters from other studies conducted in different countries. The four indicators and parameters from other studies conducted are: municipal solid waste generation per capita, density of the municipal solid waste, composition of the municipal solid waste and per capita cost of municipal solid waste management. Utilizing the indicators and parameters measured, the global warming impacts of carbon dioxide and methane from the municipal solid waste system in Veles were assessed by implementing the Life Cycle Assessment methodology as detailed in the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14040 series standard (ISO, 1997;ISO,1998; ISO, 1999a; ISO1999b). The obtained data was compared in order to additionally evaluate the cogency of the model. It was found that all indicators and parameters correspond relatively well with the information and data found in other studies conducted in similar countries. Although Macedonia belongs to the category of low-income countries, the measured and evaluated data was found to be within the acceptable range as reported for most middle-income European countries. Life Cycle Assessment provided information and data pertaining to the generation of carbon dioxide and methane from the municipal solid waste management system which showed that the municipal solid waste vehicle fleet generates negligible amounts carbon dioxide and methane when compared to the carbon dioxide and methane from the decomposition of municipal solid waste. The information and data obtained applying Life Cycle Assessment correlates with the data and information found in the literature.
Maureen Shea-Santiel
Thesis Title
GENDER ISSUES IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE LIMITS
Concentration Area
International Environmental Management and Sustainability
Abstract
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s permissible exposure limits (PEL) are based on the average male and do not take into account the physiological differences between men and women. The workforce is made up of 46% women, however little attention has been given to women when establishing PELs. Studies are available that indicate there are differences between men and women and their responses to the same chemicals, for example, a women’s risk of developing leukemia is greater when exposed to benzene (Yin et al. 1987). Studies have also shown that there are differences in cancer incidence among men and women in the same occupation. Women agricultural workers, for instance, have an increased risk of developing renal cancer over male agricultural workers (Settimi et al. 1999). Another example is the increased incidence of bladder cancer in women employed in metalworking and fabrication (Silverman et al. 1990). There is a need for gender based permissible exposure limits. In particular, there is the need to lower PELs for some chemicals for women. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has indicated that chemicals, such as toluene and carbon tetrachloride, affect women at levels lower than the established PELs and they recommend that OSHA lower the exposure limits. However, OSHA still maintains the existing PELs. There is a definite need to perform further research to assess the need for gender specific PELs to ensure protection from detrimental, and preventable, health effects for all workers, regardless of gender.