Full Description

In March 2008, an accidental contamination event occurred in the Pittsburgh Water andSewer Authority drinking water distribution system. During a warehouse fire,firefighters accidentally pumped fire suppression foam in the reverse direction into thePittsburgh water distribution system. The foam was quite visible to customers andcontaminated a significant portion of the downtown business area of the city. While thefoam itself was not highly toxic, an analysis of the spread of the contaminant, and theresponse on the part of the water utility and government agencies, provides informationthat may be useful for future events in which drinking water systems may becontaminated, accidentally or intentionally, by more serious toxic chemicals, pathogens,or radioactive substances.In addition to the case study of the fire suppressant foam contamination, this paperdiscusses several earlier contamination threats and incidents that have occurred inPittsburgh. Includes 2 references, tables, figures.

Product Details

Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 04/01/2008 Number of Pages: 14 File Size: 1 file , 970 KB