United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Research and Development (481)
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response (5102G)
EPA/542/F-99/030
November 1999
IINERT Soil-Metals Action Team
RTDF
Current RTDF
Action Teams
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The In-Place Inactivation and Natural Ecological Restoration
Technologies (IINERT) Soil-Metals Action Team was established in
November 1995. It is one of the five current Action Teams under the
Remediation Technologies Development Forum (RTDF). The RTDF
was created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
1992 to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors in
developing innovative solutions to mutual hazardous waste problems.
The IINERT Soil-Metals Action Team includes representatives from
industry and government who share an interest in further developing
and validating in situ techniques as viable technologies for eliminat-
ing the hazards of metals in soils and surficial materials.
IINERT Technologies
IINERT technologies chemically and physically inactivate hazardous
metals found in contaminated soils by reducing and essentially elimi-
nating their solubility and bioavailability without the need for excavat-
ing the soil. In situ incorporation of chemicals such as phosphates,
mineral fertilizers, iron oxyhydroxides, other minerals, biosolids, or
limestone changes the molecular species of the metals. Changing a
metal's molecular species may reduce its water solubility, bioavailabil-
ity, and potential toxicity to humans and the environment. However,
the total concentration of the metals may not necessarily change.
The chemicals used for inactivation also may increase the fertility of
the soil and eliminate any toxicities to plants and soil organisms.
Growing a plant cover physically stabilizes the soil and its contami-
nants in place, which, in turn, minimizes soil erosion and the trans-
port of soil-metals. Incorporating amendments and growing plants are
more natural methods for restoring soil ecology compared to other
techniques.
Of the treatment options available for remediating metals-contaminat-
ed soils, in-place inactivation appears to be the most cost-effective.
Additionally, it reduces the hazard posed by the contaminated soil in
place. Since burying contaminated soil in a landfill or covering it
over is not necessary, the potential for degradation and contamination
of other areas is minimized.
The Action Team's Mission
The mission is to develop and demonstrate in-place inactivation and
natural ecological restoration technologies that reduce and eliminate
the risks to human health and the environment of metals/metalloids in
soil and to achieve regulatory and public acceptance of these tech-
nologies.
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The Action Team's Goals
The goals of the Action Team are to:
• Understand the mechanisms by which IINERT
technologies work
• Develop appropriate testing protocols and
methodologies that illustrate their utility
• Improve predictive capabilities
• Facilitate validation of the effectiveness and
persistence of these technologies
• Prepare guidelines for effective implementa-
tion of these technologies
• Gain scientific, public, and regulatory
acceptance
Action Team efforts address site characterization,
soil characterization, treatment characterization and
optimization, hazard characterization, and hazard
testing protocols and focus on investigating the fol-
lowing questions:
• What are the physical, chemical, and biologi-
cal mechanisms of hazard reduction?
• What speciation techniques are appropriate?
• What factors limit these technologies?
• What are the technical omissions?
• What factors limit public acceptance?
• What animal surrogate(s) can be used to deter-
mine human bioavailability from soil
ingestion?
• What chemical extractions/in vitro tests may
be used to demonstrate hazard reduction, less-
ening the need for animal feeding studies?
Accomplishments
The Action Team, in cooperation with the U.S.
EPA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources
(MDNR), University of Missouri, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research
Service (USDA-ARS), University of Colorado-
Boulder, Exponent Environmental Services, The
Doe Run Company, and the DuPont Company, initi-
ated a field study at a site in Joplin, MO. The study
is investigating how application of phosphorous (P)
affects the bioavailability of lead (Pb) in the soil.
Analysis of plants from the site have shown as high
as an 8095: reduction of Pb in the plant tops as a
result of treatments, compared to untreated plots.
In addition, immature pigs and weaning rats have
been dosed with soils collected from the site to
measure soil-Pb bioavailability. The dosing studies,
conducted by the University of Missouri and
USDA-ARS, have shown a significant reduction in
Pb bioavailability in treated soils, compared to
untreated soils.
The Action Team's Plans
Additional plant and soil samples, collected from
the Joplin field site late in 1998, will be analyzed
for total elemental concentrations in their tops. Both
pigs and rats will be dosed with soils from selected
treatments to determine changes in soil-Pb bioavail-
ability.
Several members of the IINERT Action Team will
continue work, begun in 1998, on the ecological
restoration of drastically disturbed areas throughout
the country, a result of mining and smelting opera-
tions. Areas include land in Jasper County, MO, near
Joplin; Pierce County, Washington; Coeur d'Alene
River Basin, Idaho; and Leadville, Colorado.
Biosolids, wood and fly ash, and other materials
have been used or are being considered to help
restore plant growth and productivity to the land.
The Team also anticipates preparing a bibliography
of IINERT-related publications which will be made
available on the Team's home page on the RTDF
World Wide Web site.
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Action Team Mambers
The Action Team includes representatives from
industry, government, and academic organizations,
such as the following:
Industry
Cominco Ltd. Trail Operations
The Doe Run Company
DuPont Company
Environmental Management Services
Exponent Environmental Group, Inc.
International Lead Zinc Research Organization
(ILZRO)
RMT
Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc.
n
Government
Missouri Department of Health
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
U.S. Air Force
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Academia
Kansas State University
North Carolina State University
Oklahoma State University
University of Colorado
University of Missouri
University of Washington
OTHER IINERT RESOURCES
IINERT Bibliography
http://www.rtdf.org/public/iinert/iindocsp.htm
"Modeling Lead Exposure and Bioavailability" (U.S. EPA 1998 Workshop)
http://www.epa.gov/oerrpage/superfund/programs/lead/fall98/index.htm
International Lead Zinc Research Organization
http://www.ilzro.org/
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
U.S. Dept. of Agrculture
http://www.ars.usda.gov/
CSIRO Land and Water
http://www.soils.csiro.au/adl/research/lead/lead.htm
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RTDF
Rsiaedlatioa 'fedwsolugiss
at Forwsss
Would You Like
More Information?
For more information on the IINERT
Soil-Metals Action Team, please contact the
Team Co-chairs:
Bill Berti, Ph.D.
DuPont Life Sciences
Glasgow Business Community Site 301
P.O. Box 6101, Rwte 896
Newark, DE 19714-ttM
Tel: (302) 451-9224
Email; wflliam.r.berti@usa.dupant.com
Jim Ryan, Ph.D.
U.S. Environmental Protection'Agency
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory
26 West Martin Luther Kiag Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45265
Tel: (513) 569-765$ ,
Email: ryan.jim@epa.gov
For information on the RTDFdr other
Action Teams, please visit the RTDF World
Wide Web site at www.rtdf.org or contact:
Robert OlexSey
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Tel: 513-569-7861
E-mail: olexsey.bob @epamail.epa.gov
Walter W. Kovajjipk, Jr., Ph.D.
U.S. Environmental protection Agency
401 M Streetjlw (5102G)
Washington, DC 20460
Tel: 703-603-9910
E-mail: kovalick.walter@epamail.epa.gov
To request other RTDF fact sheets, please
write/calls
EPA/NSCEP
P.O. Box 42419
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Phone: 800-490-9198
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