Arsenic Associated With Golf Courses: On-Site and Off-Site Risk Considerations for Soil and Water. C. M. Teaf, CBTR, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL; R. G. Cooper, Dames & Moore, Boca Raton, FL; and J. J. McNally, Coll, Davidson, Smith, Salter & Barkett, Miami, FL
Historical turf maintenance practices at golf courses, particularly in warmer climates, have involved the application of a variety of insecticides, herbicides and fertilizers in accord with relevant federal and state regulations. With increasing frequency, sampling of soil, groundwater, surface water and sediments at these facilities has revealed the presence of the more mobile and/or persistent compounds. Arsenic has emerged as a substance of special interest, due to its widespread use in organic arsenical (e.g., MSMA, DMA) and inorganic arsenical (e.g., lead arsenate) herbicides, its presence as a micronutrient in fertilizers, its mobility and recalcitrance to treatment, and the potential risks associated with various categories of exposure. These exposure categories include golfers, course maintenance personnel, construction personnel, and residents who may live adjacent to active, former or reconfigured courses. It is unlikely that typical exposures to arsenic on or around golf courses are of significance to human health; however, in most instances that issue has not been extensively considered. Soils have the potential to be of toxicological interest from the perspective of direct exposure, or as sources of arsenic to groundwater (leaching) and surface water (runoff). Groundwater may be of interest from an on-site or off-site point of view (e.g., consumption, irrigation) and surface waters (e.g., ponds and lakes) may act as cycling sources back to soils due to irrigation activities. Depending upon specific state guidelines or regulations (see e.g., NJ, FL), the distribution and magnitude of arsenic at golf courses clearly represents an issue that requires site-specific characterization and evaluation.
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