Evaluation of polymer-based dust palliatives in soil and stormwater runoff in an arid environment

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
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Abstract

Dust palliatives are used to reduce fugitive dust in areas susceptible to erosion by wind and rain. In 2015, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) temporarily approved the use of polymer-based dust palliatives during the construction and operation of a solar energy facility and, in 2019, on a mining access road in Clark County, Nevada. The areas treated with palliative are habitat to the desert tortoise. The desert tortoise consumes water opportunistically from puddles, saturated soils, or by the collection of precipitation on their carapaces. Since little is known about the toxicity of polymeric substances to the desert tortoise, the BLM is concerned with the exposure of the desert tortoise to palliative in stormwater runoff. The BLM collaborated with the US Geological Survey (USGS) to evaluate the transport of butyl acrylate vinyl acetate (BA-VA), the copolymer ingredient in the dust palliatives applied in the study, away from areas of application. BA-VA concentrations were measured in soils treated with palliative up to 90 days post-treatment, after which the copolymer became undetectable (< 0.55 mg/g). BA-VA concentrations in all stormwater samples within and outside treated areas were consistently below detection (< 0.20 mg/mL). Although stormwater and treated soils eroded from the solar facility application area were found to have BA-VA concentrations below detection (< 0.55 mg/g), it is likely that some BA-VA (parent or degradation product) was transported with suspended material. It is also likely that the amount of BA-VA transported away from areas of application was a small fraction of that applied.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Evaluation of polymer-based dust palliatives in soil and stormwater runoff in an arid environment
Series title Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
DOI 10.1007/s00244-025-01153-6
Volume 89
Publication Date September 06, 2025
Year Published 2025
Language English
Publisher Springer
Contributing office(s) Nevada Water Science Center
Description 13 p.
First page 239
Last page 251
Country United States
State Nevada
Additional publication details