Team:CU Boulder/Practices
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Outreach:
Monitoring Naphthalene Contamination
in Jefferson County, Colorado
Colorado map highlighting the location of Jefferson County
Call to Action
In June 2015, a conflict began in Littleton, Colorado between a credit card manufacturing center and residents of the surrounding areas. Allegations relating to unlawful naphthalene pollution jeopardizing community health brought fear to the community. The company struggled to maintain a good relationship with the community and to justify that there was no wrongdoing, while the community feared for the safety of their families. Our iGEM team saw an opportunity to step in and use the biotechnology we have developed to provide a resolution that would satisfy both parties.
The Company...
CPI Card Group is an international company with headquarters located southwest of Littleton, Colorado. They specialize in production of credit, debit, and gift cards to supply to some of the world’s largest banks and distributors. Part of the manufacturing process includes printing the cards with ink that contains naphthalene. CPI is not alone in their use of naphthalene-containing ink. In fact, the majority of water-based industrial inks contain naphthalene or its derivatives as a component. CPI, while not disclosing specific methods used to manage naphthalene management, insists that their pollution levels are well within environmental regulation.
CPI Card Group Visions & Values
- “To be a responsible corporate citizen and active environmental steward while adhering to the highest standards of ethics”
- “Act with uncompromising intergrity in all that we do”
- “Demand excellence in performance; we will be relentless in our pursuit of continuous improvement”
...vs. the Community
The Ken Caryl Ranch community is a mid-sized neighborhood in Littleton, Colorado. Its 25,000 residents live among many community parks, schools, shopping centers, and a large business park. The business park hosts a wide variety of businesses, including many in the health and hospitality sector, several engineering companies, and only a handful in the manufacturing industry. Locals generally consider it to be an extremely safe and healthy environment, however some residents tend to disagree.
CU Boulder iGEM interviewed two families, who wish to remain anonymous, that have claimed to smell naphthalene in the air sourced from the CPI headquarters buildings. Many are concerned about the threat of contamination in their community, as both families insist that the smell is too strong to be healthy. In an effort to rally support for their cause, they spread word throughout the community and requested a public forum with CPI in search of a response to their concerns.
From left to right: Massey Draw creek passing through Ken Caryl Ranch, Shaffer Elementary School less than a half-mile away from CPI, a playgroud located across the street from CPI Card Group Headquarters
Questions Unanswered at a Public Forum
Nearly 2 months after complaints began, CPI agreed to host a community meeting where local business owners and residents would attend to address allegations of naphthalene contamination. Several community members spoke, noting the concerns that naphthalene may have to their health, educating fellow residents about organ damage caused by the chemical. CPI acknowledged that they use naphthalene in manufacturing, but asserted that they measure their own pollution levels and have found them to be well within the EPA’s standards. CPI never disclosed the exact levels of naphthalene released, nor did they suggest they would change their behavior, leaving a sour-taste in mouths of attendees. Before abruptly ending the meeting, CPI declared that they will no longer entertain any further complaints or concerns regarding the issue. Both sides left feeling dissatisfied, both with unmet needs:
CPI Card Group...
- ...does not want to waste additional resources to address unfounded concerns
- ...may benefit from renewed relationship with the community
- ...would be able to perform continuous monitoring to fulfill their environmental stewardship goals
The Community.
- ...desires a simple solution to verify company claims
- ...wants a low-maintenance device to measure pollution levels around homes
- ...seeks long-term solution to ensuring that their families are safe from chemical harm
A Unique Application of CU Boulder’s Fracking Biosensors
With lawsuits eminent, the CU Boulder iGEM team has a special opportunity to provide definitive answers to whether unhealthy contamination is present in Ken Caryl Ranch. Despite the product being designed for fracking sites, our product can be used to address any issue of naphthalene pollution. We created a plan that utilizes biotechnology to resolve the conflict between Ken Caryl residents and CPI Card Group.
The map below shows the layout of the plan:
- Dark Red: CPI, the alleged source of naphthalene contamination
- Light Red: The neighborhoods from which resident complaints have stemmed
- Green: The proposed sites for placement of 11 biosensors
The biosensors may be placed strategically to best obtain a profile of naphthalene contamination levels. A cluster is placed near the CPI headquarters, among neighborhoods that may be at risk. 5 biosensors line Willow Creek, and 4 sensors along an unnamed tributary to Deer Creek. The final two biosensors in the lower corner of the map are placed in Deer Creek upstream and downstream of tributary feeds that start near CPI. These are especially crucial because Deer Creek feeds into Chatfield Reservoir, seen in the southeastern corner. This reservoir supplies fresh water to a significant portion of Jef ferson County in addition to surrounding Arapahoe and Douglas counties. Contamination to this water supply may pose a significant risk to public health.
Since all the biosensors can “remember” the excessive presence of naphthalene at any time, they do not need to be continuously monitored. Rather, their placement in public areas may allow concerned community members to monitor them occasionally to check if a contamination incident has occurred. This creates a low-maintenance, easy way to objectively determine the levels of water pollution for both CPI and local residents.