Trace metal and mineral speciation of remediated wastes using electron microscopy.

Electron microscopic techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron probe microanalyses (EPMA), were used to evaluate metal species and mineralogical phases associated with metal-bearing contaminated soil and industrial wastes that have been solidified and stabilized with Portland cement. Metals present in the wastes included arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc. In addition, mineral alterations and weathering features that affect the durability and containment of metals in aged remediated wastes were analyzed microscopically. Physical and chemical alteration processes identified included: freeze-thaw cracking; cracking caused by the formation of expansive minerals, such as ettringite and thaumasite; carbonation; and the movement of metals from waste aggregates into the surrounding cement matrix. Preliminary results show that although the extent of degradation after 6 years is considered slight to moderate, evaluations of durability and permanence of metals containment cannot be based on leaching and bulk chemistry analyses alone. The use of electron microscopic analyses is vital in studies that evaluate trace metal and mineral species and that attempt to predict the long-term performance of metal containment in solidified and stabilized wastes.

Nursing and native peoples in Northern Saskatchewan: 1930s-1950s.

The aim of this research is to investigate the role of nurses in northern Saskatchewan Aboriginal communities in Canada between 1930 and the 1950s. During and after the war, the federal government began sharing its responsibilities for delivering health services to Indian communities with a growing system of provincial Public Health nursing stations. In northern Saskatchewan, interaction between Aboriginal peoples and the state health care system occurred primarily through provincial Public Health nurses permanently stationed at these outpost clinics. What was the role of nurses in these communities? How did federal Indian health policy influence nurses' behaviour? Based on the record available for Saskatchewan, it appears the outpost clinics delivered standard nursing care. It also appears that the federal government was eager to devolve its responsibilities for Indian health care to the province, and that its tenuous commitment to providing health care caused confusion in the treatment of patients.