SAND-Rx™—Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the cause of the erosion on beaches?
2. What is a healthy beach?
3. Why do we need healthy beaches?
4. What is the importance of water in sand?
5. What is SAND-Rx™ and how does it work?
6. Will SAND-Rx™ have any detrimental effects on marine animals and/or plant life along beaches?
7. How is SAND-Rx™ applied?
8. Does SAND-Rx™ leave any odor or change the appearance or characteristics of the water or sand?
9. Can SAND-Rx™ cause too much sand to accumulate on a beach?
10. In the past, several attempts have been made to mechanically restore eroded sand to beaches without long term success. Assuming SandCastle Technology is successful in restoring sand to a treated beach, how long will the sand remain before it starts to erode again?
11. What visual changes can we expect to observe on a treated beach and in what timeframe?
12. What parameters will be established to measure the success of the project?
13. What affect will the buildup of sand on a treated beach have on neighboring beaches? Will the treatment of a beach rob sand from other beaches?
14. What explanations have engineering experts given for the causes of erosion and what alternative solutions have they offered to prevent erosion in the future?
15.  Is SAND-Rx™ or its components regulated by government agencies?
16. Does SandCastle Technology warrant the safety of its product?
17. Will SandCastle personnel be present to supervise the treatment of beaches?
18. SAND-Rx™ vs. Conventional methods

1. What is the cause of the erosion on beaches?

The movement of sand on a healthy beach is a normal and necessary process for the long term health of the beach and the living organisms that the beach nurtures and supports. However, absent massive storms, rapid erosion is not a natural process, but rather the result of chemical or physical forces caused by the activities of man. Beaches are physically eroded by the movement of water in the form of high waves, strong currents and storm surges (USGS). Breaking waves erode the coast by suspending sand/sediment particles or dislodging rocks. Powerful storms rapidly raise water levels and accelerate coastal currents causing a rapid loss of sand. These physical agents can be minimized by the application of SAND-Rx™.

Chemical agents of beach erosion include organic contaminants such as petroleum products and oils. These products can render the sand hydrophobic (water repellant) and more susceptible to erosion. There are also hundreds of industrial and household chemical products that end up in rivers, lakes, oceans and beaches. These chemicals negatively impact sea water chemistry and sand properties. SAND-Rx™ reverses the negative effect of chemical pollution and returns the beach to a healthy state.

According to the NRDC, every coastal state has a beach pollution problem. Twenty-four states (83% of all coastal states) had at least one beach that exceeded the national bacteria standard 25% of the time it was tested. In 2005, beach pollution prompted 20,397 closing and swimming advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches. That is the highest number of closing and advisory days since NRDC began issuing its annual "Testing the Waters" report 16 years ago. Although beach closings are due to high bacterial levels, the presence of this contamination is an indication that other contaminants not tested for may be present in the water, thereby affecting sand quality on beaches and causing additional beach erosion.

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2. What is a healthy beach?

A primary tool in assessing the health of a beach is its ability to support a variety of plants, invertebrates, birds and insects. Hundreds of species inhabit a healthy beach. Numerous species live in the dunes.

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3. Why do we need healthy beaches?

A non-polluted beach resists erosion, allowing for sustainable beach growth. Healthy beaches support ecological diversity further stabilizing the beach environment. Healthy beaches increase property values, tourism and assure long-term economic development.

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4. What is the importance of water in sand?

Capillary effects in sand play an important role in maintaining a healthy beach. Water's capillarity or adhesion to sand is what makes sand castles hold together. Contaminants present on sand surfaces reduce the adhesive forces between sand and water, lowering the capillary rise of water from the water table. This has the effect of drying the sand resulting in less cohesion and more erosion.

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5. What is SAND-Rx™ and how does it work?

The SAND-Rx™ composition is comprised of a sea water system which is used to prepare vegetable food amino acid complexes for dispersal on sand aggregates. Amino acids are the building blocks of all proteins, which are fundamental to clean sea water. The amino acids which have been dissolved and concentrated into SAND-Rx™ are the same as those found in healthy sea water. They represent the bottom of the food chain that supports all marine plant and animal life. These amino acids were once abundant in healthy estuaries and in the world’s oceans, but over the last half century they have been displaced by pollution.

All of the amino acids in the SAND-Rx™ composition are present in common food items which are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the Federal Drug Administration (See Question 14). They are commonly consumed as food in the form of rice, seaweed, corn, rye, millet, wheat, etc. Compositions similar to those in SAND-Rx™ are currently being used to wash lettuce, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, processed meats, and specialty table salts.

The proprietary surface active agent in SAND-Rx™ produced from seed proteins, uses a series of pH selective enzyme catalysts that transforms the hydrophobic (unhealthy) characteristic of the polluted sand to a healthy and natural hydrophilic state. The surface active agent composition displaces the contaminants from the sand surface, replacing them with a hydrophilic protein. This complex resists further contamination allowing the sand to support clean water. The sand returns to its natural cohesive state, thus promoting a non-erosive beach that can support plant and animal life. By addressing a major cause of beach erosion, SAND-Rx provides a sustainable solution.

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6. Will SAND-Rx™ have any detrimental effects on marine animals and/or plant life along beaches?

 No. Every chemical element found in SAND-Rx™ can be found in a healthy beach and sea environment. Healthy beach sand is “hydrophilic”, which simply means that it can attract and hold water to the surface of the sand particles, which in turn allows it to support plant and animal life. When sand particles are coated with certain pollutants, they become “hydrophobic”, which means they become water resistant, and in turn means that they are no longer able to support plant and animal life. In non-technical terms, SAND-Rx™ simply returns the sand to a hydrophilic state.

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7. How is SAND-Rx™ applied? Will it affect sand crabs, clams, or other marine animals?

Temporary injection wells, trenches or holes are emplaced along the beach between the mean high and low water mark. Calculated amounts of liquid SAND-Rx™ are injected into these and then refilled with sand. The natural action of tides and currents mix the SAND-Rx™ with the water and sand rendering the sand hydrophilic both onshore and offshore. This results in the deposition and accumulation of the offshore sand on the beach and the retention of the sand onshore. Application is rapid with no or minimal disruption to beach activities

Offshore treatment consists of dispersing the SAND-Rx™ composition in briquette form into erosion trenches from predetermined charted locations. A maintenance treatment program will be required with SAND-Rx™ based on a yearly evaluation of the condition of the beach after these initial treatments.

Because SAND-Rx™ is comprised of components found in healthy sea water (see Question 5), no plants or animals are injured by its application.

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8. Does SAND-Rx™ leave any odor or change the appearance or characteristics of the water or sand?

No. SAND-Rx™ is odorless and colorless when applied to sand. The color and texture of the sand will not be altered.

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9. Can SAND-Rx™ cause too much sand to accumulate on a beach?

No. SAND-Rx™ merely reverses the effects of pollution, which, in turn, will allow the sand to return to its natural state and patterns of movement. All of the sand that has eroded has only traveled a short distance off shore. Once the sand has been returned to its natural hydrophilic state (water bonding, see Question 5), natural forces will return this sand to where it came to rest decades ago. In areas where shores have drastically eroded, the natural shore frontage will return. If there were dunes, these will gradually come back to where they existed prior to the eroding events of the last century. Natural shifting will still occur, but unlike erosion, this shifting is a desirable phenomenon and promotes a natural, healthy beach environment.

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10. In the past, several attempts have been made to mechanically restore eroded sand to beaches without long term success. Assuming SandCastle Technology is successful in restoring sand to a treated beach, how long will the sand remain before it starts to erode again?

In a healthy beach environment, the beach sand will move freely. These movements are regulated by tides and seasonal storms, and in most situations, are also affected by the condition and shape of the sand particles common to any given shore area. However, in a healthy beach environment, microscopic marine plant and animal life routinely attaches to the surface area of sand particles. These minute organisms make the sand particles cohesive and provide the stability that keeps the beach from suffering dramatic movement. Absent violent storms, catastrophic erosion is not a natural phenomenon.

The introduction of pollutants to beaches in the last decade not only made the sand less cohesive, but it also killed the microscopic plant and animal life that previously stabilized the sand particles. Any attempts to mechanically restore the sand to the beach were doomed to failure because one of the major causes of the erosion was still present.

The ingredients in SAND-Rx™ will not only reverse the effects of the pollutants, but will also deposit on the sand particles of beaches a vegetable protein which will stabilize the sand and prevent future erosion. However, if the discharge of pollutants into the ocean waters adjacent a treated beach continues, or even increases, it is possible that the beach may have to be retreated with SAND-Rx™ at some time in the future.

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11. What visual changes can we expect to observe on a treated beach and in what timeframe?

One can expect to see significant sand accumulations starting to appear in a very short time in the treated area, probably within six weeks.

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12. What parameters will be established to measure the success of the project?

The treated area will be staked and preliminary elevation surveys and photographs will be taken to establish a baseline for future observations. Sand samples will also be taken prior to the initial application of SAND-Rx™. In addition, a benthic survey may be conducted to assess the health of the beach. These procedures will then be repeated at regular intervals.

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13. What affect will the buildup of sand on a treated beach have on neighboring beaches? Will the treatment of a beach rob sand from other beaches?

SAND-Rx™ will most likely migrate short distances from the original treated site because of the natural forces of tides, currents, and wave action. This will result in the accumulation of sand on beach areas adjacent the treated area. However, all sand accumulations will result from the recovery of sand from off shore sites and not from neighboring beaches.

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14. What explanations have engineering experts given for the causes of erosion and what alternative solutions have they offered to prevent erosion in the future?

Science World is a non-profit government sponsored educational center in Vancouver, B.C. The following was extracted from their online magazine of May 10, 1999. A full reprint of the article is available at: (www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1590/14_55/55183120/print.jhtml) 

You're set for summer--shades, flip-flops, new swimsuit, maybe even a surfboard. There's only one problem: Where's the beach? Across the U.S., from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Oceanside, Oregon, sandy beaches are simply washing out to sea. By some estimates, 80 percent of the U.S. shoreline is eroding, or wearing away, as hurricanes, winter storms, rising ocean levels, and building development pound away at the coast. On the sun lovers' New Jersey shore, 53 kilometers (33 miles) of beach have disappeared in the last 10 years. Now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to rebuild the beach at an estimated cost of more than $1 billion.

 

To combat rising waters, beach communities have turned to various strategies to save their sand. No method is foolproof, however; some do more harm than good. For example: Seawalls are built parallel to the sea to protect beach houses from crashing waves. On a shore without a seawall blockade, waves naturally shift sand from one part of the beach to another. Waves also deposit sand farther inland. The process is called littoral drift. But seawalls can alter the littoral drift. When waves reach up and crash on seawalls, there's nowhere for sand to head but straight back out to sea. Result: the erosion process is accelerated.

 

Other erosion solutions include jetties and groins, stone walls built on the beach perpendicular to the sea. The structures act like dams in the river of sand that moves along the shore. They trap sand on the side of the structure facing the oncoming current, thereby widening the beach. The problem: Trapping sand on the updraft side of a jetty or groin robs sand from the other side. In fact, three groins built by the U.S. Navy in 1970 and just north of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse caused ocean currents to scour away the shoreline near the lighthouse. The sand-stealing effects of "hard" structures like seawalls and jetties have led states like Maine, Texas, Oregon, and the Carolinas, to ban them. For many beaches, jetties are the main culprit of erosion. "Jetties always cause problems," says Duke University geologist Orrin Pilkey. "Always, always, always."

 

One anti-erosion alternative to "hard" structures is dredging--piping in tons of sand from the seafloor 15 m (50 ft) to 4.8 km (3 mi) offshore, and spreading it onto the beach. Also known as "beach nourishment," dredging can cost more than $1 million per square mile of beach. Still, since 1965, the U.S. has spent about $1 billion to replenish more than 1,300 beaches. One reason not to dredge is that piling tons of wet, muddy new sand onto the shore buries the natural habitats, nesting sites, and beach grass cover of endangered coastal species, including sea turtles and sea birds such as piping plovers and least terns. In addition, dredging can be temporary. In the winter of 1998, just two days after engineers completed a $50-million beach nourishment project in Ocean City, Maryland, a huge storm lashed the tourist resort. So much of the new beach washed out to sea, the town had to pipe in another $10.8 million worth of sand.

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15. Is SAND-Rx™ or its components regulated by government agencies?

There are hundreds of substances whose use is generally recognized by experts as safe, based on their extensive history of use in food or based on published scientific evidence. Examples are common food ingredients such as salt, pepper, vinegar, and baking powder. Title 21 of the US Code of Federal Regulations (37 C.F.R.) lists the substances that are “generally regarded as safe”, i.e., GRAS. Substances listed as GRAS can generally be used in food and other products without permits or other authorizations from governmental agencies. All of the substances found in SAND-Rx™ are designated as GRAS by the federal government.

Drinking and discharged waters are regulated by a number of federal and state agencies. The federal government regulates these waters primarily through the following laws (may not be exclusive):

• The Clean Water Act (CWA); 33 U.S.C. s/s 121 et seq. (1977)
• The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA); 43 U.S.C. s/s 300f et seq. (1974)
• Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972
• Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention 16 USC 1001 Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, 33 USC 1401-1445

A thorough review of the foregoing laws and the regulations enacted pursuant thereto will reveal that in the concentrations found in SAND-Rx™, all of its ingredients can be used in beach remediation projects without permits or written authorization.

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16. Does SandCastle Technology warrant the safety of its product?

Yes. SandCastle Technology warrants that SAND-Rx™ is a non-toxic, non-polluting composition made up of all GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) components according to the 1958 Food Additives Amendment to the Food Drug and Cosmetics Act of 1938. [NOTE- A substance is accorded GRAS status only if it is generally recognized by experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate its safety, as having been adequately shown through scientific procedures or experience based on common use in food to be safe under the conditions of its intended use.]

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17. Will SAND-Rx™ personnel be present to supervise the treatment of beaches?

SandCastle Technology's personnel will be present at and responsible for the treatment of all of the beach areas they are authorized to treat. SandCastle Technology will not only provide the personnel, but all of the product and equipment required for the treatment and assessment of the results of the treatment. SandCastle Technology will also assume total responsibility for the timely removal of all equipment used to treat the beach, and the return of the beach to its condition before treatment.

The public is welcome to observe the process. After the treatment of a beach is completed, the beach will be as safe for the public as before treatment. However, to guarantee the validity of the treatment, the public should be restricted from the treated area until after the first high tide following treatment. Thereafter, there will be no restrictions on the use of the project beach area by the public; although it is hoped that any survey stakes and project measurement devices will remain in place to adequately monitor the results of the SAND-Rx™ treatment.

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18. SAND-Rx™ vs. Conventional methods