An analysis of the chemical safety of secondary effluent for reuse purposes and the requirement for advanced treatment

This paper presents a study on the chemical safety of the secondary effluent for reuse purposes and the requirement of advanced treatment. Water quality analysis was conducted regarding conventional chemical items, hazardous metals, trace organics and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Generally speaking, the turbidity, COD, BOD, TN and TP of the secondary effluent can meet the Chinese standards for urban miscellaneous water reuse but higher colour is a problem. Further removal of BOD and TP may still be required if the water is reused for landscape and environmental purposes especially relating to recreation. In addition, Hazardous metals, trace organics and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are not the main problems for water reuse. At the same time, several tertiary treatment processes were evaluated. The coagulation–filtration process is effective process for further improvement of the conventional water quality items and removal of hazardous metals but less effective in dealing with dissolved organic matter. The ultrafiltration (UF) can achieve almost complete removal of turbid matter while its ability to remove dissolved substances is limited. The ozone–biofiltration is the most effective for colour and organic removal but it can hardly remove the residual hazardous metals. Therefore, the selection of suitable process for different water quality is important for water use.     

Derivation of site-specific surface water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic ecosystems near a Korean military training facility

This study suggested the first Korean site-specific ecological surface water quality criteria for the protection of ecosystems near an artillery range at a Korean military training facility. Surface water quality (SWQ) criteria in Korea address human health protection but do not encompass ecological criteria such as limits for metals and explosives. The first objective of this study was to derive site-specific SWQ criteria for the protection of aquatic ecosystems in Hantan River, Korea. The second objective was to establish discharge criteria for the artillery range to protect the aquatic ecosystems of Hantan River. In this study, we first identified aquatic organisms living in the Hantan River, including fishes, reptiles, invertebrates, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and amphibians. Second, we collected ecotoxicity data for these aquatic organisms and constructed an ecotoxicity database for Cd, Cu, Zn, TNT, and RDX. This study determined the ecological maximum permissible concentrations for metals and explosives based on the ecotoxicity database and suggested ecological surface water quality criteria for the Hantan River by considering analytical detection limits. Discharge limit criteria for the shooting range were determined based on the ecological surface water quality criteria suggested for Hantan River with further consideration of the dilution of the contaminants discharged into the river.     

Baltic Sea hazardous substances management: results and challenges

The introduction into the Baltic Sea of hazardous substances that are persistent, bioaccumulate, and are toxic is an important environmental and human health problem. Multilateral efforts to address this problem have primarily been taken under the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM). This article examines past HELCOM efforts on hazardous substances, and discusses future challenges regarding their management. The article finds that past actions on hazardous substances have had a positive effect on improving Baltic environmental quality and reducing human health risks, although there are remaining issues and difficulties that need to be addressed. In particular, four related future challenges for HELCOM management of hazardous substances are identified and discussed: i) the need to engender further implementation and building public and private sector capacities; ii) the need to improve data availability, quality and comparability across the region and international fora; iii) the need to strengthen existing regulations and incorporate new issues; and iv) the need to effectively coordinate HELCOM activities with efforts on hazardous substances in other international fora.     

Halogenated environmental contaminants in fish from Estonian coastal areas

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT-related substances and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers were analysed in fish from Estonian coastal waters. The content of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in fish (perch (Perca fluviatilis) and flounder (Platichtys flesus)) from the coastal waters of Estonia is not a danger to human health. Even the maximum concentrations that we have determined are lower than the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The results do not exclude the need to monitor toxicants in fish also in the future, because the use of hazardous chemicals in the Baltic Sea region will probably continue.     

Indicators for Chemicals: Sources,impacts and policy performance (5 pp)

Background Different types of indicators have been developed to describe the impact of chemicals on society and environment. Due to the high number of substances and their different types of use, most of these indicators are directed to specific areas of interest – regarding workplace safety, environmental health or consumer health. They address a specific subset of chemicals and can be used for monitoring enterprise-specific, national or international management measures. Main Features A survey of existing indicators for chemicals has shown that indicators already exist for a remarkable number of problem fields. As soon as the release and the environmental fate of chemicals are taken into account, the complexity of the approaches increases considerably. The distinction between indicators for drivers, pressures, state, impacts and responses, as proposed by the European Environmental Agency, supports the identification of proper indicators for a specific type of problem. Discussion and Conclusions. No single indicator exists which is able to cover the whole range of chemicals and their applications. Several indicator approaches cover at least a subset of the most relevant substances. If they are intended to be used for European monitoring, robust data must be provided by EU Member States. Chemicals in enterprises (ancillary inputs as well as process chemicals) are an important element of in-plant material flow management – in terms of occupational safety and health as well as environmental protection. Existing indicators for hazardous chemicals can be a valuable tool for process and product refinement regarding hazardous chemicals, especially for enterprises. Outlook Indicators for production and impact of chemicals, as well as policy performance indicators, are essential elements in order to monitor the management of chemicals. They have to be established for the national and for the EU level.     

Transmissometer Measurement of Participate Emissions from a Jet Engine Test Facility

The body of information presented in this paper is directed toward those individuals involved with handling hazardous materials, whether in actual use of such chemicals, or in monitoring atmospheric emissions. Although specifically relating experience in the design and testing of phosgene emission control equipment, it attempts to establish general guidelines for effectively dealing with emissions of hazardous materials. An approach for handling chemical pollutants having no established air quality emission standards is developed. The paper presents a technique for establishing process emissions at acceptably low levels to insure the health and safety of the general population as well as that of the process workers themselves. Methods, suitable for measuring phosgene at these low levels, have been investigated, and problems associated with such an investigation are discussed. While complete theoretical scrubber design criteria are beyond the scope of this paper, many of the "real world" problems which affected scrubber performance are presented. Finally, the practical aspects of process emissions control are illustrated by actual results from the system test.     

Decision-support software tools for integrated risk assessment of hazardous substances in complex terrain

This paper presents the ongoing research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, related to the design and implementation of an IDSS (integrated decision support system) dedicated to integrated risk assessment and safety management with application to the transportation of hazardous substances. One of the goals is to construct advanced models to estimate (a) the optimal routing for transportation of hazardous substances and (b) optimise plans for emergency preparedness and management in case of potential (severe) accidents. As an output of this activity one aims at designing tools to represent risk to the public by using a GIS calculation platform, generically applicable to Switzerland. Though a database of some 700 chemicals is available, epichlorohydrin is the hazardous substance targeted in the first phase.     

Federal Regulations for New Source Performance Standards

Section 111 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to impose emission standards (NSPS) on those stationary sources that are determined to be significant contributors to air pollution and that consequently endanger the public health or welfare. In five years EPA promulgated 19 final and 1 proposed NSPS for stationary sources. Section 112 of the Act authorizes EPA to promulgate national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAPS). EPA promulgated three final and 1 proposed regulation under Section 112. In addition, EPA promulgated NSPS for three "designated" pollutants from specific sources under Section Hid. EPA’s use of Section 111 and 112 authority provides for a quick response emission control program compared to the relatively slow process of establishing additional ambient air quality standards and having the states adopt implementation plans (Section 109). Three court cases, argued in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, established basic guidelines for future promulgation of NSPS although certain legal actions are still pending. Proposed amendments to the Clean Air Act would further broaden and strengthen EPA’s direct regulatory authority.     

The health effects and ecological significance of chlorine residuals in water

During the past several years, chlorine residuals and chlorinated organic compounds in drinking waters and aquatic environments have become a significant topic of study for scientists concerned about the quality of life in aquatic ecosystems as well as general public health. The effects of direct toxicity and/or carcinogenicity to human and aquatic life are the focal points for this concern.The effects of chloramines and chlorinated organic compounds present in the water distribution system after chlorination treatments are reviewed. Also discussed are the effects of chlorinated discharges from municipal secondary treatment plants and power plants on human health and aquatic life. The toxic significance of environmental chemicals are described.     

Setting the most robust effluent level under severe uncertainty: Application of information-gap decision theory to chemical management

Decisions in ecological risk management for chemical substances must be made based on incomplete information due to uncertainties. To protect the ecosystems from the adverse effect of chemicals, a precautionary approach is often taken. The precautionary approach, which is based on conservative assumptions about the risks of chemical substances, can be applied selecting management models and data. This approach can lead to an adequate margin of safety for ecosystems by reducing exposure to harmful substances, either by reducing the use of target chemicals or putting in place strict water quality criteria. However, the reduction of chemical use or effluent concentrations typically entails a financial burden. The cost effectiveness of the precautionary approach may be small. Hence, we need to develop a formulaic methodology in chemical risk management that can sufficiently protect ecosystems in a cost-effective way, even when we do not have sufficient information for chemical management. Information-gap decision theory can provide the formulaic methodology. Information-gap decision theory determines which action is the most robust to uncertainty by guaranteeing an acceptable outcome under the largest degree of uncertainty without requiring information about the extent of parameter uncertainty at the outset. In this paper, we illustrate the application of information-gap decision theory to derive a framework for setting effluent limits of pollutants for point sources under uncertainty. Our application incorporates a cost for reduction in pollutant emission and a cost to wildlife species affected by the pollutant. Our framework enables us to settle upon actions to deal with severe uncertainty in ecological risk management of chemicals.     

Development of Cleanup Standards at Superfund Sites: An Evaluation of Consistency

The Washington Department of Ecology (WDOE) recently developed a regulatory program for determining cleanup standards at hazardous waste sites. One of WDOE's first tasks in the development of a cleanup standards program was to evaluate how standards have been developed and implemented under Superfund.

The evaluation of cleanup standards revealed: (1) a great deal of variation among sites, both in the magnitude of the standards set for some contaminants and the basis on which they were set, and (2) that there is no consistent decision-making approach for determining how standards should be set. This lack of consistency and guidance has the potential to result in overly stringent or underprotective cleanup requirements and inefficient standard development.

Washington State has adopted an approach that allows for implementing uniform numerical cleanup standards at relatively straightforward sites and provides a process for establishing site-specific cleanup levels at more complex sites. This approach is expected to facilitate development of standards that offer appropriate human health and ecological protection while minimizing private and public sector site management and cleanup costs.     

EU Water Framework Directive and Stockholm Convention

Background, aim and scope

Water is a renewable resource and acceptable quality is important for human health, ecological and economic reasons, but human activity can cause great damage to the natural aquatic environment. Managing the water cycle in a sustainable way is the key to protect natural resources and human health. On a global level, the microbiological contamination of water sources is a major problem in connection with poverty and the United Nations Millennium Development Declaration is an important initiative to handle this problem. In terms of environmental health, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) circulate globally; as they travel long distances, they are found in remote areas far from their original source of application and can cause damage wherever they move to. On a global scale, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) issued the Stockholm Convention to reduce POPs; in the European Union (EU), one intention of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is to reach the good chemical status of waters; beside these regulations, there are other directives in support of these goals. The aim of this paper is to discuss whether the Stockholm Convention and the WFD allows meeting the targets of protection of human and environmental health, which are established in the different directives and how could we approach the targets.

Materials and methods

The aims and scopes of different directives are compiled and compared with the actual quality of water, different approaches of standard settings are compared and potential treatment options are discussed.

Results

Under the Stockholm Convention on POPs, which came into force in May 2004, governments are required to develop a National Implementation Plan (NIP) setting out how they will address their obligations under the convention and how they will take measures to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment by the use of best available techniques (BAT) and application of best environmental practices (BEP). On a European level, the WFD has been in place as the main European legislation to protect our water resources and the water environment of Europe since 2000. It requires managing river basins so that the quality and quantity of water does not affect the ecological services of any specific water body. Nevertheless, the goals of other directives as for drinking water, bathing water and urban wastewater treatment are not yet harmonised mainly concerning microbiological, priority substances and priority hazardous substances (PS/PHS) contamination. Following the detection of substances, a risk assessment with sound effect data needs to be performed also for regulatory decisions and priorisation of measures to remove emerging contaminants. Beside personal care products and industrial contaminants, faecal pollution of recreational waters is one of the major hazards facing users, although microbial contamination from other sources as well as chemical and physical aspects also affects the suitability of water for recreation. As in arid and semiarid areas, wastewater is considered for irrigation with regulatory needs of hygienic and chemical parameters—health-based targets—to avoid the contamination of crops and food. In surface waters, currently, the relationships between physical and chemical properties and the biological state of surface waters were quite well-understood to enable the management of catchments and rivers to achieve ecological quality.

Discussion

Nevertheless, more work is needed to find out the actual impact of the regulations for single chemicals and complex mixtures, in terms of environmental quality standards to achieve a ‘good chemical status’, on the good biological status. In a next step after the adoption of the list of PS/PHS substances, which also includes the POPs, the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) needs to be adjusted and existing or new treatment options (BATs) should comply with the new requirements of the different directives.

Conclusions

Relevant substances threaten human health and the environment by new effects such as CMR, endocrine-disrupting effects or neurotoxicity which are not yet considered in an adequate way by assessment methods and regulatory standards and the application of abatement technologies. The Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals helps to control the sources, but WFD, the Stockholm Convention and UWWTD need to be harmonised and a rolling revision process should react on new developments. Finally, to answer the question if the Stockholm Convention and the WFD (2000/60/EC) could reach the target—I would state that they provide a very valuable frame to approach the targets, but there is still way to go to reach them on an EU level and on a global scale, also under the aspects of the Stockholm Convention and the Millennium Development Goals.

Perspectives

The compilation of the goals of different regulations and combined actions will save a lot of administrative efforts and money.

     

The Nationwide Program for Maintenance of Air Quality

The initial state implementation plans concentrated on attainment of the ambient air quality standards in the relatively polluted areas of the country. Many of these plans must now be modified to ensure that the ambient standards will be maintained for the foreseeable future, and to ensure that significant deterioration of air quality in clean areas of the country is prevented.

The existing implementation plans currently contain many measures which are applicable to the maintenance and deterioration efforts, but additional measures must also be developed. Many of these additional measures will involve future planning activities—most common of which will be land use planning activities.

The point is made that, after existing sources have reduced their emissions to the lowest practical level, further air pollution control can only be accomplished by implementing rational planning procedures for management of any new sources of air pollution. This will require extensive cooperation among the air pollution control community; regional, state, and local planning agencies; state and local governments; and the general public in order to ensure that future land use plans include appropriate air quality considerations.     

Evaluation of surface water quality using an ecotoxicological approach: a case study of the Alqueva Reservoir (Portugal)

Background, aim, and scope  

Freshwater reservoirs can be impacted by several hazardous substances through inputs from agricultural activity, sewage discharges, and groundwater leaching and runoff. The water quality assessment is very important for implementation of the monitoring and remediation programs to minimize the risk promoted by hazardous substances in aquatic ecosystems. Evaluation of the degree of contamination of aquatic environments must not take in account only its chemical characterization but it must be complemented with biological assays, which determine potential toxic effects and allows an integrated evaluation of its effects in populations and aquatic ecosystem communities. The application of this type of strategy has clear advantages allowing a general evaluation of the effects from all the water components, including those due to unknown substances and synergic, antagonistic, or additive effects. There are only a few studies that reported ecotoxicological acute end points, for the assessment of surface water quality, and the relationship among toxicity results and the anthropogenic pollution sources and the seasonal period. The aim of this study was to assess the ecotoxicological characterization of the surface water from Alqueva reservoir (South of Portugal) and to evaluate the influence of anthropogenic sources of pollution and their seasonal variation in its toxicity. The construction of Alqueva reservoir was recently finished (2002) and, to our knowledge, an ecotoxicological assessment of its surface water has not been performed. Because of that, no information is available on the possible impact of pollutants on the biota. The surface water toxicity was assessed using acute and chronic bioassays. The results are to be used for developing a monitoring program, including biological methods.     

中国地表饮用水水源地有机类内分泌干扰物污染现况分析

有机类内分泌干扰物(EDCs)是一类对人类和生物内分泌系统产生干扰,并可造成其紊乱的特殊外来物质,对人类和生物健康有极大的危害.以与人类生活密切相关的地表饮用水水源地中的有机类EDCs为研究重点,对中国目前地表饮用水水源地EDCs污染状况、污染物种类及其来源及可能的污染途径进行了评述.目前,中国各地区地表饮用水水源地均有有机类EDCs检出.其中以有机氯农药六六六及其异构体、DDT及其代谢产物和多氯联苯检出率最高,且某些地区检测浓度相当高,主要来源是农药使用和污水排放.国内外对地表饮用水水源地EDCs突发污染事件的研究均较少,应引起高度重视.     

Evaluating the use of occupational standards for controlling toxic air pollutants

Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established air standards for relatively few chemicals. As a result, state agencies are faced with controlling air contaminants for a large number of chemicals posing potential public health threats. Use of occupational standards as a basis for deriving ambient air guidelines is a method used by states to control air toxics. This standard development approach is reviewed by considering the differences in the health basis and numerical values which often occur among the occupational standards set by OSHA, NIOSH and ACGIH. This study indicated that careful selection should be made of the most appropriate occupational standard to use to protect public health. A comparison is made of chemicals regulated by various state air toxic programs using occupational standards lowered by a safety factor to concentrations established by the U.S. EPA. It was found that the air guidelines vary, but the degree of stringency can be comparable.     

Impacts of groundwater level fluctuation on soil microbial community,alkane degradation efficiency and alkane-degrading gene diversity in the critical zone: Evidence from an accelerated water table fluctuation simulation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Petroleum hydrocarbons are hazardous to ecosystems and human health, commonly containing n-alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Previous...     

Development of freshwater sediment management standards for organic matters, nutrients, and metals in Korea

Korean water quality managers are required to promptly develop national assessment standards for freshwater sediment quality due to the Four Major River Restoration Project in Korea in 2009. We conducted this study to develop sediment management standards (SMSs), determining obviously and severely polluted sediment, which could have adverse impacts on water quality and aquatic ecosystem. The SMSs values were derived from the 95th percentile of concentration distribution for organic matter and nutrients in sediment quality database. For the SMSs of metals, foreign sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) were adopted. As a result, 13 % for loss on ignition (LOI), 1,600 mg/kg for total phosphorus (TP), and 5,600 mg/kg for total nitrogen (TN) were set as the SMSs for freshwater sediment in Korea. These values were higher than the range of heavily polluted sediment from USEPA Region 5 guideline derived by the similar approaches for the Great Lakes harbor sediments, and similar or lower than the severe effect level (SEL) from provincial sediment quality guideline (PSQG) of Ontario, Canada by screening level concentration (SLC) approach. However, SMSs in the present study are appropriate considering the concentration ranges and the Korean SMSs’ definition for freshwater sediments in Korea. The Puget Sound marine sediment cleanup screening level (CSL) in Washington State, USA were adopted as the Korean SMSs for As (93 mg/kg), Cd (6.7 mg/kg), Cr (270 mg/kg), Cu (390 mg/kg), Pb (530 mg/kg), and Zn (960 mg/kg) in freshwater sediments. Hg concentration (0.59 mg/kg) of CSL was too low to determine the polluted freshwater sediments in Korea, and the SEL of Ontario, Canada for mercury concentration (2 mg/kg) was selected as the SMS for Hg. These values were found reasonable through the assessment of applicability with the datasets from locations directly affected by obvious point sources. These results indicate that SMSs for organic matter, nutrient, and metals derived within the present study can successfully determine obviously and severely polluted sediment in Korea. However, the SMSs have limits to specifically determine the effects of polluted sediment on water quality and aquatic ecosystem in Korea. Thus, we will revise and specify SMSs considering those effects and further sediment quality assessment framework in the near future.     

Evaluation of EU risk assessments existing chemicals (EC Regulation 793/93)

An evaluation was performed on the first group (41) of completed risk assessments for chemicals of the EU priority lists (Existing Chemicals; EC Regulation 793/93). The evaluation focussed on the conclusions of the risk assessments. The EU risk assessment process detected a high number of substances of concern. Furthermore priority chemicals may pose potential risks to the whole range of protection goals of the risk assessment. The predictability of the risk assessments for priority chemicals was investigated. Our a priori knowledge on possible risks of priority chemicals is found to be poor, especially for consumers. Both for environment and human health the potential risks were linked with a broad spectrum of use patterns. It is concluded that no industry category can in advance be excluded from performing risk assessments. For a great number of chemicals, additional testing was found to be needed to finalize the risk assessment. This evokes questions about the completeness of the current base-set, but also about the suitability of some of the submitted human health tests that should initially fulfil the base-set needs. The results of this evaluation are useful for ongoing discussions on risk assessment processes for chemicals.     

Effect thresholds and ‘Adequate Control’ of risks

BACKGROUND: Preparation of the new European REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals) regulation on chemicals has reached a critical stage. Depending on how key elements of the legislative proposal are finalised, especially that on authorisation of uses of 'substances of very high concern', REACH could either provide an effective measure to drive innovation towards cleaner and safer alternatives, or instead lead to further avoidable chemical exposures on the basis of demonstrated 'adequate control' of risks. Given that some key indicators of human and wildlife reproductive health continue to decline in parts of Europe, while evidence for chemical exposure as a contributory factor grows, it will clearly be vital to get the legislation right. GOAL AND SCOPE: Whereas there is now a consensus between the European Parliament and Council of the European Union that uses of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substances should only be permitted when no safer alternatives are available, major differences remain regarding the manner in which other 'substances of very high concern' (including substances which are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMRs) and endocrine disruptors) are addressed. This paper examines those differences in more detail and proposes some ways forward. METHODS: Using case studies of specific chemicals as examples, the paper critically evaluates the concepts of 'effect thresholds' and 'adequate control' of risks, which underpin the Council's proposal for many CMRs and endocrine disruptors. RESULTS: The subjectivity and uncertainties inherent in the threshold approach proposed by the Council, as illustrated by these case examples, bring its ability to ensure a high level of protection for the environment and human health into question: i. the nature and extent of toxic effects recorded depend on many different factors, including the type of test and conditions selected, the organisms exposed, the timing of exposure and precisely which effects are measured and over what timeframe. ii. doses considerably below 'no effect levels' for survival could nevertheless be causing significant impairment to health and/or reproductive success. iii. chemicals present in mixtures at levels below established thresholds for effects may, in combination, induce significant toxicological responses. DISCUSSION: Under the Council's current proposal, companies will be granted authorisations for some uses of CMRs and endocrine disruptors, even if safer alternatives without these properties are already on the market. The high level of evidence required for identification of substances as being of equivalent concern represents an additional weakness in the Council approach. CONCLUSIONS: Instead, a requirement (along the lines of the Parliament's proposals) to address the availability of alternatives in all cases, to use them when available and to initiate their development when not, represents a more robust, defensible and protective approach to the management of 'substances of very high concern'. The possibility for authorisation of essential uses would remain, while all avoidable uses and exposures would progressively be prevented and sustainable innovation supported. PERSPECTIVES: In the long run, this can only lead to a more sustainable future for the chemical industry in Europe, as well as delivering benefits of increased protection for our environment and health for generations to come.