Measurement of particulate phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) around a petroleum refinery

A study on concentrations of ambient particulates viz. total suspended particulate matters (TSP), respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were carried out at six sites around the Asia’s largest, 12 MMTPA, petroleum refinery in west coast of India. PAH concentrations are correlated with each other in these sites, suggesting that they have related sources and sinks. The present article discusses the monitoring aspects such as sample collection, pretreatment and analytical methods and compares the monitored levels for assessing the source receptor distribution pattern. The main sources of RSPM and PAHs in urban air are automobile exhaust (CPCB, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in air and their effects on human health. “”, 2003; Manuel et al., Environmental Science and Technology, 13: 227–231, 2004) and industrial emissions like petroleum refinery (Vo-Dinh, Chemical analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Wiley: New York, 1989; Wagrowaski and Hites, Environmental Science and Technology, 31: 279–282, 1997). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are ubiquitous constituents of urban airborne particulate mostly generated by anthropogenic activities (Li et al., Environmental Science and Technology, 37:1958–2965, 2003; Thorsen et al., Environmental Science and Technology, 38: 2029–2037, 2004; Ohura et al., Environmental Science and Technology, 32: 450–455, 2004) and some of them are of major health concern mainly due to their well-known carcinogenic and mutagenic properties (Soclo et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin, 40: 387–396, 2000; Chen et al., Environment International, 28: 659–668, 2003; Larsen and Baker, Environmental Science and Technology, 32: 450–455, 2003). Limited information is available on PAHs contributions from refineries to ambient air. Hence this study would not only create a database but also provide necessary inputs towards dose-response relationship for fixing standards. Also, since it acts as precursor to green house gas, the data would be useful for climate change assessments. The objective of this article is to find out the concentration of PAHs in particulate matter around petroleum refinery and compare with their concentrations in major Indian urban centers.     

对国家环境保护野外观测研究站建设的几点思考

《国家环境保护"十二五"科技发展规划》提出将国家环境保护野外观测研究站作为"十二五"环境科技支撑能力建设内容之一;在《"十二五"国家自主创新能力建设规划》中也将国家野外科学观测研究站(网)作为科技创新基础条件的建设内容。在分析环保部门生态环境观测研究台站建设现状基础上,对国家环境保护野外观测研究台站的建设目标与定位、空间布局、运行机制、监测与评价技术体系构建、监测指标体系框架等进行分析探讨。在目标与定位上,国家环境保护野外观测研究台站既要与目前国内主要的生态环境监测网络(如中国生态系统研究网络和中国森林生态系统定位研究网络)形成补充,同时也要突出环保部门特色;在空间布局上既要关注水、空气、土壤污染的重点监控区,也要关注生态脆弱区、重要(点)生态功能区等生态敏感区;在技术体系上,要研究建立标准化、规范化的观测技术体系,同时也要注重生态环境评价方法研究,为生态环境精准化管理提供技术支持。     

基于文献计量学的“十三五”生态环境监测研究热点分析

利用科学计量与可视化相关工具,以《中文核心期刊要目总览(2017年版)》27种环境科学类核心期刊发表的2016—2020年生态环境监测论文数据为基础,从载文量分布、高被引论文、高产机构分布和技术主题分布等方面分析了"十三五"期间我国生态环境监测研究热点。结果表明:"十三五"期间生态环境监测论文数量有所增加,主要载文期刊分布于《环境科学》《中国环境监测》《环境科学与技术》;主要发文机构是中国环境科学研究院、中国环境监测总站、中国科学院大学;排名前10位的技术主题词分别是PM_(2.5)、重金属、土壤、污染特征、颗粒物、挥发性有机物、生态风险、臭氧、沉积物、多环芳烃,结合"十三五"前期和中后期热点主题词变化分析了生态环境监测研究关注点的变化趋势。     

Nanotechnology applications and implications research supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency STAR grants program

Since 2002, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been funding research on the environmental aspects of nanotechnology through its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grants program. In total, more than $25 million has been awarded for 86 research projects on the environmental applications and implications of nanotechnology. In the applications area, grantees have produced promising results in green manufacturing, remediation, sensors, and treatment using nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Although there are many potential benefits of nanotechnology, there has also been increasing concern about the environmental and health effects of nanomaterials, and there are significant gaps in the data needed to address these concerns. Research performed by STAR grantees is beginning to address these needs.     

The Need for Integrated Linkages and Long-Term Monitoring of Mercury in Canada

A nation-wide ecosystem science network for Canada was formed in 1994. At that time, mercury was a re-emerging issue in Canada and the Coordinating Office for the networksought collaboration to assess the issue. The key mechanismsby which the network has added value in addressing this issue are: 1) Information Dissemination, the network has organised, facilitated and co-hosted a number of regional,national and international mercury events (meetings, conferences and workshops) which have served to bring theexpertise together, the network also disseminates informationon it's web page, and the Coordinating Office hosts an annualNational Science Conference; 2) Collaborative Mercury Monitoring, network partners advocated the need for a singlehemispheric mercury network which resulted in the developmentof a compatible Canada–U.S. mercury deposition network, whichmay also be expanded into Mexico, and 3) Environmental Reporting, the network has collaborated with others to reporton current mercury findings through initiatives such as the 1998 Northeast States and Eastern Canadian Mercury Study, a 1999 Mercury Case Study and is presently a partner in the University of Quebec's proposal to form a Collaborative Mercury Ecosystem Research Network in Canada.     

“十五”期间总站重点建设工作设想

根据总站的职责 ,结合总站的现实条件 ,提出了“十五”期间总站的四大重点建设工作 ,一是加快总站现代化建设步伐 ,建成全国环境质量研究中心、全国环境监测数据现代化监控中心、具有国际水平的环境监测分析测试中心、全国生态环境监测遥感应用中心、全国环境监测仪器质量监督检验中心等五个中心 ,建设现代化的总站业务大楼 ;二是强化监测基础技术的系统研究 ;三是培养监测领域专家和学科带头人 ;四是提升总站的现代化管理水平。     

Some international activities in environmental health monitoring and surveillance

Environmental health monitoring and surveillance include activities such as collection of information on the production and use of chemicals; preparation of inventories of waste discharges; measurement of physical, chemical and biological agents in air, water and food, at work place and at home; epidemiological investigations, and collection and analysis of environmental, and health statistical data. There are two main objectives of these activities: estimation of human exposure to potentially harmful environmental factors and timely detection of adverse health effects; and the assessment of environmental conditions in relation to established guidelines and standards. Environmental health monitoring and surveillance projects initiated, organized and implemented by the Specialized Agencies and other bodies of the United Nations system include monitoring of air and water quality and of food and animal feed contamination; pilot projects on air pollution exposure assessment and biological monitoring; and ionizing radiation surveillance. Principles of environmental and health monitoring in occupational environment, and of monitoring and surveillance of environmental health effects are outlined. Two examples are provided of national environmental health surveillance systems.Revised and up-dated text of a paper presented at the World congress on Environmental Health in Development Planning, Mexico City, November 1979.Formerly Manager, Environmental Health Criteria and Standards, and Chief Central Unit, International Programme on Chemical Safety, Division of Environmental Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.     

国内外生态环境观测研究台站网络发展概况

生态环境观测研究台站是开展生态环境研究的重要手段。《国家环境保护"十二五"科技发展规划》将国家环境保护野外观测研究站作为"十二五"能力建设重点内容。分析了目前国内外主要生态环境监测网络,如区域尺度的全球环境监测系统(GEMS)、全球陆地观测系统(GTOS)、国际长期生态研究网络(ILTER)、全球通量观测网络(FLUXNET)和国际生物多样性观测网络(GEO·BON),以及国家尺度的美国长期生态研究网络(US-LTER)、英国环境变化监测网络(ECN)和中国生态系统研究网络(CERN)的发展历程、观测研究进展;总结了生态环境监测网站的发展趋势,即重视台站的联网观测研究,注重观测标准化和规范化及数据共享,重视观测手段智能化与自动化,注重综合观测与模型模拟相结合;提出国家环境保护生态监测台站网络是现有国家环境监测网络的拓展和完善,也是今后开展区域生态环境综合监测与评估的重要基础。     

Quantification of the Exposure–Lag–Response Association Between Air Pollution and Respiratory Disease Morbidity in Chongqing City,China

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - The health effects of air pollution on respiratory disease morbidity and mortality commonly vary with air pollutants’ intensity and latency after...     

Chemical monitoring of sewage wastes for their use in crop production

Solid waste from the Tripoli Sewage Treatment Plant is being used for manuring various crops in Al-Hadba production project. To monitor concentrations of several heavy elements, essential and nonessential to plants that are potentially hazardous to animal and human healthy by entering food chain via soil-plant system, samples of solid waste were collected monthly (every four weeks) during the years 1980–1981. These samples were appropriately handled and analized for total -N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, and Pb.The sludge samples were found to contain an average of 2.00–2.22–0.31% when expressed as a mixed fertilizer (N–P₂O₅–K₂O) respectively. Concentrations of Zn, Pb, Ni, and Cd were greater than their critical levels of 1500, 550, 150, and 15 ppm in 54, 58, 8, and 29% of the samples respectively. The concentrations of Cu and Cr were less than their critical levels of 750 and 500 ppm in all samples respectively.Contribution of Al-Fateh University, Soil Science Dept. and The National Academy for Scientific Research, Environmental Protection Program, Tripoli, Libya.     

Brazilian LTER: Ecosystem and Biodiversity Information in Support of Decision-Making

Brazil officially joined the International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) network in January 2000, when nine research sites were created and funded by the Brazilian Council for Science and Technology (CNPq). Two-years later some positive signs already emerge of the scientific, social and political achievements of the Brazilian LTER program. We discuss examples of how ecosystem and biodiversity information gathered within a long-term research approach are currently subsidizing decision-making as regards biodiversity conservation and watershed management at local and regional scales. Success in this respect has often been related to satisfactory communication between scientists, private companies, government and local citizens. Environmental education programs in the LTER sites are playing an important role in social and political integration. Most examples of integration of ecological research to decision-making in Brazil derive from case studies at local or regional scale. Despite the predominance of a bottom-up integrative pathway (from case studies to models; from local to national scale), some top-down initiatives are also in order, such as the construction of a model to estimate the inpact of different macroeconomic policies and growth trajectories on land use. We believe science and society in Brazil will benefit of the coexistence of bottom-up and top-down integrative approaches.     

Photochemical Smog Modelling Using the Air Pollution Chemical Transport Model (TAPM-CTM) in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - This paper describes the application of the air pollution model (TAPM-CTM) for photochemical airshed modelling in the Ho Chi Minh region. The model was...     

An Interactive, Spatial Inventory of Environmental Data in the Mid-Atlantic Region

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working with federal, state, local, and non-governmental partners to produce an interactive, spatial inventory of environmental data in the mid-Atlantic region. The inventory will include maps of sampling locations, lists of measurements, and design information for hundreds of research sites and monitoring programs. It will also feature user-defined queries, resulting in customized maps that satisfy search criteria. (For example, "Display the probability-based surveys that measure dry deposition and nutrient availability in soils"). The inventory will be used in an interagency pilot study, instigated by the National Science and Technology Council's Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, to integrate environmental monitoring and research activities. The inventory will also provide information for a regional ecological assessment led by EPA Region 3 and the Office of Research and Development. In addition, an interagency consortium will use the inventory to identify suitable field data for assessing the accuracy of satellite imagery. In each of these three applications, the inventory will be tested and evaluated as a potential prototype for completing additional regions of the U.S. Maintained as an Oracle database, the inventory is accessible on the internet at http://www.epa.gov/monitor/. Currently, ten inventory records are on-line for demonstration. The complete federal inventory of approximately 180 records will be accessible on-line by October, 1997; approximately 200 state, local and non-governmental records are scheduled for on-line access by April, 1998.     

长三角区域环境空气质量预测预警体系建设的思考

世博会期间长三角区域空气质量自动监测网络和数据共享平台的成功搭建和有效运行,为探索长三角区域空气质量预测预警长期合作模式提供了宝贵的经验和启示。需要建立全方位区域空气质量监测网络和数据资源共享系统、源排放清单、开发区域多模式集合预报系统,构建区域多层面运作机制和会商制度,建设一批专业技术和复合型人才队伍。区域不同层面有效的管理体制机制的保障是区域环境空气质量预测预警体系的基础支撑。     

Removal Efficiency of PM10 via Ventilation with Residential Exhaust Hood and Conditions for Reducing Human Intake Fraction

Environmental Modeling & Assessment - As the number of enclosed residential buildings increases to minimize energy consumption, research on indoor air quality is becoming more important....     

Wmo's activities on background atmospheric pollution and integrated monitoring and research

As early as 1968, WMO decided to start a programme on atmospheric pollution. Consequently, a Panel of Experts on Meteorological Aspects of Atmospheric Pollution was established. It was also decided to operate a network of background air pollution monitoring stations. With increasing public concern on environmental pollution impacts, a growing number of WMO Members joined the programme. The Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Research Programme, as well as the World Climate Programme launched in the late seventies, will provide information on a possible influence of pollution on climate.When the network of background ait pollution monitoring started, some Members had already proposed to carry out multimedia monitoring at suitable stations. Later on, it became obvious that more information is required on levels and trends of pollutants in media interacting with the atmosphere and a project on integrated monitoring was established, the purpose of which is to define the objectives and uses of integrated monitoring and to establish procedures for routine standardized integrated monitoring of the of the environment.Pilot projects presently being carried out in a few Member countries are meant to provide most of the information required for the implementation of global background integrated environmental monitorting.     

Using Science to Assess Environmental Vulnerabilities

Beginning in 1995, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Office of Research and Development has focused much of its ecological research in the Mid-Atlantic as part of the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA). The goal of MAIA is to improve the assessability of scientific information in environmental decision-making. Following the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) whose goal is to guide monitoring that effectively reflects current ecosystem condition and trends, MAIA's second, current, phase of research under the Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) program is designed to target risk management activities using available data and models. The papers presented here are from a conference held in May 2003 that presented results of research in this second phase of MAIA. The conference was organized into the following topics: 1. Assessing Current Impacts and Vulnerabilities 2. Forecasting Environmental Condition and Vulnerabilities 3. Developing Management Strategies to Optimize the Future, and 4. Assessing and Responding to Environmental Vulnerability.     

Environmental quality and hog production

This paper has been presented at a meeting of the National Research Council in February 1995, in Perugia, Italy. This is a preview of that which is to be the final product of the study: a manual for evaluating the environmental impact of pig-breeding farms. The most important issues in the environment-hog production relationship are discussed. After that, some elements for a sustainable swine production are focused. To solve the pig-breeding/environment conflict is not an easy task. The challenge is to find the right compromises, adopting all possible technologies for minimizing the impact on the environment. Since the first problem is the risk of water pollution due to manure, it is important to study the best solutions from the viewpoint of the watershed, taking into account the interactions and synergies occurring in the drainage system, and especially for the communities at the lower part of the basin. Therefore it becomes more and more of an absolute necessity to plan and manage resources using the watershed as a reference.Prof. Paolo Abbozzo is the Scientific Head of the CNR-RAISA Monodisciplinary Group of the Institute of Estimo Rurale e Contabilità at the University of Perugia; Dr. Antonio Boggia is a teaching/research assistant and Dr. Mauro Brunetti is CNR scholarship holder at the same Institute.     

基于环境库兹涅茨曲线的中国城市环境空气质量主要影响因素

当前,中国城市环境空气污染形势十分严峻,空气质量呈现出典型的区域性特征。研究对2006—2012年各地区环境空气质量数据和经济社会发展指标统计资料面板数据进行分析,结果表明:研究选取时段内多数空气质量指标与人均国内生产总值之间的关系并不符合典型的环境库兹涅茨曲线(倒U型曲线),无显著相关性,但NO2质量浓度与人均国内生产总值之间呈现出倒N型曲线,空气质量综合指数与人口密度之间也呈现出倒N型曲线。空气质量综合指数与国民经济中第二产业占比和第三产业占比之间没有显著的相关关系,但与第一产业占比呈显著的负相关关系。空气质量综合指数与主要污染物单位面积排放量呈显著的正相关关系,与单位面积能源消费总量、单位面积煤炭消费量均呈显著的正相关关系,表明以煤炭为主要能源类型的能源消费带来的污染物排放是影响空气质量的主要因素。空气质量综合指数与降水量呈显著的负相关关系,降水量等气象条件对空气质量有一定影响,在开展大气污染防治时,应综合考虑各地的自然因素特征,合理确定工作目标和防治对策。