What can water utilities do to improve risk management within their business functions? An improved tool and application of process benchmarking

We present a model for benchmarking risk analysis and risk based decision making practice within organisations. It draws on behavioural and normative risk research, the principles of capability maturity modelling and our empirical observations. It codifies the processes of risk analysis and risk based decision making within a framework that distinguishes between different levels of maturity. Application of the model is detailed within the selected business functions of a water and wastewater utility. Observed risk analysis and risk based decision making practices are discussed, together with their maturity of implementation. The findings provide academics, utility professionals, and regulators a deeper understanding of the practical and theoretical underpinnings of risk management, and how distinctions can be made between organisational capabilities in this essential business process.     

Transport and fate of radionuclides in aquatic environments--the use of ecosystem modelling for exposure assessments of nuclear facilities

In safety assessments of nuclear facilities, a wide range of radioactive isotopes and their potential hazard to a large assortment of organisms and ecosystem types over long time scales need to be considered. Models used for these purposes have typically employed approaches based on generic reference organisms, stylised environments and transfer functions for biological uptake exclusively based on bioconcentration factors (BCFs). These models are of non-mechanistic nature and involve no understanding of uptake and transport processes in the environment, which is a severe limitation when assessing real ecosystems. In this paper, ecosystem models are suggested as a method to include site-specific data and to facilitate the modelling of dynamic systems. An aquatic ecosystem model for the environmental transport of radionuclides is presented and discussed. With this model, driven and constrained by site-specific carbon dynamics and three radionuclide specific mechanisms: (i) radionuclide uptake by plants, (ii) excretion by animals, and (iii) adsorption to organic surfaces, it was possible to estimate the radionuclide concentrations in all components of the modelled ecosystem with only two radionuclide specific input parameters (BCF for plants and Kd). The importance of radionuclide specific mechanisms for the exposure to organisms was examined, and probabilistic and sensitivity analyses to assess the uncertainties related to ecosystem input parameters were performed. Verification of the model suggests that this model produces analogous results to empirically derived data for more than 20 different radionuclides.     

基于空间信息扩散法的环境风险评估模型

环境和人类的生存和发展息息相关,随着全球工业化进程进一步的推进,自然环境在人类的盲目生产活动中经常遭到毁灭性的破坏,同时被破坏的环境反过来又会影响人类正常的生产活动。因此,如何有效地检测和控制由人类生产活动引起的环境风险显得尤为重要。本文通过研究信息扩散理论在环境风险评价领域的应用成果,在改进和优化现有的研究成果前提下,同时融入了模糊评判等相关评估理论,建立了一种复合的空间信息扩散法的环境风险评价模型。该模型在现有的基础上引进环境影响因子,修正了由普通的信息扩散模型所引起的不准确性。通过该模型,能提高在环境风险扩散预测和控制领域的准确率,为降低和控制风险后果提供有效的参考。最后通过一个示例,应用本模型进行环境风险分析,证明模型的实用性,并且对比普通的扩散模型更具有优越性。本文所研究的成果对重大工程发生事故和危机后的环境风险评估具有借鉴的意义。     

A holistic approach to Concentration Assessment of hazards in the risk assessment of landfill leachate

Risk assessment is a new research area. The risk assessment research area deals with a wide range of issues other than landfills. Examples of these issues are Radiation, Food Industry, Ecology, Epidemiology, etc. The authors have found that there are generic elements in risk assessment and these elements are independent of the subject areas mentioned above. An important example of these generic elements is the Concentration Assessment of hazards and is equally important from the perspective of landfill risk assessment. Furthermore, in the literature review of landfill risk assessment approaches, no evidence has been discovered of a holistic risk assessment methodology for landfill gas, leachate, or degraded landfill waste. A range of knowledge deficiencies has been found in the literature reviewed to date. One of these deficiencies in knowledge is the lack of a holistic procedure for carrying out Concentration Assessment. From the perspective of landfill leachate, this paper discusses the extent to which the Concentration Assessment of hazards is absent in landfill risk assessment approaches described in the literature reviewed to date, and the elements that should be added to the procedure of the Concentration Assessment in order to enhance the process of risk assessment. The paper also briefly outlines a holistic procedure for the Concentration Assessment and a corresponding computer model for the risk assessment of landfill leachate.     

Impacts of soil and water pollution on food safety and health risks in China

Environmental pollution and food safety are two of the most important issues of our time. Soil and water pollution, in particular, have historically impacted on food safety which represents an important threat to human health. Nowhere has that situation been more complex and challenging than in China, where a combination of pollution and an increasing food safety risk have affected a large part of the population. Water scarcity, pesticide over-application, and chemical pollutants are considered to be the most important factors impacting on food safety in China. Inadequate quantity and quality of surface water resources in China have led to the long-term use of waste-water irrigation to fulfill the water requirements for agricultural production. In some regions this has caused serious agricultural land and food pollution, especially for heavy metals. It is important, therefore, that issues threatening food safety such as combined pesticide residues and heavy metal pollution are addressed to reduce risks to human health. The increasing negative effects on food safety from water and soil pollution have put more people at risk of carcinogenic diseases, potentially contributing to ‘cancer villages’ which appear to correlate strongly with the main food producing areas. Currently in China, food safety policies are not integrated with soil and water pollution management policies. Here, a comprehensive map of both soil and water pollution threats to food safety in China is presented and integrated policies addressing soil and water pollution for achieving food safety are suggested to provide a holistic approach.     

Climate change, drought risk and land capability for agriculture: implications for land use in Scotland

Land capability classification systems define and communicate biophysical limitations on land use, including climate, soils and topography. They can therefore provide an accessible format for both scientists and decision-makers to share knowledge on climate change impacts and adaptation. Underlying such classifications are complex interactions that require dynamic spatial analysis, particularly between soil and climate. These relationships are investigated using a case study on drought risk for agriculture in Scotland, which is currently considered less significant than wetness-related issues. The impact of drought risk is assessed using an established empirical system for land capability linking indicator crops with water availability. This procedure is facilitated by spatial interpolation of climate and soil profile data to provide soil moisture deficits and plant available water on a regular 1-km grid. To evaluate potential impacts of future climate change, land capability classes are estimated using both large-scale ensemble (multi-simulation) data from the HadRM3 regional climate model and local-scale weather generator data (UKCP09) derived from multiple climate models. Results for the case study suggest that drought risk is likely to have a much more significant influence on land use in the future. This could potentially act to restrict the range of crops grown and hence reduce land capability in some areas unless strategic-level adaptation measures are developed that also integrate land use systems and water resources with the wider environment.     

Frameworks and tools for risk assessment of manufactured nanomaterials

Commercialization of nanotechnologies entails a regulatory requirement for understanding their environmental, health and safety (EHS) risks. Today we face challenges to assess these risks, which emerge from uncertainties around the interactions of manufactured nanomaterials (MNs) with humans and the environment. In order to reduce these uncertainties, it is necessary to generate sound scientific data on hazard and exposure by means of relevant frameworks and tools. The development of such approaches to facilitate the risk assessment (RA) of MNs has become a dynamic area of research. The aim of this paper was to review and critically analyse these approaches against a set of relevant criteria. The analysis concluded that none of the reviewed frameworks were able to fulfill all evaluation criteria. Many of the existing modelling tools are designed to provide screening-level assessments rather than to support regulatory RA and risk management. Nevertheless, there is a tendency towards developing more quantitative, higher-tier models, capable of incorporating uncertainty into their analyses. There is also a trend towards developing validated experimental protocols for material identification and hazard testing, reproducible across laboratories. These tools could enable a shift from a costly case-by-case RA of MNs towards a targeted, flexible and efficient process, based on grouping and read-across strategies and compliant with the 3R (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) principles. In order to facilitate this process, it is important to transform the current efforts on developing databases and computational models into creating an integrated data and tools infrastructure to support the risk assessment and management of MNs.     

Data driven modelling of vertical atmospheric radiation

In the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) there exists a unique set of meteorological measurements consisting of the values of vertical atmospheric levels of beta and gamma radiation. In this paper a stochastic data-driven model based on nonlinear regression and on nonhomogeneous Poisson process is suggested. In the first part of the paper, growth curves were used to establish an appropriate nonlinear regression model. For comparison we considered a nonhomogeneous Poisson process with its intensity based on growth curves. In the second part both approaches were applied to the real data and compared. Computational aspects are briefly discussed as well. The primary goal of this paper is to present an improved understanding of the distribution of environmental radiation as obtained from the measurements of the vertical radioactivity profiles by the radioactivity sonde system.     

Variation in perception of environmental change in nine Solomon Islands communities: implications for securing fairness in community-based adaptation

Community-based approaches are pursued in recognition of the need for place-based responses to environmental change that integrate local understandings of risk and vulnerability. Yet the potential for fair adaptation is intimately linked to how variations in perceptions of environmental change and risk are treated. There is, however, little empirical evidence of the extent and nature of variations in risk perception in and between multiple community settings. Here, we rely on data from 231 semi-structured interviews conducted in nine communities in Western Province, Solomon Islands, to statistically model different perceptions of risk and change within and between communities. Overall, people were found to be less likely to perceive environmental changes in the marine environment than they were for terrestrial systems. The distance to the nearest market town (which may be a proxy for exposure to commercial logging and degree of involvement with the market economy), and gender had the greatest overall statistical effects on perceptions of risk. Yet, we also find that significant environmental change is underreported in communities, while variations in perception are not always easily related to commonly assumed fault lines of vulnerability. The findings suggest that there is an urgent need for methods that engage with the drivers of perceptions as part of community-based approaches. In particular, it is important to explicitly account for place, complexity and diversity of environmental risk perceptions, and we reinforce calls to engage seriously with underlying questions of power, culture, identity and practice that influence adaptive capacity and risk perception.

     

Flood risk and climate change in the Rotterdam area,The Netherlands: enhancing citizen's climate risk perceptions and prevention responses despite skepticism

Effective communication about climate change and related risks is complicated by the polarization between “climate alarmists” and “skeptics.” This paper provides insights for the design of climate risk communication strategies by examining how the interplay between climate change and flood risk communication affects citizens’ risk perceptions and responses. The study is situated in a delta area with substantial geographic variations in the occurrence and potential impact of flood risk, which has led to initiatives to make the area more “climate proof.” We developed a research model that examines individual differences in processing information about climate change related flood risk, based on the postulate that individuals often make an implicit trade-off between motivation to know “what is real” and motivation to maintain prior beliefs. A field experiment, embedded in a survey (n = 1887), sought to test out how the participants responded to risk frames in which a story on flood was either or not combined with climate change information. The results show that it was possible to increase the participants’ local climate risk perception in combination with increased motivation for flood damage prevention, despite a certain level of climate change skepticism. A general implication of our study is that relevant and diagnostic information about local climate-related flood risks can stimulate citizens’ need to know “what’s real” and their willingness to take responsibility for preparedness.     

三峡库区江段潜在水环境污染风险评价研究

三峡库区的水环境安全不仅关系到库区周边省市用水安全,更与长江流域的生态安全以及整个中国的可持续发展密切相关.基于压力-状态-响应(PSR)模型,综合考虑风险源危险性、风险受体敏感性以及区域环境风险可接受水平等因素构建水环境污染风险分级评价指标体系与量化方法,运用冷热点格局分析等空间统计方法,以行政区为单元综合评价三峡库区潜在水环境污染风险分布状况.结果表明:(1)云阳县风险源数量最多,万州区风险受体数量最多,但重庆主城区及周边地区高风险污染源和高敏感受体分布最为密集,且区域环境风险可接受水平最低.(2)研究区县区级风险源危险性和风险受体敏感性指标统计结果均呈集聚分布格局,热点区域集中在库区上游重庆主城区及周边地区,且该区域风险可接受水平表现为冷点区域,而在其它区域基本呈现为均衡的分布格局,未形成明显的热点或冷点区域.(3)库区水污染高风险江段包括九龙坡区、渝北区、沙坪坝区、渝中区和南岸区等5个县区,中风险江段包括长寿区、北培区、江北区、大渡口区、涪陵区、石柱县和巴东县等7个县区,低风险江段主要分布在库区上游的江津区和库区腹地及下游区域.最后,针对不同区域潜在水污染风险分布特征,从产业优化布局、预警与应急能力建设以及企业污废水处理技术升级等方面提出风险管控的相关建议.     

A commentary on recent water safety initiatives in the context of water utility risk management

Over the last decade, suppliers of drinking water have recognised the limitations of relying solely on end-product monitoring to ensure safe water quality and have sought to reinforce their approach by adopting preventative strategies where risks are proactively identified, assessed and managed. This is leading to the development of water safety plans; structured 'route maps' for managing risks to water supply, from catchment to consumer taps. This paper reviews the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) procedure on which many water safety plans are based and considers its appropriateness in the context of drinking water risk management. We examine water safety plans in a broad context, looking at a variety of monitoring, optimisation and risk management initiatives that can be taken to improve drinking water safety. These are cross-compared using a simple framework that facilitates an integrated approach to water safety. Finally, we look at how risk management practices are being integrated across water companies and how this is likely to affect the future development of water safety plans.     

Biosphere modelling for the assessment of radioactive waste repositories; the development of a common basis by the BIOMOVS II reference biospheres working group

Performance criteria for radioactive waste repositories are often expressed in terms of dose or risk. The characteristics of biosphere modelling for performance assessment are that: (a) potential release occurs in the distant future, (b) reliable predictions of human behaviour at the time of release are impracticable, and (c) the biosphere is not considered to be a barrier as the geosphere and the engineered barriers. For these and other reasons, differences have arisen in the approaches to biosphere modelling for repository dose and risk assessment. The BIOMOVS II Reference Biospheres Working Group has developed (a) a recommended methodology for biosphere model development, (b) a structured list of features, events and processes (FEPs) which the model should describe, and (c) an illustrative example of the recommended methodology. The Working Group has successfully tested the Interaction Matrix (or Rock Engineering Systems, RES) approach for developing conceptual models. The BIOMOVS II Working Groups on Reference Biospheres and Complementary Studies have laid the basis for considerable harmonisation in approaches to biosphere modelling of long term radionuclide releases.     

鱼类游泳能力研究进展

对鱼类游泳能力及其游泳状态下的生态行为研究,可以为水利水电工程过鱼、拦鱼和诱鱼等设施的设计提供依据,保证其水电工程储能设施能够发挥较大的功能。对鱼类的游泳类型及游泳能力的评价指标进行了总结,介绍了目前国内外鱼类游泳能力及行为的研究方法,并和自行设计的鱼类游泳能力装置进行了比较;从洄游鱼道设计的角度,综述了国外已有的鱼类游泳能力评价模型,主要包括最优游泳速度模型,最大游泳速度模型,跳跃高度模型及游泳耐力模型,可为鱼道设计提供关键参数。最后简述了鱼类游泳能力在鱼道设计的应用及主要的研究趋势,旨在为鱼类游泳能力相关研究及水利水电过鱼设施的设计与建设提供一定基础资料,从而促进我国生态系统的平衡和物种多样化的保护。     

江苏省水资源短缺风险的相似云评价方法研究

为有效的监测和评估水资源短缺风险的程度,实现水资源可持续开采和利用,提出水资源短缺风险的相似云综合评价模型。针对水资源短缺风险的影响因素同时具有模糊和随机性问题,建立基于熵权和相似云方法的综合评估模型。借鉴现有理论的基础上,综合考虑风险率、脆弱性、可恢复性等5个评价指标,采用熵权法确定各个指标的权重,利用正态云模型定量描述单指标条件下待评价城市水资源的短缺风险等级。给出一种新的计算正态云模型相似度方法——基于组合模糊贴近度的正态云相似度度量方法,通过比较待评价城市与风险等级之间的熵权正态云相似度值的大小,构建基于熵权相似云的水资源短缺风险评价模型。江苏省三大流域的实例表明,该方法简单可行,结果相对客观合理,能够克服现有方法的一些缺点。     

略论我国矿山安全法律制度的完善

矿山安全是采矿工业乃至国民经济可持续发展的重要组成部分．矿山安全对发展地区经济和保持社会稳定都具有重要意义。然而．随着矿产资源开发强度的不断加大．矿山安全法律制度建设相对于矿山开发来说却相对严重滞后，以致矿山生产环境不断恶化．矿山安全事故频发。因此．在对我国矿山安全问题及其成因进行法律经济分析的前提下．找出我国矿山安全立法的问题与不足。并在与美国矿山安全立法进行差异比较的基础上，对我国矿山安全立法的完善进行有益的思考和探索．具有十分重要的理论价值和现实意义。     

Areas of uncertainty in comparing risks of energy systems

In the past, the safety of technology has mainly been ensured by deterministic criteria that were based on engineering principles and on experience. Recently, however, it has become necessary to include risk assessment into safety policy. This need arises due to the order of magnitude of possible health and environmental impact from normal operation or accidents, as well as the complexity of modern systems that no longer allow for intuitive understanding of possible accident sequences. Assessment of risks of technical installations is subject to large uncertainties that are caused by lack of data and inadequate quantification and evaluation methods. This paper reviews the main areas of uncertainties with regard to their importance for decisionmaking. Uncertainties are an inherent part of any risk assessment result and can never be avoided. It is thus important to pay particular attention to them including limitations of methods, sensitivity to assumptions about parameters, and site-specific considerations. All this information must be described in great detail so that it can be integrated into the decisionmaking process. If applied in this context, risk assessment is a useful tool for identifying major contributors to risk and effective actions of risk management.     

城乡交错区耕地非农转换影响因素及空间分布识别——以上海浦东新区为例

精准识别城乡交错区耕地非农转换影响因素及空间分布特征,有助于保护城市周边优质耕地及永久基本农田.以上海市浦东新区作为城乡交错区典型例证,从微观地块非农转换概率和转换比率两个维度构建跨栏模型识别耕地非农转换的关键影响因素,综合运用耕地非农转换风险评估模型与热点分析等方法,分析研究区内未来耕地非农转换的潜在分布空间.结果表明:(1)浦东新区耕地的非农转换存在部分转换或渐进转换现象,平均转换比率仅有19％,多以"带状"和"片状"的形式出现;(2)耕地非农转换过程较为复杂,耕作地块与水源、农路及城镇的距离以及地块是否处在基本农田保护规划管控范围或位于城市发展边界内等是影响其非农转换的关键因素;(3)依据耕地非农转换风险将浦东新区耕地划为非农转换风险区、脆弱区、敏感区及安全区四类,其中2426.86 hm2耕地面临大规模非农转换胁迫的高风险,5449.7和3793 hm2耕地处在非农转换脆弱和敏感区,15253.5 hm2耕地处在非农转换概率低的农业生产安全区,是城市永久基本农田重点建设的耕地.该研究尝试识别出浦东新区耕地非农转换的潜在胁迫地块及空间分布,为地方政府加强耕地保护及农业基础设施投入提供参考.     

Using nematodes in soil ecotoxicology

Nematodes represent a very abundant group of soil organisms and non-parasitic species are important for soil quality and in the soil food web. In recent years, it has been shown that nematodes are appropriate bioindicators of soil condition and they are also suitable organisms for laboratory toxicity testing. The aims of this paper are to overview and critically assess methods and approaches for researching soil nematode ecotoxicology. In natural ecosystems, nematode abundance and community structure analyses were proved to be sensitive indicators of stress caused by soil pollutants and ecological disturbance. Community structure analyses may be approached from a functional or ecological point of view; species are divided into groups according to their feeding habits or alternatively the maturity index is calculated according to their ecological strategy. Many environmental factors have the potential to affect nematode community, which consequently results in high space and time variability. This variance is major handicap in field ecotoxicological studies because pollutant-nematode relationships are obscured. For prospective risk assessment of chemicals, several toxicity tests with nematodes were developed and are increasingly used. Sensitivity of these tests is comparable to tests with other soil species (e.g. enchytraeids, earthworms and springtails) while tests are less demanding to space and time. Most studies have focused on metal toxicity but organic compounds are almost overlooked. Endpoints used in tests were often mortality, reproduction or movement, but more sublethal endpoints such as feeding or biomarkers have been used recently too. Although there is an increasing amount of knowledge in soil nematode ecotoxicology, there is still a lot of various issues in this topic to research.