High carbon monoxide concentrations during the rainy season in Campo Grande, in central Brazil

This work describes an event of unusually large mixing ratios of carbon monoxide, CO, observed during a typical rainy season time period in central Brazil, when concentrations are expected to be at low levels. CO measurements were performed in Campo Grande (20.02 degrees S; 54.5 degrees W), from July 2001 to October 2002, covering entire periods of the dry and wet seasons. From January to June, average CO was 131 parts per billion by volume (ppbv). During November/December, average CO is about 180 ppbv. On November 13, 521.9 and 565.6 ppbv were observed. It is shown that for this special event, in which there was practically no fire activity at or near the site, air parcels reaching the site were enriched with fire products from regions much further north, near the equatorial region, where the fire activity is delayed in time, compared to central Brazil.     

Phytostabilization of a metal contaminated sandy soil. I: Influence of compost and/or inorganic metal immobilizing soil amendments on phytotoxicity and plant availability of metals

In a lysimeter set-up, compost addition to an industrial contaminated soil slightly reduced phytotoxicity to bean seedlings. The "Phytotoxicity Index" (on a scale from 1 to 4) decreased from 3.5 to 2.8. The same treatment also reduced metal accumulation in grasses: mean Zn, Cd and Pb concentrations decreased respectively from 623 to 135, from 6.2 to 1.3 and from 10.7 to <6 mg kg-1 dry weight. When combined with inorganic metal immobilizing amendments, compost had a beneficial effect on plant responses additional to the inorganic amendments alone. Best results were obtained when using compost (C)+cyclonic ashes (CA)+steel shots (SS). The "Phytotoxicity Index" decreased to 1.7, highest diversity of spontaneously colonizing plants occurred, and metal accumulation in grasses reduced to values for uncontaminated soils. Based on the first year evaluation, C+CA+SS showed to be an efficient treatment for amendment assisted phytostabilization of the contaminated Overpelt soil.     

New York State urban and rural measurements of continuous PM2.5 mass by FDMS, TEOM, and BAM

Field evaluations and comparisons of continuous fine particulate matter (PM2,5) mass measurement technologies at an urban and a rural site in New York state are performed. The continuous measurement technologies include the filter dynamics measurement system (FDMS) tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) monitor, the stand-alone TEOM monitor (without the FDMS), and the beta attenuation monitor (BAM). These continuous measurement methods are also compared with 24-hr integrated filters collected and analyzed under the Federal Reference Method (FRM) protocol. The measurement sites are New York City (the borough of Queens) and Addison, a rural area of southwestern New York state. New York City data comparisons between the FDMS TEOM, BAM, and FRM are examined for bias and seasonality during a 2-yr period. Data comparisons for the FDMS TEOM and FRM from the Addison location are examined for the same 2-yr period. The BAM and FDMS measurements at Queens are highly correlated with each other and the FRM. The BAM and FDMS are very similar to each other in magnitude, and both are approximately 25% higher than the FRM filter measurements at this site. The FDMS at Addison measures approximately 9% more mass than the FRM. Mass reconstructions using the speciation trends network filter data are examined to provide insight as to the contribution of volatile species of PM2.5 in the FDMS mass measurement and the fraction that is likely lost in the FRM mass measurement. The reconstructed mass at Queens is systematically lower than the FDMS by approximately 10%.     

Influence of air-sea fluxes on chlorine isotopic composition of ocean water: implications for constancy in delta37Cl--a statistical inference

The behaviors of chlorine isotopes in relation to air-sea flux variables have been investigated through multivariate statistical analyses (MSA). The MSA technique provides an approach to reduce the data set and was applied to a set of 7 air-sea flux variables to supplement and describe the variation in chlorine isotopic compositions (delta37Cl) of ocean water. The variation in delta37Cl values of surface ocean water from 51 stations in 4 major world oceans--the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and the Southern Ocean has been observed from -0.76 to +0.74 per thousand (av. 0.039+/-0.04 per thousand). The observed delta37Cl values show basic homogeneity and indicate that the air-sea fluxes act differently in different oceanic regions and help to maintain the balance between delta37Cl values of the world oceans. The study showed that it is possible to model the behavior of chlorine isotopes to the extent of 38-73% for different geographical regions. The models offered here are purely statistical in nature; however, the relationships uncovered by these models extend our understanding of the constancy in delta37Cl of ocean water in relation to air-sea flux variables.     

Levels and congener pattern of polychlorinated biphenyl and organochlorine pesticide residues in bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) from the Straits of Messina (Sicily, Italy)

The aim of this study is to assess the accumulation of OCs and PCBs in Thunnus thynnus and to elucidate the suitability of this species as a bioindicator for monitoring contaminations of these compounds in the marine ecosystems of the Straits of Messina. This investigation was conducted on fat, liver and muscle samples of 14 T. thynnus collected during April 2004. Quantitative determination of OCs and PCBs in the various samples examined has been carried out using GC-ECD and GC-MS. The results obtained show the presence of low concentrations of p,p'-DDE and PCB congeners (138, 153 and 180) in all fat, liver and muscle samples caught in the Straits of Messina. Concentrations of p,p'-DDE and PCB congeners (138, 153 and 180) in all the samples examined were below MRLs (CE n. 97/41, 1999/65 and 1999/71).     

Anguilla anguilla L. Genotoxic responses after in situ exposure to freshwater wetland (Pateira de Fermentelos, Portugal)

Pateira de Fermentelos is a Cértima River enlargement, close to its river mouth (by the Agueda River), where the introduction of agricultural chemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides, domestic sewage, as well as heavy metals from electroplating industries, results in increased water pollution. The present research work concerns a 48 h in situ exposure of caged eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) at the Pateira de Fermentelos. Five exposure sites were selected, i.e., site A, site B, site C, site D and site E in order to study its water genotoxicity potential, measured in gill, blood, liver and kidney as DNA strand breaks. Eels were also exposed at a reference site by the Cértima River spring. Bottom water samples were collected for further physical-chemical analysis. Site A exposure, significantly decreased gill, blood and liver DNA integrity. Gill and liver DNA integrity was also significantly decreased at site B. At site C only blood DNA integrity was significantly decreased. The present field in situ study demonstrated that the three exposure sites close to the Pateira initial part, such as A, B and C are polluted by pro and/or genotoxic compounds. The genotoxic effects induced in A. anguilla L. suggest a different contamination of the exposure sites A, B and C, in genotoxic chemicals. Thus, according to its genotoxic potential the exposure sites A, B and C, may be ordered as follows site A>site B>site C. No genotoxic effects on A. anguilla L. were observed at site E as DNA strand breaks increase.     

Radiobiological monitoring of striped field mouse populations in the Moscow recreation forest "Kuzminki"

The results of radiometric and haematological studies of striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) sampled over the years 1995-2003 from the territory of the preserved radioactive waste burial (RWB), which is located in the Moscow recreation forest "Kuzminki", are presented and discussed in the paper. It was shown that the level of 90Sr-90Y content in mice sampled from the RWB area varies within the range of 0-1200 Bq/kg with an average of 98.7+/-21.5 Bq/kg. The content of 90Sr-90Y in the body of 80% of the mice sampled from the RWB area was below 100 Bq/kg. Only in 4% of the sampled mice, the 90Sr-90Y specific radioactivity was above 300 Bq/kg. Haematological indications of the animals sampled from the RWB area were within the range of normal physiological fluctuations. Nevertheless, a slight but statistically significant increase in the average amount of erythrocytes and the average percentage of banded neutrophils was registered in peripheral blood of the mice.     

Anthropogenic radionuclides in sediment in the Japan Sea: distribution and transport processes of particulate radionuclides

Distributions of anthropogenic radionuclides ((90)Sr, (137)Cs and (239+240)Pu) in seabed sediment in the Japan Sea were collected during the period 1998-2002. Concentration of (90)Sr, (137)Cs and (239+240)Pu in seabed sediment was 0.07-1.6 Bq kg(-1), 0.4-9.1 Bq kg(-1) and 0.002-1.9 Bq kg(-1), respectively. In the northern basin of the sea (Japan Basin), (239+240)Pu/(137)Cs ratios in seabed sediment were higher and their variation was smaller compared to that in the southeastern regions of the sea. The higher (239+240)Pu/(137)Cs ratios throughout the Japan Basin were considered to reflect production of Pu-enriched particles in the surface layer and substantial sinking of particulate materials in this region. In the southern regions of the Japan Sea (<38 degrees N), both inventories and (239+240)Pu/(137)Cs ratios in sediment were larger than those in the other regions. In the southern Japan Sea, observations suggested that supply of particulate radionuclides by the Tsushima Warm Current mainly enhanced accumulation of the radionuclides in this region.     

Effective environmental management through life cycle assessment

Unplanned and unsustainable development (particularly rapid industrialisation) has placed great pressure in every dimension of the environment (air, water, soil, health, etc.). The resulting disturbance in the natural ecological balance is a serious concern. Sustainable development is the need of the hour; it can only be achieved through effective environmental management. Environmental management will become indispensable in the future as regulatory restrictions tighten and public expectations of environmental performance increase. The day is not far away when a customer will prefer to buy products produced by an environmentally committed organisation. In short, the environmental commitment of an organisation will become a market strategy.

Environmental management is a set of actions based on a structured methodology to ensure that an organisation is committed to the environment and that the production process has minimal/no adverse affect on it. This article emphasises environmental management in the real engineering sense of the term, and discusses how to develop an effective environmental management system through life cycle assessment. It further demonstrates through a real life case study how an industry has achieved landmark success in managing its environment, production, as well as winning the good faith of society.     

A multilevel study of the relationships between diversity training,ethnic discrimination and satisfaction in organizations

The prevalence of diversity training has not been matched by empirical research on its effectiveness. Among the most notable gaps are an absence of attention to its impact on discrimination and limited consideration of organizational‐level factors. Results from employee surveys across 395 healthcare organizations reveal an effect of the extent of diversity training in organizations on ethnic minorities' experiences of discrimination. In addition, the results demonstrate that the consequences of ethnic discrimination for individuals' job attitudes are influenced by organizational‐level phenomenon. These findings highlight the importance of attending to ethnic discrimination as an outcome of diversity training with implications for employee attitudes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.