Analysis of pollution status of River Illo,Ota, Nigeria

An assessment of the pollution status of River Illo, located within River Owo catchments area in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria, was carried out. The River’s response to deoxygenation due to BOD loading from an abattoir and its dissolved oxygen (DO) level was predicted using the modified Streeter-Phelps model. The average concentrations of measured parameters at the sampling stations include: 2.24 mg/l of DO, 312.85 mg/l of BOD, 782.86 mg/l of chemical oxygen demand, and 620.76 g/l of total solids. The DO model for River Illo showed a positive correlation between measured and calculated DO, while the dissolved oxygen curve gave a double spoon shape of two major segments with distinct zones of degradation, decomposition, and recovery. The self-purification factor (f) for both segments ranged between 0.8 and 1.1 depicting River Illo as a slow moving or sluggish river. The above results revealed slow reaeration of the water body while full recovery from pollution was difficult. The treatment of River Illo before usage is very essential to ensure public health safety of users from waterborne diseases.     

Lysimeter Experiments to Investigate the Fate of Chemicals in Soils – Comparison of Five Different Lysimeter Systems

Several lysimeter scenarios and approaches exist to study the fate of agro-chemicals or contaminants from deposition in soil columns. In many systems just transport and leaching of the parent compound is followed, in some systems the leaching and transport of the metabolites is investigated as well. In more sophisticated lysimeter systems the volatilization and also the mineralization of the applied chemicals can be additionally monitored. Depending on the lysimeter system used and on the fact whether the applied chemicals are ¹⁴C-labeled or not, different results and various interpretations of the results might be achieved. Different lysimeter systems are described in this paper and a real dataset of a specific lysimeter experiment was transferred and evaluated in a virtual approach in the different lysimeter systems in order to show the advantages and disadvantages of the various systems.     

Biological denitrification of high strength nitrate waste using preadapted denitrifying sludge

Denitrification of synthetic high nitrate waste containing 9032 ppm NO(3)-N (40,000 ppm NO(3)) in a time period of only 6h has been achieved in our previous study using activated sludge. The activated sludge culture was acclimatized by a stepwise increase in the nitrate concentration of synthetic waste. In the present work, studies were carried out on the changing microbial population of the sludge and the physiology of nitrate metabolism during the various stages of adaptation process to high strength synthetic nitrate waste. During the course of adaptation, with an increase in the nitrate concentration, a sharp increase in the number of denitrifiers was found with an equally rapid decrease in the nitrifying community. Two key enzymes involved in the first two steps of the denitrification process were also studied during this period. The results of the study suggest that specific enzyme levels increase as the activated sludge adapts itself to higher nitrate concentrations. Biological denitrification of high nitrate waste is a slow process and to increase the rate of denitrification, parameters such as pH, temperature, C:N and biomass concentration of the process were optimized using orthogonal array method. Optimized conditions increased the specific nitrate reduction rate by 54% and specific nitrite reduction rate by 45%.     

Sorption and mobility of ivermectin in different soils

Avermectins are widely used to treat livestock for parasite infections. Ivermectin, which belongs to the group of avermectins, is particularly hazardous to the environment, especially to crustaceans and to soil-dwelling organisms. Sorption is one of the key factors controlling transport and bioavailability. Therefore, batch studies have been conducted to characterize the sorption and desorption behavior of ivermectin in three European soils (Madrid, York, and artificial soil). The solid-water distribution coefficient (K(d)) for ivermectin sorption to the tested soils were between 57 and 396 L kg(-1) (determined at 0.1 microg g(-1)), while the organic carbon-normalized sorption coefficients (K(oc)) ranged from 4.00 x 10(3) to 2.58 x 10(4) L kg(-1). The Freundlich sorption coefficient (K(F)) was 396 (after 48 h) for the artificial soil over a concentration range of 0.1 to 50 microg g(-1), with regression constants indicating a concentration-dependent sorption. The obtained data and data in the literature are inconclusive with regard to whether hydrophobic partitioning or more specific interactions are involved in sorption of avermectins. For abamectin, hydrophobic partitioning seems to be one of the dominant types of binding, while hydrophobicity is less important for ivermectin, which is probably due to the lower lipophilicity of the molecule. Furthermore, the presence of cations such as Ca(2+) leads to decreasing sorption. Thus, it is presumed that ivermectin binds to soil by formation of complexes with immobile, inorganic soil matter. In contrast to abamectin, hysteresis could be excluded for ivermectin in the studied soils for the evaluation of sorption and desorption. The sorption mechanism is highly dependent on physicochemical properties of the avermectin.     

Magnetic mapping of fly-ash pollution and heavy metals from soil samples around a point source in a dry tropical environment

The Singrauli region in the southeastern part of Uttar Pradesh, India is one of the most polluted industrial sites of Asia. It encompasses 11 open cast coalmines and six thermal power stations that generate about 7,500 MW (about 10% of India’s installed generation capacity) electricity. Thermal power plants represent the main source of pollution in this region, emitting six million tonnes of fly-ash per annum. Fly-ash is deposited on soils over a large area surrounding thermal power plants. Fly-ashes have high surface concentrations of several toxic elements (heavy metals) and high atmospheric mobility. Fly ash is produced through high-temperature combustion of fossil fuel rich in ferromagnetic minerals. These contaminants can be identified using rock-magnetic methods. Magnetic susceptibility is directly linked to the concentration of ferromagnetic minerals, primarily high values of magnetite. In this study, magnetic susceptibility of top soil samples collected from surrounding areas of a bituminous-coal-fired power plant were measured to identify areas of high emission levels and to chart the spatial distribution of airborne solid particles. Sites close to the power plant have shown higher values of susceptibility that decreases with increasing distance from the source. A significant correlation between magnetic susceptibility and heavy metal content in soils is found. A comparison of the spatial distribution of magnetic susceptibility with heavy-metal concentrations in soil samples suggests that magnetic measurements can be used as a rapid and inexpensive method for proxy mapping of air borne pollution due to industrial activity.     

A Sensitivity Analysis of an Integrated Modelling Approach to Assess the Risk of Wind-borne Spread of Foot-and-mouth Disease Virus from Infected Premises

The sensitivity of an integrated model to assess the potential for wind-borne spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) to variations in key parameters controlling different physical and biological processes was evaluated. The estimated number of farms at risk is sensitive to the virus strain used and the accompanying effective contact rate. The C Noville strain increased the estimated number of exposed farms ranked as high and medium risk of being infected by a factor of 5, compared to the baseline, based on the O UKG 2001 strain. The inclusion of a model for biological ageing of the virus can also have a significant effect on the concentration patterns arising from transport and dispersion of the virus. Its inclusion has the practical advantage of markedly reducing the time required for the calculations. The estimated number of farms affected by exposure to high and medium virus concentrations is not grossly sensitive to attenuation caused by temperature or relative humidity effects. Changes in susceptibility to infection, as determined by the parameter θ in the exposure-risk model, does not change the configuration of the virus plumes, but it does change the distribution of farms at risk by risk category. These findings suggest that a good understanding of characteristics (excretion rates from infected animals, susceptibility of different species to infection, virus survival, etc.) of the virus strain involved in an FMD outbreak is necessary to provide a reliable assessment of the risk of wind-borne spread. In the event of an incursion of FMD, provision for laboratory studies on the virus will be an essential component of the disease response and should be factored into contingency plans.

Community evacuation following a chlorine release, Mississippi

On 7th September 1986, four miles north of Collins, Mississippi, a train transporting chlorine derailed. Two cars ruptured and gas escaped. As a result, 100 families were evacuated. To study the evacuation process, we conducted person-to-person interviews with sixty-two families staying in the evacuation center. Only 52.5% of the families received their first directive to evacuate directly from police or other officials. Delays in evacuating tended to be shorter when people were warned by the police and were told the reason for evacuating. Lack of personal transportation and preexisting health problems resulted in delays in evacuation. Concerns about evacuation included fear of looting, lack of a place to go, lack of transportation, difficulty in moving with children and elderly persons, and the need to take care of pets. One third of the interviewees reported feeling panic. Community evacuation procedures would be improved if: (1) officials contact all households directly; (2) the warning message addresses people's concerns; and (3) transportation is provided.     

The Economics of Small Photovoltaic Systems for Village Energy Supply

After several years of experimentation and demonstration, photovoltaic (PV) power is now firmly established for certain applications where reliable power is required in remote locations. The technology has recently matured to the point where PV is now an appropriate, cost-effective technology for village use. This paper reviews experience and presents economic comparisons between photovoltaic and conventional power systems. It is concluded that PV is cost-effective for individual home lighting and small loads such as radios, when compared with kerosene lamps and batteries. For mutiple uses PV is cost-effective compared with diesel generators for daily electricity demands up to around 20 kWh, depending on local conditions.     

A simple and effective approach for detecting maternal cell contamination in molecular prenatal diagnosis

The presence of maternal cells in fetal samples constitutes a serious potential source for prenatal misdiagnosis. Here we present our approach for detecting maternal cell contamination (MCC) at prenatal diagnosis for eight monogenic disorders (autosomal recessive: β-thalassaemia, sickle-cell anaemia, cystic fibrosis, prelingual deafness; autosomal dominant: achondroplasia, Huntington disease, myotonic dystrophy, neurofibromatosis type I; X-linked: spinobulbar muscular atrophy). Our aim was to apply a simple and low-cost approach, which would easily and accurately provide information on the fetal tissue MCC status. MCC testing was applied to cases of recessive inheritance where the primary mutation screening of the fetus revealed the presence of the maternal mutation, to cases concerning dominant inheritance and to cases of multiple gestation. The potential presence of maternal cells was determined by the amplification of the 3′-HVR/APO B, D1S80, THO1 and VNTRI of vWf polymorphic loci, which have previously demonstrated high heterozygosity in Caucasians. Among 135 prenatal diagnoses, 44 finally needed to be tested for MCC (32.6%). MCC was detected in four cases, where DNA was isolated directly from chorionic villi samples (CVS), and in one case with DNA isolated directly from amniotic fluid (AF). In almost 90% of cases a simple test of one polymorphic locus provided sufficient information about MCC. The choice of the appropriate locus is therefore essential, while the simultaneous screening of both parents provides the means for distinguishing non-informative sites about MCC. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.