Environmental Impacts of a Secondary Lead Smelter in Landskrona, Southern Sweden

Scandinavia has one secondary lead smelter that recycles lead from approximately 85% of used car batteries in Scandinavia and which has been active since the 1940s. The smelter, situated in Landskrona, has undergone a comprehensive clean up programme during the last decade, during which time production has doubled, while at the same time discharges of dust and lead to the atmosphere have decreased.Top and depth soil samples were taken on a 0.5km×0.5Km grid throughout the city of Landskrona, which covers an area of approximately 15km². Samples were analysed by ICPAES for a number of elements including Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, As, Sb and Hg. Road dust samples from selected sites were collected and similarly analysed. Blood samples were taken from 37 volunteer schoolchildren (aged 8–11) from two schools in Landskrona. House dust samples were taken from each child's home. Soil samples were taken from homes which had gardens, public and school play areas. Elevated heavy metal concentrations were found in close proximity to the secondary lead smelter, and this soil enrichment influences the whole of the town, modified to some extent by the prevailing wind. The smelter does not influence the soil lead concentration at distances greater than 3.5km, where the soil reflects the background value for the area.Road dust samples also show decreases in lead concentrations with distance from the smelter. The average level of lead in house dust was considerably lower than that found in Birmingham, UK. Blood lead levels in the child population ranged from 1.5–5.1gdl^–1, with a mean of 3.05gdl^–1, showing a distinct decrease from those measured in 1978–82. No significant difference in blood lead concentrations with distance of the home from the smelter, nor between attenders at the two schools was revealed in the limited number of children studied.     

Hydrochemical and isotopic effects associated with petroleum fuel biodegradation pathways in a chalk aquifer

Hydrochemical data, compound specific carbon isotope analysis and isotopic enrichment trends in dissolved hydrocarbons and residual electron acceptors have been used to deduce BTEX and MTBE degradation pathways in a fractured chalk aquifer. BTEX compounds are mineralised sequentially within specific redox environments, with changes in electron acceptor utilisation being defined by the exhaustion of specific BTEX components. A zone of oxygen and nitrate exhaustion extends approximately 100 m downstream from the plume source, with residual sulphate, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene. Within this zone complete removal of the TEX components occurs by bacterial sulphate reduction, with sulphur and oxygen isotopic enrichment of residual sulphate (epsilon(s) = -14.4 per thousand to -16.0 per thousand). Towards the plume margins and at greater distance along the plume flow path nitrate concentrations increase with delta15N values of up to +40 per thousand indicating extensive denitrification. Benzene and MTBE persist into the denitrification zone, with carbon isotope enrichment of benzene indicating biodegradation along the flow path. A Rayleigh kinetic isotope enrichment model for 13C-enrichment of residual benzene gives an apparent epsilon value of -0.66 per thousand. MTBE shows no significant isotopic enrichment (delta13C = -29.3 per thousand to -30.7 per thousand) and is isotopically similar to a refinery sample (delta13C = -30.1 per thousand). No significant isotopic variation in dissolved MTBE implies that either the magnitude of any biodegradation-induced isotopic fractionation is small, or that relatively little degradation has taken place in the presence of BTEX hydrocarbons. It is possible, however, that MTBE degradation occurs under aerobic conditions in the absence of BTEX since no groundwater samples were taken with co-existing MTBE and oxygen. Low benzene delta13C values are correlated with high sulphate delta34S, indicating that little benzene degradation has occurred in the sulphate reduction zone. Benzene degradation may be associated with denitrification since increased benzene delta13C is associated with increased delta15N in residual nitrate. Re-supply of electron acceptors by diffusion from the matrix into fractures and dispersive mixing is an important constraint on degradation rates and natural attenuation capacity in this dual-porosity aquifer.     

Isotopic modelling of the significance of bacterial sulphate reduction for phenol attenuation in a contaminated aquifer

A Triassic sandstone aquifer polluted with a mixture of phenolic hydrocarbons has been investigated by means of high-resolution groundwater sampling. Samples taken at depth intervals of 1 m have revealed the presence of a diving pollutant plume with a sharply defined upper margin. Concentrations of pollutant phenols exceed 4 g/l in the plume core, rendering it sterile but towards the diluted upper margin evidence for bacterial sulphate reduction (BSR) has been obtained. Groundwaters have been analysed for both delta34S-SO4 and delta18O-SO4. Two reservoirs have been identified with distinct sulphate oxygen isotope ratios. Groundwater sulphate (delta18O-SO4 = 3-5/1000) outside the plume shows a simple linear mixing trend with an isotopically uniform pollutant sulphate reservoir (delta18O-SO4 = 10-12/1000) across the plume margin. The sulphur isotope ratios do not always obey a simple mixing relation, however, at one multilevel borehole, enrichment in 34SO4 at the plume margin is inversely correlated with sulphate concentration. This and the presence of 34S-depleted dissolved sulphide indicate that enrichment in 34SO4 is the result of bacterial sulphate reduction. Delta34S analysis of trace hydrogen sulphide within the plume yielded an isotope enrichment factor (epsilon) of -9.4/1000 for present-day bacterial sulphate reduction. This value agrees with a long-term estimate (-9.9/1000) obtained from a Rayleigh model of the sulphate reduction process. The model was also used to obtain an estimate of the pre-reduction sulphate concentration profile with depth. The difference between this and the present-day profiles then gave a mass balance for sulphate consumption. The organic carbon mineralisation that would account for this sulphate loss is shown to represent only 0.1/1000 of the phenol concentration in this region of the plume. Hence, the contribution of bacterial sulphate reduction to biodegradation has thus far been small. The highest total phenolic concentration (TPC) at which there is sulphur isotope evidence of bacterial sulphate reduction is 2000 mg/l. We suggest that above this concentration, the bactericidal properties of phenol render sulphate-reducing bacteria inactive. Dissolved sulphate trapped in the concentrated plume core will only be utilised by sulphate reducers when toxic phenols in the plume are diluted by dispersion during migration.     

Reactive transport modeling of processes controlling the distribution and natural attenuation of phenolic compounds in a deep sandstone aquifer

Reactive solute transport modeling was utilized to evaluate the potential for natural attenuation of a contaminant plume containing phenolic compounds at a chemical producer in the West Midlands, UK. The reactive transport simulations consider microbially mediated biodegradation of the phenolic compounds (phenols, cresols, and xylenols) by multiple electron acceptors. Inorganic reactions including hydrolysis, aqueous complexation, dissolution of primary minerals, formation of secondary mineral phases, and ion exchange are considered. One-dimensional (1D) and three-dimensional (3D) simulations were conducted. Mass balance calculations indicate that biodegradation in the saturated zone has degraded approximately 1-5% of the organic contaminant plume over a time period of 47 years. Simulations indicate that denitrification is the most significant degradation process, accounting for approximately 50% of the organic contaminant removal, followed by sulfate reduction and fermentation reactions, each contributing 15-20%. Aerobic respiration accounts for less than 10% of the observed contaminant removal in the saturated zone. Although concentrations of Fe(III) and Mn(IV) mineral phases are high in the aquifer sediment, reductive dissolution is limited, producing only 5% of the observed mass loss. Mass balance calculations suggest that no more than 20-25% of the observed total inorganic carbon (TIC) was generated from biodegradation reactions in the saturated zone. Simulations indicate that aerobic biodegradation in the unsaturated zone, before the contaminant entered the aquifer, may have produced the majority of the TIC observed in the plume. Because long-term degradation is limited to processes within the saturated zone, use of observed TIC concentrations to predict the future natural attenuation may overestimate contaminant degradation by a factor of 4-5.     

Chemical speciation and bioaccessibility of lead in surface soil and house dust,Lavrion urban area,Attiki, Hellas

In the Lavrion urban area study, Hellas, a five-step sequential extraction method was applied on samples of ‘soil’ (n = 224), affected by long-term mining and metallurgical activities, and house dust (n = 127), for the purpose of studying the potential bioaccessibility of lead and other metals to humans. In this paper, the Pb concentrations in soil and house dust samples are discussed, together with those in rocks and children’s blood. Lead is mainly associated with the carbonate, Fe–Mn oxides and residual fractions in soil and house dust. Considering the very low pH of gastric fluids (1–3), a high amount of metals, present in soil (810–152,000 mg/kg Pb) and house dust (418–18,600 mg/kg Pb), could be potentially bioaccessible. Consequently, children in the neighbourhoods with a large amount of metallurgical processing wastes have high blood-Pb concentrations (5.98–60.49 μg/100 ml; median 17.83 μg/100 ml; n = 235). It is concluded that the Lavrion urban and sub-urban environment is extremely hazardous to human health, and the Hellenic State authorities should urgently tackle this health-related hazard in order to improve the living conditions of local residents.     

Anticoagulant rodenticide exposure in raptors from Ontario,Canada

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are used globally to control rodent pest infestations in both urban and agricultural settings. It is well documented...     

Persistence of fermentative process to phenolic toxicity in groundwater

The fermentation process is an important component in the biodegradation of organic compounds in natural and contaminated systems. Comparing with terminal electron-accepting processes (TEAPs), however, research on fermentation processes has to some extent been ignored in the past decades, particularly on the persistence of fermentation process in the presence of toxic organic pollutants. Both field and laboratory studies, presented here, showed that microbial processes in a groundwater-based system exhibited a differential inhibitory response to toxicity of phenolic compounds from coal tar distillation, thus resulting in the accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and hydrogen. This indicated that fermentation processes could be more resistant to phenol toxicity than the subsequent TEAPs such as methanogenesis and sulfate reduction, thus providing us with more options for enhancing bioremediation processes.     

An evaluation of a shared experience group for women and their support persons following prenatal diagnosis and termination for a fetal abnormality

Objectives Support after fetal diagnosis of abnormality (SAFDA), is a facilitated shared experience group for women and their partners or support person, in Victoria, Australia, who have had a pregnancy termination for a fetal abnormality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the SAFDA-facilitated group. Methods A questionnaire-based study was undertaken between 2001 and 2005 to evaluate SAFDA. A deidentified self-completed questionnaire was given to participants at the end of each group and included questions relating to the referring professional, participants' prior expectations of the group, helpfulness of participation, preferred group format, length, and venue. In addition, there was also opportunity for participants to make general comments on their experiences of participating in SAFDA. Results A total of 85 participants (100% response) completed the questionnaire. Seventy-one participants (84%) considered it ‘very helpful’ to participate in the group. Seventy-eight participants (92%) considered that a shared-experience group was the most beneficial format. Comments written by participants affirmed that the present format of SAFDA was a highly valued opportunity to listen to and share experiences in a confidential small group. Conclusion SAFDA is a beneficial forum for women and their partners or support person to share their experiences after having had a pregnancy termination for a fetal abnormality. Further, SAFDA provides information and insights for health professionals who are considering how best to support women. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The selenium status of sheep in Britain as indicated by wool selenium concentration

A correlation between the selenium concentration in wool and blood erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity (GSHPx) from sheep in W. Derbyshire, a high selenium area and N. Wales and Romney Marsh, low/marginal selenium areas is reported.Soil and herbage selenium concentrations were significantly correlated with wool selenium levels and GSHPx activity.A significant difference was found between wool selenium concentrations and between GSHPx activities from sheep in W. Derbyshire and those animals sampled in N. Wales and Romney Marsh. 90% of wool samples from the low/marginal areas gave concentrations below 0.125 g Se/g. 6.125 g Se/g wool is suggested as a threshold value for selenium in wool from sheep grazing low/marginal areas.Seasonal peaks in wool selenium concentrations and GSHPx activities are found in March and June respectively. Supplementary feeds, which contain added selenium, given to livestock during the winter season may be responsible for these seasonal differences.GSHPx activity data reported in this study records higher sheep selenium levels than those reported in the 1979 survey by Andersonet al. This increase is attributed to the addition since 1979 of selenium to feeds and drenches.Wool is proposed as an accurate and less costly measure of sheep selenium status.