Occurrence and fate of pesticides in four contrasting agricultural settings in the United States

Occurrence and fate of 45 pesticides and 40 pesticide degradates were investigated in four contrasting agricultural settings--in Maryland, Nebraska, California, and Washington. Primary crops included corn at all sites, soybeans in Maryland, orchards in California and Washington, and vineyards in Washington. Pesticides and pesticide degradates detected in water samples from all four areas were predominantly from two classes of herbicides--triazines and chloroacetanilides; insecticides and fungicides were not present in the shallow ground water. In most samples, pesticide degradates greatly exceeded the concentrations of parent pesticide. In samples from Nebraska, the parent pesticide atrazine [6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] was about the same concentration as the degradate, but in samples from Maryland and California atrazine concentrations were substantially smaller than its degradate. Simazine [6-chloro-N,N'-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine], the second most detected triazine, was detected in ground water from Maryland, California, and Washington. Metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)acetamide] rarely was detected without its degradates, and when they were detected in the same sample metolachlor always had smaller concentrations. The Root-Zone Water-Quality Model was used to examine the occurrence and fate of metolachlor at the Maryland site. Simulations accurately predicted which metolachlor degradate would be predominant in the unsaturated zone. In analyses of relations among redox indicators and pesticide variance, apparent age, concentrations of dissolved oxygen, and excess nitrogen gas (from denitrification) were important indicators of the presence and concentration of pesticides in these ground water systems.     

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.     

The use of ecological scales for indication of the current state of forest communities

A method for estimating the current state of plant communities based on the ecological amplitudes of constituent species is proposed. An original program, Fitoindikatsiya, has been developed to compute the indices of disturbance and homogeneity of plant communities from species ecological scale values. The current state of pine forests in the part of Novosibirsk oblast east of the Ob River has been analyzed; slightly, moderately, and severely disturbed zones have been distinguished.     

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.     

Estimates of animal methane emissions

The enteric methane emissions into the atmospheric annually from domestic animals total about 77 Tg. Another 10 to 14 Tg are likely released from animal manure disposal systems. About 95% of global animal enteric methane is from ruminants, a consequence of their large populations, body size and appetites combined with the extensive degree of anaerobic microbial fermentation occurring in their gut. Accurate methane estimates are particularly sensitive to cattle and buffalo census numbers and estimated diet consumption. Since consumption is largely unknown and must be predicted, accuracy is limited often by the information required, i.e., distribution of animals by class, weight and productivity. Fraction of the diet lost as enteric methane mostly falls into the range of 5.5–6.5% of gross energy intake for the world's cattle, sheep and goats. Manure methane emissions are heavily influenced by fraction of disposal by anaerobic lagoon. Non-ruminants, i.e., swine, become major contributors to these emissions.     

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.