Chemical and colloidal analyses of natural seep water collected from the exploratory studies facility inside Yucca Mountain,Nevada, USA

Yucca Mountain is being considered as a geological repository for the USA’s spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste. Numerous groundwater seeps appeared during March 2005 within the exploratory studies facility (ESF), a tunnel excavated in the mountain. Because of the relevance to radionuclide transport and unsaturated zone-modeling studies, we analyzed the seep samples for major anions and cations, rare earth elements, and colloids. Major ion species and elemental concentrations in seep samples reflect interaction of the water with the volcanic rock and secondary calcites. Elemental fractograms from flow-injection field-flow fractionation ICP–MS scans detected Br, Ca, Cl, Cu, Fe, I, Mg, Si, Sr, W, and U at void fractions, suggesting they may be present in the form of dissolved anions. Colloids approximately 10 nm in hydrodynamic diameter, possibly calcite, were also present in the seepage samples. Geochemical calculations indicate, however, these may be an artifact (not present in the groundwater) which arose because of loss of CO₂ during sample collection and storage.     

深圳市城市绿地土壤中重金属的含量及化学形态分布

对深圳市中心区城市绿地表层土壤(0-20cm)中Cu,Zn,Pb和Cd的含量、化学形态分布和迁移性进行研究.结果表明,土壤中Cu,Zn,Pb和Cd的含量分别为6.4-188.2(26.3)mg·kg-1,34.9-284.8(69.1)mg·kg-1,15.2-245.5(47.2)mg·kg-1和0.01-3.48(0.47)mg·kg-1.道路绿化带土壤中Cu,Zn和Pb的平均含量最高,在公园绿地土壤中Cd的平均含量最高.分别有75.6%,87.0%,98.8%和98.8%的土壤中Cu,Zn,Pb和Cd的含量超过广东省赤红壤的背景值,重金属在土壤中呈现明显的富集特征.土壤中Cu,Zn和Cd以残渣态所占比例最高,Pb以铁锰氧化物结合态最高.随着土壤中Cu,Zn,Pb和Cd含量的增加其残渣态所占比例降低,铁锰氧化物结合态或交换态所占比例增加,重金属活性增大.土壤中Cd迁移能力最强,迁移能力依次为Cd>Zn>Pb和Cu.     

Application of arsenic baselines in the assessment of soil contamination in Finland

In Finland, a new Government Decree on the Assessment of Soil Contamination and Remediation Needs (214/2007) came into force on 1 June 2007. According to the Decree, natural baseline concentration levels should be taken into account when assessing potential soil contamination and the need for remediation. This applies particularly in the case of toxic metallic elements, since baseline concentrations may naturally be rather high. The new decree prescribes soil screening values for 52 substances or groups of substances. The natural baseline concentrations have been taken into account in the definition of the screening values for inorganic pollutants. The Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) carried out a nation-wide geochemical mapping of till on a reconnaissance scale in 1983 and on a regional scale during 1984–1992. These surveys have provided information on natural elemental distribution in subsoils of the glacial till. However, some important trace elements in regional mapping such as arsenic are missing from the analysis, and subsoil samples do not reflect the diffuse anthropogenic input. Thus, GTK has continued the survey work by determining geochemical baselines around suburban areas. Samples have been taken from humus, topsoil and subsoil layers, and the soil parent material has covered sandy soils, glacial tills and fine-grained sediments. According to the studies, a regional difference in the levels of arsenic and some other trace elements can be clearly seen, especially in minerogenic soils. The results illustrate the importance of information on regional baseline concentrations while assessing potential soil contamination.     

Arsenic occurrence in Brazil and human exposure

Environmental exposure to arsenic (As) in terms of public health is receiving increasing attention worldwide following cases of mass contamination in different parts of the world. However, there is a scarcity of data available on As geochemistry in Brazilian territory, despite the known occurrence of As in some of the more severely polluted areas of Brazil. The purpose of this paper is to discuss existing data on As distribution in Brazil based on recent investigations in three contaminated areas as well as results from the literature. To date, integrated studies on environmental and anthropogenic sources of As contamination have been carried out only in three areas in Brazil: (1) the Southeastern region, known as the Iron Quadrangle, where As was released into the drainage systems, soils and atmosphere as a result of gold mining; (2) the Ribeira Valley, where As occurs in Pb-Zn mine wastes and naturally in As-rich rocks and soils; (3) the Amazon region, including the Santana area, where As is associated with manganese ores mined over the last 50 years. Toxicological studies revealed that the populations were not exposed to elevated levels of As, with the As concentrations in surface water in these areas rarely exceeding 10 microg/L. Deep weathering of bedrocks along with formation of Fe/Al-enriched soils and sediments function as a chemical barrier that prevents the release of As into the water. In addition, the tropical climate results in high rates of precipitation in the northern and southeastern regions and, hence, the As contents of drinking water is diluted. Severe cases of human As exposure related to non-point pollution sources have not been reported in Brazil. However, increasing awareness of the adverse health effects of As will eventually lead to a more complete picture of the distribution of As in Brazil.     

Health risk assessment maps for arsenic groundwater content: application of national geochemical databases

This investigation assesses the feasibility of calculating and visualizing health risk estimates from exposure to groundwater contaminated with arsenic (As) using data from national geochemical databases. The potential health risk associated with As-contaminated groundwater was assessed based on an elaboration of existing geochemical data in accordance with accepted methodological procedures established for human health risk assessment (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency methodology). A screening analysis approach was used for estimating the contribution of As to the total chronic health risk from exposure to groundwater contaminated with potentially toxic elements, including As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sb, Se and Zn, and the results indicate that As contributes significantly (>50%) to this total health chronic risk in about 10% of Slovak territory. Based on the calculation of the potential risk level by exposure modelling, increased chronic as well as carcinogenic risk levels (medium to high) were documented in approximately 0.2 and 11% of the total Slovak area, respectively. The areas characterized by high health risk levels are mainly those geogenically contaminated. High and very high carcinogenic risk was determined in 34 of 79 districts and in 528 of 2924 municipalities.     

双道原子荧光同时测定海水中痕量砷和汞

建立了双道原子荧光同时测定海水中痕量砷和汞的方法。在试验条件下,砷和汞测定的相对标准偏差≤4．0％．加标回收率在92．0％～104％之间。方法操作简便,灵敏快速,适用于海水及其他水体中砷和汞的测定。     

选煤脱除氟、砷的研究

研究了采自西南3省、1市17个选煤厂的原煤和洗精煤样品,分析了灰分、氟和砷含量,探讨了选煤脱除氟、砷的机理和影响因素。结果表明,选煤能有效降低煤中氟、砷的含量,应用前景广阔。     

稀土元素分馏作用研究进展

本文综述了环境中稀土元素的分馏过程以及分馏作用对其在岩石、土壤、植物、水环境中分布、迁移规律的影响,探讨了引起稀土分馏的机理,为稀土的环境化学研究提供了详实的材料。     

Leaching of arsenic from coal fly ashes 2. Arsenic pre‐leaching with sodium gluconate solution

The present study deals with the development of an efficient and reliable process for safe disposal of coal fly ash to remove arsenic that has been found to be the most easily leachable and hazardous heavy metal in coal fly ash. Pre‐leaching of fly ash prior to disposal by a natural chelating agent, sodium gluconate (SG), was proposed and studied. Several operational factors influencing arsenic leachability, such as concentration of SG solution, liquid to solid ratio, pH, length of leaching time and leaching temperature were examined. Arsenic was found to leach out substantially with SG, but almost no further release was observed from the ash pre‐leached by SG. After the pre‐leaching treatment, the desirable high buffering capacity of the ash was well sustained. SG solution was effectively regenerated by activated alumina adsorption so that it could be successfully reused for multiple leaching/adsorption cycles.     

Arsenic and sulfur nanoparticle synthesis mimicking environmental conditions of submarine shallow-water hydrothermal vents

Arsenic and sulfur mineralization is a natural phenomenon occurring in hydrothermal systems where parameters like temperature and organic matter(OM) can influence the mobilization of the toxic metalloid in marine environments. In the present study we analyze the influence of temperature and OM(particularly sulfur-containing additives) on As and S precipitation based on the recent discovery of As-rich nanoparticles in the hydrothermal system near the coast of the Greek island Milos. To this end, ...