Possible biological significance of contaminated sediments in Port Jackson,Sydney, Australia

Comprehensive investigations of estuaries incentral New South Wales has identified Port Jackson as themost contaminated waterway on the eastern seaboard ofAustralia. Extensive areas of the estuary are mantled insediment containing high concentrations of a large range ofmetallic and organic contaminants. Although extensive, thisdatabase does not provide an effective basis for determiningthe potential adverse effects of chemicals on livingresources. In the absence of any ecotoxicologicalinformation, the recently published (1999) draft Australianand New Zealand Environmental and Conservation Council(ANZECC) sediment quality guidelines have been used toassess possible adverse biological effects of thesetoxicants. The ANZECC guidelines use the lower effects range of thewidely used U. S. National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA) scheme to identify potentiallycontaminated sediment and as a threshold to trigger foradditional investigative work. This guideline level has beenused in the current study to assess possible toxicity ofcontaminated sediments in Port Jackson. It is estimated thatsediments in approximately 26% of the estuary, mainly theupper parts of the harbour and much of the central harbour,have a 67% probability of being toxic. Sediments in thecentral harbour and a major tributary, the Middle Harbour,comprising about 40% of the estuary, have a 13 to 25%probability of toxicity. All sediments in the harbour,except at the mouth of the estuary, would require additionalenvironmental assessment based on the proposed draft ANZECCsediment quality guidelines.     

美国水质基准技术分析与我国相关基准的构建

介绍了以保护自然生态系统中水生生物为主要目标的美国水质基准技术指南. “指南"在研究个体水平的动、植物毒性数据的基础上进行数理分析,得出数值化的环境水质基准,并给出了相关计算模式和技术路线. 指出基准构建在种群、群落和生态系统水平等的毒性试验数据应用方面还有待发展完善,另外,“指南”中选择的试验生物也不适用于我国水质基准的制订研究. 以辽河流域为例,对我国水质基准的研究提出如下建议:①试验生物应选择有区域代表性的特征物种,我国基本可以采用US EPA规定的物种选用原则,但须包括鲤科鱼类;②关注种群和群落水平的毒性数据;③基于当地物种和水质状况或水生态功能分区信息制订区域水质基准.      

Heavy Metal Pollution Assessment in Sediments of the Izmit Bay, Turkey

Surface sediments in the fraction < 63 μm collected from eight stations along the north coastline of Izmit Bay, north-eastern Marmara Sea, Turkey, were analyzed for major (organic carbon, Al, Ba, Fe and Mg) and trace (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn) elements by using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Sediments heavily contaminated are evaluated by the Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQG) of US EPA. The results were compared with the marine sediment quality standards (SQS), as well as literature values reported to assess the pollution status of the sediments. The enrichment factors (EFs) were calculated to evaluate actual level of contamination for all the elements using the earth crust as reference matrix, based on elemental values by Mason which show a normal pattern near to unity. The analysis revealed two groups of elements: (i) Arsenic, Cd, Pb, and Zn are the most enriched elements; (ii) Barium, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mo and Ni are at background levels. The results show that road traffic run-offs, paint industries and coal combustion are among the most significant sources.     

Fluoride Concentration in Drinking Water of Karachi City (Pakistan)

The ground and municipal water supply samples of Karachi city were analyzed for their fluoride contents. The fluoride contents in water samples collected from the subsurface and river sources were found below the WHO recommended value for the general health of the people. However, in some industrial areas the groundwater sample showed higher level of fluoride concentration. Continuous monitoring of water resources and cautious fluoridation is suggested to maintain proper status of fluoride concentration in the drinking water.     

底泥疏浚对五里湖沉积物生物毒性的影响

为评价疏浚对太湖五里湖沉积物毒性的影响,采用淡水沉积物重金属质量基准和发光细菌试验法对疏浚前后太湖五里湖沉积物的生态毒性风险进行了分析.结果显示,疏浚后,尽管沉积物中Cu和Zn的总体含量降低至毒性效应低值(TEL/TEC)以下,Cr、Pb和Ni等重金属的总体含量降低至毒性效应最高值(PEL/PEC)以下,但沉积物提取液对发光菌的毒性却显著增加,且在疏浚后1个月时毒性最大,其EC25和EC50最小,分别仅为0.51%和9.16%.这表明,疏浚尽管可有效减少沉积物中重金属污染物总体含量,但并不能完全消除沉积物的生态毒性风险;相反,还有可能导致其生态毒性的风险性进一步增加.     

声环境影响评价新导则应用研究

从新导则中的评价类别的确定、评价等级的划分、各评价等级的基本要求对比、声环境保护标准和噪声影响评价量的选用等方面分析了环评中理解和执行声环境影响评价新导则和声环境保护新标准中出现的问题,提出了相应的解决方法,以期促进正确合理地应用新导则和新标准,对做好声环境影响评价工作具有指导意义。     

新导则下天然气输气管道项目大气环境影响评价

文章按照HJ 2.2—2018《环境影响评价技术导则大气环境》要求,以某天然气输气管道项目为实例,对大气环境影响评价工作进行了梳理。首先利用AERSCREEN模型估算出各主要污染物的最大浓度占标率P_max,并以此判定评价等级和评价范围;其次进行环境质量现状调查、污染源调查及污染物排放量核算;最后提出环境监测计划。     

典型电器工业区河涌沉积物中多环芳烃的分布、来源和潜在生态风险

为综合评估电器加工制造业对纳污水体多环芳烃（PAHs）的污染影响,对广东典型电器工业区佛山市顺德区容桂街道河涌沉积物的PAHs含量进行了空间和垂直分布、来源以及生态风险评估研究.结果表明,16种优先控制PAHs中有12种检出率达100%,其余4种具有不同的检出率.ΣPAHs含量范围为343.5～2 099μg.kg-1,均值为1 215.9μg.kg-1.PAHs组成特点为2～3环〉4环〉5～6环.在0～40 cm垂直尺度内,4个分层层面的ΣPAHs含量和种类均无显著变化.同分异构体比率分析显示,空间尺度上PAHs主要污染源来自石油、生物质以及木柴燃烧等活动.垂直尺度上燃烧类型反映了从生物质向石油燃烧为主的转变.河涌沉积物总量污染指标和污染因子指标显示了相同的重度污染特征,各监测断面污染程度由高到低为：S7〉S2〉S4〉S3〉S6〉S1〉S5.沉积物质量基准法（SQGs）评价显示S7、S2、S3等位点具有潜在的生态风险.包含居民区和制造业集中区的各监测点ΣPAHs含量分布显示,该地区PAHs污染和电器制造业存在没有直接相关性.     

Assessing the impact of the U.S. Endangered Species Act recovery planning guidelines on managing threats for listed species

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of the United States was enacted in 1973 to prevent the extinction of species. Recovery plans, required by 1988 amendments to the ESA, play an important role in organizing these efforts to protect and recover species. To improve the use of science in the recovery planning process, the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) commissioned an independent review of endangered species recovery planning in 1999. From these findings, the SCB made key recommendations for how management agencies could improve the recovery planning process, after which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service redrafted their recovery planning guidelines. One important recommendation called for recovery plans to make threats a primary focus, including organizing and prioritizing recovery tasks for threat abatement. We sought to determine the extent to which results from the SCB study were incorporated into these new guidelines and whether the SCB recommendations regarding threats manifested in recovery plans written under the new guidelines. Recovery planning guidelines generally incorporated the SCB recommendations, including those for managing threats. However, although recent recovery plans have improved in their treatment of threats, many fail to adequately incorporate threat monitoring. This failure suggests that developing clear guidelines for monitoring should be an important priority in improving ESA recovery planning.     

Incorporating bioavailability into management limits for copper in sediments contaminated by antifouling paint used in aquaculture

Although now well embedded within many risk-based sediment quality guideline (SQG) frameworks, contaminant bioavailability is still often overlooked in assessment and management of contaminated sediments. To optimise management limits for metal contaminated sediments, we assess the appropriateness of a range methods for modifying SQGs based on bioavailability considerations. The impairment of reproduction of the amphipod, Melita plumulosa, and harpacticoid copepod, Nitocra spinipes, was assessed for sediments contaminated with copper from antifouling paint, located below aquaculture cages. The measurement of dilute acid-extractable copper (AE-Cu) was found to provide the most useful means for monitoring the risks posed by sediment copper and setting management limits. Acid-volatile sulfide was found to be ineffective as a SQG-modifying factor as these organisms live mostly at the more oxidised sediment water interface. SQGs normalised to %-silt/organic carbon were effective, but the benefits gained were too small to justify this approach. The effectiveness of SQGs based on AE-Cu was attributed to a small portion of the total copper being present in potentially bioavailable forms (typically <10% of the total). Much of the non-bioavailable form of copper was likely present as paint flakes in the form of copper (I) oxide, the active ingredient of the antifoulant formulation. While the concentrations of paint-associated copper are very high in some sediments, as the transformation of this form of copper to AE-Cu appears slow, monitoring and management limits should assess the more bioavailable AE-Cu forms, and further efforts be made to limit the release of paint particles into the environment.