Incompatible Land Uses and the Topology of Cumulative Risk

The extensive literature on environmental justice has, by now, well defined the essential ingredients of cumulative risk, namely, incompatible land uses and vulnerability. Most problematic is the case when risk is produced by a large aggregation of small sources of air toxics. In this article, we test these notions in an area of Southern California, Southeast Los Angeles (SELA), which has come to be known as Asthmatown. Developing a rapid risk mapping protocol, we scan the neighborhood for small potential sources of air toxics and find, literally, hundreds of small point sources within a 2-mile radius, interspersed with residences. We also map the estimated cancer risks and noncancer hazard indices across the landscape. We find that, indeed, such large aggregations of even small, nondominant sources of air toxics can produce markedly elevated levels of risk. In this study, the risk profiles show additional cancer risks of up to 800 in a million and noncancer hazard indices of up to 200 in SELA due to the agglomeration of small point sources. This is significant (for example, estimates of the average regional point-source-related cancer risk range from 125 to 200 in a million). Most importantly, if we were to talk about the risk contour as if they were geological structures, we would observe not only a handful of distinct peaks, but a general “mountain range” running all throughout the study area, which underscores the ubiquity of risk in SELA. Just as cumulative risk has deeply embedded itself into the fabric of the place, so, too, must intervention seek to embed strategies into the institutions and practices of SELA. This has implications for advocacy, as seen in a recently initiated participatory action research project aimed at building health research capacities into the community in keeping with an ethic of care.     

Institutions, Forest Management, and Sustainable Human Development – Experiences from India

New institutional economists have argued that there are many categories of institutions, including market and non-market institutions, which may prove economically efficient, specifically for public goods and common pool goods. The Government of India introduced a non-market community-based institution, known as Joint Forest Management (JFM), for forest management and protection in 1990. JFM is a sharing mechanism for forest planning and management based on sharing of rights and duties, control and decision-making authority over forestlands, between forest departments and local user groups. By 2001, 42 000 Village Forest Committees established under JFM were managing over 11.5 million ha forestland. These institutions have proved very useful, and have contributed to forest management as well as four aspects of sustainable human development (SHD) – ecological output, income generation, village infrastructure development, and community empowerment. In the long-term, community-based institutions will prove to be a foundation of SHD and participatory democracy.     

大型海藻与赤潮微藻以及赤潮微藻之间的相互作用研究

研究了2种大型海藻石莼(Ulva pertusa)和江蓠(Gracilaria lemaneiformis)对2种赤潮微藻:东海原甲藻(Prorocentrumdonghaiense)和塔玛亚历山大藻(Alexandum tamarense)生长的影响以及2种微藻之间的相互作用,结果发现:①在大藻(石莼或江蓠)-微藻(东海原甲藻或塔玛亚历山大藻)的共培养体系中,石莼和江蓠均能明显影响与其共培养的微藻的生长,石莼对微藻生长的影响强于江蓠的作用.②在东海原甲藻-塔玛亚历山大藻的双藻培养体系中,东海原甲藻的生长受到明显的抑制作用,最终被完全灭杀;体系中塔玛亚历山大藻的生长未受到明显的影响.另外,塔玛亚历山大藻的培养液滤液能明显抑制东海原甲藻的生长,但东海原甲藻滤液对塔玛亚历山大藻的生长几乎没有影响.实验室条件下模拟二者相互作用的结果显示,塔玛亚历山大藻对东海原甲藻的抑制作用是其被后者抑制作用的17倍左右.③在大藻(石莼或江蓠)-东海原甲藻-塔玛亚历山大藻的多藻培养体系中,东海原甲藻和塔玛亚历山大藻的生长变化与它们在共培养体系中的变化非常类似.半数致死时间(LT50)法的检测结果显示:多藻培养体系对东海原甲藻的联合作用是协同作用,而对塔玛亚历山大藻的作用是相加作用.     

超限结构无缝法施工在污水处理工程中的应用

介绍了一种在超限混凝土结构中取消伸缩缝或增大伸缩缝最大间距的新型施工方法——超限混凝土结构无缝法施工。论述无缝法施工的原理及膨胀加强带的设置,探讨UEA膨胀混凝土的配制,在实践的基础上总结了无缝法施工的方法、注意事项及优点。     

普光高含硫气田企地三级应急联动模式研究和运用

普光气田属于高含硫气田,一旦发生事故对周边危害极大,该域地形复杂,山高路险,道路狭窄,人口密集,不利于疏散,普光应急管理模式面临挑战.为了解决这一难题,普光气田采用企地三级应急联动模式,旨在紧密联系企业和地方的应急疏散管理,明确应急疏散领导小组及职责,规定居民疏散信号、路线和安全集合点.通过培训与演练,本方案能够提高企地协同作战的应急疏散能力,最大限度地减少事件造成的人员伤亡、财产损失和社会危害.     

综合拉底、扩漏和出矿全过程的底部结构安全性颗粒流模拟技术研究

为探明自然崩落法从拉底崩落至出矿全过程中底部结构节理连续扩展过程与破坏过程规律，采用PFC2D软件，结合RocLab软件反演节理岩体参数，建立229 m×129 m的岩体扩大模型，对拉底崩落至出矿过程进行连续综合计算。研究结果表明:模拟结果及破坏现象与现场监测结果相近，建模与细观参数反演方法适用于该类岩体工程研究；裂纹扩展贯通导致岩体失稳破坏，破坏过程与裂纹扩展具有相对应的阶段特征，裂纹扩展分为崩落前稳定扩展期，崩落与聚矿槽开挖过程加速扩展期和后续持续扩展期；结构破坏分为蕴育过程，扰动失稳过程和宏观破坏过程；较大范围的宏观破坏主要在出矿阶段。该模拟方法与结果可为底部结构维护以及节理岩体长期稳定性研究提供参考。     

硝基芳烃对虹鳉鱼(Poecilia reticulata)的毒性

主要研究了2,6-二硝基甲苯(2,6-DNT)和4-硝基甲苯(4-NT)两种硝基芳烃对虹鳉鱼的急性毒性、亚急性毒性及联合毒性效应,旨在为渔业水质标准的制定与完善提供可靠的科学依据。研究表明,2,6-DNT的急性毒性大于4-NT,二者的96 h LC50值分别为(25.22±0.19)mg/L和(60.26±0.09)mg/L;亚急性毒性研究中,两种化合物的各种质量浓度在40天内,对试验动物的生长有不同程度的影响;应用Marking相加指数法评价二者的联合毒性,结果表明其联合毒性为协同。     

等浓度配比法研究苯酚、硝基苯和问硝基苯胺对发光菌的联合毒性作用

分别测定了苯酚、硝基苯和间硝基苯胺对发光菌的单一毒性，以及等浓度配比和等毒性配比的二元及三元混合体系的联合毒性，采用相加指数法对其联合效应进行了评价。结果表明，等浓度比和等毒性比混合体系的联合作用结果一致：苯酚＋间硝基苯胺二元体系为协同作用，其他各体系为相加作用。为简化联合毒性实验方法，建议在研究相关系列化合物的联合毒性作用机制中，可采用等浓度配比方法。     

The SeKT joint research project: definition of reference conditions, control sediments and toxicity thresholds for limnic sediment contact tests

- In current biotest approaches, intact organisms or in vitro systems are exposed to sediments using different exposure scenarios. The most important issue in sediment toxicity testing protocols is the question which test phase (solid or liquid) should be used. Whole-sediment exposure protocols represent the most realistic scenario to simulate in situ exposure conditions in the laboratory. However, until now there is no agreement in how to acquire and to evaluate the data of the various available sediment contact assays. The SeKT joint research project was initiated with the aim to compare recently developed sediment contact assays by addressing reference conditions, control sediments and toxicity thresholds for limnic sediment contact tests.     

Concentrations and trends of benzene in ambient air over New York State during 1990–2003

Since 1990s, a systematic program to measure air toxics has been active in New York State with monitors located both in urban and rural areas. In this study we examined the spatial and temporal characteristics of benzene, a known human carcinogen that is emitted by many source categories. The analysis indicates that ambient concentration levels of benzene have decreased by as much as 60% over this period not only in the ozone non-attainment area of New York City that had the reformulated gas (RFG) requirements, but also over the rest of the state as well. Although the rate of decrease appears to have flattened out in recent years, the annual average concentration levels are found to be above the health risk threshold even at the remote location, Whiteface Mountain, suggesting the need for further reductions in benzene emissions.