Evidence for short-range transport of atmospheric mercury to a rural,inland site

Atmospheric mercury (Hg) species, including gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) and particulate-bound mercury (Hg_p), were monitored near three sites, including a cement plant (monitored in 2007 and 2008), an urban site and a rural site (both monitored in 2005 and 2008). Although the cement plant was a significant source of Hg emissions (for 2008, GEM: 2.20 ± 1.39 ng m^?3, RGM: 25.2 ± 52.8 pg m^?3, Hg_p 80.8 ± 283 pg m^?3), average GEM levels and daytime average dry depositional RGM flux were highest at the rural site, when all three sites were monitored sequentially in 2008 (rural site, GEM: 2.37 ± 1.26 ng m^?3, daytime RGM flux: 29 ± 40 ng m^?2 day^?1). Photochemical conversion of GEM was not the primary RGM source, as highest net RGM gains (75.9 pg m^?3, 99.0 pg m^?3, 149 m^?3) occurred within 3.0–5.3 h, while the theoretical time required was 14–23 h. Instead, simultaneous peaks in RGM, Hg_p, ozone (O₃), nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide in the late afternoon suggested short-range transport of RGM from the urban center to the rural site. The rural site was located more inland, where the average water vapor mixing ratio was lower compared to the other two sites (in 2008, rural: 5.6 ± 1.4 g kg^?1, urban: 9.0 ± 1.1 g kg^?1, cement plant: 8.3 ± 2.2 g kg^?1). Together, these findings suggested short-range transport of O₃ from an urban area contributed to higher RGM deposition at the rural site, while drier conditions helped sustain elevated RGM levels. Results suggested less urbanized environments may be equally or perhaps more impacted by industrial atmospheric Hg emissions, compared to the urban areas from where Hg emissions originated.     

Assessing the removal of inorganic colloids and Cryptosporidium parvum from drinking water

A new batch device that simulates the conditions in water and wastewater treatment plants and enables the study of low-concentration feeds is described. The application of this apparatus to the monitoring of the concentration of inorganic and/or biological contaminants is demonstrated, using kaolin particles and Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, respectively. The rate of inorganic particle attachment to the static medium is found to be directly proportional to the initial influent concentration. On the other hand, Cryptosporidium parvum removal is found to be more effective in the presence of additional (kaolin) particles, and this is attributed to electrostatic interactions between oppositely charged layers on the absorbing medium. Accordingly, the addition of humic materials is found to inhibit the removal process, possibly by neutralizing the positive charge on the kaolin particles. The relevance of these results to existing water purification processes in general and to risk assessment of microbiological contamination in particular is discussed.     

Case study: Honda of America Manufacturing,Inc.: Can lean production practices increase environmental performance?

This article covers the strategic, organizational, and operational decisions involved in one automobile manufacturer's efforts to balance its goals of productivity and high quality with the more elusive goal of environmental responsibility. The case material is based on the real-life experiences of Honda of America's two manufacturing plants in East Liberty and Marysville, Ohio. The case unfolds as the environmental manager in charge of the two plants faces the pending visit of her corporate boss from Tokyo, who has made it clear that environmental issues are of growing importance in Honda's overall direction. ISO 14000, the new environmental quality standards being adopted by some other manufacturers, serves as a focusing issue for the environmental manager's thinking, but this issue is really representative of a wider challenge facing the Ohio plants: balancing Honda's core mission of producing the best cars at the lowest cost possible, and being a responsible actor in the environmental arena. Complicating this challenge, the environmental manager has to negotiate another tension common in global manufacturing firms today: balancing the influence of Honda's corporate headquarters in Japan with the local and regional context at its American plant sites.     

Metal exposure and breast cancer among Northern Mexican women: assessment of genetic susceptibility

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study aims to assess breast cancer (BC) association with metals and whether polymorphisms in CYP1A1, CYP1B1, GSTM1 and GSTT1 act as confounders...