A GIS-based approach for the long-term prediction of human health risks at contaminated sites

A Health Index/Risk Evaluation Tool (HIRET) has been developed for the integration of risk assessment and spatial planning using GIS capabilities. The method is meant to assist decision makers and site owners in the evaluation of potential human health risk with respect to land use. Human health risk defined as the potential adverse effects on human life or health is generally accepted as the most important aspect for site assessment and planning of remediation strategies. It concerns polluted sites that endanger human health on one hand and derelict land that does not cause the immediate risk on the other hand. In current state-of-the-art risk-assessment, long-term spatial and temporal changes of risks, in relation to changes in contamination patterns and land use functions, are not taken into account. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the methodology developed for human health risk assessment in aspect of spatial and temporal domain. HIRET was developed as an extension for ESRI software ArcView 3.2 and allows performing dynamic human health risk assessment in long-term period, which is relevant for land use planning. The paper illustrates how such methodology can assist in environmental decision-making to enhance the efficiency of contaminated land management. A case study of contaminated site is given showing how data can be used within a GIS framework to produce maps indicating areas of potential human health risk.     

麦田O3干沉降过程及不同沉降通道分配的模拟

利用涡度相关系统对南京地区冬小麦田和裸土期O₃干沉降过程进行观测的基础上,引入Surfatm-O₃干沉降模型,对其叶片气孔阻力（R_s^leaf）、土壤阻力（R_soil）和表面阻力（R_cut）的公式进行参数化修订和验证,开展了冬小麦主要生育期的总O₃通量（F_O3）、干沉降速率（V_d）及其不同沉降通道分配的模拟,并间接分析了土壤排放的NO与O₃的化学反应对O₃干沉降过程的影响.结果表明：冬小麦田F_O3和V_d的实测值与模拟值趋势相似,平均实测和模拟V_d值分别为0.39和0.37cm/s,模拟值比实测值低估5.3%,其中每一个独立阻力公式的模拟效果均较好.平均非气孔沉降（表面沉降和土壤沉降）是O₃干沉降主要的沉降通道,占总O₃通量的68.8%,表面沉降占非气孔沉降的46.7%;平均绿叶和黄叶气孔沉降分别占总O₃通量的28.6%和2.6%.白天非气孔沉降比例减小至占总O₃通量的58.8%,绿叶和黄叶的气孔沉降比例比值增大,分别占总O₃通量的37.7%和3.5%.夜晚表面沉降和土壤沉降分别占总O₃通量的64.3%和35.7%.土壤排放的NO会与O₃产生化学反应,对O₃干沉降过程产生影响,需要在今后的O₃干沉降模型中考虑.     

铁路运输安全的产权分析

由于我国铁路运输安全的复杂性 ,运输安全在改革过程中极有可能沦为“公地悲剧” ,对安全进行产权分析确有必要。分析了一些国家保证铁路运输安全的产权制度安排 ,如英国的“网运分离”后的私有产权路网公司完全负责制、美国的垂直一体化私有产权铁路公司负责和政府安全监管体制、瑞典的非赢利性组织管理和政府安全监管体制以及我国的垂直一体化国有垄断企业 (政府部门 )负责制。笔者认为我国铁路在改革过程中 ,不能忽视运输安全的产权问题 ,应建立适当的运输安全管制体系 ,政府更应该在确保铁路运输安全方面发挥重要作用。     

Transport and degradation of pesticides in a biopurification system under variable flux, part I: A microcosm study

The efficiency of a biopurification system, developed to treat pesticide contaminated water, is to a large extent determined by the chemical and hydraulic load. Insight into the behaviour of pesticides under different fluxes is necessary. The behaviour of metalaxyl, bentazone, linuron, isoproturon and metamitron was studied under three different fluxes with or without the presence of pesticide-primed soil in column experiments. Due to the time-dependent sorption process, retention of the pesticides with intermediate mobility was significantly influenced by the flux. The higher the flux, the slower pesticides will be sorbed, which resulted in a lower retention. Degradation of the intermediate mobile pesticides was also submissive to variations in flux. An increase in flux, led to a decrease in retention, which in turn decreased the opportunity time for biodegradation. Finally, the presence of pesticide-primed soil was only beneficial for the degradation of metalaxyl.     

A longitudinal study of the links between Local Air Quality Management and Local Transport Planning policy processes in England

The second round of the Local Transport Plan (LTP2) process in England presents unique challenges and opportunities for integrating Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) within current transport planning policy. Using content analysis of LTP2 documents from nine English authorities, and results from a questionnaire survey of local government officers undertaken in late 2007, this paper charts the changes in the integration of air quality management within the transport planning process since 1997. While substantial improvements in policy integration were observed within the selected case studies, the paper demonstrates that such improvements are often constrained by institutional complexities that create implementation gaps between national objectives and local decision-making outcomes.     

Sorption and transport of trichloroethylene in caliche soil

Sorption of TCE to the caliche soil exhibited linear isotherm at the high TCE concentrations (Co = 122-1300 mg L⁻¹) but Freundlich isotherm at the low concentration range (1-122 mg L⁻¹). Sorption strength of the carbonate fraction of the soil was about 100-fold lower than the sorption strength of soil organic matter (SOM) in the caliche soil, indicating weak affinity of TCE for the carbonate fraction of the soil. Desorption of TCE from the caliche soil was initially rapid (7.6 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹), then continued at a 100-fold slower rate (7.7 × 10⁻⁶ s⁻¹). Predominant calcium carbonate fraction of the soil (96%) was responsible for the fast desorption of TCE while the SOM fraction (0.97%) controlled the rate-limited desorption of TCE. Transport of TCE in the caliche soil was moderately retarded with respect to the water (R = 1.75-2.95). Flow interruption tests in the column experiments indicated that the rate-limited desorption of TCE controlled the non-ideal transport of TCE in the soil. Modeling studies showed that both linear and non-linear nonequilibrium transport models provided reasonably good match to the TCE breakthrough curves (r² = 0.95-0.98). Non-linear sorption had a negligible impact on both the breakthrough curve shape and the values of sorption kinetics parameters at the high TCE concentration (Co = 1300 mg L⁻¹). However, rate-limited sorption/desorption processes dominated at this concentration. For the low TCE concentration case (110 mg L⁻¹), in addition to the rate-limited sorption/desorption, contribution of the non-linear sorption to the values of sorption kinetics became fairly noticeable.     

Two-phase flow and transport in a single fracture-porous medium system

The prognosis for the remediation of contaminated fractured media is much worse than that for more homogeneous units. Fractures act as conduits for the flow of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), while diffusion is responsible for the storage of dissolved mass in the surrounding matrix. A numerical model incorporating aqueous phase transport in a variable-aperture fracture and its surrounding matrix is developed and coupled with an existing two-phase flow model. The processes of transient two-phase flow, non-equilibrium dissolution, advective–dispersive transport in the fracture, and three-dimensional matrix diffusion are included in the model. Results from various investigations show that the DNAPL distribution is very sensitive to variations in aperture within a single fracture. Diffusion-controlled mass removal from both the matrix and from the hydraulically inaccessible zones within the fracture itself result in extremely large time frames for significant mass removal from these systems. Success in aqueous phase mass removal from the matrix is very sensitive to the effective fracture spacing. The hydraulic gradient in the fracture only affects the amount of water removed from the system, and does not greatly affect the amount of time required to remove the contaminant mass from the matrix. The ability to remove mass is somewhat sensitive to the porosity and effective matrix diffusion coefficient over the range of expected values.     

Development and valuation of adaptation pathways for storm water management infrastructure

Policymakers today are faced with a difficult task of planning for large scale infrastructure that can cater to the climatic and socio-economic changes that the future will bring. To address the deeply uncertain nature resulting from long-term changes, it is becoming necessary to develop strategies that support flexibility and react more strategically than traditional planning approaches. This paper applies the concept of adaptation tipping points and adaptation pathways to a case study in Singapore for the planning of long-term urban drainage infrastructure. Using conventional grey and sustainable green solutions in isolation and in combination, adaptation pathway maps are developed and compared across outlined climatic and landuse scenarios. To understand and justify if the imparted flexibility is worth its cost, economic assessments are performed. This is a valuable extension of the existing framework, helps to identify the preferred configuration of land use and sub-select adaptation actions that should be implemented at the current time frame. The main finding of this study is that the adaptation pathways map for the sustainable grey landuse scenario economically outperforms those of the other outlined land uses. This provides a valuable insight for policy makers, as it implies that if carefully planned development is undertaken, the requirements of storm water management can be met in a sustainable manner, while simultaneously freeing up land for other purposes. This is especially important in the context of highly dense urban areas such as Singapore, where land is a scare resource.     

Degradation of tert-butyl formate and its intermediates by an ozone/UV process

In this paper, the oxidation of tert-butyl formate (TBF) in aqueous solution by an ozone/UV process was described. The oxidation process was investigated experimentally in a semibatch reactor. The results of the study indicated that the ozone/UV process was very effective in oxidizing TBF. tert-Butyl alcohol (TBA), hydroxy-iso-butyraldehyde (HiBA), acetone, formaldehyde, and formic acid were identified as major primary intermediates during the oxidation of TBF. About 90% organic carbon balance was obtained indicating that most reaction intermediates have been identified and quantified. Some of the primary intermediates were also oxidized in the ozone/UV system. Accordingly, HiBA, acetone, formaldehyde, and formic acid were the primary intermediates of TBA oxidation. The oxidation of acetone in the ozone/UV system generated formaldehyde, pyruvaldehyde, acetic acid, formic acid as primary intermediates. It was also observed that the reaction intermediates formed during the oxidation of TBF react well in the ozone/UV system and complete mineralization could be achieved by the process.     

环境雌激素生物效应的作用机制研究进展

环境雌激素(Environmental Estrogens, EEs)种类繁多、来源多样且分布广泛,大量工业添加剂、食品添加剂和农药类物质已被证实具有雌激素活性。EEs对人体生殖、神经、免疫等系统生物毒性,已经引起了公众的普遍关注。近年来的研究表明,EEs不仅可以结合雌激素核受体(nuclear Estrogen Receptor, nER)干扰正常的雌激素基因组信号通路,还能活化雌激素膜受体(membrane Estrogen Receptor, mER)引发快速的雌激素非基因组信号转导途径。本文总结了EEs通过nER、mER介导的多种雌激素基因组和非基因组信号途径及其产生的生物学效应,综述了在其毒理学作用机理基础上发展的环境样品的雌激素活性评估和EEs混合物的联合作用研究,以期为该类污染物的筛查、风险评估和进一步的机制研究提供参考。