Europe-wide survey of estrogenicity in wastewater treatment plant effluents: the need for the effect-based monitoring

A pan-European monitoring campaign of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents was conducted to obtain a concise picture on a broad range of pollutants including estrogenic compounds. Snapshot samples from 75 WWTP effluents were collected and analysed for concentrations of 150 polar organic and 20 inorganic compounds as well as estrogenicity using the MVLN reporter gene assay. The effect-based assessment determined estrogenicity in 27 of 75 samples tested with the concentrations ranging from 0.53 to 17.9 ng/L of 17-beta-estradiol equivalents (EEQ). Approximately one third of municipal WWTP effluents contained EEQ greater than 0.5 ng/L EEQ, which confirmed the importance of cities as the major contamination source. Beside municipal WWTPs, some treated industrial wastewaters also exhibited detectable EEQ, indicating the importance to investigate phytoestrogens released from plant processing factories. No steroid estrogens were detected in any of the samples by instrumental methods above their limits of quantification of 10 ng/L, and none of the other analysed classes of chemicals showed correlation with detected EEQs. The study demonstrates the need of effect-based monitoring to assess certain classes of contaminants such as estrogens, which are known to occur at low concentrations being of serious toxicological concern for aquatic biota.     

Estimating the Density of Honeybee Colonies across Their Natural Range to Fill the Gap in Pollinator Decline Censuses

Abstract: Although pollinator declines are a global biodiversity threat, the demography of the western honeybee (Apis mellifera) has not been considered by conservationists because it is biased by the activity of beekeepers. To fill this gap in pollinator decline censuses and to provide a broad picture of the current status of honeybees across their natural range, we used microsatellite genetic markers to estimate colony densities and genetic diversity at different locations in Europe, Africa, and central Asia that had different patterns of land use. Genetic diversity and colony densities were highest in South Africa and lowest in Northern Europe and were correlated with mean annual temperature. Confounding factors not related to climate, however, are also likely to influence genetic diversity and colony densities in honeybee populations. Land use showed a significantly negative influence over genetic diversity and the density of honeybee colonies over all sampling locations. In Europe honeybees sampled in nature reserves had genetic diversity and colony densities similar to those sampled in agricultural landscapes, which suggests that the former are not wild but may have come from managed hives. Other results also support this idea: putative wild bees were rare in our European samples, and the mean estimated density of honeybee colonies on the continent closely resembled the reported mean number of managed hives. Current densities of European honeybee populations are in the same range as those found in the adverse climatic conditions of the Kalahari and Saharan deserts, which suggests that beekeeping activities do not compensate for the loss of wild colonies. Our findings highlight the importance of reconsidering the conservation status of honeybees in Europe and of regarding beekeeping not only as a profitable business for producing honey, but also as an essential component of biodiversity conservation.     

Coordinating links among research, standardisation and policy in support of water framework directive chemical monitoring requirements

The need for coordination among scientific and policy activities is an old debate in which respective communities have often tried to impose their views rather than reflecting on pragmatic solutions. In the last few years, however, constructive exchanges have taken place in the context of expert groups linked to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and related EU funded research projects, which have resulted in a better understanding of communication and knowledge transfer gaps. These exchanges concern not only the way research is being interfaced with water policies, but also how improved coordination could be organised regarding technical specifications linked to standardisation. This paper discusses on-going efforts to improve coordination among research, standardisation and policy in support of WFD implementation, with emphasis on chemical monitoring requirements.     

The Influence of Road Infrastructure and Traffic on Soil,Water, and Air Quality

Polluting substances are spread as a consequence of the construction and use of roads. This article provides a summary of the substances with which traffic pollutes the environment on a local, regional and global level. The mechanisms of dispersion of pollutants to soil and groundwater are described. Based on environmental quality requirements established in rules and regulations in the Netherlands, the paper discusses mitigating measures necessary to limit the distribution of pollutants along highways. Most of the data in this article come from original research carried out by or by order of the Road and Hydraulic Institute. For comparison, other data from the Netherlands have been included. It is shown that source-oriented measures (volume and technical) will have more effect on environmental quality than measures with regard to treating runoff. The use of porous asphalt instead of nonporous asphalt on highways in the Netherlands has environmental benefits. The article also pays attention to combined use of the roadside verges for treatment of runoff using ecological engineering techniques in the form of natural processes in helophyte filter systems in combination with enhancement of ecological values along highways.     

Reference materials for the monitoring of the aquatic environment--a review with special emphasis on organic priority pollutants

During recent years, the awareness of quality assurance and quality control in environmental analyses has constantly increased, especially due to the implementation of new guidelines and regulations at both the national and international level. Achieving comparable results by using certified reference materials is one of the primary concerns of the scientific community. As a result, there is a growing demand for certified reference materials to cover different matrices and pollutants. Moreover, these CRMs should be in close relationship to the determinants and target concentrations required by environmental bodies and European Directives as well. Supplementary information to this paper presents an inventory of reference materials available on the market from different suppliers against the priority pollutants listed in the Water Framework Directive. These CRMs cover matrices such as water, sediment and biota. The use of CRMs in relationship to appropriate analytical methods and relevant determinants is discussed and the need for matrix-CRMs, particularly for organic pollutants is emphasised. The use of proficiency testing schemes as an alternative for the lack of appropriate CRMs and future trends in the production of CRMs within the BCR framework are also discussed.     

Post-Emergency Epidemiological Surveillance in Iraqi-Kurdish Refugee Camps in Iran

In 1991 a computerized, comprehensive epidemiological surveillance system was developed to monitor health trends in approximately 25,000 acutely displaced Kurds in Nowsood and Saryas refugee camps, Bakhtaran region, Northwestern Iran. In addition, community-based surveys offered information unobtainable from health facilities. Weekly population movements, attack rates, point-prevalence estimates, and case fatality ratios were calculated, and the data were analysed and compared. The overall crude mortality rate (CMR) in the camps under study was still 9 times higher than the reported CMR for Iraq. Health problems with very low rates (less than 1.0/ 1,000 population/week) included the triad of measles, meningitis and tetanus. However, morbidity for the most common conditions (acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea, skin infections, eye diseases and, finally, typhoid fever) was shown to increase at the end of the intervention, highlighting that the pressure of repatriation on refugees made them progressively worse. This article concludes that epidemiological surveillance systems should be implemented during mass-migrations in developing countries also in post-emergency settings. Furthermore, surveillance appears to be indispensable in order for the international agencies to keep abreast of events and to safeguard human rights when international attention subsides.