Baseline values for metals in soils on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica: the extent of anthropogenic pollution

Metal contents (Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, and Zn) have been measured in 30 surface soils on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica, yielding values (in milligrams kilogram(-1)) of 41.57-80.65 (Zn), 2.76-60.52 (Pb), 0.04-0.34 (Cd), 7.18-25.03 (Ni), 43,255-70,534 (Fe), 449-1,401 (Mn), 17.10-64.90 (Cr), 1,440-25,684 (Mg), 10,941-49,354 (Ca), 51.10-176.50 (Cu), 4,388-12,707 (Ti), 28,038-83,849 (Al), and for Hg (in nanograms gram(-1)) 0.01-0.06. Relative cumulative frequency analysis was used to determine the baseline values for the 13 metals. Compared with adjacent areas in Antarctica, Mg and Ni are significantly lower, but Cu is significantly higher than that of McMurdo Station. Enrichment factor analysis and the geo-accumulation index method were applied in order to determine the extent of anthropogenic contamination, and both show that Pb, Cd, and Hg have been significantly increased by human activities. Principal component analysis was used to identify the sources of metals in these soil samples.     

Probability of intellectual disability is associated with soil concentrations of arsenic and lead

Background

The association between metals in water and soil and adverse child neurologic outcomes has focused on the singular effect of lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As). This study describes the complex association between soil concentrations of As combined with Pb and the probability of intellectual disability (ID) in children.

Methods

We used a retrospective cohort design with 3988 mother child pairs who were insured by Medicaid and lived during pregnancy and early childhood in South Carolina between 1/1/97 and 12/31/02. The children were followed until 6/1/08, using computerized service files, to identify the diagnosis of ID in medical records and verified by either school placement or disability service records. The soil was sampled using a uniform grid and analyzed for eight metals. The metal concentrations were interpolated using Bayesian Kriging to estimate concentration at individual residences.

Results

The probability of ID increased for increasing concentrations of As and Pb in the soil. The Odds Ratio for ID, for one unit change in As was 1.130 (95% confidence interval 1.048-1.218) for Pb was 1.002 (95% confidence interval 1.000-1.004). We identified effect modification for the infants based on their birth weight for gestational age status and only infants who were normal size for their gestational age had increased probability of ID based on the As and Pb soil concentrations (OR for As at normal weight for gestational age = 1.151 (95% CI: 1.061-1.249) and OR for Pb at normal for gestational age = 1.002 (95% CI: 1.002-1.004)). For normal weight for gestational age children when As = 22 mg kg⁻¹ and Pb = 200 mg kg⁻¹ the risk for ID was 11% and when As = 22 mg kg⁻¹and Pb = 400 mg kg⁻¹ the probability of ID was 65%.

Conclusion

The probability of ID is significantly associated with the interaction between Pb and As for normal weight for gestational age infants.     

Insight into metal binding properties of biochar-derived DOM using EEM-PARAFAC and differential absorption spectra combined with two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A large amount of biochar-derived dissolved organic matter (BDOM) will be released into the environment with biochars application into repairing...     

Nitrogen removal performance and bacterial communities in zeolite trickling filter under different influent C/N ratios

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In this study, the degradation performance of nutrients in zeolite trickling filter (ZTF) with different influent C/N ratios and aeration conditions...     

Migration and transformation of heavy metals in hyperaccumulators during the thermal treatment: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The pollution of heavy metals (HMs) in the soil has become one of the important factors affecting the national environment and human health....     

Removal of SO2 from smelting flue gas by using copper tailings with MnSO4: factors optimization by response surface methodology

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The abatement of SO2 and the utilization of copper tailings are identified as two attention-attracting environmental issues in the copper smelter. In...     

滇池水葫芦规模化控养生态环境效应分析

水葫芦规模化控养是"十二五"期间滇池治理的重要措施之一。首先介绍了滇池水葫芦规模化控养现状,比较了滇池草海和外海在水葫芦控养前后水质的变化情况,指出滇池水葫芦规模化控养对草海水体生态恢复效果显著,可以在滇池选择适宜水葫芦生长的水域继续扩大水葫芦控养面积,使水葫芦在滇池生态治理中发挥更大的作用。     

Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 containing anatase nanoparticles and rutile nanoflower structure consisting of nanorods

A series of TiO2 with different crystal phases and morphologies was synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process using titanium nbutoxide and concentrated hydrochloric acid as raw materials. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by degradation of Methyl Orange in aqueous solution under UV-Visible light irradiation. On the basis of detailed analysis of the characterizing results of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement, it was concluded that the photo-activity of the catalyst is related directly to the 3D morphology and the crystal phase composition. An excellent catalyst should have both a futile 3D flower-like structure and anatase granulous particles. The 3D flower-like structure could enhance light harvesting, as well as the transfer of reactant molecules from bulk solution to the reactive sites on TiO2. In addition, the optimum anatase/rutile phase ratio was found to be 80：20, which is beneficial to the effective separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs.     

Electrochemical and spectroscopic characteristics of dissolved organic matter in a forest soil profile

Dissolved organic matter （DOM） represents one of the most mobile and reactive organic compounds in ecosystem and plays an important role in the fate and transport of soil organic pollutants, nutrient cycling and more importantly global climate change. Electrochemical methods were first employed to evaluate DOM redox properties, and spectroscopic approaches were utilized to obtain information concerning its composition and structure. DOM was extracted from a forest soil profile with five horizons. Differential pulse voltammetry indicated that there were more redox-active moieties in the DOM from upper horizons than in that from lower horizons. Cyclic voltammetry further showed that these moieties were reversible in electron transfer. Chronoamperometry was employed to quantify the electron transfer capacity of DOM, including electron acceptor capacity and electron donor capacity, both of which decreased sharply with increasing depth. FT-IR, UV-Vis and fluorescence spectra results suggested that DOM from the upper horizons was enriched with aromatic and humic structures while that from the lower horizons was rich in aliphatic carbon, which supported the findings obtained by electrochemical approaches. Electrochemical approaches combined with spectroscopic methods were applied to evaluate the characteristics of DOM extracted along a forest soil profile. The electrochemical properties of DOM, which can be rapidly and simply obtained, provide insight into the migration and transformation of DOM along a soil profile and will aid in better understanding of the biogeochemical role of DOM in natural environments.