Environmental hazard screening of a metal-polluted site using pressurized liquid extraction and two in vitro bioassays

Rapid screening methods can improve the cost effectiveness, throughput, and quality of risk assessments of contaminated sites. In the present case study, the objective was to evaluate a combination of pressurized liquid extraction and 2 in vitro bioassays for the hazard assessment of surface soil sampled from 46 points across a pyrotechnical industrial site. Pressurized liquid extraction was used to rapidly produce soil-water extracts compatible with 2 high-capacity bioassays. Hazard assessment using combined toxicological and chemical screening revealed zones with relatively high potential risks of metal pollution. Multivariate data analysis provided indications that significant inhibition in the bioassays was correlated with levels of metals in the extracts, suggesting an elevated toxic potential from certain metals. Low pH and high concentrations of dissolved organic carbon were associated with increased cytotoxicity of extracts, indicating that these factors influence metal bioavailability. The cytotoxicity observed was more strongly correlated to metal concentrations in the extracts than in the soil, suggesting that measurements of total metal concentrations in soils do not provide good indications of the soil's potential toxicity.     

Driving circumstances and accidents among novice drivers

OBJECTIVE: The study evaluated the accident risk of certain driving circumstances and driving motives among novice drivers. METHODS: Self-reported exposure and accidents according to driving circumstances and driving motives were compared between young (n = 6,847) and middle-aged (n = 942) male and female novice drivers. For young drivers, self-reported accidents were further compared to fatal accidents (n = 645) in terms of the driving conditions in which they occurred. The survey was conducted in 2002 and the questions regarding the quantity and quality of driving exposure and accidents covered the first four years of the novice drivers' driving career after licensing. Data on fatal accidents related to the period of 1990 to 2000. RESULTS: Leisure-time driving, driving just for fun, and driving with passengers and during evenings and at night was more typical for young drivers than for middle-aged drivers. For middle-aged drivers, the most typical driving was driving to or from work. Driving on errands was more typical for females than males. Nighttime driving was overrepresented in young drivers' self-reported and fatal accidents, compared to the share of young drivers' driving at night. Slippery road conditions were over-represented in young male drivers' self-reported accidents, but not in their fatal accidents, whereas for young females slippery road conditions seemed to increase the propensity of fatal accidents. CONCLUSIONS: The study concluded that some driving conditions increase the risk of certain types of accidents among certain driver groups, but not among all drivers. For example, slippery road conditions were overrepresented in young male drivers' minor (self-reported) accidents, but not in their fatal accidents. For young female drivers slippery road conditions seem to increase the propensity of fatal accidents. Driving circumstances are different in minor (self-reported) and fatal accidents. When drawing conclusions regarding accident risk, it is important to determine the seriousness of the accidents which take place.     

Soil-dependent uptake of 137Cs by mushrooms: experimental study in the Chernobyl accident areas

The influence of agrochemical properties of forest soils and growth conditions on 137Cs aggregated transfer factors from soil to different species of forest mushrooms have been analysed. Statistically significant correlations between 137Cs soil to mushroom aggregated transfer factors and agrochemical soil properties have been revealed. The experimental data show that 137Cs aggregated transfer factors depend on the mushroom's trophic group, biological family, genus and species. They also strongly depend on forest soil properties and their values can be estimated with the use of multiple regression equations constructed from agrochemical soil parameters which most closely correlate with the 137Cs transfer parameters for particular mushroom groups.     

EIA screening and nature protection in Denmark

The number of environmental impact assessment (EIA) screenings in Denmark has increased dramatically since 2000. This is a consequence of increased pig production as well as the concentration of production on larger farms. In the same period, EIA rules have developed primarily due to an increased focus on the protection of groundwater and Natura 2000 sites. In particular, the implementation of Natura 2000 in Danish legislation has increased the demands on many farms. In its rulings on appealed cases, the Nature Protection Board of Appeal has strengthened its demands, and this is mirrored in screening practices. In this paper, the demands formulated in the guidelines of local authorities were analysed in order to investigate how the protection of groundwater, coastal waters, lakes and Natura 2000 sites develops through EIA screening. It is concluded that the level of protection has improved, and that the main cause for this is not EIA regulations as such, but the positive role which the implementation of the Natura 2000 objectives has played in this development. However, it was also found that the formulation of demands varies greatly between the counties, thus often resulting in ambiguity and leaving room for quite different practices in different counties.     

Afforestation Planning and Biodiversity Conservation: Predicting Effects on Habitat Functionality in Lithuania

Habitat re-creation is one of the multiple faces of biodiversity restoration and encompasses the attempts to reconstruct an ecosystem on severely disturbed sites with little left to restore. Afforestation of abandoned or marginal agricultural land is an important tool for the re-creation of forest ecosystems and re-establishment of functional habitat networks for the maintenance of biodiversity. This study was performed in the context of the Danish-Lithuanian project ‘Afforestation of abandoned agricultural land based on sustainable land use planning and environmentally sound forest management’. The study assessed how habitat re-creation as designed in alternative afforestation plans for two administrative regions in Lithuania will affect the functionality of the landscapes for bird species of conservation concern. Spatial analysis of the forest cover was performed under existing and proposed conditions using general landscape ecological principles concerning core and edge habitats as well as nearest-neighbour metrics. The results show that the use of general criteria may result in proportionally negative changes in the availability of some forest habitats relative to changes in total forest cover, thus leading to less significant improvements in the habitats of many naturally occurring (and even protected) species compared to what would be expected from changes in forest cover alone. To solve this dilemma it is suggested that the requirements of focal species and quantitative conservation objectives should be considered in a spatially explicit – each main forest type. It is concluded that to ensure functionality of habitat networks, knowledge and experience from the fields of landscape ecology and conservation biology should be more commonly incorporated into afforestation planning.     

EIA as Regulation: Does it Work?

Since its introduction into Danish planning in 1989, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been widely discussed. At the centre of the debate the question has been whether EIA has actually offered anything new and there has been a great deal of scepticism about the efficacy of the instrument. Although, in principle EIA offers a holistic and proactive methodology, it does not seem to lead to a more holistic and proactive regulation which covers more ground than traditional planning and environmental regulation. In an evaluation of Danish experiences, this study has looked more closely at the effects of EIA. Three types of effects on projects have been examined: changes occurring prior to the formal application; changes during the EIA process; and the mitigation measures that are demanded of projects. The general conclusion is that EIA does generate a significant number of changes to projects. In approximately half of the cases studied, modifications are made prior to the formal application. During the formal EIA process, modifications were made in more than 90% of the cases. However, most of these could be considered as minor. EIA is characterized by being based upon a broad concept of the environment. It was found that a progressive narrowing of the concept of environment takes place during the course of the EIA process.     

土壤中污染物迁移模型在油田环境影响评价中的应用

在石油的生产、运输、贮存以及炼制等过程中都存在泄油、漏油风险,各生产过程中的废弃物,如油类、重金属等各种化学物质也会危害水土环境,进而危及当地地下水源。文章分析了油田企业污染物对土壤及地下水的主要污染途径,提出了将污染物在土壤中的迁移模型用于预测污染物浓度的方法。建立了污染物由土壤迁至室内空气、地下水、农作物及由地下水转移到地表水的迁移数学模型,该模型可以运用于油田环境影响评价。     

落叶林在瑞典针叶林区乡村中的分布

在自然林火不再发生的同时,人们为了促进针叶树木的生长清除了落叶树种,并人为地将丰饶的森林变成了农地,由此,欧洲北部原有的针叶林景观发生了很大变化,一些地区的落叶林成分大大减少.然而,在乡村中落叶树种和落叶林得以保存下来,在一些弃耕的农田中也通过自然更新产生了新的落叶林木.我们在研究中做出以下假设,不同地区落叶林目前的分布格局与乡村中农业区和非农业区的分布相关,这种分布的形成又与当地的自然条件和以土地利用变化的形式表现的近期经济发展密切相关.我们的研究对象包括了瑞典北方针叶林和半北方针叶林区域中的6个地点--北博滕(Norrbotten)、翁厄曼兰(Angermanland)、耶姆特兰(Jamtland)、达拉纳(Dalarna)、Bergslagen和斯莫兰(Smaland),分析了乡村内农业区和非农业区中落叶林的空间分布.在每个地区,选择了6个以乡村为中心的5×5km样带.研究结果表明,在不同地区乡村中的不同景观区域,落叶林的分布和组成存在着明显差异.从单个乡村来看,翁厄曼兰中DEC(即落叶林成分)所占的比例平均最高(17%),而耶姆特兰则最低(2%).然而,农业区内和非农业区内DEC的数量却存在着规律性的地区差异,DEC在南方农业区内(斯莫兰)所占的比例最高,北方通常很低.对比之下,非农业区内DEC的数量在北方最高.相对较多的DEC出现在农业大量减少的地区的森林边缘地带(翁厄曼兰、达拉纳、Bergslagen).由于乡村在与落叶林有关的生物多样性中有着重要作用,因此本项研究的结果表明了对整个景观中的落叶林进行综合管理的必要性.通过本项研究,我们还可以看到卫星遥感数据可用于分析景观尺度上落叶树木和林分的空间分布.为了进行更为深入的研究,我们需要改进的专题分辨率以区分落叶林具相关生物特性意义的林分质量.     

Studies of Np and Pu in the marine environment of Swedish-Danish waters and the North Atlantic Ocean

The long-lived anthropogenic radionuclides (237)Np, (239)Pu and (240)Pu were determined in marine environmental samples (seaweed and seawater) collected from Swedish-Danish waters and the North Atlantic Ocean at various locations on different occasions during the period 1991-2001. The measurements were performed with sector field Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and conventional alpha spectrometry. The (237)Np activity concentrations in Fucus vesiculosus and surface seawater from the Swedish west coast and Danish waters ranged from 0.16+/-0.02 to 1.02+/-0.09 mBq kg(-1) (dry weight) and 0.65+/-0.02 to 1.69+/-0.02 mBq m(-3), respectively, depending on the location and sampling year. Most of the (237)Np in these waters is believed to originate from the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant, with some contribution from global fallout. The (240)Pu/(239)Pu atomic ratios in F. vesiculosus samples are reported in this study with an overall average of 0.17+/-0.03. The (237)Np and (239)Pu activity concentrations observed in surface seawater collected in North Atlantic waters ranged from 0.16+/-0.01 to 0.62+/-0.08 mBq m(-3) and from 0.64+/-0.05 to 4.27+/-0.08 mBq m(-3), respectively, and the (237)Np/(239)Pu atomic ratios were a good indicator of conservative behaviour of Np in marine waters.