Ammonia effects on microinvertebrates and fish in outdoor experimental streams

Laboratory data on ammonia effects, the US EPA national water quality criteria for ammonia, and ammonia site-specific criteria were evaluated in four outdoor experimental streams (one control and three treatment streams) over a 76-week period. Calculated un-ionised ammonia concentrations varied daily and seasonally according to pH and temperature changes. Populations of four major microinvertebrate taxonomic groups (cladocerans, copepods, rotifers and protozoans) were monitored during a 4-week period early in the study, and six fish species (fathead minnows, bluegills, channel catfish, white suckers, walleyes, and rainbow trout) were tested for various time intervals, from 4 to 26 weeks, throughout the 76-week study period. Copepods and rotifers were unaffected in all three treatment streams, based on comparisons with the control stream. Cladoceran and protozoan populations were reduced in at least two treatment streams, but because of large variability, effects were considered to be inconclusive. However, complete mortality of cladocerans did occur in the high and medium treatments when placed in in situ biomonitor chambers. All six fish species were affected in one or more treatments. Generally, the fish effect values agreed with most laboratory effect values. Of 12 fish groups tested, one channel catfish group and one white sucker group were affected below the recommended protection levels of the national and site-specific criteria. The lowest effect concentrations tested for the other ten groups occurred above the criteria levels.     

Unavailability of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons from coal particles to the eastern oyster

The accumulation by oysters of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from coal dust entering the estuarine environment has been postulated in the vicinity of coal transfer operations. Oysters Crassostrea virginica were exposed to coal dust plus 15 day leachate at concentrations of 10 mg litre(-1) and 1 mg litre(-1) coal dust for 28 days in a flow-through test system. Potential effects of the exposures were measured by comparing the uptake of PAH and the growth of the exposed animals versus control groups. Oysters sampled at 7, 14 and 28 days did not exhibit an increase in PAH body burden over control animals provided the guts were first purged of particulates. Even at the high test concentrations (10 mg litre(-1)), no effect of the exposure on shell growth was observed.     

The effect of pH and dissolved oxygen levels on methylation and partitioning of mercury in freshwater model systems

Radio-labelled mercury, 203HgCl2, was added to water overlying sediment in freshwater model systems. The partitioning of 203Hg between water, sediment and air and the concentration of methyl 203Hg in the water did not differ significantly between systems with a water pH of 5.8+/-0.07 and 6.6+/-0.05. When the systems were made anaerobic and microbial activity was stimulated by the addition of tryptic soybroth (TSB), the level of methyl 203Hg in the water increased by two orders of magnitude. There was also an increase in the concentration of total 203Hg in the water, which was greater than the increase in methyl 203Hg, indicating release of both methyl 203Hg and other 203Hg species from sediment to water. In the systems that were kept aerobic, there was no increase in either total or methyl 203Hg in the water after stimulating the microbial activity with TSB. However, volatilization of 203Hg increased, which was not the case in the anaerobic systems.     

Photocatalytic degradation of formaldehyde containing wastewater from veterinarian laboratories

The photocatalytic destruction of methanol, formaline (mixture of formaldehyde, methanol and water) and formaline wastes from the preservation of vertinarian physiologic samples has been attempted by two different processes, at high concentrations of reagents and by dossification of reagents, varying pH in both. Experiment evolution has been monitored by measuring the organic matter such as TOC and formaldehyde concentrations [H2CO]. Also, methanol and methanol-formaldehyde interactions with the TiO2 surface have been analysed by FTIR spectroscopy. Results indicate that at high concentrations the catalyst surfacial alterations given by methoxy, formates or carbonates, according to the pH of the sample can profoundly affect catalyst behaviour. It has been established that reagent dossification is advantageous for enhancing photonic efficiency as it minimizes the adsorbate presence that hampers the photocatalytic process.     

Bioaccumulation of PCBs in the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis from seawater, sediment and food pathways

The cuttlefish Sepia officinalis was selected as a model cephalopod to study PCB bioaccumulation via seawater, sediments and food. Newly hatched, juvenile cuttlefish were exposed for 17 days to environmentally realistic concentrations of (14)C-labeled 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB#153) (18 ng PCB l(-1) seawater; 30 ng PCB g(-1) dry wt sediments; Artemia salina exposed to 18 ng PCB l(-1) seawater). Accumulation of PCB#153 was followed in three body compartments: digestive gland, cuttlebone and the combined remaining tissues. Results showed that (1) uptake kinetics were source- and body compartment-dependent, (2) for each body compartment, the accumulation was far greater when S. officinalis was exposed via seawater, (3) the cuttlebone accumulated little of the contaminant regardless of the source, and (4) the PCB congener showed a similar distribution pattern among the different body compartments following exposure to contaminated seawater, sediment or food with the lowest concentrations in the cuttlebone and the highest in the remaining tissues. The use of radiotracer techniques allowed delineating PCB kinetics in small whole organisms as well as in their separate tissues. The results underscore the enhanced ability of cephalopods to concentrate organic pollutants such as PCBs, and raise the question of potential risk to their predators in contaminated areas.     

Organochlorine compounds in soils and sediments of the mountain Andean Lakes

Semi-volatile organochlorine compounds (OC) were analyzed in remote Andean soils and lake sediments. The sampling sites covered a wide latitudinal gradient from 18 degrees S to 46 degrees S along Chile and an altitudinal gradient (10-4500 m). The concentrations were in the order of background levels, involving absence of major pollution sources in the high mountain areas. Significant correlations were found between log-transformed concentrations of hexachlorobenzene, alpha- and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane in soils and total organic content (TOC). In addition, TOC-normalized concentrations of the most volatile OC showed a significant linear dependence with air temperature. This good agreement points to temperature as a significant factor for the retention of long range transported OC in remote ecosystems such as the Andean mountains, although other variables should not be totally excluded. The highest concentrations of OCs were achieved in the sites located at highest altitude and lowest temperature of the dataset.     

Simulation of the evolution of particle size distributions in a vehicle exhaust plume with unconfined dilution by ambient air

Over the past several years, numerous studies have linked ambient concentrations of particulate matter (PM) to adverse health effects, and more recent studies have identified PM size and surface area as important factors in determining the health effects of PM. This study contributes to a better understanding of the evolution of particle size distributions in exhaust plumes with unconfined dilution by ambient air. It combines computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with an aerosol dynamics model to examine the effects of different streamlines in an exhaust plume, ambient particle size distributions, and vehicle and wind speed on the particle size distribution in an exhaust plume. CFD was used to calculate the flow field and gas mixing for unconfined dilution of a vehicle exhaust plume, and the calculated dilution ratios were then used as input to the aerosol dynamics simulation. The results of the study show that vehicle speed affected the particle size distribution of an exhaust plume because increasing vehicle speed caused more rapid dilution and inhibited coagulation. Ambient particle size distributions had an effect on the smaller sized particles (approximately 10 nm range under some conditions) and larger sized particles (>2 microm) of the particle size distribution. The ambient air particle size distribution affects the larger sizes of the exhaust plume because vehicle exhaust typically contains few particles larger than 2 microm. Finally, the location of a streamline in the exhaust plume had little effect on the particle size distribution; the particle size distribution along any streamline at a distance x differed by less than 5% from the particle size distributions along any other streamline at distance x.     

An evaluation of olive-tree bark for the biological monitoring of airborne trace-elements at ground level

There is a need to start looking into the possibility of tree bark for biomonitoring. Bark from olive trees (Olea europaea Linn.) has been collected over an area in northwestern Portugal, featuring a blend of rural lands, industrial towns and coastal environments. Samples were analysed through INAA and PIXE for their elemental contents. Results from both techniques were reconciled and then compared with an extensive database on 46 trace elements in Parmelia spp. thalli from the same sites and mostly from the very bark substrates. Distribution-free, nonparametric statistics show that, despite signal magnitude, variation patterns of bark and lichen concentrations follow one another in a most significant way. Selected elements in bark also correlate to a superior extent. As far as this investigation goes, there is no reason whatsoever for discarding bark as an alternative to lower epiphytes.     

Removal of hydrocarbons from wastewater using treated bark

This paper explores the possibility of removing hydrocarbons (HCs) and trace elements from synthetic and industrial effluents using treated bark as biosorbent. Coniferous bark was treated either chemically (Tc) or biologically (Tb) to eliminate soluble organic compounds of bark. The removal efficiency (RE) of the HCs from a synthetic oil-water mixture containing spent diesel motor oil exceeds 95% using 2 g/L of treated bark mixed with a synthetic oil-water mixture containing 2 g/L of spent oil. Under these conditions, the retention capacity (RC) was approximately 1 g HC/g dry substrate. The sorption reaction seems to be quasi-instantaneous, and the retention capacity of spent oil on treated bark increases as the temperature augments. This implies that the retention mechanism is related to the capillary action. Results of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicate that spent oil is mainly composed of alkanes. They also suggest that no chemical bonds between Tc and spent oil were established. Measurement of the surface tension of spent oil and the wetting index of the bark suggests that only spent oil will be retained by the substrate. Treatment of an industrial effluent containing 14.4 g/L of total HCs was performed using Tc. It was possible to remove 97% of HCs and retain some trace elements such as Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, S, and so on.     

Das neue Chemikalienprogramm von UNEP Chemicals

Zusammenfassung  UNEP International Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals (IRPTC) wurde von der ersten VN-Umweltkonferenz 1972 geschaffen. Sein Einfu? und Zusammenwirken in den 80ziger Jahren mit anderen internationalen Programmen der WHO, FAO, OECD und EG in der Chemikalienkontrolle wird beschrieben. Nach dem Erdgipfel von Rio 1992 werden im VN-Rahmen drei neue Gremien gebildet, die das Fachprogramm des Kapitels 19 der Agenda 21 (umweltfreundliches Chemikalienmanagement) umsetzen sollen: die United nations Commission of Sustainable Development, das Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety und das Interorganization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals. Der Erdgipfel brachte auch für IRPTC eine Neuorientierung. Seit 1996 hat UNEP Chemicals, wie sich IRPTC nunmehr nennt, drei Aufgaben in sein Arbeitsprogramm aufgenommen, die beschrieben werden: das internationale übereinkommen zum Prior Informed Consent, das internationale übereinkommen zur Kontrolle der Persistent Organic Pollutants, und schlie?lich sein traditionelles Arbeitsgebiet des Informations-austausches über Stoffe wird weitergeführt.

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