Geochemistry of a septic-system plume in a coastal barrier bar, Point Pelee, Ontario, Canada

The major ion and trace metal geochemistry of a septic system plume in a shallow sand aquifer was characterized to assess geochemical processes controlling the transport of nutrients and their release to a nearby wetland. The plume was generated from a 16-year-old tile bed, and is more than 60 m long, 40 m wide and 7 m thick. The groundwater pH at the site is near neutral, but up to 0.4 units lower in the plume core as a result of H⁺ generated from NH₃ and DOC oxidation in the unsaturated zone. The plume can be divided into distinct redox zones, which show differences in nutrient mobility. Proximal to the tile bed, there is a shallow suboxic zone, with intermediate Eh values (>400 mV), low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (<1.0 mg/l), and elevated concentrations of Mn (1–3 mg/l) and nutrients (10–80 mg/l NO₃–N, 1–15 mg/l NH₃–N, 0.1–1.5 mg/l PO₄–P, 6–13 mg/l dissolved organic carbon). At the base of the aquifer, there is a reduced zone (Eh<200 mV) with elevated concentrations of Fe (1–14 mg/l), PO₄ and NH₃, but negligible concentrations of NO₃ (<0.01 mg/l N). Distal from the tile bed, the shallow groundwater is suboxic to oxic, and has elevated concentrations of NO₃ and NH_3, but negligible PO₄. In the lower reduced zone, elevated concentrations of PO₄ occur up to 60 m away. The release of groundwater containing even very low concentrations of PO₄ (<0.02 mg/l P) can lead to the development of eutrophic conditions in surface water bodies. Geochemical calculations indicate that, in the Mn-rich zone, the groundwater is close to saturation or supersaturated with respect to hydroxyapatite, rhodochrosite, calcite and ferrihydrite. In the reduced zone, the groundwater is close to saturation or supersaturated with respect to hydroxyapatite, vivianite, calcite and siderite. Formation of these phases, or related phases, are likely limiting the concentrations of dissolved PO₄, Fe and Mn and controlling the geochemical evolution of the plume.     

纳米氧化锌对大型溞肠道组织毒性效应及机理研究

研究了不同浓度纳米氧化锌（ZnONP）及其在水中释放的对应浓度的Zn²⁺溶液对大型溞（Daphnia magna）肠道组织显微和亚显微结构的影响,探讨了ZnONP对大型溞的肠道组织毒性效应特征和作用机理.结果表明,0.3 mg·L^-1-Zn²⁺组（Zn²⁺浓度0.170 mg·L^-1）和0.3 mg·L^-1 ZnONP溶液皆对大型溞的肠道造成损伤,主要导致大型溞中肠与直肠之间的连接处发生扭曲,其中ZnONP对肠道组织结构弯曲影响最为明显,0.3 mg·L^-1 ZnONP组引起大型溞个体最大肠道弯曲率高达42%.大型溞肠道组织HE染色结果显示,ZnONP暴露会造成大型溞肠道上皮组织断裂、胞间连接空泡化、纹状缘模糊及杯状细胞脱落等,而相对应浓度Zn²⁺组的毒性较弱.电子显微镜下对大型溞肠道组织亚显微结构观察发现,0.3 mg·L^-1 ZnONP处理组大型溞肠道上皮细胞组织出现微绒毛排列紊乱、脱落、溶解,上皮细胞松散,线粒体双层膜结构不完整,嵴溶解消失,核糖体增多等现象.0.3 mg·L^-1-Zn²⁺组大型溞肠道组织上皮细胞有损伤,但整体结构基本完整.从ZnONP和对应的Zn²⁺所产生的毒性效应特征和各组大型溞机体中Zn元素含量的测定分析,ZnONP对大型溞造成的肠道组织损伤不仅与其释放的Zn²⁺引起的毒性有关,更可能与大型溞对颗粒物摄取的方式或ZnONP在体内的积累量、排泄速率和作用的细胞器等有关.因此,ZnONP对肠道组织毒性效应产生的分子机制还需要 进一步研究.     

Three-dimensional patterns of moisture, water repellency, bromide and pH in a sandy soil

Soil water repellency might lead to preferential flow of water and solutes through the unsaturated zone of soils. To study this process in a water repellent sandy field soil, a bromide tracer had been applied on a 2.2 m long and 0.4 m wide plot. The bromide application rate was 8 g/m², and the plot was sampled using 100 cm³ steel cylinders after 52 mm of rainfall in 12 days. A total of seven layers were sampled to a depth of 74 cm. Each layer was sampled at 240 locations in a 40 by 6 grid. All samples were used for the determination of soil water content, degree of actual and potential water repellency, bromide concentration and pH. The spatial distribution of these properties was visualized three-dimensionally and compared. The degree of water repellency, bromide concentration, and pH distribution bore close resemblance to the fingered flow induced soil water content distribution. The degree of potential water repellency was relatively low in places with such fingers. Actual water repellency occurred between the fingers at the dry spots. Bromide was not found, or only in very low concentrations, in such places. Bromide depth profiles clearly indicated the occurrence of diverging flow in the wetter subsoil. Most likely, manuring activities during the last decades resulted in relatively high pH values in the topsoil, and in the subsoil along the recurring fingered flow pathways.     

Hydrological and geochemical factors affecting leachate composition in municipal solid waste incinerator bottom ash: Part I: The hydrology of Landfill Lostorf, Switzerland

The objective of the investigation of the municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) bottom ash landfill, Landfill Lostorf, was to determine the residence time of water in the landfill and the flow paths through the landfill. Over a period of 22 months, measurements of rainfall, landfill discharge and leachate electrical conductivity were recorded and tracer experiments made. Over the yearly period 1995, approximately 50% of the incident rainfall was measured in the discharge. An analysis of single rain events showed that in winter, 90–100% of rainfall was expressed in the landfill discharge, whereas in summer months, the value was between 9 and 40% depending on the intensity of the rain event. The response to rainfall was rapid. Within 30–100 h, approximately 50% of water discharged in response to a rain event had left the landfill. The discharge was less than 4 l/min for approximately 50% of the measurement periods. Qualitative tracer studies with fluorescein, pyranine and iodide clearly showed the existence of preferential flow paths. This was further substantiated by quantitative tracer studies of single rain events using / ratios and electrical conductivity measurements. The proportion of rainwater passing directly through the landfill was found to be between 20 and 80% in summer months and around 10% in winter months. The difference has been ascribed to the water content in the landfill. The average residence time of the water within the landfill has been estimated to be roughly 3 years and this water is the predominant component in the discharge over a yearly period.     

Alterations in the rabbit lymphoid tissue after bendiocarb administration

Various pesticides have immuno-suppressive effects, and thus the organisms become responsive to viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases and neoplasm. The aim of the study was to observe the structure of the small intestine (height of enterocytes and crypts), mucosal lymphoid tissue (Payer's patches, lymphocytes in lamina propria) and a lymph node after administration of bendiocarb (2,2-dimethyl-1,3-benzodioxol-4-yl-methylcarbamate) on days 3, 10, 20, 30 and 60 of the experiment. The height of the observed enterocytes showed an increasing tendency. On days 20, 30 and 60 we also observed an increase in diameter of crypts located in intestinal epithelium. The number of cells in lamina propria mucosae was significantly reduced on days 20 and 30 after administration of bendiocarb. Observations of the lymph node showed that on days 10 and 20 there was a significant increase in relative volume of medulla at the expense of the relative volume of the cortex and a decrease in the number of lymphocytes. However, we recorded an increase in diameter of lymphocytes. The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) belongs to the most common pathogenic parasites in the world and it can cause serious health complications in pregnant and immunodeficient individuals. DNA isolation, standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and visualization in a 2.5 % agarose gel, the presence of DNA T. gondii was detected in no examined rabbit brain samples. Using real time PCR T. gondii DNA was detected and quantified in the three rabbit brain samples (10 %).     

Effects of mercury graded doses on redox status,metallothionein levels and genotoxicity in the intestine of sea cucumber Holothuria forskali

Mercury (Hg) is a ubiquitous and a major environmental metal pollutant in the aquatic ecosystem. The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of mercury graded doses exposure on oxidative stress, redox status, metallothionein levels and genotoxicity in the intestine of sea cucumber Holothuria forskali. Specimens were exposed for 96?h to three concentrations of Hg (40, 80 and 160?µg/L). Exposure of H. forskali to Hg promoted oxidative stress with an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PCO) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP) levels. An increase of glutathione (GSH), vitamin C (ViteC) and non-protein thiols (NPSH) contents was also observed. Additionally, antioxidant activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) increased especially with the highest doses of Hg indicating a great defense of the antioxidant system. Our investigation revealed an increase in total Metallothionein (MT) content which was more pronounced at the sharpest concentrations of Hg. A significant decline of AChE activity was also observed. In the intestine of Hg-treated H. forskali genotoxicity was confirmed by DNA degradation.     

Effect of acute whole-body proton irradiation on hematological and intestinal variables in mice

Female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to a single dose of protons or ⁶⁰Co gamma rays at 20 mGy and 2 Gy, which represent the recommended limit for annual occupational exposure and the daily fractional dose for patients undergoing radiotherapy, respectively. A control group was not exposed to radiation. The number of peripheral blood, bone marrow, and spleen cells was assessed 24 h after radiation to investigate the marrow suppression. The number of lymphocytes and neutrophils in peripheral blood was significantly lower in mice exposed to the higher dose of radiation than in the nonirradiated mice. However, at a low dose of radiation, there were no discernable hematological effects. The frequency of micronuclei in bone marrow cells was increased only after the high dose of gamma radiation. Radiation-induced intestinal apoptosis was measured using terminal deoxynucleotide transferase labeling assay. The magnitude of damage was greater after gamma irradiation than after proton irradiation at the same dose. Among the systemic biological end point to predict whole body radiation effect, the apoptosis of intestinal crypts may be the most sensitive parameter to provide information even at low dose of radiation.     

Miscible fluid displacement stability in unconfined porous media:: Two-dimensional flow experiments and simulations

In situ flushing groundwater remediation technologies, such as cosolvent flushing, rely on the stability of the interface between the resident and displacing fluids for efficient removal of contaminants. Contrasts in density and viscosity between the resident and displacing fluids can adversely affect the stability of the displacement front. Petroleum engineers have developed techniques to describe these types of processes; however, their findings do not necessarily translate directly to aquifer remediation. The purpose of this laboratory study was to investigate how density and viscosity contrasts affected cosolvent displacements in unconfined porous media characterized by the presence of a capillary fringe. Two-dimensional flow laboratory experiments, which were partially scaled to a cosolvent flushing field experiment, were conducted to determine potential implications of flow instabilities in homogeneous sand packs. Numerical simulations were also conducted to investigate the differential impact of fluid property contrasts in unconfined and confined systems. The results from these experiments and simulations indicated that the presence of a capillary fringe was an important factor in the displacement efficiency. Buoyant forces can act to carry a lighter-than-water cosolvent preferentially into the capillary fringe during displacement of the resident groundwater. During subsequent water flooding, buoyancy forces can act to effectively trap the cosolvent in the capillary fringe, contributing to the inefficient removal of cosolvent from the aquifer.     

The solid-phase controls on the mobility of heavy metals at the Copper Cliff tailings area, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

The Copper Cliff Tailings Disposal Area, located near Sudbury, Ontario, covers an area of approximately 2200 ha and constitutes more than 10% of the total area of all mine tailings in Canada. The area has been utilized since 1936, receiving sulphide-containing tailings from the Inco Sudbury operations. Field measurements of pore-gas oxygen and carbon dioxide in the vadose zone indicate that sulphide oxidation has progressed to depths of 1.6 m to 1.7 m within the tailings. The oxidation of sulphide minerals within the vadose zone, and the accompanying dissolution of carbonate and aluminosilicate minerals within these tailings releases SO₄, Fe(II) and other metals to the pore water. In the vadose and saturated zones, concentrations of Fe and Ni exceed 10100 mg/l and 2210 mg/l, respectively. These high concentrations of dissolved metals are attenuated by a series of precipitation, coprecipitation and adsorption reactions. The precipitation of secondary sulphate and hydroxide phases also create hardpan layers at or near the oxidation front. Geochemical modelling of the pore-water chemistry suggests that pH-buffering reactions are occurring within the shallow oxidized zones, and that secondary-phase precipitation is occurring at or near the underlying hardpan and transition zones. Mineralogical study of the tailings confirmed the presence of jarosite, gypsum and goethite within the shallow tailings, suggesting that these phases are controlling the dissolved concentrations of Fe, SO₄ and Ca. Extraction experiments conducted on the tailings solids indicate that the constituents contained in the water-soluble fraction of the shallow, weathered tailings are derived from the original pore water and the dissolution of highly soluble phases such as gypsum. The acid-leachable fraction of the weathered tailings accounts for up to 25% of the heavy metals, and the reducible fraction may contain up to 100% of the heavy metals within the shallow, weathered tailings. Based on the pore water profiles and the geochemistry of the tailings solids, a relative mobility scale of Fe=Mn=Ni=Co>Cd Zn>Cr=Pb>Cu can be determined.     

鲤鱼对2,6-二硝基甲苯的生物浓缩、消除与代谢研究

 以鲤鱼为实验生物，应用流动式摄取及释放装置，进行了2，6－二硝基甲苯（2，6－DNT）的生物浓缩与释放研究。取得了2，6－DNT在鲤鱼（全鱼）、肝及肠部的生物浓缩曲线。全鱼的浓缩曲线可以稳态（平台式）曲线描述，但是肝、肠部浓缩曲线均呈峰形。肝部峰快速下降后渐趋稳态，肠部峰下降未得稳态。峰形，肝在先，肠在后。对比2，6－DNT在全鱼及肝、肠的生物浓缩曲线，并参照报道_（1，2）指出，全鱼摄取曲线上各点所表现的浓度值为各时刻鱼体内各组织摄取化学品总重对全鱼重量的比值。肝、肠部峰形曲线预示了在肝、肠内生物浓缩过程发生了生物转化作用。对全鱼的生物浓缩过程应用单区一级动力学模型，求得BCF值与消除速率常数K₁与K₂，由K₁/K₂计算得到的BCF值与实测值相符。释放较慢，释放曲线呈双曲线形，半减期为4.8h。