Health risk assessment of groundwater nitrate contamination: a case study of a typical karst hydrogeological unit in East China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nitrate pollution in rivers, lakes, shallow groundwater, and even deep groundwater occurs in many parts of the world. And, it’s essential to...     

Effect of solid waste landfill organic pollutants on groundwater in three areas of Sicily (Italy) characterized by different vulnerability

The aim of this study was to obtain information on the presence and levels of hazardous organic pollutants in groundwater located close to solid waste landfills. Eighty-two environmental contaminants, including 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 20 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 29 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 7 dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, PCDDs) and 10 furans (polychlorinated dibenzofurans, PCDFs) were monitored in areas characterised by different geological environments surrounding three municipal solid waste landfills (Palermo, Siculiana and Ragusa) in Sicily (Italy) in three sampling campaigns. The total concentrations of the 16 PAHs were always below the legal threshold. Overall, the Fl/Fl + Py diagnostic ratio revealed that PAHs had a petrogenic origin. VOC levels, except for two notable exceptions near Palermo landfill, were always below the legal limit. As concerns PCB levels, several samples were found positive with levels exceeding the legal limits. It is worth noting that the % PCB distribution differs from that of commercial compositions. In parallel, some samples of groundwater containing PCDDs and PCDFs exceeding the legal threshold were also found. Among the 17 congeners monitored, the most abundant were the highest molecular weight ones.

     

Metal concentrations and mobility in marine sediment and groundwater in coastal reclamation areas: a case study in Shenzhen, China

The concentrations of metals in the buried marine sediment and groundwater were differently affected by land reclamation. Nine metals (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) in sediment and coastal groundwater from reclamation areas in Shenzhen were examined. The gradually decreased concentrations (V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn) in sediment and relatively higher concentrations (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu and Cd) in groundwater within reclamation areas were observed. The increase of V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu and Cd concentrations in groundwater within reclamation areas subsequently after land reclamation should be resulted from the mobilization of these metals accumulated in the sediment. These metals appear to be easily mobilized from solid phase to solution phase after reclamation. The physico-chemical changes such as reduction in pH and salinity in water environment induced by land reclamation appear to be responsible for metal mobility in the sediment-groundwater system.     

Quantifying groundwater phosphorus flux to rivers in a typical agricultural watershed in eastern China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Increasing evidence indicates that groundwater can contain high dissolved phosphorus (P) concentrations, thereby contributing as a potential pollution...     

Investigation of the impacts of tunnel excavation on karst groundwater and dependent geo-environment using hydrological observation and numerical simulation: a case from karst anticline mountains of southeastern Sichuan Basin,China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Tunnel excavation has significant disturbance on groundwater system and related geo-environment, especially in karst regions like southwestern China....     

Hydrochemical appraisal of groundwater quality and pollution source analysis of oil field area: a case study in Daqing City,China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Serious groundwater pollution not only affects the development of enterprises but also threatens the life and health of residents. To explore the...     

Phosphorus loads from different urban storm runoff sources in southern China: a case study in Wenzhou City

Storm runoff from six types of underlying surface area during five rainfall events in two urban study areas of Wenzhou City, China was investigated to measure phosphorus (P) concentrations and discharge rates. The average event mean concentrations (EMCs) of total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and particulate phosphorus (PP) ranged from 0.02 to 2.5 mg?·?L^?1, 0.01 to 0.48 mg?·?L^?1, and 0.02 to 2.43 mg?·?L^?1, respectively. PP was generally the dominant component of TP in storm runoff, while the major form of P varied over time, especially in roof runoff, where TDP made up the largest portion in the latter stages of runoff events. Both TP and PP concentrations were positively correlated with pH, total suspended solids (TSS), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)/chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations (p?<?0.01), while TDP was positively correlated with BOD/COD only (p?<?0.01). In addition, the EMCs of TP and PP were negatively correlated with maximum rainfall intensity (p?<?0.05), while the EMCs of TDP positively correlated with the antecedent dry weather period (p?<?0.05). The annual TP emission fluxes from the two study areas were 367.33 and 237.85 kg, respectively. Underlying surface type determined the TP and PP loadings in storm runoff, but regional environmental conditions affected the export of TDP more significantly. Our results indicate that the removal of particles from storm runoff could be an effective measure to attenuate P loadings to receiving water bodies.     

Multivariate statistical evaluation of trace elements in groundwater in a coastal area in Shenzhen, China

Multivariate statistical techniques are efficient ways to display complex relationships among many objects. An attempt was made to study the data of trace elements in groundwater using multivariate statistical techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA), Q-mode factor analysis and cluster analysis. The original matrix consisted of 17 trace elements estimated from 55 groundwater samples colleted in 27 wells located in a coastal area in Shenzhen, China. PCA results show that trace elements of V, Cr, As, Mo, W, and U with greatest positive loadings typically occur as soluble oxyanions in oxidizing waters, while Mn and Co with greatest negative loadings are generally more soluble within oxygen depleted groundwater. Cluster analyses demonstrate that most groundwater samples collected from the same well in the study area during summer and winter still fall into the same group. This study also demonstrates the usefulness of multivariate statistical analysis in hydrochemical studies.     

Cooperative identification for critical periods and critical source areas of nonpoint source pollution in a typical watershed in China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Critical periods (CPs) and critical source areas (CSAs) refer to the high-risk periods and areas of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution in a watershed,...     

Assessment of groundwater vulnerability in coastal zone using SI method and GIS: case study of Bouficha aquifer (northeast Tunisia)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Nowadays, groundwater is under stress due to contamination, over-exploitation, seawater intrusion, climate change, etc. The groundwater contamination...     

Impact of land use on shallow groundwater quality characteristics associated with human health risks in a typical agricultural area in Central China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Groundwater pollution seriously threatens water resource safety due to high-intensity land use throughout the world. However, the relationship between...     

旅游活动对岩溶地下水水质动态变化的影响——以重庆金佛山水房泉为例

为了更好地揭示岩溶地下水的影响因素,采用野外现场实测、自动观测、实验室分析相结合的方法,在十一旅游旺季对重庆金佛山水房泉流域各项理化指标进行连续监测。监测结果表明,岩溶地下水对外界条件反应敏感,其岩溶水理化性质容易受外界条件的影响,自然因素和人为因素的改变,可直接快速地改变地下水水质。旅游季节地下水水质发生明显变化,旅游因素对地下水质的变化有较好的响应关系。表现为旅游高峰前期的正常水平;旅游高峰期的骤然恶化,出现污染状况;旅游高峰后期,叠加降雨因素的影响从而使各个水质指标出现好转。     

Distributions,origins, and health-risk assessment of nitrate in groundwater in typical alluvial-pluvial fans,North China Plain

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - High concentration of nitrate (NO3?) in groundwater is a major concern because of its complex origin and harmful effects on human health. This...     

Characteristics and management modes of domestic waste in rural areas of developing countries: a case study of China

A huge accumulation of domestic waste has caused serious environmental contamination in rural areas of developing countries (RADIC). The characteristics and management of domestic waste are carefully discussed, based on field surveys and a literature review. The results indicate that the generation in most of RADIC is less than the median of 0.521 kg day⁻¹ per capita in China, and much smaller than in rural areas of developed countries (RADEC). Organic waste and inert waste with an accumulative mass percentage of 72.31% are dominant components of domestic waste in the rural areas of China. There are trends of increasing amounts of kitchen waste, paper/cardboard, and plastic/rubber and a decreasing trend of ash waste. The RADIC composition of domestic waste had a high content of organic waste and a low content of recyclable waste compared to the RADEC. Domestic waste has good compressibility and a light bulk density ranging from 40 to 650 kg m⁻³. The moisture, ash, combustible, and calorific values of domestic waste were 53.31%, 18.03%, 28.67%, and 5368 kJ kg⁻¹, respectively. The domestic waste has an abundance of nutrients including organic matter (39.05%), nitrogen (1.02%), phosphorus (0.50%), and potassium (1.42%). In RADIC, domestic waste can be used as an agricultural manure only after it has been collected and sorted for the potential risk of heavy metal accumulation. Based on these characteristics of domestic waste and the different situations of rural areas, four waste management modes including centralized treatment, decentralized treatment, group treatment, and mobile treatment are designed and discussed.

     

Public perception of smog: A case study in Ningbo City,China

Smog has become a public environmental crisis in most areas of China, and in response, research efforts have mainly focused on the chemical properties of smog and its impact on human health. However, in-depth research on the public’s perception of smog has not yet been conducted. A survey of residents living around eight state-controlled atmospheric environmental monitoring sites in Ningbo City was conducted using stratified sampling. The data was statistically analyzed to investigate people’s views and behavioral tendencies in smog weather, the influence of different media reports on public outlook, and public opinions on the local atmosphere and pollution management in different areas. The results showed that people’s perception of smog differs greatly from actual conditions, indicating that the public opinion tends to deviate when faced with a public crisis. Mainstream media (TV, newspaper, etc.), accounting for 67% of all media sources, are the main source for dissemination of smog information. The main sources of pollution, in order of decreasing contribution, according to residents of Ningbo City are as follows: motor vehicle exhaust, industrial coal combustion, large-scale construction, biomass burning, and kitchen fumes.

Implications: Since 2011, most areas of China have been affected by frequent smog. Most research on smog has been concentrated on its causes, alert systems, and prevention measures, whereas in-depth research on the public perception of smog has not yet been conducted. When a risky environmental event such as smog occurs, consequences may be more serious than the event itself will cause if people take irrational measures because of lacking relevant knowledge. Therefore, investigating people’s attitude and response to smog is both theoretically and practically significant.     

Model comparison for risk assessment: a case study of contaminated groundwater

Many environmental multimedia risk assessment models have been developed and widely used along with increasing sophistication of the risk assessment method. Despite of the considerable improvement, uncertainty remains a primary threat to the credibility of and users' confidence in the model-based risk assessments. In particular, it has been indicated that scenario and model uncertainty may affect significantly the assessment outcome. Furthermore, the uncertainty resulting from choosing different models has been shown more important than that caused by parameter uncertainty. Based on the relationship between exposure pathways and estimated risk results, this study develops a screening procedure to compare the relative suitability between potential multimedia models, which would facilitate the reduction of uncertainty due to model selection. MEPAS, MMSOILS, and CalTOX models, combined with Monte Carlo simulation, are applied to a realistic groundwater-contaminated site to demonstrate the process. It is also shown that the identification of important parameters and exposure pathways, and implicitly, the subsequent design of uncertainty reduction and risk management measures, would be better-formed.     

Occurrence and risk evaluation of organophosphorus pesticides in typical water bodies of Beijing,China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Abstract Human activities, particularly in large cities, can lead to pollution caused by micropollutants such as pesticides in water bodies, which...     

Risk assessment of xenoestrogens in a typical domestic sewage-holding lake in China

Release of domestic sewage leads to accumulation of xenoestrogens in holding waters, especially in closed or semi-enclosed waters such as lakes. In the study, the occurrence, distribution, estrogenic activity and risk of eight xenoestreogens were evaluated in Lake Donghu, China. Nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol (OP), and bisphenol A (BPA) were identified as the main xenoestrogens ranging from tens of ng L⁻¹ (in the surface water) or ng g⁻¹ dw (in the suspended particles and sediment) to tens of μg L⁻¹ or μg g⁻¹ dw. The sum of 17β-estradiol equivalents (∑EEQs) ranged from 0.32 to 45.02 ng L⁻¹ in the surface water, 0.53 to 71.86 ng g⁻¹ dw in the suspended particles, and 0.09 to 24.73 ng g⁻¹ dw in the sediment. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was determined as the main contributor to ∑EEQs followed by NP. The risk assessment showed a higher risk in the surface water than in the suspended particles and sediment in such domestic sewage-holding lake.