The use of ecological scales for indication of the current state of forest communities

A method for estimating the current state of plant communities based on the ecological amplitudes of constituent species is proposed. An original program, Fitoindikatsiya, has been developed to compute the indices of disturbance and homogeneity of plant communities from species ecological scale values. The current state of pine forests in the part of Novosibirsk oblast east of the Ob River has been analyzed; slightly, moderately, and severely disturbed zones have been distinguished.     

Fifteen-year trends in criteria air pollutants in oil sands communities of Alberta,Canada

An investigation of ambient air quality was undertaken at three communities within the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) of Alberta, Canada (Fort McKay, Fort McMurray, and Fort Chipewyan). Daily and seasonal patterns and 15-year trends were investigated for several criteria air pollutants over the period of 1998 to 2012. A parametric trend detection method using percentiles from frequency distributions of 1 h concentrations for a pollutant during each year was used. Variables representing 50th, 65th, 80th, 90th, 95th and 98th percentile concentrations each year were identified from frequency distributions and used for trend analysis. Small increasing concentration trends were observed for nitrogen dioxide (< 1 ppb/year) at Fort McKay and Fort McMurray over the period consistent with increasing emissions of oxides of nitrogen (ca. 1000 tons/year) from industrial developments. Emissions from all oil sands facilities appear to be contributing to the trend at Fort McKay, whereas both emissions from within the community (vehicles and commercial) and oil sands facility emissions appear to be contributing to the trend at Fort McMurray. Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions from industrial developments in the AOSR were unchanged during the period (101,000 ± 7000 tons/year; mean ± standard deviation) and no meaningful trends were judged to be occurring at all community stations. No meaningful trends occurred for ozone and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) at all community stations and carbon monoxide at one station in Fort McMurray. Air quality in Fort Chipewyan was much better and quite separate in terms of absence of factors influencing criteria air pollutant concentrations at the other community stations.     

Genetic biomonitoring of an urban population exposed to mutagenic airborne pollutants

Biomonitoring studies have increased as a consequence of risks and effects to human health on exposure to environmental contaminants, mainly air pollutants. Genetic biomarkers are useful tools for the early assessment of exposure to occupational and environmental pollution. The objective of the present study was to investigate genotoxic effects on people residing and/or working downwind from an oil refinery in southern Brazil and the mutagenic activity of airborne particulate matter (PM10). Samples of peripheral blood and buccal mucosa cells were evaluated using the single-cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay) and the micronucleus (MN) assay, respectively. PM10 samples were collected in the target site and the organic matter extraced with dichloromethane was assessed for mutagenic activity in the Salmonella/microsome assay. The exposed group (n = 37) was compared to a reference group (n = 37) of subjects living in an urban area with limited traffic and industrial influence, located far from the main industrial areas. All PM10 organic extracts showed mutagenic positive responses and the effect decreased in the presence of S9 mix indicating that the predominant compounds present were direct-acting mutagens. The responses of YGs strains are consistent with aromatic amines and nitroarenes being present in the PM10 extracts. The group in the area under the influence of the oil refinery (exposed group) showed significantly higher DNA damage in lymphocytes than the reference group. The MN frequencies in buccal mucosa were very low for both groups and no difference between groups was observed. No association was found between age and tobacco smoking habit and level of DNA damages measured by the comet assay. The results indicate that the comet assay was a sensitive tool to detect DNA damage in subjects under the influence of an oil refinery, with marked genotoxic activity in the atmospheric environment.     

Stable nitrogen isotope ratio in wood substrates and xylotrophic fungi in forest ecosystems of Western Siberia

It has been shown that wood substrates are the main source of nitrogen for xylotrophic fungi, which have almost the same isotopic signature as their substrate. This fact and a strong positive correlation in nitrogen isotope composition between the substrates and fungi provide evidence for a closed type of nitrogen turnover in the wood-fungus system that is based on retention and repeated utilization of this element. Its isotope composition in the fungi depends on that in the substrate, which is enriched in the heavy isotope in deciduous wood and in the light isotope in coniferous wood. The nitrogen isotope composition in the fungi and wood substrates does not depend on the degree of wood mineralization or climatic conditions, and δ¹⁵N is not an indicator of fungal physiological activity or wood decomposition rate but rather a marker of the isotopic composition of nitrogen sources for the fungi.     

Adverse health effects of outdoor air pollutants

Much research on the health effects of outdoor air pollution has been published in the last decade. The goal of this review is to concisely summarize a wide range of the recent research on health effects of many types of outdoor air pollution. A review of the health effects of major outdoor air pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, acid gases, metals, volatile organics, solvents, pesticides, radiation and bioaerosols is presented. Numerous studies have linked atmospheric pollutants to many types of health problems of many body systems including the respiratory, cardiovascular, immunological, hematological, neurological and reproductive/ developmental systems. Some studies have found increases in respiratory and cardiovascular problems at outdoor pollutant levels well below standards set by such agencies as the US EPA and WHO. Air pollution is associated with large increases in medical expenses, morbidity and is estimated to cause about 800,000 annual premature deaths worldwide [Cohen, A.J., Ross Alexander, H., Ostro, B., Pandey, K.D., Kryzanowski, M., Kunzail, N., et al., 2005. The global burden of disease due to outdoor air pollution. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 68: 1-7.]. Further research on the health effects of air pollution and air pollutant abatement methods should be very helpful to physicians, public health officials, industrialists, politicians and the general public.     

Allergies to molds caused by fungal spores in air conditioning equipment

People suffering from various symptoms while in air-conditioned rooms often show sensitizations to fungi that can be isolated when the fungi are dremoved from air conditioners. By using specific challenge tests it was shown that fungal spores in air conditioners can evoke allergic symptoms. Hyposensitization was the specific therapy prescribed for such allergic reactions. After hyposensitization therapy, more than 70% of the patients so treated could live and work again in air-conditioned rooms without developing specific symptoms.     

Biodiversity of forest vegetation under industrial pollution

Parameters of species and typological diversity of forest vegetation have been evaluated on macroslopes descending to Lake Imandra in the vicinity of the Severonickel Mining and Smelting Complex (SMSC) (Murmansk oblast). It has been shown that these parameters change upon an increase in the pollution level, with the pattern of changes in northern taiga forests differing from that in krummholz stands. The species richness and typological diversity of forest communities increase in the middle zone of the pollution gradient, compared to those in the krummholz belt occupying the upper parts of the slopes. Species saturation in all types of communities on landscape transects consistently decreases along the pollution gradient. In general, changes in parameters of diversity provide evidence for strong digression of plant communities in the vicinity of the SMSC.     

Quantifying effects of oxidant air pollutants on agricultural crops

Estimating risks of air pollution damage to agricultural crops requires identifying crop location and size, likely doses, models for translating dose to response, and measures of response appropriate for economic analysis. Assessment of risk requires compatible data sets for each of these variables. Analysis of air pollution mixtures suggests that oxidant crop damage is caused by three compounds: ozone, nitrogen oxides, and peroxyacetylnitrates. The phytotoxicity of ozone, the most prevalent photochemical oxidant, has been studied more extensively than the other two oxidants, and its effects on vegetation are best understood. Response of vegetation to air pollutants was first characterized by foliar or visible injury. Subsequent research indicated that foliar injury did not translate directly into reduced plant growth or yield, which can be measured. Response to air pollutants may be influenced by physical, biological, and environmental factors. Inherent genetic resistance is probably the most important single factor affecting plant response, although environmental factors influencing stomatal aperture may also be important. For several crops open-top chamber studies and cross sectional analyses of field data provide adequate information to develop dose-response functions. All of these studies have both strengths and weaknesses. Although a number of different models exist for selected crops, there is no single biological or statistical criterion which identifies the best or most accurate model.     

Dynamics of snowmelt water composition in conifer forests exposed to airborne industrial pollution

An analysis is made of the spatial variability of snowmelt water composition (within and between biogeocenoses), with regard to its long-term dynamics, in pine and spruce forests exposed to airborne industrial pollution from the Europe’s largest Severonikel Copper–Nickel Smelter Complex. Snowmelt waters from under the tree canopy, compared to those from intercrown areas, contain higher concentrations of chemical elements due to their washing and leaching from tree crowns. This is especially true of spruce forests, since the crowns of spruce trees have a high sorption capacity. Distinct trends in the long-term dynamics of snowmelt water composition, related to reduction of industrial emissions, are observed in background forest areas and defoliating forests but not in the vicinity of pollution sources. It is shown that the main factors determining these dynamics in forests of the Kola Peninsula are edificator tree species, airborne industrial pollution, and, possibly, an increase in the number of days with above-zero temperatures in the period of snow accumulation, which facilitates washing and leaching of chemical compounds from tree crowns.     

Populations potentially exposed to traffic-related air pollution in seven world cities

Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) likely exerts a large burden of disease globally, and in many places, traffic is increasing dramatically. The impact, however, of urban form on the portion of population potentially exposed to TRAP remains poorly understood. In this study, we estimate portions of population potentially exposed to TRAP across seven global cities of various urban forms. Data on population distributions and road networks were collected from the best available sources in each city and from remote sensing analysis. Using spatial mapping techniques, we first overlaid road buffers onto population data to estimate the portions of population potentially exposed for four plausible impact zones. Based on a most likely scenario with impacts from highways up to 300 meters and major roadways up to 50 meters, we identified that the portions of population potentially exposed for the seven cities ranged from 23 to 96%. High-income North American cities had the lowest potential exposure portions, while those in Europe had the highest. Second, we adjusted exposure zone concentration levels based on a literature suggested multiplier for each city using corresponding background concentrations. Though Beijing and Mexico City did not have the highest portion of population exposure, those in their exposure zones had the highest levels of exposure. For all seven cities, the portion of population potentially exposed was positively correlated with roadway density and, to a lesser extent, with population density. These analyses suggest that urban form may influence the portion of population exposed to TRAP and vehicle emissions and other factors may influence the exposure levels. Greater understanding of urban form and other factors influencing potential exposure to TRAP may help inform interventions that protect public health.     

Recent progress in developing and using personal monitors to measure human exposure to air pollutants

Within the last two years, great progress has been made in the field of personal air quality monitors. Improvements in pump design, miniaturization, adsorption techniques, and new collection principles have produced about a dozen sensitive monitors capable of being used by the general public to measure their normal everyday exposure to many toxic or carcinogenic compounds. This article reviews recent progress in this field, particularly as it relates to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency programs.     

Response of the pigment system of conifers to long-term industrial air pollution

To estimate the response of conifers to long-term industrial air pollution at the pigment system level, the dynamics of photosynthetic pigments have been studied in needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) growing at different distances from the emission source (a pulp and paper mill). It has been shown that the pigment apparatus of spruce. The results show that in spruce, unlike in pine, the pigment apparatus remains unchanged under the effect of weak pollution. Long-term exposure at high levels of industrial emission results in suppression of chlorophyll and carotenoid syntheses in pine but stimulates pigment production in spruce. An increase in the contents of pigments in the needles of conifers growing in the impact zone of the pulp and paper mill reflects a compensatory mechanism of adaptation of their pigment system to long-term stress exposure.     

Ecophysiological indicators of the state of animal populations exposed to damaging factors

Indices of abundance and reproduction rate are considered in some groups of aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates from the zones of technogenic disasters. Upon a critical population decline caused by external destructive factors, such as emissions of acute ecotoxicants, the ecophysiological and behavioral compensatory mechanisms are activated, which provide for restoration of the total population size to the optimum within a short period of time. Environmental pollution with substances disturbing the reproductive function has the gravest consequences for animals. In this case, population size may remain fairly high, and, therefore, the effect of enhanced reproduction as a response to population decline does not take place, which eventually leads to a gradual but irreversible destruction of the population. Pathologies of reproduction should be used as a criterion for assessing the state of animals in the zones of technogenic disasters.Translated from Ekologiya, No. 1, 2005, pp. 32–38.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Shilova, Shatunovskii.     

Abundance and diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in lakes exposed to Chernobyl-derived ionising radiation

Littoral (lake shore) macroinvertebrate communities were studied in eight natural lakes affected by fallout from the Chernobyl accident. The lakes spanned a range in ¹³⁷Cs contamination from 100 to 15500 kBq m⁻² and estimated external dose rates ranged from 0.13 to 30.7 μGy h⁻¹. General linear models were used to assess whether abundance of individuals, taxon richness, Berger-Parker dominance and Shannon-Wiener diversity varied across the lakes. Step-wise multiple regressions were used to relate variation in total abundance, taxon richness, Berger-Parker dominance, Shannon-Wiener diversity, taxon richness within major groups of macroinvertebrates and abundance of the more common individual taxa to the measured environmental characteristics (conductivity, pH, total hardness and phosphate; lake area, lake maximum depth and total external dose) of the lakes. No evidence was found in this study that the ecological status of lake communities has been influenced by radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl accident. Indeed, the most contaminated lake, Glubokoye, contained the highest richness of aquatic invertebrates. Taxon richness in the eight study lakes varied from 22 (Svyatskoe #7) to 42 (Glubokoye) which spans a range typical for uncontaminated lakes in the region. Since ⁹⁰Sr is readily-absorbed by Mollusca, estimated dose rates to this group exceeded those for other invertebrate groups in two lakes (Perstok and Glubokoye). However this study found no association between mollusc diversity or abundance of individual snail species and variation between lakes in the external radiation dose. Indeed Glubokoye, the lake most contaminated by ⁹⁰Sr, had the highest richness of freshwater snails per sample (an average of 8.9 taxa per sample).     

Multiple values from the forest: contribution of non-timber forest products to livelihoods of local communities in Northeastern Thailand

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Local residents near forests often collect non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for a variety of reasons, including food, medicine, firewood, religious...     

Cancer risk assessment of selected hazardous air pollutants in Seattle

The risk estimates calculated from the conventional risk assessment method usually are compound specific and provide limited information for source-specific air quality control. We used a risk apportionment approach, which is a combination of receptor modeling and risk assessment, to estimate source-specific lifetime excess cancer risks of selected hazardous air pollutants. We analyzed the speciated PM(2.5) and VOCs data collected at the Beacon Hill in Seattle, WA between 2000 and 2004 with the Multilinear Engine to first quantify source contributions to the mixture of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) in terms of mass concentrations. The cancer risk from exposure to each source was then calculated as the sum of all available species' cancer risks in the source feature. We also adopted the bootstrapping technique for the uncertainty analysis. The results showed that the overall cancer risk was 6.09 x 10(-5), with the background (1.61 x 10(-5)), diesel (9.82 x 10(-6)) and wood burning (9.45 x 10(-6)) sources being the primary risk sources. The PM(2.5) mass concentration contributed 20% of the total risk. The 5th percentile of the risk estimates of all sources other than marine and soil were higher than 110(-6). It was also found that the diesel and wood burning sources presented similar cancer risks although the diesel exhaust contributed less to the PM(2.5) mass concentration than the wood burning. This highlights the additional value from such a risk apportionment approach that could be utilized for prioritizing control strategies to reduce the highest population health risks from exposure to HAPs.     

Control of industrial air pollution through sustainable development

The environmental issue has become a major subject in the last few decades affecting science and technology throughout the world due to the serious environmental impacts caused by industrial air pollution. Consequently, pulse jet filtration has become the preferred choice all around the world. Researchers are continuously striving for new concepts of more energy-efficient and compact particulate collector which can meet future emission limits and operating requirements. The system can also satisfy stringent emission norms and if required, it can be embedded with new technique for simultaneous control of particulate and gaseous pollutants. In the recent past, stress is also being given to having control over the source to reduce or eliminate waste, and finally, on waste management. Prevention is frequently more cost-effective than control. The paper discusses all these methodology toward sustainability in the perspective of effective control of industrial air pollution.     

Estimating the total exposure to air pollutants for different population age groups in Hong Kong

Given that Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, the exposure of the Hong Kong people is one of the interesting research areas. In this study, an indirect approach was used to estimate the exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), respiratory dust (PM10) and carbon monoxide (CO) pollutants experienced by different age groups of people in Hong Kong. The average concentrations of the 20 major microenvironments obtained from our measurement survey data, together with the people activity pattern data obtained from 7-day recall questionnaires, were used to predict frequency distributions to exposure assessment. Our results showed that Hong Kong people spent more than 86% of their time indoors. Homes were shown to be the one of the major exposure sites to NO2, CO and PM10 for all age groups. Our results also indicate that the 24-h NO2 exposure for individuals, irrespective of age, spending more than 2 h in commuting daily, was observed to be exceeding the 24-h NO2 exposure standards. This study was one of the pioneering studies with valuable contribution for modeling the estimates of exposures to NO2, PM10 and CO of different age groups in Hong Kong.     

Polar organic pollutants in air: A review of collection and analysis

Pollutants which are capable of being extracted into nonpolar solvent such as hexane have received the greatest attention in environmental monitoring. However, the polar fraction, inherently more difficult to analyze, is currently undergoing closer scrutiny. Sampling methods specifically designed to entrap polar particles and vapors are compared. Ion-exchange and reversed-phase liquid chromatography columns are examples of such specific sampling techniques. Various extraction schemes are presented with their individual problems and capabilities. Although there are numerous papers on the analysis of polar organic pollutants, few report actual measurements of ambient air samples. Current reports on polar organic pollutants measured in air samples are summarized. Polar organics are generally divided into three categories: acidic, basic, and neutral. Analytical methods relating to the following categories of polar organic compounds are reviewed: (1) phenols, mono- and dicarboxylic acids, and sulfonic acids, (2) aliphatic and aromatic amines, and (3) alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, phthalate esters, isocyanates and N-nitrosamines. Derivatization techniques, such as ester formation, are compared to the analysis of the unsubstituted compound. The formation of such derivatives is often the best way to trace specific compounds at very low levels.