Book Reviews

D. I. Wilson and A. N. Clarke (1994) Hazardous Waste Site Soil Remediation. 567 Pp. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York (Isbn 0-8247-8980-6), Price £ 108.85.

Symposium Mediterranean Seas 2000, Norberto F.-R. Della Croce (Editor), 489 Pp. Istituto Scienze Ambientali Marine 1993.

Organic Substances in Soil and Water: Natural Constituents and Their Influences On Contaminant Behaviour. Edited By A. J. Beck, K. C. Jones, M. H. B. Hayes and U. Mingelgrin. Published By the Royal Society of Chemistry (Special Publication No. 135), 1993, Isbn 0-85186-635-2, 200pp. Price £55.00

Chemical Fate and Transport in the Environment, H. F. Hemond and E. J. Fechner, Publ. Academic Press Inc., London, 1994. Isbn 0-12-340270-0, 338 Pp., $49.95

Biodegradation and Bioremediation, Alexander, A. (1994) 302 Pp. Academic Press Inc., San Diego, Isbn 0-12-049860-X, £38.00.     

Book review

Environmental Management, (3 Volumes) Editors B. Nath, L. Hens and D. Devuyst (Brussels, Vubpress: 1993. Approx. 890 Pp. Paperback) (£25 Per Volume) Isbn 90 5487 035 4-6

The Chemistry and Deposition of Nitrogen Species in the Troposphere, Editor A. T. Cocks, Publisher Royal Society of Chemistry, 1993, X + 134pp., Isbn 0 85186 355 8, Price £35.00.     

Book Reviews

D. I. Wilson and A. N. Clarke (1994) Hazardous Waste Site Soil Remediation. 567 Pp. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York (Isbn 0-8247-8980-6), Price £ 108.85.

Symposium Mediterranean Seas 2000, Norberto F.-R. Della Croce (Editor), 489 Pp. Istituto Scienze Ambientali Marine 1993.

Organic Substances in Soil and Water: Natural Constituents and Their Influences On Contaminant Behaviour. Edited By A. J. Beck, K. C. Jones, M. H. B. Hayes and U. Mingelgrin. Published By the Royal Society of Chemistry (Special Publication No. 135), 1993, Isbn 0-85186-635-2, 200pp. Price £55.00

Chemical Fate and Transport in the Environment, H. F. Hemond and E. J. Fechner, Publ. Academic Press Inc., London, 1994. Isbn 0-12-340270-0, 338 Pp., $49.95

Biodegradation and Bioremediation, Alexander, A. (1994) 302 Pp. Academic Press Inc., San Diego, Isbn 0-12-049860-X, £38.00.     

Book reviews

Pollution: Ecology and Biotreatment, S. Mceldowney, D.J. Hardman, S. Waite, Publ. John Wiley and Sons, New York, Usa. Isbn 0-582-08655-8 322 Pp. Uk Price (£19.99) (Soft Covers)

Fish Ecotoxicology and Ecophysiology, Ed. T. Braunbeck, W. Hanke & H. Seger. Proceedings of an International Symposium, Heidelberg, September 1991. 1993. 418 Pages with 204 Figures and 50 Tables. Isbn 3-527-30010-4 £76.00, Vhc Weinheim.

Method in Ecology: Strategies for Conservation. K.S. Shrader-Frechette and E.D. Mccoy (University of South Florida). Cambridge University Press, 1993. Price, £40.00 Isbn 052/41861 5 (Hardbook); £17.95 Isbn 0 521 44693 7 (Paperback)     

A review of: “Waste Treatment and Disposal”

Ed. R. E. Hester and R. M. Harrison, Publ. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, 1995, Isbn 0-85404-210-5, 158pp. Price £15.00.     

A review of: “Lead in Soil: Recommended Guidelines”

1993 (Ed). B.G. Wixson and B. E. Davies, Publ. Society for Enivronmental Geochemistry and Health, Science and Technology Letters Ltd., Northwood, Uk, 132pp., Isbn 0-905927-39-7, £ 30. Hardback.     

A review of: “Agricultural Chemicals and the Environment Issues in Environmental Science and Technology”

5, 1996 Ed. Hester, R. E. and Harrison, R. M., Royal Society of Chemistry, Isbn 0 85404 220 2, Pp Xii + 128, $ 17-50.     

A review of: “Toxic Impacts On the Aquatic Environment”

Edited By J. F. Tapp, J. R. Wharfe and S. M. Hunt, Royal Society of Chemistry, Isbn 0-85404-781-6. Price $49.50, 1996. Pages 295, Index, Figures and Tables.     

Book Reviews

SOVIET SCIENCE REVIEWS–SECTION B., CHEMISTRY REVIEWS. Edited by M. E. Vol'pin. Volume 5. Organofluorine Chemistry pp 397. Volume 6. Organophosphorous Chemistry pp 442. OPA Ltd., for Harwood Academic Publishers, 1984. $170 each. Hardback. ISBN 3-7186-0139-7 and ISBN 3-7186-0139-7.

CURRENT TOPICS IN CHINESE SCIENCE-SECTION B., CHEMISTRY. Volume 2, pp 572 and Volume 3, pp 563. Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 1984. $64 and $68 both soft covers. ISBN 0-677-06230-3 and ISBN 0-677-40385-2.

THE EXPORT OF HAZARD. Transnational Corporations and Environmental Control Issues. edited by Jane H. Ives. 229 pp. Routledge and Kegan Paul: Boston, London and Henley. £14.95. ISBN 07102 0072 2

ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY by Peter O'Neill. 232 pp. Allen and Unwin 1985. ISBN 0-04-551085-7, £20. ISBN 0-04-551086-5 Pbk, £8.95.     

Book Reviews

HUMIC SUBSTANCES by G.G. Choudhry. 185 pp. University of Amsterdam Gordon & Breach Science Publishers: New York, London, Paris. $44. ISBN 0-677-06440-3

ENERGY AND CHEMISTRY Edited by R. Thompson. Royal Society of Chemistry, 1981. Special Publication No. 41, 359pp., £11.50, Soft Cover ISBN 0-85186-845-2.

SALT MARSH ECOLOGY Tertiary Level Biology Series by Steven P. Long and Christopher F. Mason. 160 pp. Blackie: Glasgow, 1983. Limp £7.95, Cased £16.95. ISBN 0-216-91439-6 ISBN 0-216-91438-8 Pbk.     

A review of: “Biogenic Trace Gases: Measuring Emissions From Soil and Waters”

P. A. Matson and R. C. Harriss, Publ. Blackwell Science, Printed University Press, Cambridge, Price $26.50 (Paperback), 394 Pp., 70 Figures, 15 Tables, References and Index. Isbn 0-632-03641-9.     

Elemental concentrations in air, water, and aquatic biota in two rural provinces in northern Vietnam

The present study on environmental pollution in northern Vietnam investigates elemental concentrations in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), freshwater, and aquatic biota at two sites with differing levels of industrial activities. An Thin is situated 47 km east of Hanoi in the neighbourhood of a coal combustion power plant, whereas the reference site, Duy Minh, is situated in the agricultural province of Ha Nam, 40 km south of Hanoi. Elemental concentrations were analysed using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence, total reflection X-ray fluorescence, and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectro-metry. All investigated elements in fine particles (PM_2.5) had significantly higher concentrations in An Thin, thus identifying the air at this site as polluted. In contrast to the aerosol samples, elemental concentrations as well as quantitative differences between the sampling sites were low in freshwater and biota, indicating that the impact of atmospheric deposition was limited.     

G. Howells (Book Review) On “Biology of Freshwater Pollution”

C. F. Mason, Third Edition, Longman, Harlow, Essex, Isbn 0-582-24732-2. Price $22.99; Pp. 356. Index to General Terms, to Genera and Species, and Reference List to 740 Sources.     

Valuing non-market benefits derived from allotments in southeast England: A contingent valuation study

The English derive a wide range of values from allotments, but nearly 35% of allotments have disappeared in the last 20 years. The real value of allotments has probably been underestimated. The contingent valuation method (CVM) was used to give a monetary value to benefits derived from allotments by allotment holders and local residents. The study was conducted in southeast England (Wye and Ashford, Kent and Greater London). A postal survey with open-ended questions was filled in by 124 allotment holders and 74 residents. Respondents were asked to express their maximum willingness to pay for allotments (WTP) and the minimum willingness to accept (WTA) compensation for loss of allotments. The mean annual WTP for keeping allotments of allotment holders were £78.93, £35.64 and £79.43, and for local residents were £41.66, £46.14 and £283.57, in Wye, Ashford and London, respectively. The allotment holders' WTP was strategically more than WTA compensation and they were only willing to pay rent for using allotments, not for retaining them.     

Spatial variations in the N2O emissions and denitrification potential of riparian buffer strips in a contaminated urban river

Spatial variations in the N₂O emissions and denitrification potential of riparian buffer strips (RBS) in a polluted river were examined. The river received large pollutant inputs from urban runoff and wastewater discharge, resulting in impaired water quality in the river and downstream reservoir. The potential for nitrogen removal by RBS was evaluated by measuring in situ N₂O emission fluxes in static closed chambers and sediment denitrification potentials with acetylene inhibition techniques. The results showed that N₂O emission fluxes decreased from the upstream (16.39 μg/(m²·h)) to downstream (0.30 μg/(m²·h)) sites and from the water body to upland sites. The trend in decreasing N₂O emission fluxes in the downstream direction was mainly associated with sediment/soil textures (clay loam→sandy soil) and sediment/soil water contents and was also related to the vegetation along the RBS and nutrients in the sediments/soils. The correlation coefficient was highest (r=0.769) between the N₂O emission flux and sediment/soil water content. Sediment/soil denitrification potentials under N-amended and ambient conditions were higher (highest 32.86 mg/(kg·h)) for the upstream sites, which were consistent with in situ N₂O flux rates.     

Book reviews

ESSENTIALS OF CRYSTALLOGRAPHY by Duncan McKie and Christine McKie, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1986, 437 pp, £25.00 bound, £12.95 paper.     

A preliminary study of temporal differences in serum concentrations of perfluoroalkyl acids,among New York anglers,in the absence of known changes in manufacturing practices

Perfluorinated compounds have been manufactured in large quantities and used in myriad industrial processes and commercial applications. The aim of this preliminary study was to generate hypotheses with regard to differences in body burdens of perfluoroalkyl acids, among a sub-sample of participants from the New York State Angler Cohort Study, over a time interval during which no known substantial changes occurred in US manufacturing practices or commercial use. Paired serum specimens, collected from 15 subjects in 1993–1994 (time 1), and in 1995–1997 (time 2), with a minimum interval of 2.5 years, were assayed for PFDA, PFHpA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFOA, PFOS, PFOSA and PFUnDA using HPLC with ES-MS/MS. By subject, differences in concentrations between time 1 and time 2 were estimated, employing paired t-tests, correlations, and multivariable linear regression to accommodate heterogeneity in duration between specimens, and in time 1 concentrations. A statistically significant (P < 0.05) adjusted mean decrease of 0.16 ng mL^?1 (18.8%) between time 1 and 2 was detected for PFNA, and an adjusted mean increase of 0.54 ng mL^?1 (56.8%) was detected for PFOA. The results of this study may be indicative of short-term changes in human body burdens of PFNA and PFOA in association with local exposure sources.     

Book reviews

ACID RAIN, A REVIEW OF THE PHENOMENON IN THE EEC AND EUROPE, by Environmental Resources Limited for the Commission of the European Communities, 159 pages (including a summary, an introduction, findings and conclusions and 13 pages with newest references), 24 figures and 14 tables, stiff paper cover, format 302×212 mm, EUR 8684, ISBN 0 86010 501 6, Graham & Trotman Limited, Sterling House, 66 Wilton Road, London SW1V 1DE, U.K. (1983), £12.50.

STONE DECAY AND CONSERVATION, Atmospheric Pollution, Cleaning, Consolidation and Protection, MATERIAL SCIENCE MONOGRAPHS 11, by Giovanni G. Amoroso and Vasco Fassina, 453 pages (including 301 figures, 72 tables, and a subject index of five pages; references are added to each of the five parts), linen, format 249×174 mm, ISBN 0 444 42146 7, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam and New York (1983) USS 97.75 or Dfl. 230.‐ or SFr. 170.‐

WEATHERING OF POLYMERS, by Anthony Davies and David Sims, Waltham Abbey, Essex, U.K., 294 pages (including 96 figures, 62 tables, an index of 6 pages; and references (mostly from 1972 to 1979, a few newer ones) added to each chapter), linen, format 230×149 mm, ISBN 0 85334 226 1, Applied Science Publishers, London and New York (1983), £35, (plus £1.75 post/packing).     

Cytotoxicity and cell membrane depolarization induced by aluminum oxide nanoparticles in human lung epithelial cells A549

The cytotoxicity of 13 and 22 nm aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles was investigated in cultured human bronchoalveolar carcinoma-derived cells (A549) and compared with 20 nm CeO₂ and 40 nm TiO₂ nanoparticles as positive and negative control, respectively. Exposure to both Al₂O₃ nanoparticles for 24 h at 10 and 25 µg mL^?1 doses significantly decreased cell viability compared with control. However, the cytotoxicity of 13 and 22 nm Al₂O₃ nanoparticles had no difference at 5–25 µg mL^?1 dose range. The cytotoxicity of both Al₂O₃ nanoparticles were higher than negative control TiO₂ nanoparticles but lower than positive control CeO₂ nanoparticles (TiO₂ < Al₂O₃ < CeO₂). A real-time single cell imaging system was employed to study the cell membrane potential change caused by Al₂O₃ and CeO₂ nanoparticles using a membrane potential sensitive fluorescent probe DiBAC₄(3). Exposure to the 13 nm Al₂O₃ nanoparticles resulted in more significant depolarization than the 30 nm Al₂O₃ particles. On the other hand, the 20 nm CeO₂ particles, the most toxic, caused less significant depolarization than both the 13 and 22 nm Al₂O₃. Factors such as exposure duration, surface chemistry, and other mechanisms may contribute differently between cytotoxicity and membrane depolarization.     

Book Reviews

INTERACTIONS OF PLANT RESISTANCE AND PARASITOIDS AND PREDATORS OF INSECTS by D. J. Boethel and R. D. Eikenbary, Editors. 224 pp. Ellis Horwood Limited 1986. ISBN 0-85312-836-7, £32.50.

ORGANIC TRACE ANALYSIS, by Klaus Beyermann, Translation editor: R. A. Chalmers. Ellis Horwood, Chichester. £35-00. ISBN 0853126380.

CADMIUM IN THE ENVIRONMENT. Part II: Health Effects. Edited by Jerome O. Nriagu. 908p. Wiley-Interscience, New York and Chichester. £85.00. I.S.B.N. 0-471-0554.