Risks and benefits in agricultural uses of selenium

Selenium deficiency in soils, and subsequently in crops that are grown on them, has been charted in various parts of the world. Use of carefully regulated amounts of supplemental selenium in such areas has been effective in improving productive performance of domestic food-producing animals, and some 30 years' experience has now been gained with various supplementation practices. Coincidentaliy, there have been instances reported of situations where selenium toxicity has resulted from a combination of naturally-high environmental levels, enhanced by agricultural, environmental and industrial practices, and questions have been raised as to whether continued animal supplementation may contribute to selenium toxicity. This paper examines some of the various factors involved and concludes that presently-established animal supplementation uses of selenium are small compared with other sources of the element and that they do not constitute a hazard to animals, including humans, or the environment.     

Identification of sources of environmental lead in South Africa from surface soil geochemical maps

The bioavailability of lead in soil is of considerable importance to human and animal health. Although selective extraction has been explored as a more appropriate technique than total heavy metal analysis in environmental pollution assessments, such studies remain scarce globally and are almost non-existent in developing countries. Results for a large-scale study of extractable lead levels in undisturbed soil samples in South Africa identify several geographic areas of concern. Lead levels are considerably elevated relative to background levels in the Johannesburg urban and industrial area. Areas of active lead mining also exhibit higher surface soil values. Interestingly, areas of active and intensive coal mining activity display relatively low soil Pb values, possibly attributable to the relatively low heavy metal content of South African coal. In all instances, distribution of cadmium, a carcinogenic element, correlates with that of lead. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the quick and easy Mehlich-3 single extractant technique, an established technique in micronutrient studies, to simultaneously provide valuable environmental data for toxic metals such as Pb and Cd.     

Implementation of food frequency questionnaire for the assessment of total dietary arsenic intake in Bangladesh: Part B, preliminary findings

Dietary intake of water and food has been identified as one of the major pathways for arsenic (As) exposure in the rural population of Bangladesh. Therefore, realistic assessment and measurement of dietary intake patterns are important for the development of an accurate estimate of As exposure and human health risk assessment. One important consideration is to identify an appropriate tool for measuring dietary intake. In this study an interviewer-administered Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was implemented to determine age and gender specific dietary intake. The developed FFQ was unique because it developed a synergy between field dietary assessment and As concentration measurements in various environmental media. The resulting integrated database provided an accurate framework for the process of As exposure and human health risk assessment. The preliminary results reported here from the FFQ demonstrated that this technique could be used in rural areas as a tool to assess As exposure and the associated human health risk.     

The selenium content of Welsh soils with special reference to bedrock and contamination from sulphide ores

This paper describes a survey of total selenium contents of surface soil samples in Wales. Samples were collected from three areas: over Silurian shales where deficiences in sheep have been reported, in an area severely affected by pollution from lead mining and in an area where black, marine shales outcrop. Selenium levels were low over the Silurian shales but high in the other two areas. Statistical analysis of the data permitted the separating out of a basal range of selenium values low enough to account for the reports of deficiences in sheep. Some selenium values were high enough to suggest the possibility of selenosis in sheep.     

Medical geology in tropical countries with special reference to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka provides an ideal opportunity for the study of the effect of geology on human health. The vast majority of the people of Sri Lanka still live in rural areas within areas termed geochemical provinces. Very broadly, one could say that a geochemical province has characteristic chemical composition in soil, water stream sediments and rocks, enabling their delineation from others. The chemical composition is presumed to be have an impact on the health of the inhabitants of the particular geochemical province, particularly because of the fact that their food and water are obtained mostly from the terrain itself. This leads to the concept of “diseases of geochemical origin”. Among these are dental fluorosis, iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) and selenium-based diseases. The Dry Zone of Sri Lanka has several areas rich in groundwater fluoride, the ingestion of which leads to dental fluorosis. Iodine deficiency diseases are more common in the Wet Zone, though their aetiologies are more complicated. Interestingly, it has also been observed that significant proportions of the female population of Sri Lanka are selenium-deficient, which could well be related to the geological environment. Chronic renal failure (CRF) has been observed in some areas of the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka, where there is a relationship of CRF with the mineral content of drinking water. This subject matter falls under the auspices of Medical Geology, a scientific discipline still in its infancy, and much more concerted studies are needed to attract the attention of medical research.     

Industrial land expansion in rural China threatens environmental securities

• China’s rural industrial land (RIL) area quadrupled from 1990 to 2015. • RIL expansion cost 9% of China’s crop production and threatened human/ecosystem safety. • The underprivileged population bears a disproportionally large share of the risks. China’s rural industrialization has been a major driver for its rapid economic growth during the recent decades, but its myriad environmental risks are yet to be fully understood. Based on a comprehensive national land-use data set, our study shows that the area of China’s rural industrial land (RIL) quadrupled during 1990–2015, reaching 39000 km² in 2015, comparable to urbanization in magnitude but with a much greater degree of landscape fragmentation which implies stronger ecological and environmental impacts. About 91% of the protected areas in the central China were within 50 km from rural industrial land, thus exposed to industrial disturbances. Accelerated rural industrial land expansion, particularly in regions under high geo-hazard risks, led to dramatically increased environmental risks, threatening the safety and health of both rural industrial workers and residents. Moreover, negative effects from rural industrial land expansion could partially offset the crop production growth in recent decades. The underprivileged rural population in the west bears a disproportionally large share of the increased environmental risks. China urgently needs to design and implement sustainable policies to restrict and reshape its rural industrialization. This study aims to inspire policy makers and researchers to rethink the current model of industrial expansion and improve rural industrial land planning, which is important for achieving the sustainable development goals of China.     

Heavy metals in Jamaican surface soils

A regional survey of Jamaican surface soils has been conducted in which more than 200 samples were collected at a sample density of 1 per 64 km² across the island and analysed for total concentrations of 31 elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The aim of the survey was to begin the construction of a high-precision geochemical database to provide information on elemental levels in soils for application to environmental studies, agriculture, and human and animal health. Results on the regional scale are presented for As, Cd, Cu, Hg and Pb. Although Jamaican surface soils are enriched in several heavy metals compared with world soil means and crustal abundances, lead is of particular importance at this stage because of its occurrence in residential areas. Except for Cu, the distribution maps of these elements are highly correlated with bauxite which in Jamaica is associated with white limestone geology and residualterra rossa soils.     

Distribution and mode of occurrence of selenium in US coals

Selenium excess and deficiency have been established as the cause of various health problems in man and animals. Combustion of fossil fuels, especially coal, may be a major source of the anthropogenic introduction of selenium in the environment. Coal is enriched in selenium relative to selenium's concentration in most other rocks and relative to selenium in the Earth's crust.Data from almost 9,000 coal samples have been used to determine the concentration and distribution of selenium in US coals. The geometric mean concentration of selenium in US coal is 1.7 ppm. The highest mean selenium value (geometric mean 4.7 ppm) is in the Texas Region. Atlantic Coast (Virginia and North Carolina) and Alaska coals have the lowest geometric means (0.2 and 0.42 ppm, respectively). All western coal regions have mean selenium concentrations of less than 2.0 ppm. In contrast, all coal basins east of the Rocky Mountains (except for several small basins in Rhode Island, Virginia, and North Carolina) have mean selenium values of 1.9 or greater.Generally, variations in selenium concentration do not correlate with variations in ash yield, pyritic sulphur, or organic sulphur concentrations. This may be the result of multiple sources of selenium; however, in some non-marine basins with restricted sources of selenium, selenium has positive correlations with other coal quality parameters.Selenium occurs in several forms in coal but appears to be chiefly associated with the organic fraction, probably substituting for organic sulphur. Other important forms of selenium in coal are selenium-bearing pyrite, selenium-bearing galena, and lead selenide (clausthalite). Water-soluble and ion-exchangeable selenium also have been reported.     

健康风险评估方法在中国重金属污染中的应用及暴露评估模型的研究进展

经济的快速发展导致中国环境质量日趋恶化.随着健康意识的增强,人们越来越重视污染物暴露人群的健康风险评估.与其他污染物相比,重金属污染区域广,重金属暴露人群多且集中.为了研究重金属暴露条件下人群的健康风险,USEPA 模型、统计模型、地理信息系统、可给性研究的方法已被中国不同学者应用.暴露评估模型作为污染物暴露人群健康风险评估的主要环节,国外的研究已经比较成熟,但相关研究在中国还处于空白阶段.对中国近年来在城市表层土壤（灰尘）、矿区土壤、膳食、地下水和饮用水、大气颗粒物进行重金属风险评估中应用的健康风险评估方法,进行了归纳和评述,并对欧美常用暴露评估模型：环境暴露评估模型、膳食暴露评估模型进行了介绍.中国健康风险评估工作起步晚,在评估的各环节均存在很大缺陷.随着新技术的发展以及人群对环境健康风险认识的深化,健康风险评估将成为中国热门研究领域之一.污染的环境行为、剂量一效应关系、模型、风险信息等方面,将是未来中国健康风险评估研究的重点.     

Decentralized wastewater treatment technologies and management in Chinese villages

Problems treating sewage in rural areas in China have attracted increasing attention in recent years. However, only 6% of rural areas had spray drainage and wastewater treatment systems by the end of 2010. It is necessary to assess the technologies currently used so that sewage treatment in rural areas can be developed appropriately, to provide reliable and affordable waste- water treatment, in these areas. We evaluated the sewage treatment technologies currently used in rural areas by conducting case studies on 62 facilities that had each been operating for at least one year. Our study was carried out between 2009 and 2011, and the aim was to assess the situation during that period and assess any problems involved in decentralized sewage treatment in villages. We found that decentralized sewage treatment is the most popular wastewater treatment method in villages, and that the most common primary treatment technology used in rural areas is the septic tank. Our investigation highlights the need to establish standards for assessing effluent quality, including a range of target pollutants. Our results also show that effluents should be reused to meet the local environmental requirements in different areas, especially in ecologically sensitive areas.     

Soils and geomedicine

Geomedicine is the science dealing with the influence of natural factors on the geographical distribution of problems in human and veterinary medicine. Discussions on potential harmful impacts on human and animal health related to soil chemistry are frequently focused on soil pollution. However, problems related to natural excess or deficiency of chemical substances may be even more important in a global perspective. Particularly problems related to trace element deficiencies in soils have been frequently reported in agricultural crops as well as in livestock. Deficiencies in plants are often observed for boron, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. In animals deficiency problems related to cobalt, copper, iodine, manganese, and selenium are well known. Toxicity problems in animals exposed to excess intake have also been reported, e.g., for copper, fluorine, and selenium. Humans are similar to mammals in their relations to trace elements and thus likely to develop corresponding problems as observed in domestic animals if their supply of food is local and dependent on soils providing trace element imbalances in food crops. In large parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, people depend on locally grown food, and geomedical problems are common in these parts of the world. Well-known examples are Keshan disease in China associated with selenium deficiency, large-scale arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and adjacent parts of India, and iodine deficiency disorders in many countries. Not all essential elements are derived only from the soil minerals. Some trace elements such as boron, iodine, and selenium are supplied in significant amounts to soils by atmospheric transport from the marine environment, and deficiency problems associated with these elements are therefore generally less common in coastal areas than farther inland. For example, iodine deficiency disorders in humans are most common in areas situated far from the ocean. There is still a great need for further research on geomedical problems.     

Uranium mining in Portugal: a review of the environmental legacies of the largest mines and environmental and human health impacts

The history of uranium mining in Portugal during almost one century has followed international demand peaks of both radium and uranium, which in turn were driven by medical, military, and civil applications. Nowadays, following price drop in the 1980s, mining activities decreased and ceased in 2001. The current challenge is to deal with environmental legacies left by old uranium mines, mainly located in Viseu and Guarda districts. In 2001, based on several radiological surveys carried out, the Portuguese government assumed the remediation costs of abandoned mine areas for environmental safety and public health protection. Detailed environmental and public health risk assessments were performed under the scope of studies both requested by the government and by funded research projects. It was found that the existing risks, due to radiological and chemical exposures to metals and radionuclide’s, were particularly high at the old milling facilities and mines where in situ and heap leaching of low-grade ore occurred. The different studies, involving both humans and non-human species from different trophic levels, demonstrated the existence of effects at different levels of biological organization (molecular, cellular, tissues, individuals, and populations) and on ecosystem services. To mitigate the risks, the environmental rehabilitation works at the Urgeiriça mine complex are almost complete, while at Cunha Baixa mine, they are presently in progress. These works and environmental improvements achieved and expected are described herein.     

农村水污染治理驱动因素的利益相关者识别

引入利益相关者理论对我国农村水污染治理减低污染风险的驱动因素进行了识别。通过对农村水污染系统内的利益相关者进行界定,划分了政府、农村社区居民和社会力量3个利益群体,并通过Binary Logistic回归模型对3个利益群体的驱动力进行量化分析,经实证模型检验表明,反映政府作用的考核机制(含财政投入与监管能力)、反映社会力量的社会资金投入以及反映农村社区作用的自主管理能力和居民环保投入所占比重的发生比(OR值)分别为2.248、1.725、1.525和1.236,表明政府主导对减轻农村水污染起关键作用,社会力量和农民社区自身多方发挥作用对降低农村水污染风险的影响也是显著的。     

转基因作物对鱼类的生态毒理效应研究综述

转基因作物潜在的健康和环境风险一直以来颇受争议,转基因作物加工成动物饲料后可能会诱导动物产生免疫应激反应,影响动物的生长发育、繁殖等。鱼类是水生脊椎动物的代表,已广泛应用于水环境的监测,但目前转基因作物对鱼类的饲用安全性研究还相对较少。文章基于转基因作物作为鱼饲料原料对鱼类生态毒理学效应的研究现状,综述了转基因作物对鱼的生长表现、生理生化、脏器功能及发育、组织病理以及行为活动等方面的生态毒理学效应,分析了当前研究中存在的问题,并对今后的研究趋势进行了探讨。     

有机磷酸酯阻燃剂的人群暴露和甲状腺毒性的研究进展

有机磷酸酯(organophosphate esters,OPEs)是使用最为广泛的有机磷阻燃剂,并兼具增塑剂、消泡剂和萃取剂等功能,被广泛用于电子产品、建筑材料和塑料材料等中,导致其在环境介质中普遍存在,对生态系统和人体健康构成巨大威胁.作为一种新型环境污染物,OPEs的人群暴露特征和生物毒性成为环境健康领域的研究热...     

农村水污染治理驱动因素的利益相关者识别

引入利益相关者理论对我国农村水污染治理减低污染风险的驱动因素进行了识别。通过对农村水污染系统内的利益相关者进行界定,划分了政府、农村社区居民和社会力量3个利益群体,并通过Binary Logistic回归模型对3个利益群体的驱动力进行量化分析,经实证模型检验表明,反映政府作用的考核机制（含财政投入与监管能力）、反映社会力量的社会资金投入以及反映农村社区作用的自主管理能力和居民环保投入所占比重的发生比（OR值）分别为2.248、1.725、1.525和1.236,表明政府主导对减轻农村水污染起关键作用,社会力量和农民社区自身多方发挥作用对降低农村水污染风险的影响也是显著的。     

Associations between soil lead concentrations and populations by race/ethnicity and income-to-poverty ratio in urban and rural areas

Lead (Pb) is a well-studied environmental contaminant that has many negative health effects, especially for children. Both racial/ethnic and income disparities have been documented with respect to exposure to Pb in soils. The objectives of this study were to assess whether soil Pb concentrations in rural and urban areas of South Carolina USA, previously identified as having clusters of intellectual disabilities (ID) in children, were positively associated with populations of minority and low-income individuals and children (≤6 years of age). Surface soils from two rural and two urban areas with identified clusters of ID were analyzed for Pb and concentrations were spatially interpolated using inverse distance weighted analysis. Population race/ethnicity and income-to-poverty ratio (ITPR) from United States Census 2000 block group data were aerially interpolated by block group within each area. Urban areas had significantly higher concentrations of Pb than rural areas. Significant positive associations between black, non-Hispanic Latino, individuals and children ≤6 years of age and mean estimated Pb concentrations were observed in both urban (r = 0.38, p = 0.0007) and rural (r = 0.53, p = 0.04) areas. Significant positive associations also were observed between individuals and children with an ITPR < 1.00 and Pb concentrations, though primarily in urban areas. Racial/ethnic minorities and low ITPR individuals, including children, may be at elevated risk for exposure to Pb in soils.     

纳米零价铁在环境中的毒性研究进展

纳米零价铁(nZVI)作为一种高效的环境修复材料,被广泛应用在土壤和地下水的修复等环境领域。但研究发现,大量进入环境中的nZVI可能会对生物体和生态系统产生严重危害,如和nZVI接触后,会造成小鼠器官受到损伤,杨树幼苗生长减缓,大肠杆菌等微生物的细胞膜破裂等不利作用出现。此外,nZVI还会改变环境中的氧化还原电位和溶解氧等指标,而且毒性效应容易受到外界条件的干扰。虽然目前对nZVI的致毒机制还不完全明确,但学者们提出了多种可能的假设,主流的观点是铁离子的释放、氧化损伤和基因损伤等。本文综述了国内外对nZVI毒性的最新研究成果,以期为nZVI的使用和毒性研究提供参考。     

Biomonitoring mit Stadttaubeneiern

Experiences of biological monitoring with feral pigeons over a 12-year period in the cities of Halle, leipzig and Saarbrücken, and in rural areas of the Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein, show how to combine the management of feral pigeon populations with scientific questions. Especially the eggs of feral pigeons are suitable for environmental observation. Their advantage is, to show both concentrations of substances and their effects. In addition, there is almost no alternative in urban ecosystems by the use of other specimens. Requirements on standard operation procedures for sampling and sample treatment are presented. Examples of significant differences in analytical and biometric information between the observed areas and trends over the 12-year monitoring period with the use of pigeon eggs are presented. In specially constructed pigeon houses (pigeonry) with nesting cells, pigeon eggs can permanently be used for long term monitoring studies. At the same time, the possibility for the control and regulation of population health and desity is given.