Value functions for environmental pollutants: A technique for enhancing the assessment of expert judgements

This paper presents a new procedure to assess value functions for environmental pollutants. It has been particularly designed for eliciting expert-based value functions for pollutant substances. The main features of the model are the possibility to integrate direct and indirect assessment techniques, the possibility to make explicit assessment uncertainties and to avoid forcing quantitative judgements. The main aim of the procedure is to improve the reliability of the assessment but also to make the expert's task easier by using qualitative judgements more frequently. The procedure has been developed especially for soil pollutants, for which an application is described.     

Toxicological effects of major environmental pollutants: an overview

The last quarter of the twentieth century had witnessed a global surge in awakening against the unabated menace of environmental pollution. Among the various types of environmental pollution, water pollution is an age-old problem but it has gained an alarming dimension lately because of the problems of population increase, sewage disposal, industrial waste, radioactive waste, etc. Present scenario of water pollution calls for immediate attention towards the remediation and detoxification of these hazardous agents in order to have a healthy living environment. The present communication will deal with the toxicological effects of major environmental pollutants, viz. heavy metals, pesticides, and phenols.     

An optimization procedure for the isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic separations of environmental pollutants

This paper describes the use of the overlapping resolution mapping procedure to optimize the separation of priority pollutants by isocratic, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Three classes of pollutants are considered: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, substituted phenols and phthalate esters. The procedure requires only seven chromatographic runs for each set of pollutants before an optimized mobile phase composition is derived which can satisfactorily resolve all the components in the respective mixtures of pollutants. The main advantage of such a systematic scheme to optimize mobile phase compositions is an improvement in method development times compared to conventional techniques. Another benefit is that expenditures on solvents are reduced.     

Eutrophication and environmental policy in the Mediterranean Sea: a review

The Mediterranean Sea is a semienclosed basin connected with the open sea mainly through the Strait of Gibraltar. Due to the circulation pattern and the long residence time ranging between 80 and 100 years, the Mediterranean Sea is a sensitive environment to eutrophication pressures. The main body of water of the Mediterranean is characterized by very low nutrient concentrations, and therefore, the Mediterranean is classified among the most oligotrophic (very poor waters in nutrients) seas of the world's oceans. However, some coastal areas, mainly in the northern part of the basin, receive excessive loads of nutrients from sewage effluents, river fluxes, aquaculture farms, fertilizers, and industrial facilities, showing intense eutrophic phenomena with many adverse effects for the marine ecosystem and humans. Various national and international authorities, in addition to monitoring, have taken legal and administrative measures to mitigate eutrophication trends in the area. The Mediterranean environment is a good paradigm of integration of extensive legal framework, scientific knowledge, and administrative practices. The Barcelona Convention, the Mediterranean Action Plan, and European Union Directives on water quality and coastal management, together with scientific information derived from international research programs in the Mediterranean, provide a sound background for practical actions in eutrophication problems. In the present work, the problem of coastal eutrophication in the Mediterranean is reviewed in connection with public policies of the Mediterranean States based on national and international legislation and scientific knowledge on Mediterranean oceanography-ecology and actions coordinated by international bodies. These common actions and practices on coastal management are also discussed in relation to the need for sustainable development and protection of the coastal zone in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Strategic environmental assessment for sustainability: A review of a decade of academic research

This paper examines the strategic environmental assessment (SEA)–sustainability relationship over the past decade, from 2000 to 2010, focusing in particular on the incorporation of sustainability in SEA. A total of 86 papers from the academic literature containing the terms ‘sustainability’ or ‘sustainable development’ and ‘strategic environmental assessment’ were identified and reviewed. Several common themes emerged by which SEA can support sustainability, including providing a framework to support decision making for sustainability; setting sustainability objectives, ensuring the consideration of ‘more sustainable’ alternatives, and integrating sustainability criteria in PPP development; and promoting sustainability outcomes through tiering and institutional learning. At the same time, our review identified many underlying barriers that challenge SEA for sustainability, including the variable interpretations of the scope of sustainability in SEA; the limited use of assessment criteria directly linked to sustainability objectives; and challenges for decision-makers in operationalizing sustainability in SEA and adapting PPP development decision-making processes to include sustainability issues. To advance SEA for sustainability there is a need to better define the scope of sustainability in SEA; clarify how to operationalize the different approaches to sustainability in SEA, as opposed to simply describing those approaches; provide guidance on how to operationalize broad sustainability goals through assessment criteria in SEA; and understand better how to facilitate institutional learning regarding sustainability through SEA application.     

Origin, separation and identification of environmental nanoparticles: a review

The biogeochemical and ecological impacts of environmental nanoparticles (ENPs) are some of the fastest growing areas of research today. However, efficient separation and collection of ENPs in natural systems remains difficult. This review article is focused on experimental investigation of separation and identification of ENPs, including nanoparticles with size fractions in the range of <2000, 450 to 2000, 100 to 450 and 1 to 100 nm. An automated ultrafiltration device (AUD) was used successfully to overcome the problem of efficiently collecting ENPs in large quantities in red soils. A significant amount of hematite nanoparticles was present on the surface coating of kaolinite nanoparticles and aggregated hematite nanoparticles overlapping the edge of a kaolinite flake in a size range of 5 to 8 nm. Synchrotron XRD technique is more straightforward and powerful than conventional XRD with oriented specimens and random powder methods for identifying nanoparticles, crystallinity, and particle size in red soils, particularly for the illite, kaolinite, goethite and hematite nanoparticles. The AUD apparatus can be employed to efficiently collect large quantities of soil and related ENPs for investigation of their structural characteristics and surface properties, which have significant impact on weathering reaction pathways, catalysis, the fate of vital elements and environmental pollutants, and ecosystem restoration.     

Selective extraction of persistent organic pollutants from environmental matrices

An attempt is made to determine the bioavailability of persistent organic pollutants (POP's) in environmental matrices. The approach is based on the use of the Hildebrand Solubility Parameter, and its individual parameters of hydrogen bonding, dispersion and polarity to select weak and strong solvents to extract POP's from soil matrices. The approach has been applied to both spiked soils and certified reference materials. Initial results indicate that it is possible to fractionate POP's from soil matrices based on their ability to be extracted from soil by particular solvents.     

曲线拟合在环境空气污染物浓度预测中的应用

从分析环境空气污染物月均值的时间变化规律入手 ,找出与污染物变化特征相对应的数学函数 ,应用曲线拟合的方法 ,结合统计回归分析 ,建立曲线拟合方程。该方程可应用于污染物浓度的中长期预测     

The accumulation and effects of environmental contaminants on snakes: a review

In any ecological risk assessment, afull complement of the relevant members of theecosystems being studied should be considered. Reptiles in general, and snakes in particular, areimportant although often neglected components ofterrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and should beincluded in any study on environmental contamination. By neglecting reptiles, the risks posed by aparticular contaminant cannot be fully assessed. Since all snakes are secondary, tertiary, and toppredators, they are susceptible to the bioaccumulationof environmental contaminants. Their unique lifehistories make their roles in food webs diverse andimportant, and they are crucial to the properfunctioning of many ecological processes. We reviewand summarize organic and inorganic contaminant andradionuclide/radiation residue and lethal andsublethal effects data for snakes to stress theimportance of snakes and encourage their inclusion inecological risk assessments, to demonstrate thepaucity of available contaminant data on snakes andreveal the main information gaps, to encourage furtherecotoxicological studies on snakes, and to facilitatethe use of existing snake contaminant data inecological risk assessments. This review is the mostcomprehensive review currently available on theeffects on and accumulation of environmentalcontaminants in snakes.     

Characterizing the intrinsic bioremediation potential of 1,4-dioxane and trichloroethene using innovative environmental diagnostic tools

An intrinsic biodegradation study involving the design and implementation of innovative environmental diagnostic tools was conducted to evaluate whether monitored natural attenuation (MNA) could be considered as part of the remedial strategy to treat an aerobic aquifer contaminated with 1,4-dioxane and trichloroethene (TCE). In this study, advanced molecular biological and stable isotopic tools were applied to confirm in situ intrinsic biodegradation of 1,4-dioxane and TCE. Analyses of Bio-Trap? samplers and groundwater samples collected from monitoring wells verified the abundance of bacteria and enzymes capable of aerobically degrading TCE and 1,4-dioxane. Furthermore, phospholipid fatty acid analysis with stable isotope probes (PLFA-SIP) of the microbial community validated the ability for microbial degradation of TCE and 1,4-dioxane. Compound specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of groundwater samples for TCE resulted in δ(13)C values that indicated likely biodegradation of TCE in three of the four monitoring wells sampled. Results of the MNA evaluation showed that enzymes capable of aerobically degrading TCE and 1,4-dioxane were present, abundant, and active in the aquifer. Taken together, these results provide direct evidence of the occurrence of TCE and 1,4-dioxane biodegradation at the study site, supporting the selection of MNA as part of the final remedy at some point in the future.     

国家环境标准样品在环境有机污染物分析中的应用

简介了在分析环境中的有机污染物时,标准样品作为替代物、基体加标物在样品前处理中的应用,及其作为仪器性能检验物、校正物、内标物在样品分析过程中的应用。     

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy application in environmental monitoring of water quality: a review

Water quality monitoring is a critical part of environmental management and protection, and to be able to qualitatively and quantitatively determine contamination and impurity levels in water is especially important. Compared to the currently available water quality monitoring methods and techniques, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has several advantages, including no need for sample pre-preparation, fast and easy operation, and chemical free during the process. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand the fundamentals of aqueous LIBS analysis and effectively apply this technique to environmental monitoring. This article reviews the research conducted on LIBS analysis for liquid samples, and the article content includes LIBS theory, history and applications, quantitative analysis of metallic species in liquids, LIBS signal enhancement methods and data processing, characteristics of plasma generated by laser in water, and the factors affecting accuracy of analysis results. Although there have been many research works focusing on aqueous LIBS analysis, detection limit and stability of this technique still need to be improved to satisfy the requirements of environmental monitoring standard. In addition, determination of nonmetallic species in liquid by LIBS is equally important and needs immediate attention from the community. This comprehensive review will assist the readers to better understand the aqueous LIBS technique and help to identify current research needs for environmental monitoring of water quality.     

Occupational and indoor air exposure to persistent organic pollutants: a review of passive sampling techniques and needs

Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and related compounds such as PCBs, brominated flame retardants, organochlorine pesticides and PAHs is regarded as an important environmental risk factor for humans. Recently concerns about POPs resulted in the international protocol called the Stockholm Convention on POPs. Air quality standards (indoor, outdoor and occupational) for PAHs and other POPs will also be applied in the EU in the future. This will bring requirements for monitoring, to check for compliance and to reduce human exposures to POPs. This can occur from point sources and in various microenvironments, indoors, outdoors and in workplaces. Monitoring can be undertaken either by an active (pumped) method or using a passive (diffusive) air sampling (PAS) device. To date, PAS for POPs have mainly been used as integrating (long-term) samplers for ambient (outdoor) air. However, there are several reasons to develop PAS for monitoring of POPs in occupational and indoor environments. We discuss the potential advantages, limitations and developments needed, so that PAS can be used reliably and routinely indoors and in occupational settings for POPs.     

Reference materials for the monitoring of the aquatic environment--a review with special emphasis on organic priority pollutants

During recent years, the awareness of quality assurance and quality control in environmental analyses has constantly increased, especially due to the implementation of new guidelines and regulations at both the national and international level. Achieving comparable results by using certified reference materials is one of the primary concerns of the scientific community. As a result, there is a growing demand for certified reference materials to cover different matrices and pollutants. Moreover, these CRMs should be in close relationship to the determinants and target concentrations required by environmental bodies and European Directives as well. Supplementary information to this paper presents an inventory of reference materials available on the market from different suppliers against the priority pollutants listed in the Water Framework Directive. These CRMs cover matrices such as water, sediment and biota. The use of CRMs in relationship to appropriate analytical methods and relevant determinants is discussed and the need for matrix-CRMs, particularly for organic pollutants is emphasised. The use of proficiency testing schemes as an alternative for the lack of appropriate CRMs and future trends in the production of CRMs within the BCR framework are also discussed.     

Measurement of environmental pollutants using passive sampling devices--a commentary on the current state of the art

Passive sampling devices have been used since the 1970s to measure time-weighted average (TWA) or equilibrium concentrations of pollutants in various environmental matrices (e.g. air, soils and sediments and water). In recent years the popularity of using such samplers has increased and the technology in now well established for the measurement of atmospheric pollutants. This sector has a long experience of using passive samplers in the short- and long-term assessment of air quality in the local environment and on a global scale (e.g. within the United Nations Stockholm Convention on the trans-boundary movement of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) where large networks of samplers on a continental scale have been established). In comparison, the use of passive samplers for monitoring the aquatic environment has been slower to take off. There has, however, been a recent research drive to develop devices for measuring the wide range of pollutants that can be found in environmental waters (e.g. ground, surface, and marine). It is now being recognised that passive samplers can play a valuable role in monitoring water quality within a legislative framework such as the European Union's Water Framework Directive (WFD). The data from these devices can be used alongside the results obtained from conventional spot or bottle sampling to improve risk assessments and to inform decisions on undertaking potentially expensive remedial actions. Such monitoring techniques may have uses within the European Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of CHemicals (REACH) Directive and the forthcoming European Marine Strategy Directive. It is expected that the aquatic monitoring sector will follow a transition similar to that which occurred in air monitoring where data obtained from passive samplers can use used within a legal framework. There has also been increased interest in extending the role of passive samplers to both the measurement of equilibrium concentrations and investigating the movement and release of the dissolved fraction of various pollutants in the pore water of sediments and soils.     

Beyond distribution and participation: A scoping review to advance a comprehensive environmental justice framework for impact assessment

Concepts of justice are implicit to impact assessment (IA) procedures and policies. A closer examination of the academic literature on environmental justice reveals plural meanings and practices. We present data from a scoping review of the academic literature on IA guided by a trivalent definition of environmental justice encompassing distribution of environmental harms, recognition of diverse ways of knowing, and representation of plural perspectives through democratic procedures. We use this trivalent framework to assess how justice is defined in English language IA journal articles from 2000 to 2019. Findings show an emphasis on distributive and procedural dimensions of justice, with significantly less attention given to issues of recognition and framing. Broad definitions of environmental justice can assist IA scholars in attending to justice-seeking claims across various IA practices and settings, including implications for how IA addresses the concerns of marginalized groups.     

Migration of pollutants in groundwater. II. adsorbable pollutants and numerical dispersion reduction

We discuss here the partial differential equations governing the migration of a decomposing pollutant adsorbing according to a Langmuir isotherm and undergoing 2-dimensional flow in a saturated aquifer. The equation governing the mass transfer of the pollutant to the surfaces within the aquifer are solved in closed form, permitting the use of larger values of the time increment t in the numerical integration of the dispersion-advection equation governing the behavior of the dissolved pollutant. In this numerical integration transverse numerical dispersion is eliminated by using conformal coordinates (velocity potential and stream function), and longitudinal numerical dispersion is very substantially reduced by use of an asymmetrical 4-point formula to represent the advection term. Some representative results are given as contour maps. The mass transfer rate coefficient is estimated as the least positive eigenvalue of a diffusion problem.     

Some applications of Freon-22 in supercritical fluid chromatographic analysis of environmental pollutants

The applications of Freon-22 (R22) as a mobile phase and as a modifier in supercritical fluid chromatography were investigated. For the purpose of this investigation, the separation of eleven phenols listed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as priority pollutants was studied. It was found that the use of neat R22 greatly reduced the retention times of the phenols compared with the use of neat carbon dioxide as mobile phase. Satisfactory separation of all the eleven phenols could be achieved using 5% R22 as modifier in carbon dioxide. The promising results obtained in this preliminary investigation indicate the potential for the use of R22 in supercritical fluid separation processes.     

Use of large enclosures for perturbation experiments in lentic ecosystems: A review

Available literature on use of field enclosures in freshwater and marine systems is reviewed to assess how accurately enclosures mimic ecological conditions and process rates occurring in adjacent open habitat. Among- and within-replicate variability of ecological parameters in field enclosures is compared to those in laboratory microcosms and open field habitat respectively. Results concerning the potential ecological effects and fate of pollutants indicate that perturbation studies using field enclosures can provide defensible data at the population and community levels over time periods of several months and spatial scales of tens of meters. The degree of ecological realism that can be achieved, however, is variable. Chronic effects of some pollutants may be difficult to separate from nonspecific effects due to enclosure. Determination of cause/effect pathways for observed toxicant impacts generally will require supplemental laboratory studies.Work conducted under Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA, contract RP 1822-6.