Information needs for marine pollution studies

Information needed for the resolution of environmental problems is a commodity with an economic value. The minimum necessary information implies minimal costs. The formulation of the information is considered for the case of biocides that can disrupt marine ecosystems.     

Modelling of occupational respirable crystalline silica exposure for quantitative exposure assessment in community-based case-control studies

We describe an empirical model for exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) to create a quantitative job-exposure matrix (JEM) for community-based studies. Personal measurements of exposure to RCS from Europe and Canada were obtained for exposure modelling. A mixed-effects model was elaborated, with region/country and job titles as random effect terms. The fixed effect terms included year of measurement, measurement strategy (representative or worst-case), sampling duration (minutes) and a priori exposure intensity rating for each job from an independently developed JEM (none, low, high). 23,640 personal RCS exposure measurements, covering a time period from 1976 to 2009, were available for modelling. The model indicated an overall downward time trend in RCS exposure levels of -6% per year. Exposure levels were higher in the UK and Canada, and lower in Northern Europe and Germany. Worst-case sampling was associated with higher reported exposure levels and an increase in sampling duration was associated with lower reported exposure levels. Highest predicted RCS exposure levels in the reference year (1998) were for chimney bricklayers (geometric mean 0.11 mg m(-3)), monument carvers and other stone cutters and carvers (0.10 mg m(-3)). The resulting model enables us to predict time-, job-, and region/country-specific exposure levels of RCS. These predictions will be used in the SYNERGY study, an ongoing pooled multinational community-based case-control study on lung cancer.     

Central and East European needs for environmental care

There are some special problems in Central and Eastern European countries connected with environmental assessment, which is a prerequisite for reasonable environmental care. Individual steps of solution of environmental problems are briefly discussed and relevant difficulties are stressed. A new schema is suggested for quality assurance and validity systems of primary data generation and evaluation.The challenge is not so much to discover what must be done to ensure sustainability. The challenge is to discover how to do it.Robert Repetto     

New approaches for assessment of occupational exposure to metals using on-site measurements

Traditional assessment of occupational exposure to metals typically involves static or personal aerosol sampling on a membrane filter followed by a laboratory determination of the metal content on the filter sample. These techniques give results with high accuracy and low detection limits. However, they all have a drawback in that, since the samples have to be analysed in a laboratory, the results will usually be obtained days or weeks after the sampling took place. Today there is available a new generation of portable electronic micro-balances and instruments for metal analysis based on X-ray fluorescence. These instruments will make on-site measurements of metal exposure possible, which opens the way for new approaches for assessment of occupational exposure to metals. In combination with high-flow pumps, short-term sampling is possible, which allows monitoring of the exposure variation during a work shift as well as the exposure during individual work tasks of short duration. Screening measurements and emission measurements are other examples of monitoring that are facilitated using on-site determinations. Measure control monitoring can effectively be performed using on-site measurements and is an effective tool in the assessment of workplace improvements. On-site determinations can also form an effective and pedagogic tool showing workers how to perform specific tasks and demonstrating the effectiveness of different measures intended to improve their work environment. Other examples are the assessment of skin exposure using aerosol deposition on pads and screening of contamination using bulk samples.     

Compact semi-automatic incident sampler for personal monitoring of volatile organic compounds in occupational air

Suddenly occurring and time limited chemical exposures caused by unintended incidents might pose a threat to many workers at various work sites. Monitoring of exposure during such occasional incidents is challenging. In this study a compact, low-weight and personal semi-automatic pumped unit for sampling of organic vapor phase compounds from occupational air during sporadic and suddenly occurring incidents has been developed, providing simple activation by the worker potentially subjected to the sudden occurring exposures when a trained occupational hygienist is not available. The sampler encompasses a tube (glass or stainless steel) containing an adsorbent material in combination with a small membrane pump, where the adsorbent is capped at both ends by gas tight solenoid valves. The sampler is operated by a conventional 9 V battery which tolerates long storage time (at least one year), and is activated by pulling a pin followed by automatic operation and subsequent closing of valves, prior to shipping to a laboratory. The adjustable sampling air flow rate and the sampling time are pre-programmed with a standard setting of 200 mL min(-1) and 30 min, respectively. The average airflow in the time interval 25-30 min compared to average airflow in the interval 2-7 min was 92-95% (n = 6), while the flow rate between-assay precisions (RSD) for six different samplers on three days each were in the range 0.5-3.7%. Incident sampler recoveries of VOCs from a generated VOC atmosphere relative to a validated standard method were between 95 and 102% (+/-4-5%). The valves that seal the sampler adsorbent during storage have been shown to prevent an external VOC atmosphere (500 mg m(-3)) to enter the adsorbent tube, in addition to that the sampler adsorbent is storable for at least one month due to absence of ingress of contaminants from internal parts. The sampler was also suitable for trapping of semi-volatile organophosphates.     

Field application of SPME as a novel tool for occupational exposure assessment with inhalational anesthetics

Occupational exposure to inhalational anesthetics occurs routinely in operating rooms. It could induce serious health hazards and diseases. This exposure assessment is a crucial step in determining risks. In this study, a pen-shaped holder for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampler was successfully applied as a time-weighted average sampling tool for workshift exposure assessment of operation room staff to halothane. It proved to be very convenient for use in occupational environments such as operation rooms. Samples were analyzed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The validity of the SPME method was checked in real-world conditions with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 103 standard method for the determination of inhalational anesthetics. A good agreement between OSHA 103 and SPME methods was obtained and results demonstrated no statistically significant differences in anesthetic concentrations determined by the two analytical methods (p?≥?0.05). It is concluded that SPME in retracted mode could successfully be applied in occupational exposure assessment purposes.     

Statistical needs in national water quality monitoring programs

The concept that a few well chosen, strategically placed, water quality stations can provide valuable scientific information to water managers is common to many countries. Historically within Canada, water quality regional networks (Great Lakes network, Prairie Provinces Water Board network, Long Range Transport of Airborne Pollutants network, etc.) have been successfully operating for many years. This paper will describe the difficulties associated with developing a national water quality network for a country the size of Canada. In particular, it will describe some of the statistical tools presently being used in regional networks which are suitable for a national network, and discuss the need to develop new statistical tools for environmental monitoring in the 1990's.     

无资料地区地下水开采量的推求

在<中国新疆吐鲁番盆地地下水资源可持续利用研究>项目实施过程中,为分析计算项目区地下水开采量,利用农用井的用电量数据和地下水长观资料,推求出了相对准确的该区十年期逐月各乡镇地下水开采量,为其他无资料地区地下水开采量的推求工作提供一种思路.     

Assessment of occupational exposure to diesel fumes--parameter optimization of the thermal coulometric measurement method for carbon

'Elemental' carbon (EC) is used as a surrogate to assess occupational exposure to diesel soot. EC thermal analysis needs complete desorption of organic compounds from the soot particles prior to analysis in order to minimize positive interferences and artefacts. The desorption of the organic compounds can be considered as the major step which influences the reliability of the EC determination. A systematic study was carried out to investigate the different parameters of influence such as desorption temperature, desorption duration, heating rate and type of the sample on the desorption efficiency. It was found that temperature and duration are the major parameters of influence on the desorption efficiency. The influence of the sample load can be seen as a measure of the pyrolysis susceptibility of the sample. An optimized temperature program is proposed.     

Detection criteria and preventive measures for occupational disease in the mines of Almaden (Spain)

This research focuses on the metallurgy and underground mining job positions in the historic mines of Almaden (Spain). We introduce a preventive methodology for hydrargyrism in work environments known by the name of Methodology for Operational Units Action Levels for Health Indicators (MUONAIS). The methodology allows critical levels to be established using environmental and clinical–biological indicators. The prevention plan concentrated on 15 job positions in the metallurgy department that employed more than 100 workers between the years 1986 and 1997. The development of this preventive methodology managed to keep workers’ mercury levels below 60 μg/l in blood and 200 μg/l in urine, values that present no negative effects on human health. MUONAIS has proven very effective in protecting workers’ health. During this period, some cases of micro-mercurialism were detected, yet were completely reversible, allowing us to affirm that the terrible disease of hydrargyrism was totally eradicated.     

Statistical and nonstatistical considerations for environmental monitoring studies

In environmental studies statistics is too often used as a salvage operation, or as an attempt to show significance in the absence of any clear hypothesis. Good design is needed, not fancier statistics. Too often we pursue short-term problems that are in fashion rather than study long-term environmental deterioration that really matters. Since change-often unpredictable change-is an intrinsic part of nature, it is pointless to fight all environmental change. We must choose our level of concern and then influence environmental change where we can. The judgement on whether a given change is bad cannot be left to the statistician or to statistical tests; the politician in consultation with the ecologist are responsible for it. The statistical significance of a hypothesized impact-related change should be tested against year-to-year variation in the unimpacted situation rather than against replicate sampling error. This is another argument for long-term studies. Attributes of good design and appropriate criterion and predictor variables are discussed.Paper presented at a Symposium held on 20–21 April 1982, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.     

Fitness of occupational exposure data to inverse Gaussian distribution

Short-term exposure datasets of 10 workers exposed to organic solvents and daily average exposure datasets of seven workers exposed to cobalt and organic solvents were analyzed in order to clarify whether these exposure data fit an inverse Gaussian distribution. The goodness-of-fit test showed that time-weighted average (TWA) values with averaging times of 30 min, 60 min and 8 hours can be described by an inverse Gaussian distribution, but not those with averaging times of 7.5 min and 15 min.     

Environmental impact assessment: National approaches and international needs

This paper examines the spread and development of ‘environmental impact assessment’ (EIA) since the enactment of the U.S. Environmental Policy Act on January 1, 1970, which established for the first time under any jurisdiction the formal requirement that an EIA be made and that an ‘environmental impact statement’ (EIS) be filed prior to implementation of certain major development projects. The paper is divided into three parts. In the first part, we briefly review the forms of EIA introduced in the western industrial countries and contrast these with developments in the socialist countries of Eastern Europe, and in the Third World. The approaches to EIA adopted by five countries — the United States, Australia, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Soviet Union — are used to illustrate the types of national approaches that have been followed. In the second part of the paper, we use some questions raised by impact assessments as codified in legislation or regulations at the national level to highlight some of the limitations of impact assessment. Finally, we turn to international impact assessments and describe the modest progress made to date. Key impediments to the development of appropriate conceptual and institutional frameworks and methodologies for international EIAs are noted. In conclusion, we offer some suggestions about needed actions at both the national and international levels.     

环境一号卫星CCD数据在太湖蓝藻水华遥感监测中的应用

利用环境一号卫星(HJ-1)CCD数据,对太湖水华进行遥感监测,并比对同时相的EOS/MODIS卫星遥感数据。结果表明,HJ-1星CCD数据具有优于EOS/MODIS数据的蓝藻水华识别能力,并有良好抗云层干扰能力,适合用于太湖蓝藻水华应急监测。     

An Overview of Data Integration Methods for Regional Assessment

The U.S. Environmental Protections Agency's (U.S. EPA) Regional Vulnerability Assessment(ReVA) program has focused much of its research over the last five years on developing and evaluating integration methods for spatial data. An initial strategic priority was to use existing data from monitoring programs, model results, and other spatial data. Because most of these data were not collected with an intention of integrating into a regional assessment of conditions and vulnerabilities, issues exist that may preclude the use of some methods or require some sort of data preparation. Additionally, to support multi-criteria decision-making, methods need to be able to address a series of assessment questions that provide insights into where environmental risks are a priority. This paper provides an overview of twelve spatial integration methods that can be applied towards regional assessment, along with preliminary results as to how sensitive each method is to data issues that will likely be encountered with the use of existing data.     

环境监测数据的数值修约规则探讨

数值修约问题看似简单,实则行之不易。由于目前并没有一种统一的数值修约方式可以处理实际工作中遇到的各种类型的数据,这就导致环境监测报告及科研论文中普遍存在着分析数据数值修约不规范的问题。分析阐明了数值修约的内涵:一是修,是保留几位的问题;二是约,是如何舍入的问题。在此基础上,提出了数值修约的两条原则:准确性和保守性。最后,总结了环境监测常用数据的数值修约规则。     

提高TEOM数据准确性和有效率的方法

基于振荡天平法颗粒物自动监测仪器在实际应用中存在的问题,在分析其工作原理的基础上,提出了增加光散射组件的辅助方案。实测结果表明：两者结合可以提高仪器检测数据的准确性和有效率,增强仪器的稳定性和可靠性,使仪器更加"皮实耐用"。