We examined the levels of cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, and selenium in four species of birds near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in January, 1996. Molted contour feathers were collected from silver gull, Larus novaehollandiae (Royal National Park and downtown Sydney), sulphur-crested cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea (Blue Mountains, Royal National Park, and Sydney), Australian white ibis, Threskiornis molucca (Sydney), and rock dove Columba livia (Royal National Park and Sydney). We tested the null hypothesis that there were no species or locational differences in metal levels. There were significant species differences in all metals, with rock doves having the highest levels of cadmium, chromium, lead, and manganese, and silver gulls having the highest levels of mercury and selenium. Metal levels were generally low in cockatoos, and were lowest in those from the Royal National Park. For silver gulls, cadmium, lead, and chromium levels were highest at Sydney, and there were no locational differences in manganese, mercury, and selenium levels. For rock doves, cadmium, chromium and manganese were higher in Sydney, and there were no locational differences in lead, mercury, and selenium. Overall, cadmium and chromium levels were significantly higher in Sydney than in the Royal National Park for all species, and there were no locational differences in mercury levels. Although the levels of most metals in feathers from these Australian birds were within the ranges reported worldwide, lead levels in ibises and rock doves were among the highest reported worldwide, suggesting a cause for concern. 相似文献
A sequential injection analysis system for the turbidimetric determination of chloride in different types of water is proposed. The determination is based on the reaction of chloride with silver ions and the subsequent measurement of the turbidity caused by silver chloride precipitation. In this method, the use of toxic reagents, such as mercury thiocyanate, commonly employed in most spectrophotometric techniques for chloride determination, is avoided. The main feature of the developed system is the use of a single configuration to carry out the determination over a wide concentration range (2-400 mg L(-1)) by changing only the aspirated sample volume. This characteristic allows the determination of chloride in ground, surface and wastewaters using the same manifold. In addition, a considerable saving of precipitating reagent is achieved due to non-continuous consumption. The results obtained with the developed system were statistically indistinguishable from those of the potentiometric titration reference method. Relative standard deviations for ten consecutive injections were lower than 3.7%, with a sampling frequency of between 55 and 57 determinations per hour. 相似文献
Thousands of hard rock mines exist in the western USA and in other parts of the world as a result of historic and current gold, silver, lead, and mercury mining. Many of these sites in the USA are on public lands. Typical mine waste associated with these sites are tailings and waste rock dumps that may be used by wildlife and open-range livestock. This report provides wildlife screening criteria levels for metals in soil and mine waste to evaluate risk and to determine the need for site-specific risk assessment, remediation, or a change in management practices. The screening levels are calculated from toxicity reference values based on maximum tolerable levels of metals in feed, on soil and plant ingestion rates, and on soil to plant uptake factors for a variety of receptors. The metals chosen for this report are common toxic metals found at mining sites: arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc. The resulting soil screening values are well above those developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The difference in values was mainly a result of using toxicity reference values that were more specific to the receptors addressed rather than the most sensitive receptor. 相似文献
The analysis of total organic carbon (TOC) by the American Public Health Association (APHA) closed-tube reflux colorimetric method requires potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7), silver sulfate (AgSO4), and mercury (HgSO4) sulfate in addition to large volumes of both reagents and samples. The method relies on the release of oxygen from dichromate on heating which is consumed by carbon associated with organic compounds. The method risks environmental pollution by discharging large amounts of chromium (VI) and silver and mercury sulfates. The present method used potassium monochromate (K2CrO4) to generate the K2Cr2O7 on demand in the first phase. In addition, miniaturizing the procedure to semi microanalysis decreased the consumption of reagents and samples. In the second phase, mercury sulfate was eliminated as part of the digestion mixture through the introduction of sodium bismuthate (NaBiO3) for the removal of chlorides from the sample. The modified method, the potassium monochromate closed-tube colorimetry with sodium bismuthate chloride removal (KMCC-Bi), generates the potassium dichromate on demand and eliminates mercury sulfate. The semi microanalysis procedure leads to a 60% reduction in sample volume and ≈?33.33 and 60% reduction in monochromate and silver sulfate consumption respectively. The LOD and LOQ were 10.17 and 33.90 mg L?1 for APHA, and 4.95 and 16.95 mg L?1 for KMCC-Bi. Recovery was between 83 to 98% APHA and 92 to 104% KMCC-Bi, while the RSD (%) ranged between 0.8 to 5.0% APHA and 0.00 to 0.62% KMCC-Bi. The method was applied for the UV-Vis spectrometry determination of COD in water and wastewater. Statistics was done by MINITAB 17 or MS Excel 2016.
Populations of invasive fishes quickly reach extremely high biomass. Before control methods can be applied, however, an understanding of the contaminant loads of these invaders carry is needed. We investigated differences in concentrations of selected elements in two invasive carp species as a function of sampling site, fish species, length and trophic differences using stable isotopes (delta (15)N, delta (13)C). Fish were collected from three different sites, the Illinois River near Havana, Illinois, and two sites in the Mississippi River, upstream and downstream of the Illinois River confluence. Five bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and five silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) from each site were collected for muscle tissue analyses. Freshwater mussels (Amblema plicata) previously collected in the same areas were used as an isotopic baseline to standardize fish results among sites. Total fish length, trophic position, and corrected (13)C, were significantly related to concentrations of metals in muscle. Fish length explained the most variation in metal concentrations, with most of that variation related to mercury levels. This result was not unexpected because larger fish are older, giving them a higher probability of exposure and accumulation of contaminants. There was a significant difference in stable isotope profiles between the two species. Bighead carp occupied a higher trophic position and had higher levels of corrected (13)C than silver carp. Additionally bighead carp had significantly lower concentrations of arsenic and selenium than silver carp. Stable isotope ratios of nitrogen in Asian carp were at levels that are more commonly associated with higher-level predators, or from organisms in areas containing high loads of wastewater effluent. 相似文献
Mercury, a global pollutant, is popping up in places where it was never expected before and it burdens in sediments and other non-biological materials. It is estimated to have increased up to five times the pre-human level due to anthropogenic activities. Vembanad backwaters, one of the largest Ramsar site in India, which have extraordinary importance for its hydrological function, are now considered as one of the mercury hot spots in India. In this study, surface sediment samples of Vembanad Lake and nearshore areas have been seasonally analysed for total mercury and methyl mercury concentrations while the core sediment samples were analysed for total mercury. The results showed that the northern part of the lake was more contaminated with mercury than the southern part. The mercury concentration was relatively high in the subsurface sediment samples, indicating the possibility of historic industrial mercury deposition. A decreasing trend in the mercury level towards the surface in the core sediment was also observed. The geochemical parameters were also analysed to understand the sediment mercury chemistry. Anoxic conditions, pH and organic carbon, sulphur and Fe determined the presence of various species of mercury in the sediments of Vembanad Lake. The prevailing physical and geochemical conditions in Vembanad Lake have indicated the chances of chemical transformation of mercury and the potential hazard if the deposited mercury fractions are remobilised. 相似文献
The levels of mercury in tissues of Penaeus merguiensis from Musa estuary, northwest of the Persian Gulf, were investigated. This study assessed the relationship between mercury levels in hepatopancrea, gill, and muscle with sex, size, and season. The order of mercury concentrations in tissues of the shrimp P. merguiensis was as follows: hepatopancreas > gill > muscle. There was a positive correlation between mercury concentrations in shrimp species with sex and size of its food items. We expected to see higher mercury levels in tissues of female species because they are larger and can eat larger food items. Also, there was a positive correlation between mercury concentrations in shrimp species with its food source. Therefore, female species feed more on shrimp and plant and are contaminated with high levels of mercury. There was significant difference (p?<?0.05) in mercury levels between different seasons; higher mercury levels were found in July (summer season). 相似文献
Phytoremediation, an approach that uses plants to remediate contaminated soil through degradation, stabilization or accumulation,
may provide an efficient solution to some mercury contamination problems. This paper presents growth chamber experiments that
tested the ability of plant species to stabilize mercury in soil. Several indigenous herbaceous species and Salix viminalis were grown in soil collected from a mercury-contaminated site in southern Poland. The uptake and distribution of mercury
by these plants were investigated, and the growth and vitality of the plants through a part of one vegetative cycle were assessed.
The highest concentrations of mercury were found at the roots, but translocation to the aerial part also occurred. Most of
the plant species tested displayed good growth on mercury contaminated soil and sustained a rich microbial population in the
rhizosphere. The microbial populations of root-free soil and rhizosphere soil from all species were also examined. An inverse
correlation between the number of sulfur amino acid decomposing bacteria and root mercury content was observed. These results
indicate the potential for using some species of plants to treat mercury contaminated soil through stabilization rather than
extraction. The present investigation proposes a practical cost-effective temporary solution for phytostabilization of soil
with moderate mercury contamination as well as the basis for plant selection. 相似文献