A spatially-evaluated methodology for assessing risk to a population from contaminated land

A methodology is proposed which combines quantitative probabilistic human health risk assessment and spatial statistical methods (geostatistics) to produce an assessment of risks to human health from exposure to contaminated land, in a manner which preserves the spatial distribution of risks and provides a measure of uncertainty in the assessment. Maps of soil contaminant levels, which incorporate uncertainty, are produced from sparse sample data using sequential indicator simulation. A real, age-stratified population is mapped across the contaminated area, and intake of soil contaminants by individuals is calculated probabilistically using an adaptation of the Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment (CLEA) model. An abundance of information is contained in results which can be interrogated at the population and individual level, and mapped to provide a powerful visual tool for risk managers, enabling efficient targeting of risk reduction measures to different locations.     

典型氯碱污染场地环境风险评价

以广东某氯碱化工污染场地为研究区域,采集了场地22个土壤及地下水样品,分析了25项污染物在不同区域的分布特征及其来源。监测结果表明,煤炭堆场与锅炉房区土壤受重金属铅、镍污染。六六六、四氯化碳、三氯甲烷、六氯苯、苯是场地的特征污染物,主要分布在危险品仓库、漂洗车间与四氯化碳车间。根据监测结果开展了不同暴露途径致癌风险值及非致癌危害商的计算。结果表明,部分样品表层土壤中上述有机污染物的基于人体健康致癌风险指数均超过10-6,最高达到1.65×10-2,表明风险水平高;非致癌危害在各暴露途径下也超过可接受值1,最高达5.59×104,表明风险水平高。说明对于存在高风险的区域必须进行采取合适的措施进行修复,减缓场地再利用后对人群健康的影响。     

Model comparison for risk assessment: a case study of contaminated groundwater

Many environmental multimedia risk assessment models have been developed and widely used along with increasing sophistication of the risk assessment method. Despite of the considerable improvement, uncertainty remains a primary threat to the credibility of and users' confidence in the model-based risk assessments. In particular, it has been indicated that scenario and model uncertainty may affect significantly the assessment outcome. Furthermore, the uncertainty resulting from choosing different models has been shown more important than that caused by parameter uncertainty. Based on the relationship between exposure pathways and estimated risk results, this study develops a screening procedure to compare the relative suitability between potential multimedia models, which would facilitate the reduction of uncertainty due to model selection. MEPAS, MMSOILS, and CalTOX models, combined with Monte Carlo simulation, are applied to a realistic groundwater-contaminated site to demonstrate the process. It is also shown that the identification of important parameters and exposure pathways, and implicitly, the subsequent design of uncertainty reduction and risk management measures, would be better-formed.     

江苏海域倾倒区对海洋环境影响的安全性评价

根据江苏连云港航道扩建工程南临时倾倒区面积及其影响海域范围,在疏浚泥倾倒前后,在该倾倒区布设5个断面,每个断面设3个站位,即水质站位15个、沉积物站位15个、生物站位15个,对水质、沉积物,生物进行监测分析.结果表明:倾倒后,各个站佗的DO受到不同程度的污染;高锰酸盐指数低于<海水水质标准>(GB 3097-1997)中的二类海水水质标准;无机氮最大值超出二类海水水质标准;磷和BOD;有所升高;倾倒使水体中石油类物质的含量大幅上升,显著高于倾倒前,反映了石油类物质污染对水体的影响时间较长;疏浚泥倾倒使水体中铅和镉的含量显著上升;叶绿素a有下降的趋势,影响浮游植物的正常生长;疏浚泥倾倒对该海域浮游植物的组成影响不大,浮游植物群落结构较合理,结构基本稳定,倾倒后该海域环境尚适宜浮游植物的生长;倾倒前该海域的底栖生态环境较好,倾倒后总体属于轻度污染状况,说明疏浚泥海洋倾倒对倾倒区底栖生态环境有一定影响.     

A risk assessment tool for contaminated sites in low-permeability fractured media

A risk assessment tool for contaminated sites in low-permeability fractured media is developed, based on simple transient and steady-state analytical solutions. The discrete fracture (DF) tool, which explicitly accounts for the transport along fractures, covers different source geometries and history (including secondary sources) and can be applied to a wide range of compounds. The tool successfully simulates published data from short duration column and field experiments. The use for risk assessment is illustrated by three typical risk assessment case studies, involving pesticides, chlorinated solvents, benzene and MTBE. The model is compared with field data and with results from a simpler approach based on an Equivalent Porous Media (EPM). Risk assessment conclusions of the DF and EPM approaches are very different due to the early breakthrough, long term tailing, and lower attenuation due to degradation associated with fractured media. While the DF tool simulates the field data, it is difficult to conclude that the DF model is superior to an EPM model because of a lack of long term monitoring data. However, better agreement with existing field data by the DF model using observed physical fracture parameters favors the use of this model over the EPM model for risk assessments.     

Long-term exposure to chromium contaminated waters and the associated human health risk in a highly contaminated industrialised region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Disposal of industrial waste is of great concern because it releases toxic metals resulting into the degradation of environments and consequently...     

Engineering risk assessment for emergency disposal projects of sudden water pollution incidents

Without an engineering risk assessment for emergency disposal in response to sudden water pollution incidents, responders are prone to be challenged during emergency decision making. To address this gap, the concept and framework of emergency disposal engineering risks are reported in this paper. The proposed risk index system covers three stages consistent with the progress of an emergency disposal project. Fuzzy fault tree analysis (FFTA), a logical and diagrammatic method, was developed to evaluate the potential failure during the process of emergency disposal. The probability of basic events and their combination, which caused the failure of an emergency disposal project, were calculated based on the case of an emergency disposal project of an aniline pollution incident in the Zhuozhang River, Changzhi, China, in 2014. The critical events that can cause the occurrence of a top event (TE) were identified according to their contribution. Finally, advices on how to take measures using limited resources to prevent the failure of a TE are given according to the quantified results of risk magnitude. The proposed approach could be a potential useful safeguard for the implementation of an emergency disposal project during the process of emergency response.

     

Initial risk assessment for three beta-blockers found in the aquatic environment

Daphnia magna, Desmodesmus subspicatus and Lemna minor were used to determine the ecotoxicity of beta-blockers. Propranolol was the most toxic substance, with EC50s of 7.7 mg l-1 in the Daphnia test and 0.73 mg l-1 in the algal test. The toxicity of atenolol and metoprolol in the Daphnia test was very low, with EC50s of 313 and 438 mg l-1, respectively. In the algal test, metoprolol (EC50: 7.9 mg l-1) was more toxic than atenolol (EC50: 620 mg l-1). Lemna minor was the least sensitive species. All substances showed PEC/PNEC ratios <1, whereas propranolol with a ratio of 0.81 seems to be the most relevant substance and I recommend to perform chronic biotests to refine the estimate of the environmental risk. Taking bioconcentration factors (BCF) into account, resulting internal effect concentrations (IEC) differ only slightly, which means that the differences in the EC50 depend mainly on the diverse logP levels causing narcosis via disruption of membrane integrity. Predictions of toxicity using ECOSAR were close to the empirically measured data. Mixture toxicity of the three compounds could be predicted accurately using the concept of concentration addition.     

Biomonitors and the assessment of ecological impacts: distribution of herbivorous epifauna in contaminated macroalgal beds

We determined metal contents of co-occurring algae Padina crassa and Sargassum sp. in Port Jackson (Australia), and relationships between metal levels and the abundance of epifaunal amphipods. Copper, lead and zinc concentrations were amongst the highest yet recorded in these algae. Copper, manganese and lead concentrations were far greater in P. crassa than Sargassum sp., possibly due to the low growth of P. crassa in proximity to contaminated sediments. However, in manipulative experiments the proximity of algae to sediments did not explain these differences. The abundance of herbivorous amphipods correlated negatively with the copper content of P. crassa, but not with the lower concentrations in Sargassum sp. The greater contamination of P. crassa led to patchy distributions of metals in algal beds and recolonisation experiments showed Sargassum sp. acts as a refuge from contaminants for epifauna. The contamination of macroalgae may pose threats to epifauna in harbours around the world.     

危险废物事故排放的河流水环境健康风险评价

分析了基于水体中污染物迁移转化方程的水质预测模型,并借鉴美国环保局推荐使用的健康风险评价模型,建立了一种危险废物事故排放时水环境对人体健康风险的评价方法。以电镀污泥为例验证了该方法的有效性。结果显示:该方法需要参数少且计算简单;电镀污泥中目标污染物(Cr、Cu、Ni、Zn)所引起的河流水环境非致癌风险(1.67)超过了美国标准中的可接受风险水平1.00,不可接受;致癌风险(0.88E-11)则小于美国标准中的可接受风险水平1.00E-06,风险不明显。     

南方某典型矿冶污染场地健康风险评价及修复建议

矿区及周边土壤重金属污染不容忽视,砷、镉和铅等对周边人群造成较高的健康风险隐患。以南方红壤区某铅锌冶炼矿区污染场地为研究对象,开展危害识别、暴露评估、毒性评估及风险表征,并讨论场地修复目标值与修复技术。结果表明：土壤受到重金属复合污染,关注污染物为四类重金属,包括铅、砷、镉和锌,集中于表层土壤（0~0.6 m）,并呈现空间分布规律性;场地未来用地类型为工业用地,对比污染物（不包括铅）各层（第1层0~0.3 m、第2层0.3~0.6 m、第3层0.6~1.0 m）风险表征值,污染物（砷、镉）存在致癌风险与非致癌危害,研究区重金属污染累积风险水平不可接受;分析风险控制值及国内外相关标准限值等,初步建议砷、镉和铅的修复目标值分别为13.41、21.50和600 mg·kg-1;同时,针对场地污染现状及健康风险,建议源控制与修复技术并用,并与当地工业园区建设统筹开展。     

Strategic environmental assessment of mining activities: A methodology for quantification of cumulative impacts on the air quality

Environmental impact assessments in Brazil have usually focused solely on project-related issues without considering the regional context. Although required by current environmental legislation, cumulative impact assessments have not been included in the overall environmental assessment of projects. However, in recent Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) studies of policies, plans, and programs undertaken on a voluntary basis in support of the decision-making process, this kind of assessment has been performed especially with respect to air quality. This paper presents the application of a methodology for the quantification of cumulative impacts on air quality under high uncertainty caused by various mining activities in a single region that is recommended for SEA studies. In this way, the methodology presented here is suitable for areas lacking detailed modeling information. The developed approach uses a relatively simplified mathematical model, lowering information gathering costs and requiring little processing time. The application of the methodology is illustrated in the case of a SEA of the Corumbá Mining and Industrial Complex Development Program. Despite the lack of data needed for a minimum characterization of conditions of the area surrounding the region modeled, the quantification of impact cumulativeness on air quality has played an important role in the context of the SEA.     

A review of strategies to monitor water and sediment quality for a sustainability assessment of marine environment

The basic aim of this work is (1) to review and present practically operational requirements for a sustainability assessment of marine environment, such as describing the monitoring process, research approaches, objectives, guidelines, and indicators and (2) to illustrate how physico-chemical and biological indicators can be practically applied, to assess water and sediment quality in marine and coastal environment. These indicators should meet defined criteria for practical usefulness, e.g. they should be simple to understand and apply to managers and scientists with different educational backgrounds. This review aimed to encapsulate that variability, recognizing that meaningful guidance should be flexible enough to accommodate the widely differing characteristics of marine ecosystems.     

Interaction of engineered nanoparticles with various components of the environment and possible strategies for their risk assessment

Nanoparticles are the materials with at least two dimensions between 1 and 100 nm. Mostly these nanoparticles are natural products but their tremendous commercial use has boosted the artificial synthesis of these particles (engineered nanoparticles). Accelerated production and use of these engineered nanoparticles may cause their release in the environment and facilitate the frequent interactions with biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystems. Despite remarkable commercial benefits, their presence in the nature may cause hazardous biological effects. Therefore, detail understanding of their sources, release interaction with environment, and possible risk assessment would provide a basis for safer use of engineered nanoparticles with minimal or no hazardous impact on environment. Keeping all these points in mind the present review provides updated information on various aspects, e.g. sources, different types, synthesis, interaction with environment, possible strategies for risk management of engineered nanoparticles.     

1,2,4-trichlorobenzene marine risk assessment with special emphasis on the Osparcom region North Sea

A risk assessment on 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene was carried out specifically for the marine environment according to the methodology laid down in the EU Risk Assessment Regulation 1488/94 and the Guidance Documents of the EU Existing Substances Regulation 793/93. The study consists of the collection and evaluation of data on effects and environmental concentrations from analytical monitoring programs in large rivers and estuaries in the North Sea area. The risk is indicated by comparing the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) with the predicted no-effect concentrations (PNEC) for the marine aquatic environment. A PNECwater) value of 0.3 microg/l and a PNECsed value of 38 microg/kgdw were derived from the results of toxicological studies in organisms representing three trophic levels, i.e. aquatic plants, invertebrates and fish. Based on monitoring data two situations are distinguished: a typical case and a worst case with a PECwater of <0.047 and 0.1 microg/l, respectively, and a PECsed of 40 and 90 microg/kgdw, respectively. The calculated PEC/PNEC ratios were 0.16 and 0.3 for water and 1 and 2.4 for sediment, respectively. It was concluded that no risks are expected for aquatic organisms. Based on the combination of worst-case assumptions risks to benthic organisms could not be fully excluded, but since all open uses of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene will be ended following the EU risk assessment outcome of 2001 any potential risk is expected to be reduced accordingly. 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene is not considered toxic according to the EU criteria and the available data on persistence of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene indicate a half-life in water of a few days and a significant biodegradation potential. The bioaccumulation potential is low to moderate with most BCF ratios for fish ranging from 600 to 1400 and one highest of 2020. Based on an extensive evaluation of persistence, biodegradation and bioaccumulation data it is concluded that 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene is not a PBT, since it does not fulfill any of the EU criteria. Biomagnification in the food chain is not expected due to the relatively high elimination rate constants.     

Human health risk assessment of organochlorines associated with fish consumption in a coastal city in China

Food consumption is an important route of human exposure to organochlorines (OCs). In order to assess the potential health risks associated with these contaminants due to fish consumption, five species of fish were collected from a local market in Zhoushan City, an island in the East China Sea. Dioxin-like compounds, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/ dibenzofurans, in the fish samples were screened by H4IIE-luc cell bioassay, and the concentrations of specific organochlorines were measured by gas chromatograph-electron capture detector (GC-ECD). The bioassay results indicated that concentrations of dioxin-like compounds in the fish samples were below detection limit (0.64 pg/mL). The concentrations of OC pesticides and PCBs ranged from 0.67 to 13 and 0.24 to 1.4 ng/g wet wt., respectively. Significantly, concentrations of p,p'-DDE in fish meat were comparatively high (average 3.9 ng/g wet wt.) compared with the other OC pesticides. The daily fish consumption, based on a dietary survey conducted among 160 local healthy residents, was determined to be 105 g/person. The relevant cancer benchmark concentrations of HCB, dieldrin, chlordane, DDTs and PCBs were 0.36, 0.04, 1.6, 1.7, and 0.29 ng/kg per day, respectively, based on the local diet. The hazard ratios (HRs), based on non-cancer endpoints were all less than 1.0, while the HRs based on cancer were greater than 1.0 for certain contaminants based on the 95th centile concentration in fish tissue.