Assessment of Human Health Risk of Dioxin in Korea

This study assessed the daily exposure to dioxin using comparable approach methods in order to predict the human health risks of dioxin on the general adult population and incinerator workers in Korea. The health risk assessment of dioxin involved four scenarios (General-Direct, General-Breast Milk, General-Blood, and Worker-Blood). The risks were described in terms of the excess cancer risk and the MOEs (Margin-Of-Exposure) for cancer, reproductive dysfunctions, endometriosis, and neurobehavioral effects. The adult daily intake (General-Direct) of dioxin was estimated to be 0.50 pg-TEQ/kg-day based on the dioxin concentrations in the environmental media and foods in Korea. The average dioxin concentrations in General-Breast Milk, General-Blood, and Worker-Blood were 15.13 pg-TEQ/g fat, 14.57 pg-TEQ/g lipid, and 22.90 pg-TEQ/g lipid, respectively. The lifetime average daily doses (LADDs) of dioxin for General-Breast Milk, General-Blood, and Worker-Blood were estimated to be 1.35 pg-TEQ/kg day, 0.99 pg-TEQ/kg day, and 1.15 pg-TEQ/kg day, respectively. Although the estimated risks of cancer and reproductive dysfunctions were not unusually high in any of the four scenarios, the MOE values for the neurobehavioral effects on infants were not sufficiently high to guarantee the safety against this endpoint.     

土壤/沉积物生态风险评价方法技术研究进展

在我国,生态风险评价受到越来越多的重视,而有关方法的探讨还很欠缺.本文详细介绍了灾害商法、酸性挥发性硫化物、生物-土壤/沉积物-累计-因数法、风险评估编码、潜在生态风险指数法等生态风险评价的方法和技术,并讨论了生态风险评价模型.     

Distribution and Health Risk Assessment of HCHs in Urban Soils of Beijing,China

The concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were investigated in urban soil samples collected from business area, classical garden (CL), culture and educational area, large public green space (LA), residential area, and roadside area in Beijing. HCH concentrations ranged from 0.32 to 136.43 ng/g, with a geometric mean of 3.46 ng/g. The HCH concentrations in CL and LA were much higher than that in the other types of land use, which was due to the usage of HCHs to protect vegetation in CL and LA. Source identification showed that contamination source of HCHs was derived from historical HCHs (including technical HCHs and Lindane) as well as the long-range atmospheric transportation of HCHs. HCH concentrations showed a decreasing trend from the city centre to the suburb, and it increased with the age of the urban area. HCHs were negatively correlated with pH and positively correlated with total organic carbon and black carbon in soils. Health risk assessment with CalTOX and Monte Carlo analysis showed that health risks mainly came from dermal uptake and inhalation exposure pathways, and the total risk values were lower than the acceptable health risk value (10^− 6). The sensitivity analysis indicated that the reaction half-life of HCHs in soil, fraction dermal uptake from soil, exposure duration, and organic carbon fraction in soil significantly contributed to the variance of the health risk.     

乌鲁木齐乌拉泊水库水体中重金属健康风险评价

为了解乌鲁木齐市主要饮用水源地乌拉泊水库水体中重金属含量,特对此进行了调查研究,并应用美国环保局(USEPA)推荐的健康风险评价模型对其进行健康风险的初步评价。结果表明,乌拉泊水库由致癌物质Cr、As、Cd通过饮水途径引起的个人年健康风险值表现为CrAsCd,风险值为10-7~10-5a-1,Cr的风险值高于国际放射防护委员会(ICRP)的推荐值(5×10-5a-1),成为乌拉泊水库水体的主要致癌因子;乌拉泊水库由非致癌物Pb、Cu、Zn、Hg所引起的健康危害的个人年风险以Cu为大,Pb次之,Hg和Zn较小,风险水平为10-10~10-8a-1,远低于ICRP和USEPA推荐的最大可接受风险水平。     

Environmental Assessment of Aromatic Hydrocarbons-Contaminated Sediments of the Mexican Salina Cruz Bay

Concentrations of total aromatic hydrocarbons and extractable organic matter in the water column and sediment were determined in samples collected in the course of the last 20 years from the Salina Cruz Harbor, México, to assess the degree of organic contamination. In sediments, organic compounds accumulate in shallow areas mostly associated with extractable organic matter and fine fractions. Calculated geocumulation index and enrichment factors suggest that contamination could be derived from anthropogenic activities attributed to harbor and ship scrapping activities, as well as transboundary source. Concentration of total aromatic hydrocarbons (as chrysene equivalents) ranged from 0.01 to 534 μg l⁻¹ in water, and from 0.10 to 2,160 μg g⁻¹ in sediments. Total aromatic concentration of 5 μg g⁻¹ is proposed as background concentration.     

Forest Health Monitoring in the United States: First Four Years

To address the need for more effective methods for evaluating and assessing forest ecosystem health, the USDA-Forest Service and the US Environmental Protection Agency through its Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program developed the Forest Health Monitoring program. The program was initiated in 1990 and by 1994 was present in the major areas of the United States. This paper presents an overview of the program, the indicators and methods developed for the program, and some of the results after four years of monitoring and research.     

First Step for an Ecological Risk Assessment to Evaluate the Impact of Diffuse Pollution in Lake Vela (Portugal)

Lake Vela, located in the Portuguese littoral-centre, is a temperate shallow lake exhibiting a high trophic status. This aquatic ecosystem has been potentially exposed to contamination generated by agricultural and livestock activities held in their drainage basin, which seriously compromise their health. This work summarizes some background information and presents the problem formulation step of the ERA. Therefore, it evaluates the characteristics of the stressor(s), describes the ecological system and receptors and suggests a conceptual model, which predicts the potential exposure pathways, relating suspected sources to the defined endpoints. This introductory step also described an analysis plan on the entire study, which includes a delineation of the assessment design, data needs, measures, and methods for conducting the analysis phase of the risk assessment process.     

A Comparative Study of Risk Appraisal: A New Look at Risk Assessment in Different Countries

This study examines perceived risk data from the U.S., China, Japan, and South Korea. These data are then compared with similar results collected from previous studies. Psychometric scaling scores from Burkino Faso (a West African Country), France, Norway, and Hungary have been analyzed and compared with results from our study. The data reveal certain risk events like nuclear weapons, war, and AIDS to have high perceived risks in all countries. These data also show that many of the events have dissimilar perceived risks in different countries. The conclusions also show some countries have higher over all levels of perceive risk (South Korea) while others like the United States display generally lower values.     

Non-Cancer Health Risk Assessment from Exposure to Cyanide by Resident Adults from the Mining Operations of Bogoso Gold Limited in Ghana

Cyanide is a very toxic chemical that is used to extract gold from its ores. Wastewaters from gold mining companies such as Bogoso Gold Limited (BGL) contain cyanide and other potentially toxic chemicals that have adverse effects on human beings and aquatic organisms. This study was conducted to evaluate the human health risk assessment from exposure to free cyanide via oral and dermal contact of surface/underground water by resident adults within the concession of Bogoso Gold Limited. The chronic non-cancer health risk from exposure to cyanide in River Bogo Upstream is 230 and 43 (by Central Tendency Exposure (CTE) parameters respectively). This means that approximately 230 and 43 resident adults are likely to suffer diseases related to cyanide intoxication via oral and dermal contact respectively. For chronic exposure to River Bogo Downstream by resident adults, the non-cancer health risks are: 0.031 and 0.57 via oral and dermal contact for CTE parameters respectively, which also means that, the non-cancer health risks associated with cyanide intoxication is negligible as the hazard index is less than 1.0 via oral and dermal contacts respectively. The results showed that health risk for acute exposure to cyanide by the resident adults is very high. Hence the residents attribute most of the unexplained deaths in the communities to accidental ingestion and dermal contact of cyanide water.     

Monitoring Long-Term Ecological Changes Through the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network: Science-Based and Policy Relevant

Ecological monitoring and its associated research programshave often provided answers to various environmental management issues. In the face of changing environmental conditions, ecological monitoring provides decision-makers with reliable information as they grapple with maintaining a sustainable economy and healthy environment. The EcologicalMonitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) is a national ecological monitoring network consisting of (1) about 100 casestudy sites across the country characterized by long-term multi-disciplinary environmental work conducted by a multitudeof agencies (142 partners and counting); (2) a variety of lesscomprehensive yet more extensive monitoring sites; (3) a network where core monitoring variables of ecosystem change aremeasured; and (4) geo-referenced environmental observations. Environment Canada is the co-ordinating partner for the network through the EMAN Co-ordinating Office. EMAN's mission is to focus a scientifically-sound, policy-relevant ecosystem monitoring and research network based on (a) stabilizing a network of case-study sites operated by a varietyof partners, and (b) developing a number of cooperative dispersedmonitoring initiatives in order to deliver unique and needed goods and services. These goods and services include: (1) an efficient and cost-effective early warning system which detects,describes and reports on changes in Canadian ecosystems at a national or ecozone scale; and (2) cross-disciplinary and cross-jurisdictional assessments of ecosystem status, trends and processes. The early warning system and assessments of ecosystem status, trends and processes provide Environment Canada and partner organizations with timely information thatfacilitates increasingly adaptive policies and priority setting. Canadians are also informed of changes and trends occurring in Canadian ecosystems and, as a result, are betterable to make decisions related to conservation and sustainability.     

Recent Changes in Soil Total Phosphorus in the Everglades: Water Conservation Area 3

We assessed recent changes in the distribution of soil total phosphorus (TP) in Water Conservation Area 3 (WCA-3) of the Everglades. Soil cores were collected in 1992 and 2003 at 176 sites. To reflect hydrologic boundaries within the system, WCA-3 was divided into three zones (3AN, 3AS, and 3B). Total P was mapped on both a mass (TPm) and a volumetric basis (TPv) to determine if spatial distributions varied depending on the choice of units. Interpolated maps for both years showed that the highest levels of TPm were located in 3AN and in boundary areas of all zones that received surface water inputs of P from canals. Increases in TPm were greatest in central 3AN in an area adjacent to the Miami Canal that received inputs from a water control structure. Interpolated maps for TPv illustrated that a hotspot present in 1992 had disappeared by 2003. The highest levels of TPv in 2003 were located in northwestern 3AN, a region of WCA-3 that has been chronically overdrained and burned in 1999. From 1992 to 2003, increases in TPm were observed for 53% of the area of WCA-3, while only 16% of WCA-3 exhibited increases in TPv. In 1992, approximately 21% of WCA-3 had TPm concentrations in the 0–10 cm layer >500 mg kg⁻¹, indicating P enrichment beyond historic levels. Eleven years later, 30% of the area of WCA-3 had TPm >500 mg kg⁻¹. This indicated that during this period, the area of WCA-3 with enriched TPm concentrations increased about one % year⁻¹.     

Dichloromethane Marine Risk Assessment with Special Reference to the Osparcom Region: North Sea

This risk assessment on dichloromethane was carried out specifically for the marine environment, following methodology given in the EU risk assessment Regulation (1488/94) and Guidance Document of the EU New and Existing Substances Regulation (TGD, 1997). The study consists of 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 the ratio of 'predicted environmental concentrations' (PEC) to 'predicted no-effect concentrations' (PNEC) for the marine aquatic environment. In total, 23 studies for fish, 17 studies for invertebrates and 6 studies for algae were evaluated. Both acute and chronic toxicity studies were taken into account and appropriate assessment factors used to define a PNEC value of 830 microg/l. Most of the available monitoring data apply to rivers and estuaries and were used to calculate PECs. The most recent data (1983--1995) support a typical PEC for dichloromethane lower than 0.2 microg/l and a worst case PEC of 13.6 microg/l. Dichloromethane is not a 'toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate' substance sensu the Oslo and Paris Conventions for the Prevention of Marine Pollution (OSPAR-DYNAMEC). The calculated PEC/PNEC ratios give margins of 60 to 4000 between the PNEC and PEC, dilution within the sea would further increase these margins. It can be concluded that the present use of dichloromethane does not present a risk to the marine aquatic environment.     

Monochlorobenzene Marine Risk Assessment with Special Reference to the Osparcom Region: North Sea

This risk assessment on monochlorobenzene was carried out for the marine environment, following methodology given in the EU risk assessment Regulation (1488/94) and Guidance Document of the EU New and Existing Substances Regulation (TGD, 1996). Data from analytical monitoring programmes in large rivers and estuaries in the North Sea area were collected and evaluated for effects and environmental concentrations. Risk is indicated by the ratio of predicted environmental concentration (PEC) to predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) for the marine aquatic environment. In total, 27 data for fish, 24 data for invertebrates and 13 data for algae were evaluated. Acute and chronic toxicity studies were taken into account and appropriate assessment factors used to define a final PNEC value of 32 micro/l. Recent monitoring data indicate that monochlorobenzene levels in surface waters are below determination limits of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 microg/l used in monitoring programs. Assuming that half of the lowest determination (0.1 microg/l) is typical, a PEC of 0.05 microg/l was derived. A worst case of 0.5 microg/l is assumed. PEC/PNEC ratios give safety factors of 60 to over 500, taking no account of dilution in the sea. Monochlorobenzene is not a 'toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate' substance sensu the Oslo and Paris Conventions for the Prevention of Marine Pollution (OSPAR-DYNAMEC) criteria. Environmental fate and effects data indicate that current use of monochlorobenzene poses no unacceptable risk to the aquatic environment.     

Vegetation, Soil, and Animal Indicators of Rangeland Health

We studied indicators of rangeland health on benchmark sites with long, well documented records of protection from stress by domestic livestock or histories of environmental stress and vegetation change. We measured ecosystem properties (metrics) that were clearly linked to ecosystem processes. We focused on conservation of soil and water as key processes in healthy ecosystems, and on maintenance of biodiversity and productivity as important functions of healthy ecosystems. Measurements from which indicators of rangeland health were derived included: sizes of unvegetated patches, cover and species composition of perennial grasses, cover and species composition of shrubs and herbaceous perennials, soil slaking, and abundance and species composition of the bird fauna. Indicators that provided an interpretable range of values over the gradient from irreversibly degraded sites to healthy sites included: bare patch index, cover of long-lived grasses, palatability index, and weighted soil surface stability index. Indicators for which values above a threshold may serve as an indicator of rangeland health include: cover of plant species toxic to livestock, cover of exotic species, and cover of increaser species. Several other indicator metrics were judged not sensitive nor interpretable. Examples of application of rangeland health indicators to evaluate the success of various restoration efforts supported the contention that a suite of indicators are required to assess rangeland health. Bird species diversity and ant species diversity were not related to the status of the sample site and were judged inadequate as indicators of maintenance of biodiversity.     

Soil Conservation and Consumption Risk in a Model of Low-Income Agriculture

This paper investigates the influence of consumptionrisk on incentives for soil conservation. A dynamicmodel is developed to show how investments in soilconservation affect consumption risk on small farmsand how these risks influence incentives for soilconservation. Model predictions are compared withobserved patterns of soil conservation adoption in thePhilippines. Results show that on small farms the riskof consumption shortfall generates inefficientpatterns of soil conservation adoption. Observedadoption patterns reflect risk characteristics of thesoil conservation method, differences in risk exposureamong farms, and differences in farm size.     

Euro Chlor Risk Assessment for the Marine Environment Osparcom Region: North Sea - Tetrachloroethylene

This risk assessment on tetrachloroethylene (PER) 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 Document of the EU New and Existing Substances Regulation (TGD, 1997). 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 the ratio of the "predicted environmental concentrations" (PEC) and the "predicted no effect concentrations" (PNEC) for the marine aquatic environment. In total, 18 studies for fish, 13 studies for invertebrates and 8 studies for algae have been evaluated. Both acute and chronic toxicity studies have been taken into account and the appropriate assessment factors have been used to define a PNEC value of 51 µg/l. Most of the available monitoring data apply to rivers and estuary waters and were used to calculate PECs. The most recent data (1991-1995) support a typical PEC of 0.2 µg PER/l water and a worst case PEC of 2.5 µg PER/l water. The calculated PEC/PNEC ratios give a safety margin of 20 to 250 between the predicted no effect concentration and the exposure concentration. Additional evaluation of environmental fate and bioaccumulation characteristics showed that no concern is expected for food chain accumulation.     

Euro Chlor Risk Assessment for the Marine Environment Osparcom Region: North Sea - Chloroform

This risk assessment on chloroform 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 Document of the EU New and Existing Substances Regulation (TGD, 1997). 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 the ratio of the "predicted environmental concentrations" (PEC) and the "predicted no effect concentrations" (PNEC) for the marine aquatic environment. In total, 23 studies for fish, 17 studies for invertebrates and 10 studies for algae have been evaluated. Both acute and chronic toxicity studies have been taken into account and the appropriate assessment factors have been used to define a typical PNEC value of 72 µg/l. Due to limitations of the studies evaluated, a worst PNEC of 1 µg/l could also be used. Most of the available monitoring data apply to rivers and estuaries and were used to calculate PECs. The most recent data (1991-1995) support a typical PEC of 0.2 µg chloroform per litre of water and a worst case PEC of 5 to 11.5 µg chloroform per litre of water. The calculated PEC/PNEC ratios give a safety margin of 6 to 360 between the predicted no effect concentration and the exposure concentrations. A worst case ratio, however, points to a potential risk for sensitive species. Refinement of the assessment is necessary by looking for more data. Additional evaluation of environmental fate and bioaccumulation characteristics showed that no concern is expected for food chain accumulation.     

1,1,1-Trichloroethane Marine Risk Assessment with Special Reference to the Osparcom Region: North Sea

This risk assessment on 1,1,1-trichloroethane was carried out specifically for the marine environment, accordingly to the methodology laid down in the EU risk assessment Regulation (1488/94) and the Guidance Document of the EU New and Existing Substances Regulation (TGD, 1996). 1,1,1-trichloroethane is being phased out of most uses because of its ozone depletion potential (ODP) under the Montreal Protocol. Production for emissive uses has already been phased out end 1995 in Europe and 1996 in the United States, Japan and other industrial countries. The risk assessment study consists of the collection and evaluation of data on effects and environmental concentrations from analytical monitoring programmes in large rivers and estuaries in the North Sea area. The risk is indicated by the ratio of the Predicted Environmental Concentration (PEC) and the Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) for the marine aquatic environment. In total 14 studies for fish, 7 studies for invertebrates and 9 studies for algae have been evaluated. Both acute and chronic studies have been taken into account and the appropriate assessment factors have been used to calculate a PNEC value of 21 microg/l based on long term exposure. The PEC was derived from monitoring data. The PEC was set at 0.206 microg/l (worst case) and 0.024 microg/l (typical case) for coastal waters and estuaries and 0.6 microg/l (worst case) and <0.1 microg/l (typical case) for river waters. The calculated PEC/PNEC ratios, which do not take into account any dilution factor within the sea, correspond to a safety margin of 35 to 1000 between the aquatic effect and the exposure concentration. 1,1,1-trichloroethane is not a 'toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate' substance according to the criteria as mentioned by the Oslo and Paris Conventions for the Prevention of Marine Pollution (OSPAR-DYNAMEC). It can be concluded that the present use of 1,1,1-trichloroethane does not present a risk to the marine aquatic environment.     

Vinyl Chloride Marine Risk Assessment with Special Reference to the Osparcom Region: North Sea

This risk assessment on vinyl chloride was carried out specifically for the marine environment, according to the methodology laid down in the European Union (EU) risk assessment Regulation (1488/94) and the Technical Guidance Documents for New and Existing Substances (TGD, 1996). Vinyl chloride is used for the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The study consisted of the collection and evaluation of data on effects and environmental concentrations from analytical monitoring programmes in large rivers and estuaries in the North Sea area. The risk is indicated by the ratio of the Predicted Exposure Concentration (PEC) and the Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) for the marine aquatic environment. In total 6 studies for fish, 3 studies for invertebrates and one for algae have been evaluated. The appropriate assessment factors have been used to calculate a PNEC of 210 microg/l based on short-term exposure. For coastal waters and estuaries a worst case PEC of 0.15 microg/l is derived. For river waters a typical and worst case PEC of <0.008 and 0.4 microg/l is derived, respectively. These concentrations, which do not take into account any dilution within the sea, correspond to safety margins from 500 to 250,000 between the aquatic effect and the exposure concentration. Vinyl chloride is not a 'toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate' substance sensu the Oslo and Paris Conventions for the Prevention of Marine Pollution (OSPAR-DYNAMEC). It can be concluded that the present use of vinyl chloride does not present a risk to the marine aquatic environment.