Histopathology alterations and lipid peroxidation as biomarkers of hydrocarbon-induced stress in earthworm, Eudrilus eugeniae

This study investigated the biomarker responses of the earthworm, Eudrilus eugeniae, exposed to sublethal concentrations of benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) for a time span of 28 days. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) and histopathological alterations were examined. Toxicological evaluations of BTX were carried out against E. eugeniae. On the basis of the 96-h LC₅₀ value, xylene (1.212 mg/kg) was found to be the most toxic followed by toluene (1.335 mg/kg) and benzene (1.896 mg/kg) was the least toxic. The exposure of earthworms to sublethal concentrations (1/10th and 1/100th of 96 h LC₅₀) of BTX premixed with the substrate (loamy and humus soil) induced pathological changes in the clitella such as severe lesion, necrosis and dark brown pigments. The result of the lipid peroxidation assay showed a significant increase in oxidative damage with LPO values ranging from 2.58–7.8 nM/g in exposed animals when compared to 0.07 nM/g in the control group. The findings from this study suggest the use of LPO and histopathology as useful biomarkers of exposure for early detection of petroleum related stress in terrestrial ecosystems     

Effect of selected heavy metals on the histopathology of different tissues of earthworm Eudrillus eugeniae

Laboratory-scale experiments were conducted to determine the effect of heavy metals viz. copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) on the different vital tissues of earthworm Eudrillus eugeniae such as head, gizzard, clitellum, and intestine after the worms were placed in municipal solid waste (MSW) substrate spiked with heavy metals in the concentration range of 0.05 g/kg to 1.0 g/kg of the waste for Cu, Cr, PB, and Zn and 0.05 g/kg for Cd. The experiments were conducted for 100 days with periodic observations and sample collection for investigation after every 10th day. Copper and lead metals were found to cause more deleterious effect in head, gizzard, and intestine. Chromium metal caused cellular damage to the intestinal region. In comparison, cadmium metal severity was more than copper, lead, and chromium metal. Zinc metal did not show deleterious effect on tissues. In general, earthworms can be used as biomarkers in toxicity studies related to heavy metals at cellular levels.     

Bioassay for assessing cell stress in the vicinity of radio-frequency irradiating antennas

The 24 h exposure of water plants (etiolated duckweed) to RF-EMF between 7.8 V m(-1) and 1.8 V m(-1), generated by AM 1.287 MHz transmitting antennas, resulted in alanine accumulation in the plant cells, a phenomenon we have previously shown to be a universal stress signal. The magnitude of the effect corresponds qualitatively to the level of RF-EMF exposure. In the presence of 10 mM vitamin C, alanine accumulation is completely suppressed, suggesting the involvement of free radicals in the process. A unique biological connection has thus been made between exposure to RF-EMF and cell stress, in the vicinity of RF transmitting antennas. This simple test, which lasts only 24 h, constitutes a useful bioassay for the quick detection of biological cell stress caused in the vicinity of RF irradiating antennas.     

Roadmap for assessing regional trends in groundwater quality

Assessing regional trends in groundwater quality can be a difficult task. Data are often scattered in space and time, and the inertia of groundwater systems can create natural, seemingly persistent changes in concentration that are difficult to separate from anthropogenic trends. Here, we show how statistical methods and software for joint analysis of multiple time series can be integrated into a roadmap for trend analysis and critical examination of data quality. Ordinary and partial Mann–Kendall (MK) tests for monotonic trends and semiparametric smoothers for multiple time series constitute the cornerstones of our procedure. The MK tests include a simple and easily implemented method to correct for serial dependence, and the associated software is designed to enable convenient handling of numerous data series and to accommodate covariates and nondetects. The semiparametric smoothers are intended to facilitate detection of synchronous changes in a network of stations. A study of Swedish groundwater quality data revealed true upward trends in acid-neutralizing capacity and downward trends in sulfate but also a misleading shift in alkalinity level that would have been difficult to detect if the time series had been analyzed separately.     

Arsenic-speciation in arsenate-resistant and non-resistant populations of the earthworm,Lumbricus rubellus

Arsenic speciation was determined in Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister from arsenic-contaminated mine spoil sites and an uncontaminated site using HPLC-MS, HPLC-ICP-MS and XAS. It was previously demonstrated that L. rubellus from mine soils were more arsenate resistant than from the uncontaminated site and we wished to investigate if arsenic speciation had a role in this resistance. Earthworms from contaminated sites had considerably higher arsenic body burdens (maximum 1,358 mg As kg-1) compared to the uncontaminated site (maximum 13 mg As kg-1). The only organo-arsenic species found in methanol/water extracts for all earthworm populations was arsenobetaine, quantified using both HPLC-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS. Arsenobetaine concentrations were high in L. rubellus from the uncontaminated site when concentrations were expressed as a percentage of the total arsenic burden (23% mean), but earthworms from the contaminated sites with relatively low arsenic burdens also had these high levels of arsenobetaine (17% mean). As arsenic body burden increased, the percentage of arsenobetaine present decreased in a dose dependent manner, although its absolute concentration rose with increasing arsenic burden. The origin of this arsenobetaine is discussed. XAS analysis of arsenic mine L. rubellus showed that arsenic was primarily present as As(III) co-ordinated with sulfur (30% approx.), with some As(v) with oxygen (5%). Spectra for As(III) complexed with glutathione gave a very good fit to the spectra obtained for the earthworms, suggesting a role for sulfur co-ordination in arsenic metabolism at higher earthworm arsenic burdens. It is also possible that the disintegration of As(III)-S complexes may have taken place due to (a) processing of the sample, (b) storage of the extract or (c) HPLC anion exchange. HPLC-ICP-MS analysis of methanol extracts showed the presence of arsenite and arsenate, suggesting that these sulfur complexes disintegrate on extraction. The role of arsenic speciation in the resistance of L. rubellus to arsenate is considered.     

Expres: An expert system for assessing the fate of pesticides in the subsurface

The expert system described here is designed to aid regulatory personnel in their assessment of the potential for pesticides to contaminate the soil and groundwater environment. The expert system, known as EXPRES (EXpert system for Pesticide Regulatory Evaluation Simulations), consists of existing numerical models which are used to simulate the transport and transformation of pesticides in the unsaturated zone, coupled with a knowledge-based system that guides the user through the choice of all the necessary information for characterizing the physical, meteorological, hydrogeological, pedological and agricultural settings of typical agricultural regions across Canada, as required by the pesticide model. The expert system is designed to be used as a management tool to aid in policy decisions. Thus, its purpose is to provide an assessment of the potential hazards and to identify if further study is warranted.     

A hydrochemical profile for assessing the groundwater quality of Jaipur City

A study was conducted to evaluate the water quality of Jaipur City. Groundwater samples from hand pumps and tube wells of eleven sampling stations were analyzed during monsoon session with the help of standard methods of APHA. The analytical results shows higher concentration of total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, total hardness and nitrate, which indicate signs of deterioration but values of pH, calcium, magnesium, sulphate and fluoride are within permissible limit as per WHO standards. From the Hill-Piper trilinear diagram, it is observed that the majority of ground water from sampling stations are calcium-magnesium-chloride-sulphate type water. The values of sodium absorption ratio and electrical conductivity of the ground water were plotted in the US salinity laboratory diagram for irrigation water. Most of the samples fall in C3S1 quality with high salinity hazard and low sodium hazard. Chemical analysis of groundwater shows that mean concentration of cation (in meq/l) is in order magnesium > sodium > calcium > potassium while for the anion (in meq/l) it is chloride > bicarbonate > sulphate > nitrate > carbonate > fluoride.     

Network design factors for assessing temporal variability in ground-water quality

Benchmark major ions and nutrients data were collected biweekly for about two years at 12 wells at two sites in a shallow sand and gravel aquifer in west-central Illinois. The purpose of the study was to explore the time series properties of ground-water quality data collected at a relatively high sampling frequency. A secondary purpose was to determine the relative magnitudes of natural and sampling-related sources of variance in ground-water quality time series. The absence of this kind of information has severely hindered the design of ground-water sampling programs in the past.An autocorrelation analysis showed that the median sampling frequency for which the predicted ratio of effective independent sample size to total sample size was 0.5 (50% sampling redundancy) ranged from 6 to 14 samples per year. For a predicted ratio of effective independent sample size to total sample size of 0.9 (10% sampling redundancy) the sampling frequency ranged from 3 to 6 samples per year. This suggests that, for the wells sampled, sampling frequencies much higher than monthly can result in considerable loss of information, and may not be cost effective. Care was taken in the design of the field and laboratory sampling protocol to minimize the effects of measurement error. The data analysis confirmed that this goal was accomplished. In most cases considerably less than five percent of the total variability could be attributed to sampling and analytical error. Because of the relatively short duration of the study (42 biweekly sampling occasions at most wells) it was not possible to identify the magnitude of seasonal variations reliably.     

Appraisal of work hazards and safety in the industrial estate of Jeddah

An environmental study for the appraisal of work hazards and safety in Jeddah Industrial Estate (JIE), Saudi Arabia has been conducted. The study is based upon a representative (stratified random) sample of 44 enterprises, including 52 plants and employing 5830 workers. Nearly 2/3 of the workers have heat exposure, orginating from climatic heat and heat dissipated from industrial operations, while exposure to noise is slightly less, and is attributed to noisy operations and machinery and to lack of meticulous maintenance; both exposures are mild in most of the plants and moderate in some. Mild exposures to nonionizing radiations (UV and IR) and to deficient illumination occur in 25% and 19.2% of the plants studied. Respiratory exposure to chemical agents (organic and inorganic dusts, metal fumes, gases and vapours — including asphyxiants, irritants, liver and nervous system offenders and acid and alkali mists) occurs in 75% of the plants, particularly in the medium-size enterprises plants; however, is mainly mild with a few moderate and severe exposures. Skin absorption contributes to absorption of chemical agents in 29% of the plants, and direct skin contact to chemicals (particularly to lubricating oils) occurs in 81% of the plants. Meanwhile, only eight plants, out of the 32 plants where controls for physical hazards are required (51.2%), apply engineering controls, and even in a few of these plants the efficiency of the control measures has been rated ‘bad’. A few of them provide personal protective equipment, and even no maintenance to this equipment is provided. The level of safety is better in the large plants than in the small and medium-size plants; the safety score is the best in the recently established plants, while is the worst in the plastic industry, which is relatively old. The appraisal of fire protection is better than that of the safety, due to efficient supervision of the General Directorate of Civil Defense (GDCD). However, most of the safety problems are managerial and are preventable. First aid is present in all enterprises, as required by the Saudi Labor Laws; however, an in-plant medical service is present in 75% of the large enterprises, in 31.6% of the medium-size and in only 17.6% of the small enterprises. Also, satisfactory medical, accidents and absenteeism records exist in only 15.9% of the enterprises; safety supervision exists in 27.3, and safety education exists in 91% of them, while no environmental monitoring is carried out in any enterprise. Sanitation facilities exist in satisfactory numbers in most of the enterprises; however, their maintenance is poor in most of them, due to lack of hygienic supervision. All enterprises dispose of their liquid wastes into the JIE sewerage system without any treatment, while the solid wastes are collected by the city authorities in 56.8% of them; both wastes are anticipated to cause environmental pollution problems.     

Macrobenthic surveys as a valuable tool for assessing freshwater quality in the Iberian Peninsula

Relationships between natural macrobenthic communities and aquatic environmental conditions have been recently used to perform the Biological Monitoring Water Quality (BMWQ) score system for assessing freshwater quality in the Iberian Peninsula. In this paper, the second version of the BMWQ score system is applied to two selected field studies (organic and nonorganic pollution) in order to illustrate the suitable functional character of this method. The total BMWQ (t-BMWQ) score and the average BMWQ (a-BMWQ) score are calculated, and their relationships with diversity indices are also examined. The BMWQ method appears to be very sensitive to changes in freshwater quality generated by simple organic pollution, but this method appears to be less sensitive to changes generated by complex nonorganic pollution. In addition, both scores are more sensitive measures to assess macroinvertebrate response to organic pollution than total density and diversity indices, exhibiting higher positive coefficients of linear correlation with Camargo's diversity index than with Shannon's and MacArthur's diversity indices. However, the a-BMWQ score is more sensitive to changes in family composition than the t-BMWQ score, whereas this latter score is more sensitive to family richness and sample size. In this sense, the use of the a-BMWQ score is recommended for the biological assessment of freshwater quality degradation in the Iberian Peninsula. More information is obtained for less effort when the a-BMWQ score is used.     

Coelomocyte biomarkers in the earthworm Eisenia fetida exposed to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT)

Contamination by 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a global environmental problem at sites of former explosive production, handling, or storage, and could have deleterious consequences for human and ecological health. We investigated its sublethal effects to Eisenia fetida, using two nonspecific biomarkers. In coelomocytes of earthworms exposed 24, 48, or 72 h, we evaluated DNA damage (comet assay) and neutral red retention time (NRRT), using the filter paper contact test. Both percentage of damage (D%) and calculated damage index showed significant DNA damage at almost all concentrations, at all time points assayed. Along exposure time, two different patterns were observed. At the lower TNT concentrations (0.25?C0.5 ??g/cm²) an increased DNA migration at 48 h, with a decrease close to initial levels after 72 h exposure, was observed. This decrease could be attributed to activation of the DNA repair system. At higher concentrations (1.0?C2.0 ??g/cm²), the high DNA damage observed remained constant during the 72 h exposure, suggesting that the rate of DNA repair was not enough to compensate such damage. Analysis of NRRT results showed a significant interaction between time and treatment. After 48 h, a significant decrease was observed at 4.0 ??g/cm². After 72 h, NRRT presented a concentration-dependent decrease, significantly different with respect to control at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 ??g/cm². The two assayed methods, performed on the same sample, showed clear responses to sublethal TNT exposure in E. fetida, providing sensitive unspecific biomarkers of cell injury and DNA damage.     

Establishment of a cross-European field site network in the ALARM project for assessing large-scale changes in biodiversity

The field site network (FSN) plays a central role in conducting joint research within all Assessing Large-scale Risks for biodiversity with tested Methods (ALARM) modules and provides a mechanism for integrating research on different topics in ALARM on the same site for measuring multiple impacts on biodiversity. The network covers most European climates and biogeographic regions, from Mediterranean through central European and boreal to subarctic. The project links databases with the European-wide field site network FSN, including geographic information system (GIS)-based information to characterise the test location for ALARM researchers for joint on-site research. Maps are provided in a standardised way and merged with other site-specific information. The application of GIS for these field sites and the information management promotes the use of the FSN for research and to disseminate the results. We conclude that ALARM FSN sites together with other research sites in Europe jointly could be used as a future backbone for research proposals.     

Evaluating the utility and seasonality of NDVI values for assessing post-disturbance recovery in a subalpine forest

Forest disturbances around the world have the potential to alter forest type and cover, with impacts on diversity, carbon storage, and landscape composition. These disturbances, especially fire, are common and often large, making ground investigation of forest recovery difficult. Remote sensing offers a means to monitor forest recovery in real time, over the entire landscape. Typically, recovery monitoring via remote sensing consists of measuring vegetation indices (e.g., NDVI) or index-derived metrics, with the assumption that recovery in NDVI (for example) is a meaningful measure of ecosystem recovery. This study tests that assumption using MODIS 16-day imagery from 2000 to 2010 in the area of the Colorado’s Routt National Forest Hinman burn (2002) and seedling density counts taken in the same area. Results indicate that NDVI is rarely correlated with forest recovery, and is dominated by annual and perennial forb cover, although topography complicates analysis. Utility of NDVI as a means to delineate areas of recovery or non-recovery are in doubt, as bootstrapped analysis indicates distinguishing power only slightly better than random. NDVI in revegetation analyses should carefully consider the ecology and seasonal patterns of the system in question.     

Application of multicriteria choice-methods in assessing eutrophication

Multicriteria choice-methods, often used in policy analysis, were examined as a methodological procedure for eutrophication assessment. Multicriteria analysis ranked the sampling sites along two coastal areas, according to nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations. Three levels of nutrient loading were revealed, characterizing eutrophic, mesotrophic and oligotrophic waters. These results have been compared to station grouping based on multivariate analysis which indicated similar trends. Multicriteria choice-methods were shown to be an effective methodological tool in assessing eutrophication. In addition, this approach is compatible with multicriteria methods applied on policy-making and therefore the problem of eutrophication can be integrated with plan and project evaluation in environmental management.     

A knowledge brokerage approach for assessing the impacts of the setting up young farmers policy measure in Greece

This study explores Knowledge Brokerage (KB) aspects of an ex-post Impact Assessment (IA) for the Rural Development Programme (RDP) measure of setting up young farmers, under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), at the regional level in Northern Greece. The measure supports the entry of young farmers in agriculture by moving land from older to younger farmers. The aim of the study was to test a set of KB tools for improving the interaction between researchers and policy makers. Our analysis mainly focused on a suite of IA Support Modules to guide practitioners, and on a technical tool kit, a web-based contextualisation platform, to support the IA of the specific test case. Offering a structured approach towards IA, both the Support Modules and LIAISE-KIT allow framing the context, organisation, scheduling and method selection in the light of KB objectives. The evaluation of how IA Support Modules influence the Science Policy Interface (SPI), in the case of the ex-post assessment, demonstrated the high relevance of KB activities for facilitating the interaction between researchers and regional policy makers. The assessment bridges the gap between knowledge producers developing scientific output to be applied in a specific context, and knowledge users, who want clear messages regarding the policy challenges they face. Other conclusions include the need for specific guidelines and training for knowledge users, especially with regard to the use of tools. According to our findings, a consequent application of KB activities is a crucial pre-condition for successfully implementing IAs in future RDP measures.     

An economic efficiency indicator for assessing income opportunities in sustainable waste management

This article proposes a new economic efficiency indicator for measuring and analyzing the income opportunities for companies operating in the collection, transport and treatment of municipal solid waste, while also taking into account the environmental perspective. Specifically, the followed approach is based on a mixed economic and environmental perspective, with a focus on the income advantage stemming from the exploitation of secondary raw materials obtained from differentiated waste. To pursue this scope, an indicator at the company level is preliminarily identified; then, a systemic indicator is introduced by implementing an aggregation of the individual ones. The adopted methodological tool is of the rank-size type, which is particularly appropriate for inferring insights at the system level from empirical data at single company level. To validate the indicator and apply it to real data in the sector of interest, an empirical analysis is conducted on a group of Italian waste management companies. It is shown that the indicator can be a useful tool for generating valuable information for waste management companies and policy-makers, who are responsible for defining policies and programs that make the overall waste management system more sustainable, thus materializing environmental and social benefits.     

Use of multivariate indicator kriging methods for assessing groundwater contamination extents for irrigation

Multivariate geostatistical approaches have been applied extensively in characterizing risks and uncertainty of pollutant concentrations exceeding anthropogenic regulatory limits. Spatially delineating an extent of contamination potential is considerably critical for regional groundwater resources protection and utilization. This study used multivariate indicator kriging (MVIK) to determine spatial patterns of contamination extents in groundwater for irrigation and made a predicted comparison between two types of MVIK, including MVIK of multiplying indicator variables (MVIK-M) and of averaging indicator variables (MVIK-A). A cross-validation procedure was adopted to examine the performance of predicted errors, and various probability thresholds used to calculate ratios of declared pollution area to total area were explored for the two MVIK methods. The assessed results reveal that the northern and central aquifers have excellent groundwater quality for irrigation use. Results obtained through a cross-validation procedure indicate that MVIK-M is more robust than MVIK-A. Furthermore, a low ratio of declared pollution area to total area in MVIK-A may result in an unrealistic and unreliable probability used to determine extents of pollutants. Therefore, this study suggests using MVIK-M to probabilistically determine extents of pollutants in groundwater.