Vermiculite addition to soil decreases N water pollution by over 30%

The large amounts of nitrogen-containing mineral fertilisers in industrial agriculture are leading to water pollution with effects such as eutrophication and death of aquatic life. There is therefore a need for techniques to keep N in the soil to prevent leaching in waters. Here, we tested the effect of the addition of vermiculite, a phyllosilicate mineral, to the soil, on fertiliser NH₄ ⁺-N retention in laboratory experiments during 14–45 days. The added amount of vermiculite was twice the amount of the nitrogen fertilizer added. Our results show that addition of vermiculite increases NH₄ ⁺-N retention by over 30%, compared to a control. Adding vermiculite is thus a promising technique to control the eutrophication of water systems as well as reducing agriculture cost.     

低碳条件下土壤微生物量磷对加入无机磷的响应

土壤微生物量磷是土壤有效磷的“源”和“库”,其变化幅度很大,受多种因素影响。采用室内培养的方法,向土壤中加入不同量KH2PO4,分析在土壤有机碳供应不充足条件下土壤微生物量磷对外加无机磷的响应,探讨影响土壤微生物量磷的因素,为提高土壤磷素有效性提供理论依据。结果表明,在土壤有机碳供应不充足的条件下,加入的无机磷对土壤微生物量碳无明显影响,但可显著增加土壤微生物量磷和微生物含磷量,随着无机磷加入量的增加,土壤微生物量磷和微生物含磷量增加幅度增加。土壤微生物量磷及微生物含磷量与土壤有效磷之间成显著直线相关,土壤有效磷每提高1个单位,土壤微生物量磷增加0.22个单位,土壤微生物含磷量增加0.73个单位。     

Assessing the risk of soil contamination in the Swiss Jura using indicator geostatistics

The probability that the concentrations of toxic substances in soil or other medium exceed tolerablemaxima at any unsampled place can be estimated by indicator geostatistics. The method is developed and used to estimate and map the risk of contamination by cadmium, copper and lead in the topsoil of a 14.5 km 2 region in the Swiss Jura. It combines both direct measurements of metal concentrations and thecalibration of a geological map, and it shows that the risk of toxicity is least on Argovian rocks. Two approaches are proposed to divide a region into safe' and 'hazardous' zones on the basis of probability maps. The first declares as contaminated all places where the risk of contamination exceeds a given threshold. The second approach first evaluates the financial costs that might result from a wrongdeclaration, after which the site is allocated to a class so as to minimize that cost. The risk of exposure for humans and animals is generally greater for contaminated agricultural land than for forest soil, and so land use is taken into account in both procedures.     

不同磷含量和秸秆添加量对褐土镉吸附解吸的影响

采用室内培养的方法,通过人为添加不同量的玉米干秸秆和磷,研究不同含磷量土壤对镉吸附解吸影响,以探讨磷—镉在土壤中的交互作用机制。结果表明,不同含磷量的土壤对不同质量浓度锌镉吸附解吸时,在低质量浓度镉（Cd3）条件下,土壤对镉的吸附量随磷质量分数的增加先升高后降低,解吸量随着土壤中磷质量分数的增加先升高后降低再升高;而在高质量浓度镉（Cd30）条件下,土壤对镉的吸附量随磷质量分数的增加逐渐升高,在相同磷水平下,随外加锌质量浓度的增加,镉的吸附量明显降低,而解吸量则逐渐升高。不同秸秆量土壤对不同质量浓度镉吸附解吸时,在Cd3条件下,土壤对镉的吸附量随秸秆加入量的增加先升高后降低,而在同一质量分数磷情况下,吸附量逐渐下降;土壤对镉的解吸量在磷质量分数为120 mg·kg^-1（P2）时最低,而后随着磷质量分数的增加而增加。在同一质量分数磷水平情况下,随着秸秆添加量的增加,土壤对镉的解吸量逐渐增加。而在Cd30条件下,土壤对镉的吸附量逐渐增加,在同一磷水平情况下,土壤对镉的吸附情况是低量秸秆（C1）〉高量秸秆（C2）,但在磷质量分数为240 mg·kg^-1（P3）水平下,不添加秸秆（C0）情况时镉的吸附量最大,而后降低。土壤对镉的解吸量随着磷含量的增加而增加。在同一磷水平情况下,随着秸秆添加量的增加,土壤对镉的解吸量逐渐增加。     

Health risk estimates for groundwater and soil contamination in the Slovak Republic: a convenient tool for identification and mapping of risk areas

We undertook a quantitative estimation of health risks to residents living in the Slovak Republic and exposed to contaminated groundwater (ingestion by adult population) and/or soils (ingestion by adult and child population). Potential risk areas were mapped to give a visual presentation at basic administrative units of the country (municipalities, districts, regions) for easy discussion with policy and decision-makers. The health risk estimates were calculated by US EPA methods, applying threshold values for chronic risk and non-threshold values for cancer risk. The potential health risk was evaluated for As, Ba, Cd, Cu, F, Hg, Mn, NO₃ ^?, Pb, Sb, Se and Zn for groundwater and As, B, Ba, Be, Cd, Cu, F, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se and Zn for soils. An increased health risk was identified mainly in historical mining areas highly contaminated by geogenic–anthropogenic sources (ore deposit occurrence, mining, metallurgy). Arsenic and antimony were the most significant elements in relation to health risks from groundwater and soil contamination in the Slovak Republic contributing a significant part of total chronic risk levels. Health risk estimation for soil contamination has highlighted the significance of exposure through soil ingestion in children. Increased cancer risks from groundwater and soil contamination by arsenic were noted in several municipalities and districts throughout the country in areas with significantly high arsenic levels in the environment. This approach to health risk estimations and visualization represents a fast, clear and convenient tool for delineation of risk areas at national and local levels.     

Assessment of elemental distribution and heavy metals contamination in phosphate deposits: potential health risk assessment of finer-grained size fraction

The concentrations and chemical distributions of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, U, and V) in the Al-Jiza phosphate ores were investigated. Typically, the mean concentration values of Cd, Cr, Ni, U, and Zn are 15 ± 8, 109 ± 21, 34 ± 6, 211 ± 55, 142 ± 55, and 161 ± 57 mg kg^?1, respectively. On the other hand, the encountered average concentration values of Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, U, and V in the phosphate dust particles (<0.053) were found to be 22 ± 5, 179 ± 5, 67 ± 11, 441 ± 14, 225 ± 58, and 311 ± 9 mg kg^?1, respectively. The contamination factors of U and Cr are greater than 1, indicating that these heavy metals could be potentially hazardous, if released to the environment. Multivariate statistical analysis allowed the identification of three main factors controlling the distribution of these heavy metals and the other chemical constituents. The extracted factors are as follows: francolite mineral factor, clay minerals factor, and diagenesis factor. Health risk assessments of non-cancerous effects in finer-grained size fraction that might be caused by contamination with the heavy elements have been calculated for both children and adults. The risk assessments in case of children for non-cancerous effects showed that U has values greater than the safe level of hazard index (HI = 1). In case of adults, the value of risk for U is also higher as compared to those of Cd, Ni, Cr, and Zn where it lies within the safe range of hazard index (HI < 1). Child health risk assessment indicates that children are more vulnerable to contaminants from phosphate mining than adults.     

Assessing nitrate contamination and its potential health risk to Kinmen residents

Kinmen is located in the southwest of Mainland China. Groundwater supplies 50% of the domestic water use on the island. Residents of Kinmen drink groundwater over the long term because surface water resources are limited. Nitrate–N pollution is found and distributed primarily in the western part of groundwater aquifer whereas saline groundwater is distributed to the northeastern Kinmen. This work applied the DRASTIC model to construct the vulnerability map of Kinmen groundwater. MT3D was then used to evaluate the contamination potential of nitrate–N. The health risk associated with the ingestion of nitrate–N contaminated groundwater is also assessed. The results from DRASTIC model showed that the upland crop and grass land have high contamination potential, whereas the forest, reservoir and housing land have low contamination potential. The calibrated MT3D model inversely determined the high strength sources (0.09–2.74 kg/m²/year) of nitrate contaminant located in the west to the north west area and required 2–5 years travel time to reach the monitoring wells. Simulated results of MT3D also showed that both the continuous and instantaneous contaminant sources of nitrate–N release may cause serious to moderate nitrate contamination in the western Kinmen and jeopardize the domestic use of groundwater. The chronic health hazard quotient (HQ) associated with the potential non-carcinogenic risk of drinking nitrate–N contaminated groundwater showed that the assessed 95th percentile of HQ is 2.74, indicating that exposure to waterborne nitrate poses a potential non-cancer risk to the residents of the island. Corrective measures, including protecting groundwater recharge zones and reducing the number of agricultural and non-agricultural nitrogen sources that enters the aquifer, should be implemented especially in the western part of Kinmen to assure a sustainable use of groundwater resources.     

Statistical models of health risk due to microbial contamination of foods

Between 6 million and 33 million cases of food-related illness are estimated to occur in the United States each year, with about 5000 episodes resulting in death. Growing concerns about the safety of food prompted the National Food Safety Initiative of 1997, the goal of which is to reduce the incidence of illness caused by food-borne pathogens. A key component of the food safety initiative is the improvement of farm-to-table risk assessment capabilities, including the development of improved dose-response models for estimating risk. When sufficient data are available, allowable contamination levels of specific micro-organisms in food are established using dose-response models to predict risk at very low doses based on experimental data at much higher doses. This necessitates having reliable models for setting allowable exposures to food-borne pathogens. While only limited data on relatively few micro-organisms that occur in food are available at present for dose-response modeling and risk estimation, still none of the two-parameter models proposed so far, including the popular Beta-Poisson (BP) model, appears to be completely satisfactory for describing and fitting all of the present data (Holcomb et al., 1999). The Weibull–Gamma (WG) model is the only three-parameter model that has been proposed to date. In this paper, new competitive three-parameter models are derived, using a formulation that can be parameterized to represent statistical variation with respect to the dose of micro-organism received by the host and the hosts susceptibility to infection. Parameters of the models are estimated using the maximum likelihood method. Experimental data on several common microbial contaminants in food are used to illustrate the methodology.     

Antimony speciation and contamination of waters in the Xikuangshan antimony mining and smelting area,China

Water samples from Xikuangshan (China), the world largest antimony (Sb) mine with a Sb mining and smelting history of more than 200 years, were analyzed. These water samples ranged from stream water in the vicinity of the mining and smelting area that received seepage from ore residues to the underground mine-pit drainage. The concentrations of total Sb, Sb (III) and Sb (V) of the samples were determined by HPLC-ICP-MS. In addition, water pH and concentrations of major cations and anions were analyzed. All 18 samples demonstrated total Sb concentrations with ppm levels from 0.33 ppm to 11.4 ppm, which is two to three orders of magnitude higher compared to the typical concentration of dissolved Sb in unpolluted rivers (less than 1 ppb). This is probably the first time that such high Sb contents have been documented with complete environmental information. Distribution of total Sb and Sb species was investigated, taking into account the respective local environment (in the mining area or close to the smelter, etc.). Sb (V) was the predominant valence in all 18 samples. Only trace levels of Sb (III) were detected in 4 of the 18 samples. Geochemical speciation modeling showed the dominant species was Sb(OH)₆⁻. It is also probably the first time that such high Sb contents have been documented in the natural environment with Sb speciation distribution information. Several potential oxidation pathways are also discussed that might have facilitated the oxidation of Sb (III) in the natural environment. Signs of intoxication were observed among local mine workers with extensive exposure to different forms of Sb for a long period of time.     

Arsenic contamination of natural waters in San Juan and La Pampa, Argentina

Arsenic (As) speciation in surface and groundwater from two provinces in Argentina (San Juan and La Pampa) was investigated using solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge methodology with comparison to total arsenic concentrations. A third province, Río Negro, was used as a control to the study. Strong cation exchange (SCX) and strong anion exchange (SAX) cartridges were utilised in series for the separation and preservation of arsenite (As^III), arsenate (As^V), monomethylarsonic acid (MA^V) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA^V). Samples were collected from a range of water outlets (rivers/streams, wells, untreated domestic taps, well water treatment works) to assess the relationship between total arsenic and arsenic species, water type and water parameters (pH, conductivity and total dissolved solids, TDS). Analysis of the waters for arsenic (total and species) was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in collision cell mode. Total arsenic concentrations in the surface and groundwater from Encon and the San José de Jáchal region of San Juan (north-west Argentina within the Cuyo region) ranged from 9 to 357 μg l^?1 As. Groundwater from Eduardo Castex (EC) and Ingeniero Luiggi (LU) in La Pampa (central Argentina within the Chaco-Pampean Plain) ranged from 3 to 1326 μg l^?1 As. The pH range for the provinces of San Juan (7.2–9.7) and La Pampa (7.0–9.9) are in agreement with other published literature. The highest total arsenic concentrations were found in La Pampa well waters (both rural farms and pre-treated urban sources), particularly where there was high pH (typically > 8.2), conductivity (>2,600 μS cm^?1) and TDS (>1,400 mg l^?1). Reverse osmosis (RO) treatment of well waters in La Pampa for domestic drinking water in EC and LU significantly reduced total arsenic concentrations from a range of 216–224 μg l^?1 As to 0.3–0.8 μg l^?1 As. Arsenic species for both provinces were predominantly As^III and As^V. As^III and As^V concentrations in San Juan ranged from 4–138 μg l^?1 to <0.02–22 μg l^?1 for surface waters (in the San José de Jáchal region) and 23–346 μg l^?1 and 0.04–76 μg l^?1 for groundwater, respectively. This translates to a relative As^III abundance of 69–100% of the total arsenic in surface waters and 32–100% in groundwater. This is unexpected because it is typically thought that in oxidising conditions (surface waters), the dominant arsenic species is As^V. However, data from the SPE methodology suggests that As^III is the prevalent species in San Juan, indicating a greater influence from reductive processes. La Pampa groundwater had As^III and As^V concentrations of 5–1,332 μg l^?1 and 0.09–592 μg l^?1 for EC and 32–242 μg l^?1 and 30–277 μg l^?1 As for LU, respectively. Detectable levels of MA^V were reported in both provinces up to a concentration of 79 μg l^?1 (equating to up to 33% of the total arsenic). Previously published literature has focused primarily on the inorganic arsenic species, however this study highlights the potentially significant concentrations of organoarsenicals present in natural waters. The potential for separating and preserving individual arsenic species in the field to avoid transformation during transport to the laboratory, enabling an accurate assessment of in situ arsenic speciation in water supplies is discussed.     

Occurrence of and risk posed by highly carcinogenic dibenzo[def,p]chrysene isomers in urban soil

Dibenzopyrene and its isomers are considered the most potent carcinogens of all polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons tested to date. However, despite public concerns over their deleterious effects, they have not been extensively studied. The occurrence of four highly carcinogenic isomers of dibenzopyrene – dibenzo[def,p]chrysene, dibenzo[a,e]pyrene, dibenzo[a,i]pyrene, and dibenzo[a,h]pyrene in urban soil samples from Shanghai, China, have been determined in this study, as well as that of benzo[a]pyrene and coronene. A total of 14 peaks with ions at m/z 302 were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Although the concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene and the sum of the 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were greater than that of dibenzopyrene and its isomers, the carcinogenic potency of the latter was higher than that of benzo[a]pyrene. The results also indicate that the relative carcinogenic potency of the four dibenzopyrene isomers in the samples is higher than that of the 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.     

Response of wheat and barley seedlings on soil contamination with bromides

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Environmental pollution is becoming one of the most important global problems. Understanding the main factors affecting accumulation of toxic trace elements...     

Application of arsenic baselines in the assessment of soil contamination in Finland

In Finland, a new Government Decree on the Assessment of Soil Contamination and Remediation Needs (214/2007) came into force on 1 June 2007. According to the Decree, natural baseline concentration levels should be taken into account when assessing potential soil contamination and the need for remediation. This applies particularly in the case of toxic metallic elements, since baseline concentrations may naturally be rather high. The new decree prescribes soil screening values for 52 substances or groups of substances. The natural baseline concentrations have been taken into account in the definition of the screening values for inorganic pollutants. The Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) carried out a nation-wide geochemical mapping of till on a reconnaissance scale in 1983 and on a regional scale during 1984–1992. These surveys have provided information on natural elemental distribution in subsoils of the glacial till. However, some important trace elements in regional mapping such as arsenic are missing from the analysis, and subsoil samples do not reflect the diffuse anthropogenic input. Thus, GTK has continued the survey work by determining geochemical baselines around suburban areas. Samples have been taken from humus, topsoil and subsoil layers, and the soil parent material has covered sandy soils, glacial tills and fine-grained sediments. According to the studies, a regional difference in the levels of arsenic and some other trace elements can be clearly seen, especially in minerogenic soils. The results illustrate the importance of information on regional baseline concentrations while assessing potential soil contamination.     

Ecological and human health risk assessment of heavy metal contamination in soil of a municipal solid waste dump in Uyo,Nigeria

The study assessed the levels of some heavy metals in soils in the vicinity of a municipal solid waste dumpsite with a view to providing information on the extent of contamination, ecological risk of metals in the soils and human health risk to the residents in Uyo. Soil samples were collected in rainy and dry seasons and analyzed for metals (Pb, Cd, Zn, Mn, Cr, Ni and Fe) using atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentrations of heavy metals (mg/kg) at the dumpsite in rainy season were Pb (9.90), Zn (137), Ni (12.56), Cr (3.60), Cd (9.05) and Mn (94.00), while in dry season, the concentrations were Pb (11.80), Zn (146), Ni (11.82), Cr (4.05), Cd (12.20) and Mn (91.20). The concentrations of metals in the studied sites were higher than that of the control site (P < 0.05). Pollution indices studies revealed that soil samples from dumpsite and distances from 10 and 20 m east of the dumpsite were highly polluted with cadmium. Ecological risk assessment carried out showed that cadmium contributed 98–99 % of the total potentially ecological risk. No probable health risk was observed as the total hazard index of all the metals was less than one. However, children were found to be more susceptible to heavy metal contamination than adult.     

生活垃圾堆填区周边土壤的性状变化及其污染状况

对北京西郊某垃圾堆放场周边土壤的污染状况进行了分析研究。结果表明,受垃圾渗滤液的浸蚀影响,垃圾区周围土壤酸性增大,养分含量增高;垃圾区土壤的重金属含量明显高于对照区土壤,表明垃圾区周围土壤已受到渗滤液的重金属污染,土壤性状发生明显变化。     

玉米根系形态对土壤Cd和芘复合污染的响应

植物根系在逆境胁迫下通过改变其形态及分布来适应不利的生长环境,根系的形态变化是植物适应外界环境（特别是土壤环境）的一个重要机制。采用盆栽模拟试验探讨了Cd＋芘复合污染对两种基因型玉米（Zeamays L.）（白玉米和黑玉米）根系形态学参数（根长、根表面积、根体积、根平均直径及不同根直径等级分布）的定量化影响。与对照未污染相比,Cd＋芘复合污染显著降低了白玉米和黑玉米茎叶和根的生物量,特别是根的生物量。Cd＋芘复合污染对白玉米生物量的抑制要比对黑玉米要灵敏。与未污染相比,Cd＋芘复合污染下白玉米和黑玉米的根长稍有增长,根表面积、根平均直径和根体积减小,但两处理间差异不显著。白玉米和黑玉米每一级根直径的根长在Cd＋芘复合污染和未污染处理间没有显著差异。白玉米和黑玉米〉0.60mm的根的根表面积在Cd＋芘复合污染下显著降低。此研究结果为重金属-多环芳烃复合污染土壤植物毒理效应和植物修复技术的进一步研究奠定基础。     

磷酸盐添加对快速好氧堆肥过程pH及腐熟效果的影响

随着我国环保政策的日趋严格,具有堆肥周期短、产品质量好、二次污染小等优点的反应器快速好氧堆肥工艺受到人们的广泛关注.然而,由于堆肥原料的有机物含量高,导致快速堆肥初期的有机酸累积,堆体pH偏低,影响堆肥效果.本研究拟通过添加磷酸盐,解决剩余污泥反应器快速堆肥过程出现的pH偏低问题.结果表明,添加磷酸盐可有效控制堆体pH,堆肥初期,HPO_4~-通过与有机酸解离产生的H~+反应生成H_2PO~-_4,提高堆体pH,堆肥后期,蛋白质降解产生较多NH~+_4,导致pH升高,堆体中的H_2PO~-_4通过与OH~-结合生成HPO_4~-,降低堆体pH.当HPO_4~-与H_2PO~-_4的摩尔比为2∶5时,堆体pH值可维持在6.0—8.5之间,有机物降解率最高,堆体的NH~+_4-N含量最大,达3.99 mg·g~(-1),堆肥过程的保氮效果较好,且所得堆肥产品的种子发芽指数也较高,腐熟程度良好.     

Correction to: Influence of physico-chemical properties of soil clay fractions on the retention of dissolved organic carbon

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Unfortunately, in the original publication of the article, Prof. Yong Sik Ok’s affiliation was incorrectly published. The author’s affiliation is...     

Mercury contamination and health risk to crops around the zinc smelting plant in Huludao City,northeastern China

The Huludao zinc plant in Liaoning province, northeast China was the largest in Asia, and its smelting activities had seriously contaminated soil, water and atmosphere in the surrounding area. For the first time, we investigated the total mercury (THg) content in maize, soybean, broomcorn, 22 vegetables, and the soil around their roots from eight sampling plots near the Huludao zinc plant. THg contents of the seeds of maize, soybean, and broomcorn are 0.008, 0.006, and 0.057 mg kg⁻¹, respectively, with the broomcorn being the highest, exceeding the maximum level of contaminant in food (GB2762-2005) by 4.7 times. The edible parts of vegetables are also contaminated with a range of mercury contents of 0.001–0.147 mg kg⁻¹ (dry weight). THg contents in plant tissue decrease in the order of leaves > root > stalk > grain. Using correlation analysis, we show that mercury in the roots of these plants is mainly derived from soil, and the uptake of gaseous mercury is the predominant path by which the mercury accumulated in the foliage. The average and maximum mercury daily intake (DI) of adult around the Huludao zinc plant via consuming vegetables are 0.015 and 0.051 μg/kg/d, respectively, and those of children are 0.02 and 0.07 μg/kg/d, respectively. The average and maximum weekly intakes of total mercury for adult are 2.1 and 7.1%, respectively, of the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), and 2.8 and 9.7%, respectively, of the PTWI for children.