On-line speciation of arsenical compounds in fish and mussel extracts by HPLC-ICP-MS

The separation and determination of sub-μmol/l levels of six environmentally significant As compounds was accomplished by means of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined online with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The species of interest (arsenite and arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine and arsenocholine) were quantified in fish and mussel extracts after separation on a Dionex AS7 column equipped with an on-guard AG7 column using a bicarbonate buffer as the mobile phase in a gradient mode. The species thus eluted were directly forwarded to the ICP-MS detector. The detection power of the overall system allows each As form to be determined at concentrations as low a 0.0013–0.0027 μmol 1⁻¹.     

Effect of combined addition amount of nano zero-valent iron and biochar on methane production by anaerobic digestion of corn straw

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an attractive straw resource treatment technology as it can improve the utilization efficiency of straw resource. Raw straw...     

Carbon Emissions Trading and Equity in International Agreements

This paper explores the distributional consequences of alternative emissions trading schemes. It is argued that the distributional impact stems from the difference between two social welfare functions: the function which is implicitly maximised in a competitive market equilibrium and the function which is implicitly adopted when a given equity principle is chosen. An integrated assessment model is used to illustrate these findings, by simulating the introduction of various emissions trading schemes for the Kyoto protocol on the reduction of greenhouse emissions. It is shown that (1) changes produced on an equity index by the imposition of emission constraints (by country) may not be significantly higher than those obtained by the subsequent introduction of a market mechanism, and that (2) the various market regimes which could be adopted have quite different distributional implications. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ultrasonography in pregnancy and fetal abnormalities: Screening or diagnostic test? IPIMC 1986–1990 register data

The aim of the present study was to assess the sensitivity of ultrasound diagnosis used as a screening test in detecting major congenital anomalies in the prenatal period in a large nation-based multicentre setting. Data from the IPIMC register were collected in the period 1986–1990. One hundred and thirty-five hospitals, located in 17 out of the 20 regions in Italy, participated in the register. Study cases were 3479 infants with major congenital anomalies diagnosed at birth or in the first week of life. Subjects with chromosomal anomalies or multiple defects were excluded. The sensitivity of ultrasound prenatal diagnosis was 49.5 per cent for central nervous system anomalies, 3.8 per cent for congenital heart diseases, 17.1 per cent for gastrointestinal tract defects, 46.6 per cent for abdominal wall defects, 74.8 per cent for urinary tract anomalies, and 22.9 per cent for skeletal abnormalities. The detection rate for diaphragmatic hernia was 24.2 per cent. Overall, only 18 per cent of the defects diagnosed in utero were detected before 24 weeks' gestation. The sensitivity of prenatal diagnosis was 30.1 and 19.0 per cent in the northern, central, and southern regions, respectively. In light of its low sensitivity, ultrasonography as a screening test in the general population should be abandoned, although some improvement in its performance should be expected following adequate training of the ultrasound staff and the use of good technical equipment.     

Cardiovascular effects of arsenic: clinical and epidemiological findings

Several population studies relate exposure to high levels of arsenic with an increased incidence of ischemic heart disease and cardiovascular mortality. An association has been shown between exposure to high levels of arsenic and cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and vascular damage such as subclinical carotid atherosclerosis. The mechanisms underlying these phenomena are currently being studied and appear to indicate an alteration of vascular function. However, the effects of low levels of exposure to arsenic and their potential detrimental cardiovascular effect are less explored. The article provides an overview of the pathophysiologic mechanisms linking low-level arsenic exposure to the occurrence of cardiovascular disease and its complications, and some potential preventive strategies to implement.     

Co-treatment of fruit and vegetable waste in sludge digesters. An analysis of the relationship among bio-methane generation,process stability and digestate phytotoxicity

The co-digestion of a variable amount of fruit and vegetable waste in a waste mixed sludge digester was investigated using a pilot scale apparatus. The organic loading rate (OLR) was increased from 1.46 kg VS/m³ day to 2.8 kg VS/m³ day. The hydraulic retention time was reduced from 14 days to about 10 days. Specific bio-methane production increased from about 90 NL/kg VS to the maximum value of about 430 NL/kg VS when OLR was increased from 1.46 kg VS/m³ day to 2.1 kg VS/m³ day. A higher OLR caused an excessive reduction in the hydraulic retention time, enhancing microorganism wash out. Process stability evaluated by the total volatile fatty acids concentration (mg/l) to the alkalinity buffer capacity (eq. mg/l CaCO₃) ratio (i.e. FOS/TAC) criterion was <0.1 indicating high stability for OLR <2.46 kg VS/m³ day. For higher OLR, FOS/TAC increased rapidly. Residual phytotoxicty of the digestate evaluated by the germination index (GI) (%) was quite constant for OLR < 2.46 kg VS/m³ day, which is lower than the 60% limit, indicating an acceptable toxicity level for crops. For OLR > 2.46 kg VS/m³ day, GI decreased rapidly. This corresponding trend between FOS/TAC and GI was further investigated by the definition of the GI ratio (GIR) parameter. Comparison between GIR and FOS/TAC suggests that GI could be a suitable criterion for evaluating process stability.     

Modelling short-term effects of ozone on morbidity: an application to the city of Milano,Italy, 1995–2003

In this paper, we explore a range of concerns that arise in measuring short-term effects of ozone on health. In particular, we tackle the problem of measuring exposure using alternative daily measures of ozone derived from hourly concentrations. We adopt the exposure paradigm of Chiogna and Bellini (Environmetrics 13:55–69, 2002) extending it to ozone concentrations, and we compare its performances with respect to traditional exposure measures by exploiting model selection. To investigate the stability of model selection, we then apply the idea of bootstrapping the modelling process.     

Source apportionment of PAHs and n-alkanes bound to PM1 collected near the Venice highway

n-Alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) bound to atmospheric particulate matter (PM₁) were investigated in a traffic site located in an urban area of Venice Province (Eastern Po Valley, Italy) during the cold season. Considering the critical situation affecting the Veneto Region concerning the atmospheric pollution and the general lack of information on PM₁ composition and emission in this area, this experimental study aims at determining the source profile, their relative contributions and the dispersion of finer particles. Four sources were identified and quantified using the Positive Matrix Factorization receptor model: (1) mixed combustions related to the residential activities, (2) agricultural biomass burning in addition to the resuspension of anthropogenic and natural debris carried by the wind, (3) gasoline and (4) diesel traffic-related combustions. The role of local atmospheric circulation was also investigated to identify the pollutant sources.     

Detection of Viruses in Coastal Seawater Using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mytilus Galloprovincialis</Emphasis> as an Accumulation Matrix

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that shellfish can be used to detect enteric viruses in marine waters where they are present at very low concentrations. Aqua-cultured mussels were placed in the sea just off the mouth of a drainage channel affected by human and animal faecal contamination. Samples were taken from the channel, the sea and the mussels at intervals over two 4-week periods. The samples were tested to verify the presence of both rotaviruses and E. coli. Rotaviruses were detected by Real Time-PCR, typed by multiplex PCR and subsequently sequenced. E. coli was enumerated in water matrices by a filtering method and in mussels by the MPN method. The presence of E. coli in the examined matrices demonstrates contamination of faecal origin throughout the studied environments. Rotaviruses were recorded in channel waters, but not in sea water. In both experiments, rotaviruses were detected in mussels 21 and 28 days after being placed in the sea water off the channel mouth. The use of mussels thus enabled the detection of rotaviruses in waters where the high dilution rendered direct investigation impossible. This study indicates that mussels can be used in marine virological surveillance programs.     

Application of membrane bioreactor technology for wastewater treatment and reuse in the Mediterranean region: Focusing on removal efficiency of non-conventional pollutants

The Mediterranean Region is a semi-arid area whose land is facing serious erosion, causing adverse impacts on agriculture. To improve the water availability, researchers have proposed the reclamation and reuse of treated wastewater. In this paper, we report the main findings of 10 years of research on the efficiencies of a conventional activated sludge process and a submerged membrane bioreactor, with particular emphasis on the removal of non-conventional pollutants. The studies showed that the membrane bioreactor produced a virtually solids-free, high-quality permeate: most nutrients, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants were removed, and in particular, dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls were typically present at concentrations below the detection limit. Moreover, the total coliforms count decreased by 4–5 log and Escherichia coli was absent from the membrane bioreactor permeate. These results, combined with the continuing reduction of the capital and operating costs for this approach, suggest that membrane bioreactors are an increasingly cost-effective technology to produce treated effluents that are suitable for reuse.