High concentrations of polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) in breast adipose tissue of California women

We measured major PBDEs and PCBs in breast adipose tissues of California women participating in a breast cancer study in the late 1990s. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography with electron impact ionization and tandem mass spectrometry detection. The congener profile observed was: BDE47>BDE99>BDE153>BDE100>BDE154 and PCB153>PCB180>PCB138>PCB118. Whereas high correlations were observed within each chemical class, very weak correlations appeared between classes, pointing to different exposure pathways. Weak negative associations were observed for PBDE congeners and age. Our PBDE data are among the highest reported, exceeding data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and consistent with the high use of PBDEs in California. These data may be helpful in establishing a baseline for PBDE body burdens to gauge changes over time as a result of restrictions in the use of PBDE formulations.     

养活九十亿人

本世纪期间,技术进展已经使农作物生产率发生了革命,但农作物产率的提高已经开始放慢,而世界人口却继续增长.土地退化和水资源的压力是对非常需要的土地生产率提高的严重障碍.满足21世纪全球食品需要将要求一致的人口控制政策,推进可持续消费,和大大提高我们对土地、水及其它自然资源的使用效率.本文提供了对这些问题的前瞻性分析和解决这些问题的建议.     

An inter-laboratory study to test the ability of amendments to reduce the availability of Cd, Pb, and Zn in situ

An international inter-laboratory research program investigated the effectiveness of in situ remediation of soils contaminated by cadmium, lead and zinc, measuring changes in soil and soil solution chemistry, plants and soil microbiota. A common soil, from mine wastes in Jasper County MO, was used. The soil was pH 5.9, had low organic matter (1.2 g kg(-1) C) and total Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrations of 92, 5022, and 18 532 mg kg(-1), respectively. Amendments included lime, phosphorus (P), red mud (RM), cyclonic ashes (CA), biosolids (BIO), and water treatment residuals (WTR). Both soil solution and NH4NO3 extractable metals were decreased by all treatments. Phytotoxicity of metals was reduced, with plants grown in P treatments having the highest yields and lowest metal concentration (0.5, 7.2 and 406 mg kg(-1) Cd, Pb, and Zn). Response of soil micro-organisms was similar to plant responses. Phosphorus addition reduced the physiologically based extraction test Pb from 84% of total Pb extracted in the untreated soil to 34.1%.     

The use of Landsat multispectral scanner data for the analysis and management of flooding on the river Severn,England

Remote sensing has emerged as one of the major techniques for the analysis and delineation of large floods. This analysis can provide data invaluable for the hydrological management of large river systems. A need for information on the extent of floodplain inundation for the lower reaches of the largest river in the UK was met by a search through Landsat images of floods and the analysis of the best example recorded. Automated classification of the Landsat imagery of this flood on the river Severn in 1977 was used to provide estimates of the extent and spatial distribution of inundation. Flood images were generated using the Plessey IDP 3000 image processor, and the maps derived accorded well with aerial photography and qualitative flood information. Three distinct floodplain environments were delineated and flood images produced by different spectral bands compared. Specific questions prompted by flood hazard management and concerning the processes and extent of flooding were answered by the Landsat data analysis. Management of the flood risk of large rivers is expensive and remote sensing data is a relatively cheap and effective way of monitoring control works and providing data for the prediction of the effects of future hydrological works. Remote sensing is a practical way in which spatial information concerning the behavior of large dynamic systems can be obtained both quickly and relatively cheaply.     

UK interpretation and implementation of the EEC Shellfish directive

The EEC Shellfish Directive is a policy designed to protect and, where necessary, improve the quality of designated shellfish waters. Its implementation within the UK, however, has had no effect upon water quality for two reasons. First, the policy has important defects, having ambiguities concerning public health provisions and lacking designation criteria. Second, UK government has sought to achieve formal compliance, while at the same time ensuring that its full financial impact on public expenditure has been contained. Consequently, only those fisheries which already comply with water quality standards have been designated. Within Wales, one fishery has been designated, while other, commercially more important, but grossly contaminated shellfisheries have not.     

Treatment of Perchlorate‐Contaminated Groundwater Using Highly Selective,Regenerable Ion‐Exchange Technology: A Pilot‐Scale Demonstration

Treatment of perchlorate‐contaminated groundwater using highly selective, regenerable ion‐exchange technology has been recently demonstrated at Edwards Air Force Base, California. At an influent concentration of about 450 μg/l ClO₄^?, the bifunctional anion‐exchange resin bed treated approximately 40,000 empty bed volumes of groundwater before a significant breakthrough of ClO₄^? occurred. The presence of relatively high concentrations of chloride and sulfate in site groundwater did not appear to affect the ability of the bifunctional resin to remove ClO₄^?. The spent resin bed was successfully regenerated using the FeCl₃^?HCl regeneration technique recently developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and nearly 100 percent of sorbed ClO₄^? was displaced or recovered after elution with as little as about two bed volumes of the regenerant solution. In addition, a new methodology was developed to completely destroy ClO₄^? in the FeCl₃^?HCl solution so that the disposal of perchlorate‐containing hazardous wastes could be eliminated. It is therefore anticipated that these treatment and regeneration technologies may offer an efficient and cost‐effective means to remove ClO₄^? from contaminated groundwater with significantly reduced generation of waste requiring disposal. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Environmental controls of patch-reef growth and development

The effects of predominant currents on the morphology of coral reefs has been studied in the leeward patch reefs of Anegada, British Virgin Islands. Measurements of current velocity and direction and sediment characteristics together with mapping of approximately 31 patch reefs within a 2 km² area suggest that even under relatively low but constant current velocities (surface current 20 cm sec^-1) the major reef-building corals show definite distribution patterns on the reef. The currents also appear to be responsible, in part, for marked orientation and elongation of patch reefs in a north-west/ south-east direction and for a gradation of patch-reef type across the study area.