Measurements of β and α hexachlorocyclohexane in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Juglans regia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus spinosa</Emphasis> trees in a contaminated area,central Italy

Vegetables play an important role in the human diet, and the transfer of toxic contaminants from the soil to plants has been little studied for most tree species and their edible portions. In an area affected by hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) contamination, in the Sacco River Valley (central Italy), measurements of β- and α-HCH isomers were made on different parts of two tree species: Juglans regia and Prunus spinosa. Concentrations were analysed in roots, branches, leaves, fruits, and seeds. A spatial evaluation of the results highlighted an inverse association of contamination with distance from the river, which is the main route of transport in the environment. Results in J. regia showed decreasing values in this order: branches > leaves > husks > nutmeat. Results in P. spinosa showed decreasing values in the following order: branches > leaves > fruits. In J. regia, nutmeat values were all below limit of detection (LOD, 0.0005 mg/kg), except in one case in which a very low concentration of β-HCH was found (0.006 mg/Kg), compliant with maximum residue limits (MRLs). The ability of J. regia to store large quantities of β-HCH in wooden and leafy parts but not in edible kernels makes this plant a potential and precious tool in remediation and economical reconversion of polluted areas. It is also valuable for food and wood manufacturing.     

Efficacy and reliability of upgraded industrial treatment plant at Porto Marghera, near Venice, Italy, in removing nutrients and dangerous micropollutants from petrochemical wastewaters

Chemical and petrochemical wastewaters contain a host of contaminants that require different treatment strategies. Regulation of macropollutants and micropollutants in the final discharge from industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have become increasingly stringent in recent decades, requiring many WWTPs to be upgraded. This article presents an analysis of a WWTP treating petrochemicals in Porto Marghera, Italy, that recently was upgraded following legislative changes. Because of strict legal limits for macropollutants and micropollutants and a lack of space necessary for a full-scale WWTP overhaul, the existing activated sludge tank was converted into a membrane biological reactor. The paper presents experimental data collected during a five-month investigation showing the removal rates achieved by the upgraded plant for macropollutants (particularly nitrogen compounds) and micropollutants (heavy metals and organic and inorganic toxic compounds).     

Monuments as sampling surfaces of recent traffic pollution

Background, aim and scope  

A new approach towards monuments, considering them as a passive sampler of pollution, is presented. Cultural Heritage objects suffer daily the damages of environmental pollution, especially in those areas interested by heavy traffic. Since monuments undergo only periodic conservation or maintenance works, surfaces are able to accumulate atmospheric deposit and to record changes in its composition. An optimised analytical protocol was developed in order to quantify platinum and rhodium at trace level on surfaces. The two elements have become tracers of automobile emissions in recent years, since the introduction of catalytic converters, and could have catalytic effects on the decay reactions of natural and artificial stone materials. As a first case study, the cement mortar surfaces of a twentieth century monument, the Camerlata Fountain, in Como (Italy) were investigated.     

Attitude of a group of Belgian stakeholders towards proposed agricultural countermeasures after a radioactive contamination: synthesis of the discussions within the Belgian EC-FARMING group

In the case of radioactive contamination of the environment with an impact on the food chain, the remediation strategy will not only be based on scientific knowledge and technical experience, but will also be dictated by peculiarities of the country. These characteristics include the agro-industrial structure, the local and international economical contexts and the political configuration including the distribution of responsibilities and competencies. This paper identifies and illustrates the most relevant characteristics of the Belgian agricultural system and political environment; it also describes the past experience with food chain contamination, which is expected to influence the attitude of Belgian stakeholders, who would be involved in the setting up of countermeasure strategies for maintaining agricultural production and food safety. The picture drawn explains why several countermeasures aiming to reduce the contamination in food products, although scientifically sound and technically feasible, are hardly acceptable or even not acceptable at all, to the stakeholders.     

Development of a sampling train for arsenic in pyrolysis vapours resulting from pyrolysis of arsenic containing wood waste

In the present study a sampling and analysis method for arsenic emissions during pyrolysis of arsenic containing wood, such as chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood, has been developed. The procedure is based on the NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) standard for arsenic trioxide sampling. Validation for this specific application is needed since pyrolysis of arsenic containing wood leads to a gas stream containing sticky tar compounds and aerosols. Validation was carried out through tube furnace experiments using both CCA treated wood and arsenic trioxide powder as input. The outlet of the tube furnace was coupled to a cooling section and sampling train. The sampling train consisted of one or more filter sections and impingers. Different combinations of filters (untreated or impregnated) and impingers, as well as different combinations of washing solutions were tested. The different units of the sampling train were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in order to determine the distribution of arsenic over the different units. For the working conditions considered (pyrolysis at 350 degrees C for 20 minutes with a nitrogen flow rate of 100 Nl h(-1)) the combination of a quartz cooling tube and a cellulose ester membrane filter impregnated with a Na2CO3-glycerol solution was sufficient to capture the arsenic. Two extra impingers (the first one containing 50 ml HNO3 1 M in the case of CCA treated wood and 50 ml NaOH 0.1 M in the case of As2O3 and the second one containing 50 ml NaOH 0.1 M) were added downstream of the filter section as backup either in case of filter failure or to check whether all the arsenic released is captured by the cooling tube and filter.     

Poliovirus and Other Enteroviruses from Environmental Surveillance in Italy, 2009–2015

Within the initiatives for poliomyelitis eradication by WHO, Italy activated an environmental surveillance (ES) in 2005. ES complements clinical Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance for possible polio cases, detects poliovirus circulation in environmental sewage, and is used to monitor transmission in communities. In addition to polioviruses, the analyses comprised: (i) the monitoring of the presence of non-polio enteroviruses in sewage samples and (ii) the temporal and geographical distribution of the detected viruses. From 2009 to 2015, 2880 sewage samples were collected from eight cities participating in the surveillance. Overall, 1479 samples resulted positive for enteroviruses. No wild-type polioviruses were found, although four Sabin-like polioviruses were detected. The low degree of mutation found in the genomes of these four isolates suggests that these viruses have had a limited circulation in the population. All non-polio enteroviruses belonged to species B and the most frequent serotype was CV-B5, followed by CV-B4, E-11, E-6, E-7, CV-B3, and CV-B2. Variations in the frequency of different serotypes were also observed in different seasons and/or Italian areas. Environmental surveillance in Italy, as part of the ‘WHO global polio eradication program’, is a powerful tool to augment the polio surveillance and to investigate the silent circulation or the re-emergence of enteroviruses in the population.     

Using revealed preferences to estimate the Value of Travel Time to recreation sites

The opportunity Value of Travel Time (VTT) is one of the most important elements of the total cost of recreation day-trips and arguably the most difficult to estimate. Most studies build upon the theoretical framework proposed by Becker (1965) by using a combination of revealed and stated preference data to estimate a value of time which is uniform in all activities and under all circumstances. This restriction is relaxed by DeSerpa's (1971) model which allows the value of saving time to be activity-specific. We present the first analysis which uses actual driving choices between open access and toll roads to estimate a VTT specific for recreation trips, thereby providing a value which conforms to both Becker's and DeSerpa's theoretical models. Using these findings we conduct a Monte Carlo simulation to identify generalizable results for subsequent valuation studies. Our results indicate that 3/4 of the wage rate provides a reasonable approximation of the average VTT for recreation trips, while the commonly implemented assumption of 1/3 of the wage rate generates downward biased results.