A survey of lead pollution in Chhattisgarh State, central India

Lead (Pb) is of major environmental concern due to its toxicological importance. The anthropogenic emission of Pb is at least 100 times higher than natural emissions. Soil and dust are significant sources of Pb exposure. Lead is generally immobile in soil and accumulates in the upper layers. Lead particles may enter homes via shoes, clothes, pets, and windows. Central India is rich in deposits of natural resource materials such as coal, pyrite, dolomite, and alumina that contain Pb and other heavy metals at the trace levels, and the substantial exploitation of these materials has tended to increased contamination of water and geological formations. Here we present data on Pb concentrations in the water, soil and sediment samples (n=158) collected from 70 locations in Chhattisgarh state, Raipur region. Lead concentrations in the surface water (n=44), groundwater (n=44), soils (n=60) and sediments (n=10) ranged from 6 to 1410, 3 to 52, 12.8 to 545, and 31 to 423 μg g⁻¹, with mean values of 305, 16, 102 and 190 μg g⁻¹, respectively. Most of the Pb fractions of >80% can be leached out with the chemical extractants EDTA, acetic acid, and hydroxylamine hydrochloride. Lead has accumulated in the soil clay fraction due to its relatively large surface area and decreases with increasing depth in the soil profile.     

Effect of different types of elemental sulfur on bioleaching of heavy metals from contaminated sediments

The application of two different types of elemental sulfur (S0) was studied to evaluate the efficiency on bioleaching of heavy metals from contaminated sediments. Bioleaching tests were performed in suspension and in the solid-bed with a heavy metal contaminated sediment using commercial sulfur powder (technical sulfur) or a microbially produced sulfur waste (biological sulfur) as substrate for the indigenous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria and thus as acid source. Generally, using biological sulfur during suspension leaching yielded in considerably better results than technical sulfur. The equilibrium in acidification, sulfur oxidation and metal solubilization was reached already after 10-14 d of leaching depending upon the amount of sulfur added. The metal removal after 28 d of leaching was higher when biological sulfur was used. The biological sulfur added was oxidized with high rate, and no residual S0 was detectable in the sediment samples after leaching. The observed effects are attributable to the hydrophilic properties of the biologically produced sulfur particles resulting in an increased bioavailability for the Acidithiobacilli. In column experiments only poor effects on the kinetics of the leaching parameters were observed replacing technical sulfur by biological sulfur, and the overall metal removal was almost the same for both types of S0. Therefore, under the conditions of solid-bed leaching the rate of sulfur oxidation and metal solubilization is more strongly affected by transport phenomena than by microbial conversion processes attributed to different physicochemical properties of the sulfur sources. The results indicate that the application of biological sulfur provides a suitable means for improving the efficiency of suspension leaching treatments by shortening the leaching time. Solid-bed leaching treatments may benefit from the reuse of biological sulfur by reducing the costs for material and operating.     

Dams and Flows: Immersing in Western Meaning Systems in Search of Ecocultural Reflexivity

In this unprecedented era of anthropogenic ecological destruction, this study illustrates inadequacies in conceptual language available in Western settings to think deeply and holistically about “nature.” At the same time, the study illustrates transformative potential of moments of ecocultural reflexivity. Using free write methodology, we examine ways participants in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia articulate what they mean when they say “nature.” We interpret participant streams of consciousness as representative of a wider Western river-way, a channel of dominant, multiple, and contradictory meanings in continuous movement. We identify conceptual obstructions that provide glimpses into ways Western ecological relations are bounded and dammed by binary, fragmented, and unconsidered meanings. Yet reflexivity in the face of such obstructions, and in potent ecocultural side streams of childhood remembering and ecocentric cosmology, provides some participants a lucid flow of regenerative narratives at a time such shared stories are urgently needed.     

Facing Hazardous Matter in Atmospheric Particles with NanoSIMS (2 pp)

Background, Aim and Scope Current scientific studies and evaluations clearly show that an increase of urban dust loads, alone or combined with other pollutants und certain meteorological conditions lead to different significant health effects. Premature death, increased hospital admissions and increased respiratory symptoms and diseases as well as decreased lung function can be observed in combination with high pollutant levels. Sensitive groups like elderly people or children and persons with cardiopulmonary diseases such as asthma are more strongly affected. Because of the direct contact between fine particles and lung tissue more information concerning the surface structure (mapping of toxic elements) is required. Materials and Methods: The NanoSims50 ion microprobe images the element composition at the surface of sub-micrometer air dust particles and documents hot spots of toxic elements as a possible threat for human health. Results: The atmospheric fine dust consists of a complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds. Heavy metals are fixed on airborn particles in the form of hot spots in a nanometer scale. From a sanitary point of view, the hot spots consisting of toxic elements are particularly relevant as they react directly with the lung tissues. Discussion: To what extent particles can penetrate the various areas of the lungs and be deposited there depends on the one hand on their physical characteristics and on the other on breathing patterns and the anatomy of the lung, which is subject to change as the result of growth, ageing or illness. Once inhaled, some particles can reach the pulmonary alveoli and thus directly expose the lung tissues to toxic elements. Conclusions: Especially the mapping of toxic arsenic or heavy metals like copper on the dust particles shows local hot spots of pollution in the dimension of only 50 nanometers. Recommendations and Perspectives: Imaging of elements in atmospheric particles with NanoSIMS will help to identify the material sources.     

The transatlantic rift in genetically modified food policy

The regulatory structures underlying United States and European Union policies regarding genetically modified (GM) food and crops are fundamentally different. The US regulates GM foods and crops as end products, applying roughly the same regulatory framework that it does to non GM foods or crops. The EU, on the other hand, regulates products of agricultural biotechnology as the result of a specific production process. Accordingly, it has developed a network of rules that regulate GM foods and crops specifically. As a result, US regulation of GM foods and crops is relatively permissive, whereas EU regulation is relatively restrictive. Why are genetically modified food policies in the United States and the European Union so strikingly different? In the light of the recent World Trade Organization dispute on agricultural biotechnology, it may seem that economic interests are the driving force behind policies. While they are certainly part of the picture, the issue is far more complex. This paper argues that three different elements help explain differences between US and EU GM food policies. First, an investigation of US and European policies of the 1970s and 1980s on recombinant DNA research and of events leading up to early GM food and crop regulation allows a deeper understanding of current policy. Second, scrutinizing underlying values and norms can uncover the beliefs that condition current GM food and crop policy. Third, an analysis of involved actors’ views and levels of success in influencing policy is essential to understanding US and EU policies.