Determination of 10 particle-associated multiclass polar and semi-polar pesticides from small streams using accelerated solvent extraction

A new analytical method using accelerated solvent extraction was developed for the determination of 10 particle-associated polar and semipolar pesticides. In addition, six deuterated analogues of the target compounds were evaluated as internal standards. The method yielded acceptable accuracy (73–103% recovery) and precision (<25% relative standard deviation) for eight compounds. Using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) as cleanup step resulted in higher recoveries compared to solid phase extraction (SPE) cleanup.

Deuterated standards with 10 or more deuterium atoms performed well as internal standards concerning similar recovery and correlation with the target analytes.

The method was employed to extract particle-associated pesticides from 16 streams located in an area with intense agriculture in France. Acetochlor, pirimicarb, tebuconazole, fenpropidin, -endosulfan and chlorfenvinphos were detected at concentrations up to 1 mg kg⁻¹ dry weight. A comparison with aquatic toxicity data indicated potential risk to the benthic fauna exposed to these concentrations of pirimicarb, -endosulfan and chlorfenvinphos.

We suggest that the method presented here be used for the extraction and quantitation of particle-associated polar pesticides.     

Elk decision-making rules are simplified in the presence of wolves

The risk of predation drives many behavioral responses in prey. However, few studies have directly tested whether predation risk alters the way other variables influence prey behavior. Here we use information theory (Akaike’s Information Criterion, AICc) in a novel way to test the hypothesis that the decision-making rules governing elk behavior are simplified by the presence of wolves. With elk habitat use as the dependent variable, we test whether the number of independent variables (i.e., the size of the models) that best predict this behavior differ when wolves are present vs absent. Thus, we use AICc scores simply to determine the number of variables to which elk respond when making decisions. We measured habitat use using 2,288 locations from GPS collars on 14 elk, over two winters (14 elk winters), in the Gallatin Canyon portion of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. We found that the use of three major habitat components (grass, conifer, sage) was sensitive to many variables on days that wolves were locally absent, with the best models (ΔAICc≤2) averaging 7.4 parameters. In contrast, habitat use was sensitive to few variables on days when wolves were present: the best models averaged only 2.5 parameters. Because fewer variables affect elk behavior in the presence of wolves, we conclude that elk use simpler decision-making rules in the presence of wolves. This simplification of decision-making rules implies that predation risk imposes selection pressures that do not allow prey to respond to other pressures in ways that they otherwise would. If the affected processes are important, then this indirect effect of predation is likely to be important.     

A Watershed-based Cumulative Risk Impact Analysis: Environmental Vulnerability and Impact Criteria

Swine Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) have received much attention in recent years. As a result, a watershed-based screening tool, the Cumulative Risk Index Analysis (CRIA), was developed to assess the cumulative impacts of multiple CAFO facilities in a watershedsubunit. The CRIA formula calculates an index number based on: 1) the area of one or more facilities compared to the area of the watershed subunit, 2) the average of the environmental vulnerability criteria, and 3) the average of the industry-specific impact criteria. Each vulnerability or impact criterion is ranked on a 1 to 5 scale, with a low rank indicating low environmental vulnerability or impact and a high rank indicating high environmental vulnerability or impact. The individual criterion ranks, as well as the total CRIA score, can be used to focus the environmental analysis and facilitate discussions with industry, public, and other stakeholders in the Agency decision-making process.     

Application of preparative capillary gas chromatography (pcGC), automated structure generation and mutagenicity prediction to improve effect-directed analysis of genotoxicants in a contaminated groundwater

Background, aim and scope  

The importance of groundwater for human life cannot be overemphasised. Besides fulfilling essential ecological functions, it is a major source of drinking water. However, in the industrial area of Bitterfeld, it is contaminated with a multitude of harmful chemicals, including genotoxicants. Therefore, recently developed methodologies including preparative capillary gas chromatography (pcGC), MOLGEN-MS structure generation and mutagenicity prediction were applied within effect-directed analysis (EDA) to reduce sample complexity and to identify candidate mutagens in the samples. A major focus was put on the added value of these tools compared to conventional EDA combining reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) followed by GC/MS analysis and MS library search.     

Deposition of reactive nitrogen during the Rocky Mountain Airborne Nitrogen and Sulfur (RoMANS) study

Increases in reactive nitrogen deposition are a growing concern in the U.S. Rocky Mountain west. The Rocky Mountain Airborne Nitrogen and Sulfur (RoMANS) study was designed to improve understanding of the species and pathways that contribute to nitrogen deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). During two 5-week field campaigns in spring and summer of 2006, the largest contributor to reactive nitrogen deposition in RMNP was found to be wet deposition of ammonium (34% spring and summer), followed by wet deposition of nitrate (24% spring, 28% summer). The third and fourth most important reactive nitrogen deposition pathways were found to be wet deposition of organic nitrogen (17%, 12%) and dry deposition of ammonia (14%, 16%), neither of which is routinely measured by air quality/deposition networks operating in the region. Total reactive nitrogen deposition during the spring campaign was determined to be 0.45 kg ha⁻¹ and more than doubled to 0.95 kg ha⁻¹ during the summer campaign.     

Enhancing corporate compliance with worksite safety and health legislation

Introduction: A 2-year prospective study evaluated the effectiveness of a managerial training program to enhance corporate compliance with statewide worksite safety and health regulations. The program offered participants information about regulatory requirements and emphasized organizational and environmental strategies for reducing occupational injuries and illnesses. Objectives: To assess the effects of a train-the-trainer program on business managers' knowledge of statewide occupational safety and health legislation and on levels of corporate compliance with regulatory requirements. Methods: Forty-eight small- and medium-sized companies participated in the training sessions during the first year of the study. These firms were compared with 46 control companies that did not receive the training until the conclusion of the study. Results: Participation in the program was associated with higher levels of corporate regulatory compliance 12 months after the training sessions were held (controlling for baseline levels of corporate compliance with the regulations). Program effects on compliance levels were mediated by posttraining changes in managers' knowledge of regulatory requirements. Conclusions: The REACH OUT training program raised managers' awareness of and corporate compliance with statewide worksite safety and health regulations. Impact on Industry: Smaller companies face greater challenges than larger ones in developing and maintaining worksite safety and health programs. Barriers to regulatory compliance, especially in small- and medium-size companies, should be identified and removed to enhance the efficacy of these programs.     

Assessing local planning capacity to promote environmentally sustainable residential development

Smart growth and sustainability planning have, in recent years, become central issues in planning discourse. Scholars have argued that planning capacity at the local government level is critical for smart growth planning, and that planners have a fundamental role to play in advancing local and regional sustainability. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which local planning capacity enables communities to promote more sustainable, smart growth residential development. Based on a 2013 survey of 38 county and 53 municipal governments in the state of Wisconsin, USA, this study finds that the majority of the sample communities have permitted residential developments characterized as transit-oriented, New Urbanist, mixed use, infill developments, or conservation subdivisions as alternatives to low-density, automobile-dependent conventional developments. The study also finds that jurisdictions with higher planning capacities are more likely to overcome significant barriers to more sustainable residential development.     

Emerging Tools for Continuous Nutrient Monitoring Networks: Sensors Advancing Science and Water Resources Protection

Sensors and enabling technologies are becoming increasingly important tools for water quality monitoring and associated water resource management decisions. In particular, nutrient sensors are of interest because of the well‐known adverse effects of nutrient enrichment on coastal hypoxia, harmful algal blooms, and impacts to human health. Accurate and timely information on nutrient concentrations and loads is integral to strategies designed to minimize risk to humans and manage the underlying drivers of water quality impairment. Using nitrate sensors as the primary example, we highlight the types of applications in freshwater and coastal environments that are likely to benefit from continuous, real‐time nutrient data. The concurrent emergence of new tools to integrate, manage, and share large datasets is critical to the successful use of nutrient sensors and has made it possible for the field of continuous monitoring to rapidly move forward. We highlight several near‐term opportunities for federal agencies, as well as the broader scientific and management community, that will help accelerate sensor development, build and leverage sites within a national network, and develop open data standards and data management protocols that are key to realizing the benefits of a large‐scale, integrated monitoring network. Investing in these opportunities will provide new information to guide management and policies designed to protect and restore our nation's water resources.     

Passive dosing: an approach to control mutagen exposure in the Ames fluctuation test

By using dialysis equilibrium experiments, the sorption of a branched nonylphenol isomer [4-(1-ethyl-1,3-dimethylpentyl)-phenol] (NP111) on various humic acids (HAs) isolated from river sediments and two reference HAs was studied. The HAs were characterized by solid-state ¹³C direct polarization/magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C DP/MAS NMR) spectroscopy. Sorption isotherms of NP111 on HAs were described by a linear model. The organic carbon-normalized sorption coefficient (K_OC) ranged from 2.3 × 10³ to 1.5 × 10⁴ L kg⁻¹. Interestingly, a clear correlation between K_OC value and alkyl C content was observed, indicating that the aliphaticity of HAs markedly dominates the sorption of NP111. These new mechanistic insights about the NP111 sorption indicate that the fate of nonylphenols in soil or sediment depends not only on the content of HA, but also on its structural composition.