The analysis of human health risk with a detailed procedure operating in a GIS environment

An approach for quantifying the human health risk caused by industrial sources, which, daily or accidentally, emit dangerous pollutants able to impact on different environmental media, is introduced. The approach is performed by the HHRA-GIS tool which employs an integrated, multimedia, multi-exposure pathways and multi-receptors risk assessment model able to manage all the steps of the analysis in a georeferenced structure. Upper-bound excess lifetime cancer risk and noncarcinogenic hazards are the risk measures, the spatial distribution of which is calculated and mapped on the involved territory, once all the pathways and receptors of the study area are identified. A sensitivity analysis completes the calculations allowing to understand how risk estimates are dependent on variability in the factors contributing to risk. The last part of the paper makes use of a case study concerning a working industrial site to put in evidence in which way the designed tool can help local authorities and policy makers in managing risks and planning remedial and reduction actions. The considered geographical area is a hypothetical territory characterized by residential, agricultural and industrial zones. The presence of two sources of contamination, a municipal waste incinerator (MWI) and a contaminated site, are evaluated by the tool application. Various typologies of receptors have been taken into account, each of them characterized by different anatomical and dietary properties. The achieved results are analyzed, compared with acceptable and background values and alternatives of minor environmental impact calculated.     

Distribution of persistent organic pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace elements in soil and vegetation following a large scale landfill fire in northern Greece

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including hexaclorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and DDTs, as well as trace elements were determined in soil and vegetation samples collected from the surrounding area of the landfill "Tagarades", the biggest in northern Greece, following a large scale fire involving approximately 50,000 tons of municipal waste. High concentrations of total PAHs, PCBs and heavy metals were found inside the landfill (1475 microg kg(-1) dw, 399 microg kg(-1) dw and 29.8 mg kg(-1) dw, respectively), whereas concentrations in the surrounding soils were by far lower ranging between 11.2-28.1 microg kg(-1) dw for PAHs, 4.02-11.2 microg kg(-1) dw for PCBs and 575-1207 mg kg(-1) dw for heavy metals. The distribution of HCHs and DDTs were quite different since certain soils exhibited equal or higher concentrations than the landfill. In vegetation, the concentrations of PAHs, PCBs, HCHs and DDTs ranged from 14.1-34.7, 3.64-25.9, 1.41-32.1 and 0.61-4.03 microg kg(-1) dw, respectively, while those of heavy metals from 81 to 159 mg kg(-1) dw. The results of the study indicated soil and vegetation pollution levels in the surroundings of the landfill comparable to those reported for other Greek locations. The impact from the landfill fire was not evident partially due to the presence of recent and past inputs from other activities (agriculture, vehicular transport, earlier landfill fires).     

Profiles of enzymatic activity in earthworms from zinc, lead and cadmium polluted areas near Olkusz (Poland)

The aim of the study was to determine whether there are signs of adaptation of soil fauna to a gradient of heavy metal contamination. Earthworms Aporrectodea caliginosa, Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia fetida were collected during the spring and summer of 2000 and 2001 from meadow sites situated between 2 and 32 km from the Bukowno-Olkusz complex of zinc-lead ore mines and smelters. The heavy metal content in the soil near smelters reaches 10,500 mg/kg (d.w.) for Zn, 2600 mg/kg for Pb and 81.9 mg/kg for Cd. The sites differ with respect to species composition of earthworm community, with A. caliginosa being dominant. Complete data was obtained only for A. caliginosa, since other species were not abundant at all investigated sites during the whole period of investigation. The body burdens of Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu in A. caliginosa reached 1500, 100, 220 and 10 microg/g, respectively, in the vicinity of the smelter (2-4 km), and decreased to 400, 2, 36 and 6 microg/g at the most distant site (32 km). Cadmium and lead content was significantly elevated in the whole body of L. terrestris collected at the site 2.5 km distant from the smelters when compared to more distant sites, while in E. fetida only the body burden of cadmium was elevated at the nearest site compared to the next site of transect. Activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPX; EC 1.11.1.9) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or cumene hydroperoxide (cumOOH), glutathione reductase (GR; EC 1.6.4.2), glutathione S-transferase (GST; EC 2.5.1.18) and catalase (CAT; EC 1.11.1.6) were assayed in postmitochondrial supernatant obtained from whole body homogenates. Seasonal and annual variations of enzyme activity were reflected by higher GPX activity in the late summer of 2001 in comparison with the spring and summer of 2000. This may reflect severe drought in the spring and summer of 2000. The activity of both GPX isozymes, GR and GST in A. caliginosa and L. terrestris increased with increasing distance from the smelters and reached maximum at sites III and IV (4 and 8 km from the smelters, respectively) and then it decreased in the animals from site V (32 km). These may be the effects of antagonism between the enzyme inducing and enzyme inhibiting action of smelter emissions, a phenomenon known as a hormetic effect. It is postulated here that this effect is of diagnostic value for metal pollution biomonitoring.     

哥斯达黎加的地震危险性

<正> 1 地震危险性评定历史在哥斯达黎加,最先进行地震危险性评定工作的是Mortgat等。自本世纪下半叶以来,对重要结构、生命线工程如水电与地热计划、水厂和重要桥梁等都有必要进行专门的地震危险性分析.目前,对任何重要工程结构进行这样的研究已很普遍。2 基本资料Gonzalez和Montero编制了包括1910年前地震事件的历史地震目录。仪器记录的地震目录散见于各种参考文献(例如Miyarmura,1980;Morales,1985)。哥斯达黎加的震源集中在     

气溶胶采样进口管的动力学估算

引言本文提出了一种测定气溶胶取样进口管的采样效率的新方法,并作了图示。大多数理论的和实验的研究一直只限于从空气环境到进口截面采样的抽吸效率方面。而考虑整个进口管的研究主要还是对特定进口管的设计进行评价。按估算整个进口管的惯用方法,是将加标记的试验气溶胶通过进口管直达滤膜进行取样。气溶胶聚积在进口管内和滤膜上,然后用萤光或放射性方法进行测定。这样的测定方法很费时间,因而限制了通常对于特定的进口管进行评价的程度。按本文提出的方法,整个进口管与一     

区域变质中挥发组分的产生和运移

<正> 引言 虽然一部分沉积岩的埋藏可以放出H_2O和CO_2这一事实早已为人们所认识,但却很少有人研究在压实作用期间排出孔隙流体的早期成岩作用之后的挥发分的释放问题。除了沉积岩石埋藏时排出孔隙流体外,在其进变质作用中从矿物也可派生出挥发分。     

蒸发岩:海相还是非海相?

<正> L.A.Hardie(1984)已精辟地总结了古海相和非海相蒸发岩序列问题。但为了避免因总结而无意中造成某些误解,有必要再作些补充说明。他们论述了海相蒸发沉淀序列,并对某些矿物套中Br/Cl比值作了解释。这些数据引自Sonnenfeld(1984)。Usiglio(1949)曾做过实验:采集地中海的海水,并在实验室中蒸干。但当时他的著名     

接触燃烧产物将增加食管癌的危险性

已经肯定烟酒嗜好是食管癌的重要危险因素。据报道在硫化工人、沥青工人以及石油化学工业的工人中，食管癌的危险性增加与职业性接触石棉和各种金属有关。在一系列接触燃烧副产物的工人，如烟囱清扫工人、废物焚烧工人、可燃气工人以及接触柴油机排出废气的汽车修理工人的研究中，调查了死亡率和癌症发病率。在这些人群中食管癌的标准化死亡率范围是１５０—３８６，并且得出合并后的标准化死亡率为２８９（９５％可信限１７４—４５２）。有关吸烟嗜好和饮酒的间接影响所取得的资料表明这种增高不能单独归咎于这些因素。看来职业性接触燃烧产物与食管癌的危险性增加有关。