Radioactive and chemical risks coexist in NORM industries although they are usually addressed separately by regulations. The European Union (EU) has developed extensive legislation concerning both matters, which has been diversely reflected in national policies. We consider the case of the Spanish phosphate industry and analyse to which extent regulatory mandates have reduced the historical and ongoing radiological impact on the environment of phosphate facilities. Although no specific radiological constraints on effluent monitoring and release or on waste disposal have yet been imposed on NORM industries in Spain, other environmental regulations have achieved a substantial reduction on the phosphate industry impact. Nevertheless, a more efficient control could be established by eliminating the current conceptual and practical separation of chemical and radioactive risks in NORM industries. We highlight research needs to accomplish so and propose shorter-term measures that require active cooperation among the regulatory bodies involved. 相似文献
In the frame of an epidemiological study carried out in the influence areas around the Spanish nuclear facilities (ISCIII-CSN, 2009. Epidemiological Study of The Possible Effect of Ionizing Radiations Deriving from The Operation of Spanish Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities on The Health of The Population Living in Their Vicinity. Final report December 2009. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. Madrid. Available from: http://www.csn.es/images/stories/actualidad_datos/especiales/epidemiologico/epidemiological_study.pdf), annual effective doses to public have been assessed by the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) for over 45 years using a retrospective realistic-dose methodology. These values are compared with data from natural radiation exposure. For the affected population, natural radiation effective doses are in average 2300 times higher than effective doses due to the operation of nuclear installations (nuclear power stations and fuel cycle facilities). When considering the impact on the whole Spanish population, effective doses attributable to nuclear facilities represent in average 3.5 × 10−5 mSv/y, in contrast to 1.6 mSv/y from natural radiation or 1.3 mSv/y from medical exposures. 相似文献
Globally, urban growth will add 1.5 billion people to cities by 2030, making the difficult task of urban water provisions
even more challenging. In this article, we develop a conceptual framework of urban water provision as composed of three axes:
water availability, water quality, and water delivery. For each axis, we calculate quantitative proxy measures for all cities
with more than 50,000 residents, and then briefly discuss the strategies cities are using in response if they are deficient
on one of the axes. We show that 523 million people are in cities where water availability may be an issue, 890 million people
are in cities where water quality may be an issue, and 1.3 billion people are in cities where water delivery may be an issue.
Tapping into groundwater is a widespread response, regardless of the management challenge, with many cities unsustainably
using this resource. The strategies used by cities deficient on the water delivery axis are different than for cities deficient
on the water quantity or water quality axis, as lack of financial resources pushes cities toward a different and potentially
less effective set of strategies. 相似文献
This study aimed to analyze antioxidant responses and oxidative damage induced by two inorganic forms of arsenic (As; AsIII and AsV) in an estuarine polychaete species, Laeonereis acuta (Nereididae). The capacity of arsenic biotransformation was also evaluated through the methylation process considering the
activity of a key enzyme involved in the metabolization process. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The reduction of estrogen levels, as a result of menopause, is associated with the development of metabolic diseases caused by alterations in... 相似文献
Two acrylic adsorbents with different morphological structures and bearing amidoethylenamine and thiol groups were obtained and used for platinum sorption from chloride solution by the batch method. Physico-chemical parameters that influence adsorption such as initial Pt(IV) concentration, stirring time, pH, and adsorbent amount were investigated. The thermodynamic parameters of Pt(IV) sorption on the synthesized adsorbent were also evaluated based on Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Thermodynamic parameters estimated from Langmuir constants indicated that the adsorption is spontaneous, exothermic and there is a disordered state at the molecular level. The models used to analyze the sorption rate led to the conclusion that the most important step in the sorption of Pt(IV) could be both particle diffusion and chemical reaction of [PtCl6]− with amine functional groups. Thus, both the ion exchange and complex formation mechanisms can occur via nitrogen atoms in the recovery of Pt(IV) on the studied adsorbent. 相似文献
To collect regional information on internal levels of pollutants in humans in Flanders, 1196 mother–child pairs were systematically recruited in 2002–2003 via 25 maternities across Flanders. Cd, Pb, PCB congeners 118, 170, 138, 153 and 180, p,p′-DDE — a key metabolite of DDT- and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were measured in cord blood or plasma. Cd was detected in 64% of the samples (geometric mean 0.21 µg/L cord blood). p,p′-DDE (110 ng/g plasma lipids) and Pb (14.7 µg/L blood), were measurable in nearly all samples. The individual PCB congeners could be detected in 40 to 81% of the newborns (138 + 153 + 180 = 64.4 ng/g plasma lipids). HCB (18.9 ng/g plasma lipids) and dioxin-like compounds measured by DR-CALUX® (23 pg CALUX-TEQ/g lipids) were above detection limit in more than 75% of the samples. Age and smoking habits of the mothers, did not influence the cord blood Pb and Cd levels. The organochlorines increased 4 to 9% per year of the mother's age (partial R2 = 0.05 to 0.22). Mothers had 2.6% less PCBs in cord blood (partial R2 = 0.02) for each unit increase in pre-pregnancy BMI. Season of delivery, breastfeeding previous children or consumption of local dairy products, were minor determinants. Up to 20% of the variability in organochlorine concentrations was explained by residence area. It was concluded that the place of birth in Flanders is an important determinant of the load of pollutants measured at the start of life. This underlines the validity of human biomonitoring on (relatively) small geographical scale. 相似文献
Regional Environmental Change - This paper presents empirical data on household perceptions of capability to adapt to climate hazards and associated capacity needs. Households play an important... 相似文献
Bacillus sp. CL18 was investigated to propose a bioprocess for protease production using feathers as organic substrate. In feather broth (FB), containing feathers as sole organic substrate (1–100 g l?1), maximal protease production was observed at 30 g l?1 (FB30) after 6 days of cultivation, whereas increased feather concentrations negatively affected protease production and feather degradation. Protease production peaks were always observed earlier during cultivations than maximal feather degradation. In FB30, 80% of initial feathers mass were degraded after 7 days. Addition of glucose, sucrose, starch, yeast extract (2 g l?1), CaCl2, or MgCl2 (10 mmol l?1) to FB30 decreased protease production and feather degradation. FB30 supplementation with NH4Cl (1 g l?1) resulted in less apparent negative effects on protease production, whereas peptone (2 g l?1) increased protease yields earlier during cultivations (3 days). Through a central composite design employed to investigate the effects of peptone and NH4Cl (0.5–4.5 g l?1) on protease production and feather degradation, FB30 supplementation with peptone and NH4Cl (0.5–1.1 g l?1) increased protease production within a shorter cultivation time (5 days) and hastened complete feather degradation (6 days). Feather bioconversion concurs with sustainable production of value-added products.