Comparative assessments of VOC emission rates and associated health risks from wastewater treatment processes

With the growing concern regarding emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the relationship between the VOC emission rates and the associated public health risks has been rarely discussed. The objective of this study was to examine and compare the VOC emission rates and cancer and non-cancer risks by inhalation intake, using a municipal WWTP in China as an example, with respect to the effects of treatment technologies, VOC species, and seasonal variation. Given the treatment technology considered, the emission rates of VOCs in this study were estimated by means of mass balance or calculated on the molecular level. From the viewpoints of both emission rates and cancer and non-cancer risks, sedimentation was the treatment technology with the highest health risks to the workers. Slightly lower VOC emission rates and health risks than those for sedimentation were observed in anaerobic treatment. Although the aeration significantly enhanced the VOC emission rates in the aerobic treatment process, the associated health risks were limited due to the low VOC concentrations in the gas phase, which were likely attributed to the strong mixing and dilution with fresh air by aeration. Amongst the VOCs investigated, benzene was the VOC with both a relatively high emission rate and health risk, while trichloroethylene possessed a high emission rate but the lowest health risk. Without strong interfacial aeration and turbulence between the water and atmosphere, the effects of treatment technology and seasonal variation on the health risks might be connected to the VOC emission rates, while the effect of VOC species depended considerably on the respective cancer slope factors and reference concentrations; the employment of aeration provided a different conclusion in which the emission rates were enhanced without a significant increase in the related cancer risks. These findings can provide insight into future health risk management and reduction strategies for workers in WWTPs.     

A novel approach to rapid detection of acute water toxicity and its policy implications for grassroots sustainable environmental monitoring

Unknown chemicals, emerging contaminants, and the resulting reactions among them make early detection and warning of acute water toxicity extremely challenging. The conventional approach using small fish for toxicity monitoring normally requires a designated species of fish and over a week's time to complete, including dilution of the wastewater, a pre-test, and a full test. It often increases chances for error and delays emergency management. This paper reports a novel approach, based on grassroots knowledge and field and lab experience in Jilin, China. This approach uses a combination of different species of aquarium fish to achieve fast and reliable monitoring. It tests the original source water directly without going through the dilution procedure, while paying attention to the time factor. The approach does not require a pre-test and may shorten the time needed for detecting acute toxicity to a few minutes, using a new classification of aquatic toxicity levels. It is inexpensive to use and may be easily adopted by grassroots organizations. The approach is "greener" and more financially and socially sustainable than traditional approaches. The wide use of the approach has the potential to encourage policy innovations for making toxicity monitoring grassroots based and more effective in reducing acute contamination emergencies.     

南宁城市内河沉积物中SVOCs的分布与风险评价

采用加速溶剂萃取-气相色谱-质谱联用技术对南宁市7条城市内河表层沉积物中的64种半挥发性有机物(SVOCs)进行了分析测定,定量检出12种SVOCs,包括7种多环芳烃类(PAHs)、1种酚类和4种酯类,其中属于我国优先控制污染物的有8种,属于美国优先控制污染物的有11种。南宁市城市内河沉积物中的SVOCs总量范围为6.75~34.45 μg/g(以干质量计),均值为15.85 μg/g(以干质量计),以竹排冲的含量最高,污染程度与工业污染源的关系十分密切。特征污染物为酞酸酯,在各测点的比重均占检出总含量的83%以上。除相思湖外的6条城市内河的沉积物均检出PAHs,区域内的工业生产活动对城市内河沉积物的PAHs有重要贡献。应用效应区间低值(ERL)和效应区间中值(ERM)指标对沉积物进行的生态风险评价表明,南宁市城市内河沉积物的生态风险较小。     

成都府南河叶绿素a和氮、磷的分布特征与富营养化研究

通过对成都市府南河上中下游共21个断面叶绿素a和总溶解态氮(TDN)、总溶解态磷(TDP)含量的测定,绘制时空分布图,并应用SPSS 13.0统计软件分析了3个指标之间的相关性,初步评价了府南河的富营养化状况。结果表明,府南河叶绿素a含量不高,磷污染较为严重;相关性分析显示叶绿素a和TDP含量呈显著正相关关系,氮是河水富营养化的主要限制因子;按照叶绿素a的含量判定府南河基本属于贫营养化型,但按照氮、磷含量评价已达到富营养化水平。这对评价城市河流的富营养化状态及生态环境整治和恢复有着积极意义。     

Baseline values for metals in soils on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica: the extent of anthropogenic pollution

Metal contents (Al, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Ti, and Zn) have been measured in 30 surface soils on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica, yielding values (in milligrams kilogram(-1)) of 41.57-80.65 (Zn), 2.76-60.52 (Pb), 0.04-0.34 (Cd), 7.18-25.03 (Ni), 43,255-70,534 (Fe), 449-1,401 (Mn), 17.10-64.90 (Cr), 1,440-25,684 (Mg), 10,941-49,354 (Ca), 51.10-176.50 (Cu), 4,388-12,707 (Ti), 28,038-83,849 (Al), and for Hg (in nanograms gram(-1)) 0.01-0.06. Relative cumulative frequency analysis was used to determine the baseline values for the 13 metals. Compared with adjacent areas in Antarctica, Mg and Ni are significantly lower, but Cu is significantly higher than that of McMurdo Station. Enrichment factor analysis and the geo-accumulation index method were applied in order to determine the extent of anthropogenic contamination, and both show that Pb, Cd, and Hg have been significantly increased by human activities. Principal component analysis was used to identify the sources of metals in these soil samples.     

Real-time discharge measurement in tidal streams by an index velocity

Discharge measurement in a tidal stream is always a difficult task. Owing to the complex flow conditions, discharge measurement in tidal streams has to be finished quickly, and must be highly efficient in order to yield an accurate measurement of real-time discharge. Measuring the discharge of tidal streams is done in three steps: (1) establishing the stage and cross-sectional area relation, (2) estimating the index velocity by using a velocity distribution equation based on the probability concept, (3) establishing the relationship between the index and mean velocities. Then the cross-sectional area and mean velocity can be estimated by the gage height and index velocity, respectively. The discharge of tidal streams is computed as the product of the cross-sectional area and mean velocity. The velocity distribution of the Taipei Bridge and Guan-du Bridge in the Tanshui River were established and analyzed to demonstrate the use of discharge measurement by index velocity for estimating the discharge of this tidal stream. The results reveal no large difference between the discharges measured by the conventional methods and the index velocity. This pilot study proposed a cost-effectiveness and efficient method. It is an easy, quick, and accurate model for measuring the real-time discharge of a tidal stream. It makes automatic, real-time, and continuous monitoring of the discharge in a tidal stream become possible.     

中美环境监测体制之比较

对中美环境监测体制进行对比性评述,指出了中国环境监测行业存在的分析标准滞后、体制不完善、人员匮乏等问题,提出借鉴美国经验,完善法律体系,引入市场机制,逐步培育竞争有序、监管到位的环境监测行业的建议。     

Heavy metal contamination in a vulnerable mangrove swamp in South China

Concentrations of six heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cr, and Pb) in sediments and fine roots, thick roots, branches, and leaves of six mangrove plant species collected from the Futian mangrove forest, South China were measured. The results show that both the sediments and plants in Futian mangrove ecosystem are moderately contaminated by heavy metals, with the main contaminants being Zn and Cu. All investigated metals showed very similar distribution patterns in the sediments, implying that they had the same anthropogenic source(s). High accumulations of the heavy metals were observed in the root tissues, especially the fine roots, and much lower concentrations in the other organs. This indicates that the roots strongly immobilize the heavy metals and (hence) that mangrove plants possess mechanisms that limit the upward transport of heavy metals and exclude them from sensitive tissues. The growth performance of propagules and 6-month-old seedlings of Bruguiera gymnorhiza in the presence of contaminating Cu and Cd was also examined. The results show that this plant is not sufficiently sensitive to heavy metals after its propagule stage for its regeneration and growth to be significantly affected by heavy metal contamination in the Futian mangrove ecosystem. However, older mangrove seedlings appeared to be more metal-tolerant than the younger seedlings due to their more efficient exclusion mechanism. Thus, the effects of metal contamination on young seedlings should be assessed when evaluating the risks posed by heavy metals in an ecosystem.     

Accuracy and uncertainty assessment on geostatistical simulation of soil salinity in a coastal farmland using auxiliary variable

Understanding the spatial soil salinity aids farmers and researchers in identifying areas in the field where special management practices are required. Apparent electrical conductivity measured by electromagnetic induction instrument in a fairly quick manner has been widely used to estimate spatial soil salinity. However, methods used for this purpose are mostly a series of interpolation algorithms. In this study, sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS) and sequential Gaussian co-simulation (SGCS) algorithms were applied for assessing the prediction accuracy and uncertainty of soil salinity with apparent electrical conductivity as auxiliary variable. Results showed that the spatial patterns of soil salinity generated by SGS and SGCS algorithms showed consistency with the measured values. The profile distribution of soil salinity was characterized by increasing with depth with medium salinization (EC_e 4–8 dS/m) as the predominant salinization class. SGCS algorithm privileged SGS algorithm with smaller root mean square error according to the generated realizations. In addition, SGCS algorithm had larger proportions of true values falling within probability intervals and narrower range of probability intervals than SGS algorithm. We concluded that SGCS algorithm had better performance in modeling local uncertainty and propagating spatial uncertainty. The inclusion of auxiliary variable contributed to prediction capability and uncertainty modeling when using densely auxiliary variable as the covariate to predict the sparse target variable.     

基于熵权综合健康指数法的瀛湖水生态系统健康评估

瀛湖是南水北调丹江口水库重要的水源涵养区,承担着丹江口水库60%的供水量,又是沿线乡镇和安康市城区饮用水水源地。在充分调查的基础上,采用综合健康指数法对1986—2012年之间瀛湖的水生态系统健康状况进行了评估,结果表明,1986—2005年,瀛湖水生态系统健康指数呈逐渐下降趋势,健康状态由健康降至一般病态;2005—2012年之间,瀛湖水生态系统健康指数总体呈上升趋势,健康状态除2010年为一般病态外,其余均为亚健康状态。