Determination of anti-anxiety and anti-epileptic drugs in hospital effluent and a preliminary risk assessment

In this study, an analytical methodology was developed for the determination of psycho-active drugs in the treated effluent of the University Hospital at the Federal University of Santa Maria, RS – Brazil. Samples were collected from point A (Emergency) and point B (General effluent). The adopted methodology included a pre-concentration procedure involving the use of solid phase extraction and determination by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The limit of detection for bromazepam and lorazepam was 4.9 ± 1.0 ng L⁻¹ and, for carbamazepine, clonazepam and diazepam was 6.1 ± 1.5 ng L⁻¹. The limit of quantification was 30.0 ± 1.1 ng L⁻¹, for bromazepam, clonazepam and lorazepam; for carbamazepine was 50.0 ± 1.8 ng L⁻¹ and was 40.0 ± 1.0 ng L⁻¹ for diazepam. The mean concentrations in the Emergency and General effluent treated currents were as follows: for bromazepam, 195 ± 6 ng L⁻¹ and 137 ± 7 ng L⁻¹; for carbamazepine, 590 ± 6 ng L⁻¹ and 461 ± 10 ng L⁻¹; for diazepam, 645 ± 1 ng L⁻¹ and 571 ± 10 ng L⁻¹; for lorazepam, 96 ± 7 ng L⁻¹ and 42 ± 4 ng L⁻¹; and for clonazepam, 134 ± 10 ng L⁻¹ and 57 ± 10 ng L⁻¹. A preliminary risk assessment was conducted: carbamazepine and diazepam require considerable attention owing to their environmental toxicity. The occurrence of these psychoactive-drugs and the environmental risks that they pose demonstrated the need for a more efficient treatment system. As far we are aware, there have been no comparable studies to this on the hazards of hospital effluents in Brazil, and very few that have carried out a risk assessment of psycho-active drugs in hospital effluent in general.     

Long Range Cloud Diffusion in the Lower Atmosphere

Previous attempts to measure heavy metals in air are discussed with particular reference to lead. A polarographic method was developed for lead in air samples taken on glass fiber sheet. Using this method, the distribution of lead across the glass fiber sheet was investigated, and within experimental error, found to be uniform. Air samples from 18 Ontario cities, previously analyzed for benzo [a]pyrene content were analyzed.     

Phosphorus fertilizer and grazing management effects on phosphorus in runoff from dairy pastures

Fertilizer phosphorus (P) and grazing-related factors can influence runoff P concentrations from grazed pastures. To investigate these effects, we monitored the concentrations of P in surface runoff from grazed dairy pasture plots (50 x 25 m) treated with four fertilizer P rates (0, 20, 40, and 80 kg ha(-1) yr(-1)) for 3.5 yr at Camden, New South Wales. Total P concentrations in runoff were high (0.86-11.13 mg L(-1)) even from the control plot (average 1.94 mg L(-1)). Phosphorus fertilizer significantly (P < 0.001) increased runoff P concentrations (average runoff P concentrations from the P(20), P(40), and P(80) treatments were 2.78, 3.32, and 5.57 mg L(-1), respectively). However, the magnitude of the effect of P fertilizer varied between runoff events (P < 0.01). Further analysis revealed the combined effects on runoff P concentration of P rate, P rate x number of applications (P < 0.001), P rate x time since fertilizer (P < 0.001), dung P (P < 0.001), time since grazing (P < 0.05), and pasture biomass (P < 0.001). A conceptual model of the sources of P in runoff comprising three components is proposed to explain the mobilization of P in runoff and to identify strategies to reduce runoff P concentrations. Our data suggest that the principal strategy for minimizing runoff P concentrations from grazed dairy pastures should be the maintenance of soil P at or near the agronomic optimum by the use of appropriate rates of P fertilizer.     

Empirical models based on the universal soil loss equation fail to predict sediment discharges from Chesapeake Bay catchments

The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and its derivatives are widely used for identifying watersheds with a high potential for degrading stream water quality. We compared sediment yields estimated from regional application of the USLE, the automated revised RUSLE2, and five sediment delivery ratio algorithms to measured annual average sediment delivery in 78 catchments of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We did the same comparisons for another 23 catchments monitored by the USGS. Predictions exceeded observed sediment yields by more than 100% and were highly correlated with USLE erosion predictions (Pearson r range, 0.73-0.92; p < 0.001). RUSLE2-erosion estimates were highly correlated with USLE estimates (r = 0.87; p < 001), so the method of implementing the USLE model did not change the results. In ranked comparisons between observed and predicted sediment yields, the models failed to identify catchments with higher yields (r range, -0.28-0.00; p > 0.14). In a multiple regression analysis, soil erodibility, log (stream flow), basin shape (topographic relief ratio), the square-root transformed proportion of forest, and occurrence in the Appalachian Plateau province explained 55% of the observed variance in measured suspended sediment loads, but the model performed poorly (r(2) = 0.06) at predicting loads in the 23 USGS watersheds not used in fitting the model. The use of USLE or multiple regression models to predict sediment yields is not advisable despite their present widespread application. Integrated watershed models based on the USLE may also be unsuitable for making management decisions.     

Characterization of iron- and manganese-cemented redoximorphic aggregates in wetland soils contaminated with mine wastes

In wetlands, translocation of Fe and Mn from reducing to oxidizing zones creates localized enrichments and depletions of oxide minerals. In zones of enrichment, oxides cement matrix particles together into aggregates. In this paper, we describe the various Fe- and Mn-cemented features present in the 1 to 2-mm size fraction of mine-waste contaminated wetland soils of the Coeur d'Alene (CDA) River Basin in northern Idaho. These aggregates are categorized based on color and morphology. Total Fe and Mn concentrations are also reported. Distribution of the aggregates in soil profiles along an elevation transect with varying water table heights was investigated. Six distinct categories of aggregates were characterized in the 1 to 2-mm size fraction. The two most predominant categories were aggregates cemented by only Fe oxides and aggregates cemented by a mixture of Fe and Mn oxides. Iron-depleted aggregates, Fe and Mn-cemented sand aggregates, and root channel linings were also identified. The remaining aggregates were categorized into a catch-all category that consisted of primarily charcoal particles. The highest Fe content was in the root channel linings, and the highest Mn content was in the Fe/Mn cemented particles. Iron-cemented aggregates were most common in surface horizons at all sites, and root channels were most common in the 30 to 45-cm core at the lowland point, reflecting the presence of deep rooting vegetation at this site. Spatial distributions of other aggregates at the site were not significant.     

Amelioration of physical strength in waste foundry green sands for reuse as a soil amendment

To avoid increasing costs of landfill disposal, it has become increasingly important for U.S. foundries to identify beneficial reuses for the 8 to 12 million tons of waste foundry sand (WFS) generated annually. A major drawback to the reuse of some WFSs as a soil amendment is their high soil strength, under dry conditions, where root growth may be limited. Fifteen WFSs were analyzed for strength to rupture using lab-formed clods, exchangeable cations (Na, Mg, Ca), metal oxide concentration (Fe, Mn, Al, Si), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and % clay. Several WFS samples from gray iron foundries demonstrated high strength to rupture values (> 1.5 MPa), and could potentially restrict root growth in amended soils. The percentage of Na-bentonite exhibited a positive correlation (R(2) = 0.84) with strength to rupture values. When WFSs containing more Na-bentonite were saturated with 1 mol L(-1) Ca ions, strength values decreased by approximately 70%. Waste foundry sands containing less Na-bentonite were saturated with 1 mol L(-1) Na ions and exhibited a threefold increase in strength. Additions of gypsum (up to 9.6 g kg(-1) sand) to high strength waste foundry sands also caused decreases in strength. These results indicate that high strength WFSs have properties similar to hardsetting soils which are caused by high Na(+) clay content and can be ameliorated by the addition of Ca(2+).     

Nitrogen leaching from Douglas-fir forests after urea fertilization

Leaching of nitrogen (N) after forest fertilization has the potential to pollute ground and surface water. The purpose of this study was to quantify N leaching through the primary rooting zone of N-limited Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] forests the year after fertilization (224 kg N ha(-1) as urea) and to calculate changes in the N pools of the overstory trees, understory vegetation, and soil. At six sites on production forests in the Hood Canal watershed, Washington, tension lysimeters and estimates of the soil water flux were used to quantify the mobilization and leaching of NO(3)-N, NH(4)-N, and dissolved organic nitrogen below the observed rooting depth. Soil and vegetation samples were collected before fertilization and 1 and 6 mo after fertilization. In the year after fertilization, the total leaching beyond the primary rooting zone in excess of control plots was 4.2 kg N ha(-1) (p = 0.03), which was equal to 2% of the total N applied. The peak NO(3)-N concentration that leached beyond the rooting zone of fertilized plots was 0.2 mg NO(3)-N L(-1). Six months after fertilization, 26% of the applied N was accounted for in the overstory, and 27% was accounted for in the O+A horizon of the soil. The results of this study indicate that forest fertilization can lead to small N leaching fluxes out of the primary rooting zone during the first year after urea application.     

Thirty-year trends in suspended sediment in seven Lake Erie tributaries

Sediment is an important pollutant for Lake Erie and its tributaries as a carrier of other substances and as a pollutant in its own right. Environmental managers have called for major reductions in sediment loadings in Lake Erie tributaries. In this study, 30-yr (1975-2005) datasets with daily resolution are analyzed to identify and interpret trends in sediment concentrations and loads in major US tributaries to Lake Erie. The Maumee and Sandusky Rivers in agricultural northwest Ohio show continual decreases throughout this period, but the River Raisin shows increases, especially in the last decade. The urban and forested Cuyahoga River shows little trend before 2000 but shows increases since then. The mostly forested Grand River shows strong decreases before 1995, little change thereafter until the early 2000s, and then increases. In most cases, the greatest decreases or smallest increases, depending on the river, are associated with summer and fall and with low flow conditions, whereas the smallest decreases or greatest increases are associated with the spring and with high flow conditions. Analysis of concentration-flow relationships indicates that these changes are not due to weather but reflect positive and negative anthropogenic influences. Sediment decreases in the northwestern Ohio tributaries seem to reflect the successful use of agricultural practices to reduce erosion and prevent sediment loss. Opportunities for further reductions in sediment loads and concentrations lie in better management of sediment losses during winter and spring.