A climate-change vulnerability and adaptation assessment for Brazil's protected areas

Brazil hosts the largest expanse of tropical ecosystems within protected areas (PAs), which shelter biodiversity and support traditional human populations. We assessed the vulnerability to climate change of 993 terrestrial and coastal-marine Brazilian PAs by combining indicators of climatic-change hazard with indicators of PA resilience (size, native vegetation cover, and probability of climate-driven vegetation transition). This combination of indicators allows the identification of broad climate-change adaptation pathways. Seventeen PAs (20,611 km²) were highly vulnerable and located mainly in the Atlantic Forest (7 PAs), Cerrado (6), and the Amazon (4). Two hundred fifty-eight PAs (756,569 km²), located primarily in Amazonia, had a medium vulnerability. In the Amazon and western Cerrado, the projected severe climatic change and probability of climate-driven vegetation transition drove vulnerability up, despite the generally good conservation status of PAs. Over 80% of PAs of high or moderate vulnerability are managed by indigenous populations. Hence, besides the potential risks to biodiversity, the traditional knowledge and livelihoods of the people inhabiting these PAs may be threatened. In at least 870 PAs, primarily in the Atlantic Forest and Amazon, adaptation could happen with little or no intervention due to low climate-change hazard, high resilience status, or both. At least 20 PAs in the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazonia should be targeted for stronger interventions (e.g., improvement of ecological connectivity), given their low resilience status. Despite being a first attempt to link vulnerability and adaptation in Brazilian PAs, we suggest that some of the PAs identified as highly or moderately vulnerable should be prioritized for testing potential adaptation strategies in the near future.     

Chemical states of arsenic contained in sewage sludge incineration ash and insolubilized material

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The chemical states of arsenic contained in 4 kinds of sewage sludge incineration ash and insolubilized materials are analyzed using a leaching...     

Mixing hazard evaluation of organic peroxides with other chemicals

Organic peroxides (POs) have been widely used in chemical industries as initiators of polymerization, hardening or bridge formation agents, and they are known for its self-reactive and also mixing hazard characteristics when mixed with other chemicals such as acids and alkalis. It is the purpose of this investigation to propose a simple but useful evaluation flow of mixing hazards of POs with other chemicals using conventional experimental techniques such as a glass test tube test, Dewar vessel test and DSC is proposed. 7 kinds of POs (DEPD, THP, TBEH, TBTC, MEKPO, DTBP, THHP) were mixed with sulfuric acids with various concentration, sodium hydroxide solutions, -iron(III) oxide and acrylonitrile (AN).

Based on the proposed evaluation flow the testing results were classified into 4 ranks due to the hazard criteria. Futhermore DEPD/acrylonitrile mixtures were investigated in more detail and the influences of the mixing ratio and the stirring speed were discussed.     

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans in paddy soils and river sediments in Akita, Japan

Paddy soils and sediments from the Yoneshirogawa, Omonogawa, and Koyoshigawa River Basins in Akita were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs). The levels and compositions in those samples including soils from non-agricultural areas (non-agricultural soils) were investigated using isomer-specific analysis to determine characteristic sources. The PCDD/PCDF compositions in the samples were compared with respect to possible sources. The PCDD/PCDF concentrations in paddy soils were much higher than those in the non-agricultural soils and much higher than those found in other parts of Japan. Although PCDD/PCDFs were ubiquitous in sediments from river sources to mouths of the respective river basins, those concentrations were much lower than those from paddy soils and non-agricultural soils, and from other parts of Japan. Comparison of PCDD/PCDF homologues and isomer compositions for samples indicated that compositions of paddy soils and sediments, except for those from river sources, had similar characteristics to PCDD/PCDFs originating from impurities in herbicides, 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl 4-nitrophenyl ether (CNP) and pentachlorophenol (PCP), and that compositions of river-source sediments and non-agricultural soils resembled those of atmospheric depositions. Results of statistical analyses suggest that PCDD/PCDF contamination of paddy soils and sediments is attributable mainly to three sources: CNP, PCP, and atmospheric deposition. Results of this study also demonstrate that CNP and PCP are not only important contaminants of local areas of Japan, but that they exist throughout Akita, in northern Japan. We therefore conclude that PCDD/PCDF pollution caused by those compounds has a widespread influence on paddy soils and river sediments in Japan.     

Dietary patterns and blood levels of PCDDs, PCDFs, and dioxin-like PCBs in 1656 Japanese individuals

The association between dietary patterns and blood dioxin levels has not been fully investigated. The present study population consisted of 755 men and 901 women (aged 15-73 years) living in 90 different areas of 30 prefectures of Japan. Dietary habits were assessed by inquiring about the consumption frequency of 28 foods, food groups and beverages. In addition, the blood levels of 29 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzo-furans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (DL-PCBs) congeners were determined by high-resolution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The median total toxicity equivalent (TEQ) in the blood, which was calculated on the basis of the toxicity equivalency factors of WHO (2005), was 16 pg TEQ g⁻¹ lipid. Principal component analysis identified five dietary patterns: Healthy diet (high intake of vegetables and fruits); Meat/High fat intake (high intake of meat, meat products, and eggs); Seafood and Alcohol (high intake of fish, shellfish, and alcoholic beverages); Miscellaneous; and Milk products and Alcohol intake (high intake of milk, Milk products, and alcoholic beverages). After adjusting for sex, age, body mass index, and smoking habits, the Seafood and Alcohol pattern scores were significantly related to higher blood levels of total TEQ and PCDDs/PCDFs/DL-PCBs, and the Milk products and Alcohol pattern scores were correlated with higher blood levels of DL-PCBs. More detailed analysis showed that the intake frequencies for alcoholic beverages and seafood were independently and positively associated with total TEQ and the TEQ of PCDFs and DL-PCBs. The association between alcoholic beverage intake and PCDDs was also significant. Analysis of dietary patterns may be useful for identifying the dietary characteristics of individuals with a high dioxin body burden.     

Characterization of polychlorinated biphenyls and brominated flame retardants in surface soils from Surabaya, Indonesia

In this study, soil contamination by PCBs, PBDEs, HBCDs and two novel BFRs such as 1,2-bis-(2,4,6-tribromopenoxy) ethane (BTBPE) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) in various locations such as industrial, urban, rural, dumping site and agricultural areas of Surabaya, Indonesia has been characterized in order to evaluate their contamination status, profiles, potential sources, fate and behavior. Range and median concentrations of PCBs, PBDEs, HBCDs, BTBPE and DBDPE were ND - 9.6 (1.2), 0.069 - 24 (7.4), ND - 1.8 (0.48), ND - 1.7 (0.14) and ND - 7.6 (2.2) ng g⁻¹ dw, respectively. Industrial, urban and dumping areas were inventoried as the main sources of these pollutants. Decreasing gradient levels were observed for these contaminants from industrial district, urban, dumping site, rural and agricultural areas, in that order. Furthermore, organic carbon contents and proximity to the point sources were found as the major controlling factors. Contaminant profiles were characterized by the predominance of hexa-, hepta- and penta-homologues for PCBs; deca-, nona- and octa- for PBDEs and α-isomer for HBCDs. Product mixtures such as Ar1260/KC600 and Ar1254/KC500 for PCBs, deca- and octa-BDEs for PBDEs were the possible common formulations used in study area. To our knowledge, this is a first comprehensive study on characterization of soil contamination by PCBs, PBDEs and HBCDs together with two novel BFRs in a highly industrialized city located in tropical region. This study provides baseline information for establishing national monitoring programs in Indonesia.     

Comparison of two types of municipal solid waste incinerator fly ashes with different alkaline reagents in washing experiments

In this study, we propose a "washing-calcination-conversion of washed fly ash into cement material with bottom ash" (WCCB) system to reduce the amount of fly ash that must be specially treated so it can be used as raw cement material. Calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) is widely used in air-pollution control devices of incinerators while sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is not. We conducted single-, double-, and triple-washing experiments to compare the washing characteristics of two types of fly ash. Unlike NaHCO3 fly ash, Ca(OH)2 fly ash has almost twice as much washed residue and almost 2.5 times more chlorine after the same washing procedure. After washing once, the washing frequency is also important for NaHCO3 fly ash, while the mixing time and liquid/solid ratio are more critical for Ca(OH)2 fly ash. The use of NaHCO3 is more suitable for the WCCB system.     

Characterization of trace constituents in landfill gas and a comparison of sites in Asia

Because landfill gas (LFG) contains an abundance of methane, the utilization of LFG as a renewable energy source is becoming popular in many countries. LFG, however, contains various trace constituents, some of which may pose problems during utilization. For example, siloxanes and halogenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can cause difficulties when present in the fuel of gas engines. In addition, many VOCs and mercury have harmful effects on human health, especially on the health of workers at landfill sites and people living near the landfills. Energy recovery from LFG is expected to make great progress in the near future, particularly in Asia, but we found little information on the trace constituents of LFG in this region. Therefore, we sought to characterize the trace components in LFG generated in two landfill sites in China and one site in Japan, to determine the typical concentrations of these trace components in LFG, and to compare their concentrations among landfill sites in Asia. We concluded that the trace components in LFG at the sites studied were mainly siloxanes generated from sewage sludge and harmful benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene compounds from petroleum products.     

Separation, synthesis and estrogenic activity of 4-nonylphenols: two sets of new diastereomeric isomers in a commercial mixture

Two sets of new diastereomeric 4-nonylphenol (NP) isomers [4-(3,4-dimethylheptan-4-yl)phenol (344NP, NP-J, L) and 4-(3,4-dimethylheptan-3-yl)phenol (343NP, NP-K, P)] were separated from a commercial NP mixture. The mixture of these diastereomers was synthesized at the same time by a single Friedel-Crafts reaction of 3,4-dimethyl-4-heptanol and phenol, and the mixture was separated into individual NPs by HPLC equipped with Hypercarb column. For the first time, in this study the stereostructure-estrogenic activity relationship of NP diastereomers was investigated. The NP isomers (NP-L and NP-P) having the beta-methyl group over the benzene ring were found to be 2-4 times more estrogenic than their diastereomers (NP-J and NP-K). In the case of the other set of diastereomer [4-(3,5-dimethylheptan-3-yl)phenol, (353NP, NP-E, G)] containing gamma-methyl group in the molecule, the gamma-methyl proton signal (delta 0.49) in the more estrogenic isomer (NP-G) also appeared in a higher field than the corresponding methyl signal (delta 0.76) of the less estrogenic isomer (NP-E).     

Non-intrusive characterization methods for wastewater-affected groundwater plumes discharging to an alpine lake

Streams and lakes in rocky environments are especially susceptible to nutrient loading from wastewater-affected groundwater plumes. However, the use of invasive techniques such as drilling wells, installing piezometers or seepage meters, to detect and characterize these plumes can be prohibitive. In this work, we report on the use of four non-intrusive methods for this purpose at a site in the Rocky Mountains. The methods included non-invasive geophysical surveys of subsurface electrical conductivity (EC), in-situ EC measurement of discharging groundwater at the lake-sediment interface, shoreline water sampling and nutrient analysis, and shoreline periphyton sampling and analysis of biomass and taxa relative abundance. The geophysical surveys were able to detect and delineate two high-EC plumes, with capacitively coupled ERI (OhmMapper) providing detailed two-dimensional images. In situ measurements at the suspected discharge locations confirmed the presence of high-EC water in the two plumes and corroborated their spatial extent. The nutrient and periphyton results showed that only one of the two high-EC plumes posed a current eutrophication threat, with elevated nitrogen and phosphorus levels, high localized periphyton biomass and major shifts in taxonomic composition to taxa that are commonly associated with anthropogenic nutrient loading. This study highlights the need to use non-intrusive methods in combination, with geophysical and water EC-based methods used for initial detection of wastewater-affected groundwater plumes, and nutrient or periphyton sampling used to characterize their ecological effects.