Determination of brevetoxin in recent marine sediments

Harmful algal blooms (HAB) of Karenia brevis (K. brevis) produce a suite of lipid soluble polyether brevetoxins, known to cause environmental, health and economic ill effects. There is evidence that K. brevis has increased in abundance over the past 50 years, but the dataset is incomplete. The objective of this paper was to analyze sediment from an area where K. brevis blooms have occurred and investigate if these compounds are incorporated into the underlying sediment, thus potentially allowing the use of brevetoxins as an indicator of past K. Brevis blooms. The results from LC-ESI-MS-MS analyses of brevetoxin analogs detected in surficial sediments from three sites (Fort Meyers Beach [FMB], Big Hickory Pass [BHP] and Big Carlos Pass [BCP]) along the Southwest Florida coastline with prior HAB history are promising. The analogs detected from BHP sediments were PbTx-2 and PbTx-3 with values of 0.81 and 3.1 ng g(-1) dry sediment, respectively. The detected PbTx-2 from BCP was 3.6 ng g(-1) dry sediment, while the detected PbTx-3 from BCP was 9.7 ng g(-1) dry sediment. PbTx-3 was only detected at the FMB site (2.7 ng g(-1) dry sediment). The detection of brevetoxins in recent sediments where K. brevis have occurred indicates brevetoxin incorporation into marine sediments.     

Assessment of the Health Impacts of Particulates from the Redevelopment of Kings Cross

The Kings Cross/St. Pancras area has been a rail transport hub from Central London to the Midlands and North Eastern England since the middle of the nineteenth century and dust from the Kings Cross railway lands was even described by Charles Dickens.¹ The Channel Tunnel high speed Rail Link (CTRL) is being constructed between 2001 and 2007 to connect continental Europe to Central London. The CTRL and associated development will help regenerate an area that is surrounded by deprived high density housing estates. London Borough of Camden has set up an extensive particulate monitoring programme to determine if there are any health impacts on local residents from emissions from the demolition and construction work. This article assesses the results from particulate measurements in 2003–2004 and compares this to baseline conditions before the redevelopment work began. The evidence suggests that although 2003 had higher than average pollution levels in the UK as a whole, even higher levels of particulates in the size range PM₁₀–PM_2.5 (defined as PM_coarse) were measured in Kings Cross. Due to the size of these particulates, they tend to be released from construction works rather than transport or secondary particulate sources. Concentrations in 2004 were lower than 2003, but this was primarily due to meteorological conditions. The paper also looks at the health of the local population and discusses whether these elevated levels are creating a problem and legally constitute a statutory nuisance. The Council continues to work with the contractors to try and ensure best practical means to minimise dust emissions and their effect on local residents. ¹Our Mutual Friend     

Intra-colonial variability in light acclimation of zooxanthellae in coral tissues of Pocillopora damicornis

We investigated heterogeneity of light acclimation of photosynthesis in sun- and shade-adapted coenosarc and polyp tissues of Pocillopora damicornis. The zooxanthellar community within P. damicornis colonies at Heron Island is genetically uniform, yet they showed a large degree of plasticity in their photo-physiological acclimation linked to light microclimates characterised by fibre-optic microprobes. Microscale scalar irradiance measurements showed higher absorption in polyp than coenosarc tissues and higher absorption in the more densely pigmented shade-adapted polyps than in sun-adapted polyps. The combination of an O₂ microelectrode with a fibre-optic microprobe (combined sensor diameter 50–100 μm) enabled parallel measurements of O₂ concentration, gross photosynthesis rate and photosystem II (PSII) quantum yield at the coral surface under steady-state conditions as a function of increasing irradiances. Lower O₂ levels at the tissue surface and higher compensation irradiance indicated a higher respiration activity in sun-adapted polyp tissue as compared to shade-adapted polyps. Shade-adapted coenosarc and polyp tissues exhibited lower maxima of relative electron transport rates (rETR_max) (84±15 and 41±10, respectively) than sun-adapted coenosarc and polyp tissues (136±14 and 77±13, respectively). Shade-adapted tissues showed stronger decrease of rETR at high scalar irradiances as compared to sun-adapted tissues. The relationship between the relative PSII electron transport and the rate of gross photosynthesis, as well as O₂ concentration, was non-linear in sun-adapted tissues over the entire irradiance range, whereas for shade-adapted tissues the relationship became non-linear at medium to high scalar irradiances >200 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹. This suggests that rETR measurements should be used with caution in corals as a proxy for photosynthesis rates. The apparently high rates of photosynthesis (oxygen evolution rates) suggest that there must be a considerable electron transport rate through the photosystems that is not observed by the rETR measurements. This may be accounted for by vertical heterogeneity of zooxanthellae in the tissue and the operation of an alternative electron pathway such as cyclic electron flow around PSII.     

A flexible matrix algebra framework for the multimedia multipathway modeling of emission to impacts

When assessing human health or ecosystem impacts of chemicals several calculation steps need to be addressed. Matrix algebra solving techniques are a useful approach to structure and solve the system of mass balance equations assessing chemical fate in environmental multimedia models. We suggest expanding this matrix approach towards a framework which includes the exposure, effect, and damage assessment for human health and ecosystems, also applicable to spatial modeling. Special emphasis is laid upon interpretation of the physical meaning of different elements within the matrices. The proposed framework provides several advantages such as simplified updating or extending of models to new impact pathways, possibility of covering various models within the same framework and transparency. Interpretation of intermediate and final results is facilitated, e.g., allowing for direct identification of dominating exposure pathways. Model comparability and evaluation is well supported, as the four matrices contain all intermediate results in a clear and interpretable way, independent from parameters, such as amount and place of emission. Multidisciplinary work is strongly facilitated enabling the linkage of different models from various disciplines together, since each of its modules defines a clear interface of intermediate results. This framework was reviewed by an independent expert panel within a UNEP/SETAC workshop, and adopted as starting-point for new advances in modeling environmental toxic releases within the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative.     

Before‐after control‐impact paired modeling of groundwater bentazon treatment at a phytoremediation site

A Before‐ After Control‐ Impact Paired (BACIP) model was used to evaluate the effectiveness of phytoremediation treatment on reduction of bentazon concentrations in shallow groundwater at a study site in Louisiana. Two different statistical approaches were made to evaluate the impact to this test site from the remediation program through time. Data were evaluated by Bayesian analysis of variance test methods. Data sets were unique in that the control data used for impact evaluation, as compared to before and after data, were compiled from groundwater upgradient monitoring wells existing prior to remediation. The statistical model supports the hypothesis that the phytoremediation program has positively impacted groundwater at the study site. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.