A review on advantages of implementing luminescence inhibition test (Vibrio fischeri) for acute toxicity prediction of chemicals

Evaluation of biological effects using a rapid, sensitive and cost effective method can indicate specific information on toxicity/ecotoxicity. Since assays based on animals, plants and algae are expensive, time consuming and require large sample volume, recent studies have emphasized the benefits of rapid, reproducible and cost effective bacterial assays for toxicity screening and assessment. This review focuses on a bacterial assay, i.e., Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition assay, which is often chosen as the first test in a test battery based on speed and cost consideration. The test protocol is simple and was originally applied for aqueous phase samples or extracts. The versatility of the assay has increased with subsequent modification, i.e., the kinetic assay for turbid and colored samples and the solid phase test for analyzing sediment toxicity. Researchers have reported the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence assay as the most sensitive across a wide range of chemicals compared to other bacterial assays such as nitrification inhibition, respirometry, ATP luminescence and enzyme inhibition. This assay shows good correlations with other standard acute toxicity assays and is reported to detect toxicity across a wide spectrum of toxicants.     

The new challenges of end-of-life tyres management systems: A Spanish case study

Directive 2008/98/EC released by the European Union represents a significant step forward in all relevant aspects of waste management. Under the already established, extended produced responsibility (EPR) principle, new policies have been enunciated to continuously achieve better overall environmental performance of key products throughout their life phases. This paper discusses how the directive is being articulated in Spain by the main integrated management system (IMS) for end-of-life (EOL) tyres since its creation in 2006. Focusing on the IMS technological, economic and legal aspects, the study provides a global perspective and evaluation of how the IMS is facing the current issues to resolve, the new challenges that have appeared and the management vision for the coming years.     

Metallic components of traffic-induced urban aerosol, their spatial variation, and source apportionment

This study proposes a practical method to estimate elemental composition and distribution in order to attribute source and quantify impacts of aerosol particles at an urban region in Kolkata, India. Twelve-hour total particulates were collected in winter (2005–2006) and analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique to determine multi-elemental composition, especially trace metals. The aerosols consist of various elements including K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, and Pb which exhibit significant concentration at various sites (p?<?0.05). The concentration of different metallic elements were found in the order of Zn ?> ?Pb ?> ?Ni ?> ?Cu ?> ?Cr ?>? Co. Statistical multivariate analysis and correlation matrix analyses were performed for factor identification and consequent source apportionment. Contour profiles demonstrate spatial variation of elemental compositions indicating possible source contribution along with meteorological influences. Spatial differences were clearly most significant for Zn, Ni, Pb, and Cu reflecting the importance of anthropogenic inputs, primarily from automobile sources.     

Midnight at the oasis: does restoration change the rigs-to-reefs debate in the North Sea?

ABSTRACT

In the North Sea, many oil and gas fields will reach the end of their productivity and their associated structures will be decommissioned. OSPAR decision 98/3 prescribes removal of all disused offshore structures as the only acceptable decommissioning option. This policy is the legacy of the 1995 Brent Spar incident, which resulted in the current dominant discourse of ‘Hands off the Oceans,’ ruling out the conversion of oil and gas rigs into artificial reefs (Rigs-to-Reefs (RtR)). The shift from a conservation to a restoration paradigm could open up the RtR debate. In this paper, a discourse analysis is carried out to discern whether and how ideas about RtR and ecosystem restoration are articulated to challenge the dominant ‘Hands off the Oceans’ discourse and thereby bring about change in North Sea decommissioning policy. A discourse analytic framework is applied to elucidate whether an ‘RtR as Restoration’ discourse can be distinguished and how competing claims are presented in the various storylines. Our analysis shows an ‘RtR as Restoration’ discourse, consisting of four different storylines. Given the fragmented nature of this discourse, the ‘RtR as Restoration’ discourse will not overcome the dominant ‘Hands off the Oceans’ discourse.     

Dissolved oxygen content as an index of water quality in San Vicente Bay,Chile (36 degrees 45'S)

The present report describes some effects of industrial and municipal effluents on the waters of San Vicente Bay. Analyses ofthe main substances contained in the fishing industry effluentsuggest rating criteria based on the oxygen saturation of thewater as an assessment of organic pollution. Six cruises were carried out throughout the Bay, from June to December 1996. Watersamples were analyzed for dissolved oxygen, oil and grease content, and sediment samples for organic matter content. Waterparameters (salinity, temperature) were used to characterize theBay's hydrography, and to calculate values for oxygen saturation. The measurements demonstrated a local broad range of oxygen deficit, with a maximum of 45% in the winter to 95% in the spring. In November more than 65% of the Bay's area showed oxygendeficits greater than 40%. Organic matter was unusually high insediments along the northern sector of the Bay. The results suggest that the oxygen depletion was a representative parameterfor establishing a relative scale of water quality in this Bay.     

Evaluation of a fluorometric method for measuring low concentrations of ammonia in ambient air

A fluorometric method developed for measuring low concentrations of ammonium in marine and freshwater ecosystems was adapted for the analysis of ammonia in ambient air. The modified method entails collection of samples on an acid-treated solid adsorbent followed by analysis using a fluorometer. Optimal results were obtained using a commercially available sorbent tube containing 100 mg of acid-treated silica gel for sample collection, and an analytical protocol consisting of sample desorption in DI water, addition of orthopthaldialdehyde (OPA) working reagent, and room temperature incubation. Method accuracy and precision were evaluated by comparing experimentally determined quantities of ammonia to expected levels for sample loadings ranging from 0.16 [micro sign]g to 550 [micro sign]g-accuracy was generally within +/-20%. The estimated LOQ for the method is 0.08 [micro sign]g ammonia per sample which represents a 25-375-fold improvement in sensitivity compared to current NIOSH and OSHA methods for the measurement of ammonia in ambient air. The new method should be useful for applications requiring measurement of low concentrations of ammonia using personal sampling equipment or in the characterization of short-term fluctuations of ammonia concentrations in air.     

Copper, Copper Mining Effluents and Grazing as Potential Determinants of Algal Abundance and Diversity in Northern Chile

We experimentally tested threealternative hypotheses to explain the low algaldiversity and abundance in an intertidal zonereceiving the effluents of the copper mine El Salvadorin northern Chile. Our results demonstrated thatalgae were able to grow at the levels of dissolvedcopper detected in coastal waters of the area. Duringthe assays, growth and regeneration in several red,green and brown adult algae and juvenile Lessonia nigrescens were normal at copper levels of150 g L^-1 or, in some cases, higher. Wealso found that the coastal sea water mixed with theeffluent was not lethal to algae, although in somecases minor effects on growth were detected. Theseresults indicate that today's low algal diversity andabundance can not be explained by the current copperlevels in the area nor by the effect of the effluent.Exclusion of grazers, however, resulted in a fastcolonization by various algal species. This, togetherwith atypically high grazer density at the areas underthe influence of the effluent, strongly suggests thatherbivory, a factor not directly related to the miningoperation, is likely to be responsible for the lowalgal diversity and abundance in the studied locality.     

Methods for the Sustainable Rebuilding of Overexploited Natural Resources

In this paper, we introduce an approach based on viability theory for designing rebuilding programs for overexploited natural resources. Instead of using the so-called viability kernel, as is usual in the applications of viability theory, we consider the set of sustainable thresholds, which represents the constraints (parametrized by thresholds) that can be sustained from the current level of the resources under study over time. The recovery of the Southern hake in Chile is presented as an example to illustrate the proposed approach.     

Accumulation of heavy metals in native Andean plants: potential tools for soil phytoremediation in Ancash (Peru)

Metal contamination is a recurring problem in Peru, caused mainly by mine tailings from a past active mining activity. The Ancash region has the largest number of environmental liabilities, which mobilizes high levels of metals and acid drainages into soils and freshwater sources, posing a standing risk on human and environmental health. Native plant species spontaneously growing on naturally acidified soils and acid mine tailings show a unique tolerance to high metal concentrations and are thus potential candidates for soil phytoremediation. However, little is known about their propagation capacity and metal accumulation under controlled conditions. In this study, we aimed at characterizing nine native plant species, previously identified as potential hyperaccumulators, from areas impacted by mine tailings in the Ancash region. Plants were grown on mine soils under greenhouse conditions during 5 months, after which the concentration of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn was analyzed in roots, shoots, and soils. The bioaccumulation (BAF) and translocation factor (TF) were calculated to determine the amount of each metal accumulated in the roots and shoots and to identify which species could be better suited for phytoremediation purposes. Soil samples contained high Cd (6.50–49.80 mg/kg), Cu (159.50–1187.00 mg/kg), Ni (3.50–8.70 mg/kg), Pb (1707.00–4243.00 mg/kg), and Zn (909.00–7100.00 mg/kg) concentrations exceeding national environmental quality standards. After exposure to mine tailings, concentrations of metals in shoots were highest in Werneria nubigena (Cd, 16.68 mg/kg; Cu, 41.36 mg/kg; Ni, 26.85 mg/kg; Zn, 1691.03 mg/kg), Pennisetum clandestinum (Pb, 236.86 mg/kg), and Medicago lupulina (Zn, 1078.10 mg/kg). Metal concentrations in the roots were highest in Juncus bufonius (Cd, 34.34 mg/kg; Cu, 251.07 mg/kg; Ni, 6.60 mg/kg; Pb, 718.44 mg/kg) and M. lupulina (Zn, 2415.73 mg/kg). The greatest BAF was calculated for W. nubigena (Cd, 1.92; Cu, 1.20; Ni, 6.50; Zn, 3.50) and J. bufonius (Ni, 3.02; Zn, 1.30); BCF for Calamagrostis recta (Cd, 1.09; Cu, 1.80; Ni, 1.09), J. bufonius (Cd, 3.91; Cu, 1.79; Ni, 18.36), and Achyrocline alata (Ni, 137; Zn, 1.85); and TF for W. nubigena (Cd, 2.36; Cu, 1.70; Ni, 2.42; Pb, 1.17; Zn, 1.43), A. alata (Cd, 1.14; Pb, 1.94), J. bufonius (Ni, 2.72; Zn, 1.63), and P. clandestinum (Zn, 1.14). Our results suggest that these plant species have a great potential for soil phytoremediation, given their capability to accumulate and transfer metals and their tolerance to highly metal-polluted environments in the Andean region.     

Decision support model to select crop pattern for sustainable agricultural practices using fuzzy MCDM

The crop pattern has a significant impact on the feasibility of sustainable agricultural practices. Selected crop pattern influences environmental and economic condition and affects sustainability profoundly in agricultural practices. Hence, a careful intervention is required in the selection of an optimal crop pattern for sustainable agricultural practices. Selection of a particular set of crop pattern depends on many criteria that may vary from place to place thus pose challenges in deciding an optimum crop pattern. The present research focuses on the crop selection pattern in Indian environment that considers comprehensive criteria related to sustainable farming practices. Based on the in-depth review of the literature and experts opinion, comprehensive criteria related to sustainable farming practices for Ravi season crop are identified. Total twelve criteria covering socioeconomic conditions, soil and water conditions, environmental and climatic conditions are earmarked and taken into account for eight most commonly grown crops in Ravi season and later on modeled to determine the crop pattern for most needed sustainability. A fuzzy-based multi-criteria decision-making model has been developed considering the Indian farming system. The scarce resources availability to Indian farmers poses many challenges to practice farming with most needed sustainability. The present research will be useful in the area of Indian farming practices in particular and global farming practices in general. It will also help stakeholders in their cost effective decision making for better crop productivity leading to sustainable farming practices. Additionally, the state policy makers will be able to formulate effective state driven sustainable farming policy to enhance its stake in gross domestic product to become self-reliance.