Pollution indices and sources appointment of heavy metal pollution of agricultural soils near the thermal power plant

Alluvial soils of valleys of the Danube and Mlave rivers represent priority development areas with favorable conditions for life, agriculture and tourism in eastern Serbia. Operation of the thermal power plant Kostolac results in the emission of potentially toxic pollutants into the air, water and land. The goals were to determine the soil pollution with inorganic pollutants using different pollution indices, to identify of the sources of pollutants by means of principal component analysis and the loading of each factor for individual element assessed by multi-linear regression analyses. Chemical characteristics of the studied area resulted in division of the area into four impact zones upon the distance from main pollutants (power plant blocks and ash disposal dumps). There was no established soil pollution with potentially toxic elements in bulk of the agricultural territory. Two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explained about 73% of variance. Three studied elements (As, Cu and Pb) showed anthropogenic origin of their most concentrations in soil, while other elements (Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and Zn) were of a natural (geological) origin. Single pollution index showed moderate pollution level by Ni. Integrated Nemerow pollution index showed low to no pollution levels, indicating slight ecological risk. There were no established limitations for agricultural production in the studied area, except for the only spot polluted by As due to the great flooding event in the studied year.

     

Currarino triad: concurrent US and MRI diagnosis in the fetus and the mother

We report an unusual case of the complete Currarino triad diagnosed in a fetus at 21 weeks' gestation by means of prenatal ultrasonography (US). The highly suspicious findings in the fetus were accompanied by analogous US findings in the mother who suffered from mild symptoms of up to that time unrecognized Currarino triad. Consecutively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the findings simultaneously in the fetus and in her mother. This is the first report describing the prenatal diagnosis of Currarino triad without the background of positive family history. To our knowledge, the prenatal MRI findings of Currarino triad have not yet been published. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The changes of T-PAH levels and health status of mussels in Izmit bay (Turkey) after Marmara earthquake and subsequent refinery fire

As is well known, a powerful earthquake along the North Anatolian Fault struck the eastern part of the Marmara region on August 17, 1999. Izmit Bay, which is known as one of the most polluted sites of Turkey, was also affected by the quake and the subsequent refinery fire. The measurements performed just before and after the earthquake showed that T-PAH levels increased significantly after the event [Okay OS, Tolun L, Telli-Karako? F, Tüfek?i V, Tüfek?i H, Morko? E. Izmit Bay (Turkey) ecosystem after Marmara earthquake and subsequent refinery fire: the long-term data. Marine Pollution Bulletin 2001;42:361-9]. In the framework of ecotoxicological studies, the Bay ecosystem was continuously monitored for T-PAH levels in seawater, sediments and mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) to find out whether change occurred during the 2-year period following the earthquake. For that purpose, after the earthquake, the samples were collected six times between the period of September 1999 and March 2001 at coastal stations of the Bay situated away from the mouth of main discharges. The responses of the mussels were also measured by means of the lysosomal stability of the blood cells and feeding rate biomarker techniques at two different sites of the bay. Although the T-PAH levels in all matrices generally showed a decreasing trend, they were found to be still high especially at stations near the refinery. Both biomarker results showed that the health status of the mussels is very poor in the Bay ecosystem, based on the results obtained from the two sites monitored.     

A model for the bioaccumulation of (99)Tc in lobsters (Homarus gammarus) from the West Cumbrian coast

A biokinetic model is presented that simulates the uptake and release of (99)Tc by the European lobster (Homarus gammarus). This organism is of significant radioecological interest since lobsters, in contrast to most other organisms, have a high affinity for (99)Tc. The model is designed to represent annually averaged (99)Tc concentrations in lobsters from the Cumbrian coast, where significant levels of (99)Tc have been released under authorisation by the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at BNFL Sellafield.This paper describes the construction of the model, how it was calibrated using data from published literature, and preliminary results indicating that model output agrees well with the available monitoring data. Given that this model successfully combines laboratory and field data, this research could potentially make a significant contribution to the field, as, to date, it has been difficult to predict and explain concentrations of (99)Tc in lobsters.     

226Ra in Tap and Mineral Water and Related Health Risk in the Republic of Croatia

The presence of 226Ra in drinking water may sometimes make important contribution to natural background radiation exposures. The paper describes the study of 226Ra content in drinking water of Croatia: tap water from the public supply system of several major towns and bottled mineral water from two selected mineral water springs. 226Ra was determined by alpha-spectrometric measurement after radiochemical separation. The radiation doses originating from drinking tap water and bottled mineral water were estimated. The annual dose from consumption of bottled mineral water was compared to that received from ingestion of public system tap water. The study showed that 226Ra content for investigated categories of waters is below the levels at which any unacceptable dose due to ingestion would arise.