Zur Problematik der Anwendung von Hintergrundwerten beim Vollzug des Bodenschutzrechts

The knowledge about background levels of heavy metals in soils is essential for the use of the precautionary values for heavy metals as provided by the German Soil-Protection-Act. In the northeast of Bavaria the 90th percentiles in the back-ground levels of heavy metals in the soil exceed the precautionary values in many cases. Background levels were determined separately for soils of different parent materials of rocks, soil horizons and land use (agricultural or forest soils), with the parent material of rock having the strongest influence on the content of heavy metals in different soils. Precautionary values are highly exceeded by chrome and nickel in basic and ultrabasic rocks. High variability of heavy metal contents was found even in soils of the same parent material (C-horizons), which is due to the natural geochemical variability of rocks and the mixing of different parent materials during the Pleistocene. For an effective use of the German Soil-Protection-Order, areas must be defined where the probability is high that the 90th percentiles of the background levels of heavy metals exceed the precautionary values. It has to be determined, how the risk of mobilisation of heavy metals can be estimated within these areas and what has to be done if heavy metal contents in soils exceed not only the precautionary values but also the background levels.     

Bleiverunreinigung von trinkwasser durch leitungssysteme in Berlin

There are many acute and chronic adverse effects of lead on human beings. This is especially true for infants and children. In Germany, the intake of lead through drinking water is commonly due to metal corrosion of the user’s plumbing. In the last years and decades, many lead pipes in Germany were replaced by pipes made of alternative materials. The aim of this study was to assess the present state of drinking water contamination and the resulting lead exposure in infants, the most sensitive population group. For this purpose, mothers of newborn babies were offered a free examination of their drinking water. After a written declaration of consent had been received, two composite samples collected during the day were obtained from the families. The samples were analyzed for their lead concentration using atomic absorption spectrometry. A total of 2109 samples from house holds in the area of Berlin, Germany were collected. From the first composite samples 5.6% and 7.0% of the second composite samples demonstrated lead concentrations higher than 0.01 mg/l (recommended limit of the WHO). 0.95% of the first composite samples and 1.3% of the second composite samples had concentrations above the limit of the German drinking water regulation (0.04 mg/l). The highest measured lead concentrations is the first and second composite samples were 0.19 and 0.13 mg/l, respectively. By region, the suburbs of Charlottenburg, Neukölln, Schöneberg, Wilmersdorf and Zehlendorf were particularly severley affected with more than 10% and their samples being elevated above 0.01 mg/l.     

Air-quality modelling in the Lake Baikal region

In this paper, we assess the status of the air quality in the Lake Baikal region which is strongly influenced by the presence of anthropogenic pollution sources. We combined the local data, with global databases, remote sensing imagery and modelling tools. This approach allows to inventorise the air-polluting sources and to quantify the air-quality concentration levels in the Lake Baikal region to a reasonable level, despite the fact that local data are scarcely available. In the simulations, we focus on the month of July 2003, as for this period, validation data are available for a number of ground-based measurement stations within the Lake Baikal region.     

Scale invariant measures of pattern intensity and grain: A simulation experiment

We propose new dimensionless and scale-invariant measures for detection of pattern intensity, defined as the level of aggregation of individuals regardless their kind, and pattern grain, the level of segregation among individuals of at least two different kinds in point-pattern spatial data using tessellation methodology. Both real and simulated data on spatial distribution of plants in ecological communities show that the proposed parameters can be considered fingerprints of particular point patterns. This approach allows definition of both pattern intensity and grain for any kind of tessellated plane in an operational way, rendering these available for quantification and testing.     

Establishing best practice for microbially aided phytoremediation

The dispersal of industrial and municipal wastes leads to an increase of contaminated soils and is one of the large concerns in many countries throughout Europe regarding environmental issues. This article proposes a sequence of the microbially aided phytoremediation (phytoextraction and phytostabilization) procedure with the following most important steps: (1) risk assessment, (2) site investigation, (3) determination of the remediation strategy, (4) realization of remediation measures, (5) monitoring, and (6) reuse of the remediated site. UMBRELLA's innovative approach is a proposal of methods to evolve a tool-box which supports phytoremediation by means of microbes and enhances the efficiency of the remediation process at low and heterogeneously metal contaminated sites.     

Canister-Based Method for Monitoring Toxic VOCs in Ambient Air

The availability of reliable, accurate and precise monitoring methods for toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a primary need for state and local agencies addressing daily monitoring requirements related to odor complaints, fugitive emissions, and trend monitoring. The canister-based monitoring method for VOCs is a viable and widely used approach that is based on research and evaluation performed over the past several years. This activity has involved the testing of sample stability of VOCs in canisters and the design of time-integrative samplers. The development of procedures for analysis of samples in canisters, including the procedure for VOC preconcentration from whole air, the treatment of water vapor in the sample, and the selection of an appropriate analytical finish has been accomplished. The canister-based method was initially summarized in the EPA Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air as Method TO-14. Modifications and refinements are being added to Method TO-14 in order to obtain a Statement of Work for the Superfund Contract Laboratory Program for Air. This paper discusses the developments leading to the current status of the canisterbased method and provides a critique of the method using results obtained in EPA monitoring networks.     

PM2.5 Assessment in 21 European Study Centers of ECRHS II: Method and First Winter Results

Abstract

The follow-up of a cohort of adults from 29 European centers of the former European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I (1989–1992) will examine the long-term effects of exposure to ambient air pollution on the incidence, course, and prognosis of respiratory diseases, in particular asthma and decline in lung function. The purpose of this article is to describe the methodology and the European-wide quality control program for the collection of particles with 50% cut-off size of 2.5 µm aerodynamic diameter (PM_2.5 ) in the ECRHS II and to present the PM_2.5 results from the winter period 2000–2001.

Because PM_2.5 is not routinely monitored in Europe, we measured PM_2.5 mass concentrations in 21 participating centers to estimate background exposure in these cities. A standardized protocol was developed using identical equipment in each center (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Well Impactor Ninety-Six [WINS] and PQ167 from BGI, Inc.). Filters were weighed in a single central laboratory. Sampling was conducted for 7 days per month for a year.

Winter mean PM_2.5 mass concentrations (November 2000–February 2001) varied substantially, with Iceland reporting the lowest value (5 µg/m³) and northern Italy the highest (69 µg/m³). A standardized procedure appropriate for PM_2.5 exposure assessmnt in a multicenter study was developed. We expect ECRHS II to have sufficient variation in exposure to assess long-term effects of air pollution in this cohort. Any bias caused by variation in the characteristics of the chosen monitoring location (e.g., proximity to traffic sources) will be addressed in later analyses. Given the homogenous spatial distribution of PM_2.5 , however, concentrations measured near traffic are not expected to differ substantially from those measured at urban background sites.     

Waste prevention for sustainable resource and waste management

Although the 2Rs (reduce and reuse) are considered high-priority approaches, there has not been enough quantitative research on effective 2R management. The purpose of this paper is to provide information obtained through the International Workshop in Kyoto, Japan, on 11–13 November 2015, which included invited experts and researchers in several countries who were in charge of 3R policies, and an additional review of 245 previous studies. It was found that, regarding policy development, the decoupling between environmental pressures and economy growth was recognized as an essential step towards a sustainable society. 3R and resource management policies, including waste prevention, will play a crucial role. Approaches using material/substance flow analyses have become sophisticated enough to describe the fate of resources and/or hazardous substances based on human activity and the environment, including the final sink. Life-cycle assessment has also been developed to evaluate waste prevention activities. Regarding target products for waste prevention, food loss is one of the waste fractions with the highest priority because its countermeasures have significant upstream and downstream effects. Persistent organic pollutants and hazardous compounds should also be taken into account in the situation where recycling activities are globally widespread for the promotion of a material-cycling society.