Heavy Metals in the Eggs and Muscle of Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus Polyphemus) from Delaware Bay

Lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and manganese concentrations were measured in the eggs of horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) from 1993, 1994 and 1995; and from chelicera muscle in 1995 from Delaware Bay. Metal concentrations in the eggs represent levels derived from females. In eggs, mercury levels were below 100 ppb or were non-dectable; cadmium levels were generally low in 1993 and 1995 but were relatively higher in 1994; lead levels in eggs decreased from 558 ppb in 1993 to 87 ppm in 1995; selenium increased from 1993 to 1995; chromium decreased from 1993 to 1995; and manganese generally decreased. Leg muscles had significantly lower levels of all metals than eggs, except for mercury.     

Renewable Energy Legislation in China: Political and Institutional Strategy for Effective Implementation

Abstract

Over the past decade, the Chinese government has developed several plans regulations and policy measures related to the development of renewable energy technologies and has implemented a series of pilot projects. Chinese policymakers have spent several years studying how renewable energy policy models that have been used internationally could be implemented in China. Programs are currently underway to implement pilot renewable portfolio standards, or mandatory market shares (MMS) for renewable energy, in several provinces. This paper examines the primary institutions that are involved in promoting renewable policies in China, the structure of the policies that currently are being drafted, and the status of the complementary, national-level renewable energy law being drafted to provide a legal basis for ongoing local and national-level policies. It then examines the legal requirements for promoting renewable energy legislation under the Chinese law-making system. Finally, it provides recommendations for strategies to ensure the smooth implementation of a multi-faceted national renewable energy policy and legal framework.     

Comparison of methods for leaching heavy metals from composts

This paper presents the determination of total iron, copper, zinc, chromium, nickel, lead, cadmium and mercury contents in the compost obtained from sorted municipal organic solid waste applying the following methods of sample mineralization: 40% hydrofluoric acid with preliminary incineration of a sample, a mixture of concentrated nitric(V) and chloric(VII) acids with preliminary incineration of organic matter and a mixture of nitric(V) and chloric(VII) acids without sample incineration. The speciation analysis of Tessier was used to estimate the bioavailability of the metals. Elution degrees of the mobile forms of the metals from the compost with 10% nitric(V) acid and 1 mol/dm(3) hydrochloric acid were compared. The contents of the elements in the eluates were determined applying atomic absorption spectrometry.     

Scientific research, stakeholders, and policy: continuing dialogue during research on radionuclides on Amchitka Island, Alaska

It is increasingly clear that a wide range of stakeholders should be included in the problem formulation phase of research aimed at solving environmental problems; indeed the inclusion of stakeholders at this stage has been formalized as an integral part of ecological risk assessment. In this paper, we advocate the additional inclusion of stakeholders in the refinement of research methods and protocols and in the execution of the research, rather than just at the final communication and reporting phase. We use a large study of potential radionuclide levels in marine biota around Amchitka Island as a case study. Amchitka Island, in the Aleutian Island Chain of Alaska, was the site of three underground nuclear tests (1965-1971). The overall objective of the biological component of the study was to collect a range of marine biota for radionuclide analysis that could provide data for assessing current food safety and provide a baseline for developing a plan to monitor human and ecosystem health in perpetuity. Stakeholders, including regulators (State of Alaska), resource trustees (US Fish and Wildlife Service, State of Alaska), representatives of the Aleut and Pribilof Island communities, the Department of Energy (DOE), and others, were essential for plan development. While these stakeholders were included in the initial problem formulation and approved science plan, we also included them in the refinement of protocols, selection of bioindicators, selection of a reference site, choice of methods of collection, and in the execution of the study itself. Meetings with stakeholders resulted in adding (or deleting) bioindicator species and tissues, prioritizing target species, refining sampling methods, and recruiting collection personnel. Some species were added because they were important subsistence foods for the Aleuts, and others were added because they were ecological equivalents to replace species deleted because of low population numbers. Two major refinements that changed the research thrust were (1) the inclusion of Aleut hunters and fishers on the biological expedition itself to ensure that subsistence foods and methods were represented, and (2) the addition of a fisheries biologist on a NOAA research trawler to allow sampling of commercial fishes. Although the original research design called for the collection of biota by Aleut subsistence fishermen, and by a commercial fishing boat, the research was modified with continued stakeholder input to actually include Aleuts and a fisheries biologist on the expeditions to ensure their representation. The inclusion of stakeholders during the development of protocols and the research itself improved the overall quality of the investigation, while making it more relevant to the interested and affected parties. Final responsibility for the design and execution of the research and radionuclide analysis rested with the researchers, but the process of stakeholder inclusion made the research more valuable as a source of credible information and for public policy decisions.     

Fate of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzofuran and pentachlorophenol during laboratory-scale anaerobic mesophilic sewage sludge digestion

The possibility of the formation of PCDDs and dechlorination of PCDFs during the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge in laboratory scale digesters was investigated. Digesters were spiked with 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF-13C(6) (240 ng/g organic matter (OM)) and pentachlorophenol (PeCP)-13C(6) (24 microg/g OM) and the output sludge monitored for 60 days. No dechlorination or formation of the labelled or native PCDD/Fs was observed. The detectable 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF-13C(6) dechlorination yield was 0.0008-1% depending on homologue group and the detectable formation of OCDD yield was 0.00042% PeCP-13C(6). Preferential respiration of other, more bioavailable, substrates is suggested as the most plausible explanation for the lack of dechlorination. Formation of PCDDs from PeCP has been observed in aerobic environments but this study provides further evidence that it is not a precursor for formation during anaerobic digestion.     

The population dynamics of nitrifiers in ammonium-rich systems

Non-optimal pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, the presence of toxic substances, or the influence of grazers are known to cause disturbances in nitrification. Because activated sludge is a mixture of different organisms, bacteria, and higher organisms, the stability of processes such as carbon removal, nitrification, denitrification, and dephosphatation depends on a range of interactions. These interactions occur both between and within trophic levels. Understanding of the ecology of microorganisms involved in bioprocesses is essential for effective control of startup and operation of a particular process. The aim of the study was to gain further insight into the dynamics of nitrifiers in activated sludge at various sludge ages while treating higher concentrations of ammonium. The results confirmed the importance of Nitrosococcus mobilis and Nitrobacter sp. as the dominant nitrifiers responsible for nitritation and nitratation, respectively, in the presence of unlimited ammonium. The size of the dominant bacteria colony was larger compared to the other species present and reached 25 microm. Problems with nitrification occurred in all high-ammonium loaded reactors. The dynamics of nitrifier population was monitored by oxygen uptake rate (OUR) using a test enabling the OUR measurement separately for ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). The results reveal the hypersensitivity of nitrifiers to the substrate and products of incomplete nitrification.     

Assessment of waste management technology using BATNEEC options, technology quality method and multi-criteria analysis

Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Costs (BATNEEC) options, technology quality method and multi-criteria analysis were proposed as means of developing indices for evaluating municipal waste management systems. The proposed indices can be treated as a tool for ranking the system taking into account technical, environmental, economic, social and other objectives, bearing in mind specific features of the area involved. The analysis was made for three different incineration plants (Spittelau in Vienna, Warsaw and Tarnobrzeg) together with alternative waste disposal versions (with or without biogas burning and with MBP Mechanical-Biological Process) and the waste management infrastructure. The results showed that incineration of waste is much more beneficial than disposal. These results conform to the waste hierarchy identified in EU Directive 2008/98, but the indices created are easy to interpret and useful as a tool for communicating with the public, which is often a crucial factor in determining the location of investment.     

Mercury interactions with selenium and sulfur and the relevance of the Se:Hg molar ratio to fish consumption advice

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Eating fish is often recommended as part of a healthful diet. However, fish, particularly large predatory fish, can contain significant levels of the...     

Heavy metals and selenium in feathers of three shorebird species from Delaware bay

Concentrations of lead, cadmium, mercury, selenium, chromium and manganese were examined in breast feathers of shorebirds migrating north through Cape May, New Jersey in 1991 and 1992. Although we predicted that metal levels would be positively correlated with weight, this was only true for mercury in red knots (Calidris canutus). Selenium was negatively correlated with weight in red knots. No other significant correlation of metal concentrations with weight were found. Lead and mercury were highest in sanderlings (C. alba). Selenium and manganese were highest in red knots, while chromium and cadmium levels were highest in semipalmated sandpipers (C. pusilus). For 1991, interspecific metals differences were significant for all metals except lead. For semipalmated sandpipers, cadmium and chromium concentrations were significantly higher in 1991 while managese concentrations were significantly higher in 1992.