Insecticide Contamination of Jamaican Environment. V. Island-Wide Rapid Survey of Residues in Surface and Ground Water

Residues of organochlorines and organophosphates were determined by gas chromatography in water and sediment from 26 locations in 17 major rivers, 7 natural springs and 13 wells across Jamaica. Samples were collected on only one occasion between May and July, 1994. Residues of endosulfan were detected in all but three rivers; -endosulfan in 15 samples of sediment (0.9–108.1, mean = 28.93, S.E. = 7.198 g kg-1) and 13 of water (0.01–0.35, mean = 0.11, S.E. = 0.035 g L-1), -endosulfan in 5 sediment (15.29–49.35, mean = 30.56, S.E. = 7.132 g kg-1) and 12 water (0.05–0.31, mean = 0.14, S.E. = 0.031 g L-1) samples, and endosulfan sulphate in waters of three rivers (0.003–0.244 g L-1). Chlorpyrifos was present in 9 sediment (0.423-135.2, mean = 18.38, S.E. = 10.699 g kg-1) and two water (0.001–0.022 g L-1) samples, diazinon and ethoprophos in the sediment of one river each. Mean levels (g L-1) of and isomers and sulphate of endosulfan were 0.16 (S.E. = 0.057), 0.12 (S.E. = 0.036) and 0.15 (S.E. = 0.089), respectively, in four of the seven springs and 0.23 (S.E. = 0.052), 0.11 (S.E. = 0.029) and 0.26 (S.E. = 0.088), respectively, in seven of the thirteen wells monitored.     

A catalogue of urban hydrocarbons for the city of Leeds: atmospheric monitoring of volatile organic compounds by thermal desorption-gas chromatography

A method has been developed for the speciation and quantitative determination of hydrocarbons in urban air in the city of Leeds. Hydrocarbons were pre-concentrated by adsorbent tube air sampling and analyzed using thermal desorption and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and structural confirmation by mass spectrometric detection. While automated volatile organic compound (VOC) analyzers produced data for a maximum of about 30 compounds simultaneously, with the method described here, a total of 68 C6-C12 hydrocarbons were measured simultaneously in one analysis at parts per billion (ppb) levels. Several monitoring surveys were performed, one during the winter of 1993 and the other in the summer of 1994, at a number of sites to investigate the levels of VOCs identified in the urban air of Leeds.     

Soil properties and crop productivity as influenced by flyash incorporation in soil

Field experiments were carried out during 1996–97at Gulawathi, Muthiani and Salarpur Villages, IARI Farm, NewDelhi and NCPP Campus, Dadri to evaluate changes in soilcharacteristics and growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.),mustard (Brassica juncea L.), lentil (Lence esculentaMoench.), rice (Oryza sativa L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) byvarying amounts of flyash addition (up to 50t ha^-1) in soils atsowing/transplanting time of crops. Flyash addition in areasadjoining NCPP Thermal Power Plant, Dadri, Ghaziabad, U.P.ranged from 5–12 t ha^-1 yr^-1 in 1995–96. Shoot and root growthand yield of test crops at different locations after flyashincorporation resulted in beneficial effects of flyashaddition in most cases. The silt dominant texture of flyashimproved loamy sand to sandy loam textures of the surfacesoils at the farmers' fields. The increased growth in yield ofcrops with flyash incorporation was possibly due tomodifications in soil moisture retention and transmissioncharacteristics, bulk density, physico-chemical characterssuch as pH and EC and organic carbon content. The response offlyash addition in the soil on soil health and cropproductivity needs to be evaluated on long-term sustainableaspects.     

The interaction between physical and social-psychological factors in indoor environmental health

Indoor environmental health is now recognized as an important factor in preventing respiratory health problems in the United States. It is also a concern in Canada due to the amount of time that Canadians spend indoors because of cold weather and the potential for increased time indoors during the summer if theclimate warms. The negative health effects are often labeled assick building syndrome, but diagnosing a building or itsoccupants as sick is complicated by the variety of symptoms, thepresence of chronic versus acute symptoms and social andpsychological (socio-psychological) factors that may reduce theeffectiveness of an engineering solution. As a case study, thecontribution of various factors to indoor environmental health,in three buildings at the University of Toronto, was examinedusing five different methods. The results indicate that theinhabitants of the buildings consider features other than airquality in considering building health such as design,maintenance, funding cuts and socio-psychological factors.     

Flue gas treatability studies: a tool for techno-economic control of industrial air pollution

Air pollution problems in developing countries have gained larger fraction in the last decade especially due to non functioning and non implementation of effective air pollutioncontrol devices in industries. In industrial wastewater management, adequate treatability studies are conducted to arrive at a techno-economic treatment option. However no suchstudies were done for reducing air pollution or emission fromindustries until now in India. Little information was availableabout such studies in other countries. This article provides information about a novel technique known asflue gas treatability studies and to undertake such studies, a pilot scale system is installed in Air Pollution Control Divisionof M/s National Environmental Engineering research Institute, NEERI, Nagpur-20, India. This study is a tool for techno-economicselection of air pollution control systems specially for small/medium scale industrial emissions.     

Atrazine and Alachlor Inputs to Surface and Ground Waters in Irrigated Corn Cultivation Areas of Castilla-Leon Region, Spain

The inputs of atrazine and alachlor herbicides to surface and ground waters from irrigated areas dedicated to corn cultivation in the Castilla-León (C-L) region (Spain) as related to the application of both herbicides were studied. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used for monitoring the atrazine and alachlor concentrations in 98 water samples taken from these areas. Seventy-nine of the samples were of ground waters and 19 were of surface waters. The concentration ranges of the herbicides detected in the study period (October 1997–October 1998) were 0.04–25.3 g L^–1 in the surface waters and 0.04–3.45 g L^–1 in the ground waters for atrazine, and 0.06–31.9 g L^–1 in the surface waters and 0.05–4.85 g L^–1 in the ground waters in the case of alachlor. The highly significant correlation observed between the concentrations of both herbicides in the surface waters (r = 0.89, p < 0.001) pointed to a parallel transport of atrazine and alachlor to these waters. A study was made of the temporal evolution of the concentrations of both herbicides, and it was found a maximum recharge of atrazine in the ground waters for April 1998 and of alachlor in October 1997 and October 1998. The temporal evolution of the concentrations of both herbicides in surface waters was parallel. The highly significant correlations observed between atrazine concentrations determined by ELISA and by HPLC (r = 0.92, p < 0.001) and between alachlor concentrations also determined by both methods (r = 0.96, p < 0.001) confirmed the usefulness of ELISA for monitoring both herbicides in an elevated number of samples. Using HPLC, the presence in some waters of the alachlor ethanesulfonate (ESA) metabolite was found at a concentration range of 0.52–4.01 g L^–1. However the interference of ESA in the determination of alachlor by ELISA was negligible. The inputs of atrazine and alachlor to waters found in this study, especially the inputs to ground waters, could pose a risk for human health considering that some waters, though sporadically, are even used for human consumption.     

IMPACTS OF VISITORS ON SOIL AND VEGETATION OF THE RECREATIONAL AREA “NACIMIENTO DEL RÍO MUNDO” (CASTILLA-LA MANCHA, SPAIN)

This study examines the effects of recreational use on the soil and vegetation at a site of ecological importance (Nacimiento del Río Mundo, Albacete, Spain). The most visited sites showed increased soil compaction of approximately 50%, bare ground increase to 61 ± 10% and a decrease in richness (from 25 ± 2 to 15 ± 2 species), diversity (from 4.0 ± 0.1 to 2.7 ± 0.4) and stratification of plant species (from 80 ± 11 to 21 ± 4%). The most visited sites had 90% less plant species as compared to the least visited. Intense use was associated with the presence of nitrophilous plant and vegetal species with a morphology adapted to heavy trampling. The recreational areas showed a distribution pattern of impact radiating outwards from the most used and degraded point. At the most visited point, Los Chorros (the spring of the river), the impact radiated outwards for about 20 m. A pilot experiment examining the effects of one-year restriction to visitors for access to a formerly impacted area showed a plant cover increase by anthropic and not by native species of 57 percent units.     

Land User Participation in Developing a Computerised Decision Support System for Combating Desertification

Combating desertification in natural rangelands has recently become a priority in large parts of southern Africa. Rangeland managers, farmers, scientists, conservationists and land users have been applying a variety of restoration technologies to address this problem. Bush encroachment, as part of the desertification process, involves the natural replacement of the herbaceous plant cover by undesirable problem woody species. The active and passive restoration technologies that are applied, are mainly based on indigenous knowledge and include the chemical, mechanical or manual reclamation of unproductive rangelands, as well as the combating of woody and alien species encroachment. Indigenous practices and knowledge play a major role in the effectiveness and success rate of these technologies. This project faces the challenge of bringing together both local and scientific knowledge in a single user-friendly, computerised Decision Support System (DSS) which is directly accessible by land users to support them in the process of decision making, concerning the combating of desertification. Case studies from central and northern Namibia were used to combine qualitative and quantitative data to develop this Decision Support System. The DSS currently consists of two databases and an expert system, which evaluates the results of land users’ management practices, and provides easily accessible information and advice for participants in the system, based on the incorporated data. The DSS is also linked to national and international web sites and databases to offer a wider range of information on technologies concerning agricultural and conservation practices.     

LIDAR Measurements of the Vertical Aerosol Profile and Optical Depth during the ACE-Asia 2001 IOP, at Gosan, Jeju Island, Korea

In order to investigate the characteristic of optical properties of Asian dust particles, the atmospheric aerosol vertical profile was measured with the multi-wavelength LIDAR system, at the Gosan super site (33 degrees 17'N, 126 degrees 10'E) in Jeju Island, Korea, during the ACE-Asia intensive observation period, 11 March-4 May 2001. An air mass backward trajectory analysis, using Hysplit-4, was carried out to track the aerosol plume, with high mass loading, from the Chinese desert regions during the period of Asian dust storm events. Vertical atmospheric aerosol profiles on three major Asian dust storm event days, 22 March and 13 and 26 April 2001, have been analyzed. The LIDAR-derived aerosol optical depth values were compared with those measured by a collocated sunphotometer.