Great concern has been raised with respect to the 13 traplines that constitute the traditional territory of the Ouje-Bougoumou
Cree located in the James Bay region of northern Quebec, Canada, with respect to mine wastes originating from three local
mines. As a result, an “Integrative Risk Assessment” was initiated consisting of three interrelated components: a comprehensive
human health study, an assessment of the existing ecological/environmental database, and a land use/potential sites of concern
study. In this paper, we document past and present land use in the traditional territory of the Ouje-Bougoumou Cree for 72
heads of households, including 13 tallymen, and use a Geographic Information System (GIS) to layer harvest/hunting and gathering/collecting
data over known mining areas and potential sites of concern. In this way, potential receptors of contamination and routes
of human exposure were identified. Areas of overlap with respect to land use activity and mining operations were relatively
extensive for certain harvesting activities (e.g., beaver, Castor canadensis and various species of game birds), less so for fish harvesting (all species) and water collection, and relatively restrictive
for large mammal harvesting and collection of firewood (and other collection activities). Potential receptors of contaminants
associated with mining activity (e.g., fish and small mammals) and potential routes of exposure (e.g., ingestion of contaminated
game and drinking of contaminated water) were identified. 相似文献
Endosulfan (6,7,8,9,10,10,-hexachloro-1,5,5a,6,9,9a-hexahydro-6,9-methano-2,4,3-benzodioxathiepine-3-oxide) sorption (standardized to 1% total organic carbon and dry weight) was significantly (P < 0.05) more concentrated on the large (>63 microm) particle fraction compared with smaller size fractions (<5 microm and 5-24 microm) of bottom sediments from the Namoi River, Australia. Following completion of the particle size fractionation (6 to 12 wk) and a sediment toxicity assessment (2 wk), the sediments showed large decreases in concentrations of alpha-endosulfan that coincided with an increase in endosulfan sulfate concentrations and minimal changes in beta-endosulfan concentrations. In the Namoi River, similar patterns were observed in the composition of total endosulfan in monthly measurements of bottom sediments and in passive samplers placed in the water column following runoff from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) fields. The toxicity of endosulfan sulfate in river water indicated by the nymphs of the epibenthic mayfly Jappa kutera, was more persistent than the alpha- and beta-endosulfan parent isomers due to its longer half-life. This suggests that endosulfan sulfate would contribute most to previously observed changes in population densities of aquatic biota. Measured concentrations of total endosulfan in river water of up to 4 microg L(-1) following storm runoff, exceed the range of the 96-h median lethal concentration (LC50) values in river water for both alpha-endosulfan (LC50 = 0.7 microg L(-1); 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.5 to 1.1) and endosulfan sulfate (LC50 = 1.2 microg L(-1); 95% CI = 0.4 to 3.3). In contrast, the 10-d LC50 value for total endosulfan in the sediment toxicity test (LC50 = 162 microg kg(-1); 95% CI = 120 to 218 microg kg(-1)) was more than threefold higher than the highest measured concentration of total endosulfan in field samples of bottom sediment (48 microg kg(-1)). This suggests that pulse exposures of endosulfan in the water column following storm runoff may be more acutely toxic to riverine biota than in contaminated bottom sediment. 相似文献
This work provides insights on the solubilization products after a simultaneous combination of alkaline and ultrasonic (ALK + ULS) pre-treatment of sewage sludge. Soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) increased from 1200 to 11,000 mg/L after such treatment. Organics with molecular weight around 5.6 kDa were solubilized because of the synergistic effect of ultrasound and alkali. Organics with molecular weight larger than 300 kDa increased from 7.8% to 60%, 16% and 42.3% after ULS, ALK and ALK + ULS treatment, respectively. Excitation emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy analysis identified soluble microbial product-like and humic acid-like matters as the main solubilization products. Sludge anaerobic biodegradability was significantly enhanced with the simultaneous application of ALK + ULS pre-treatment. ALK + ULS pre-treatment resulted in 37.8% biodegradability increase compared to the untreated sludge. This value was higher compared to the biodegradability increase induced by individual ALK pre-treatment (5.7%) or individual ULS pre-treatment (20.7%) under the same conditions applied. 相似文献
Humans are exposed to different stress factors that are responsible for over-production of reactive oxygen species. Exposure to heavy metals is one of these factors. The aim of the study was to analyze the effect of chronic exposure to heavy metals through coal flying ash on the efficiency of antioxidative defensive mechanisms, represented by the activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and ascorbic acid. Nonessential elements such as arsenic and mercury levels showed a significant increase (p > 0.001) in the power plant workers rather than in the control subjects. There were no significant differences of blood cadmium between power plant workers and control subjects. We found a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) between BAs/SZn (r = 0.211), BAs/BSe (r = 0.287), BCd/SCu (r = 0.32) and BHg/BSe (r = 0.263) in the plant workers. Red blood cell antioxidant enzymes and plasma ascorbic acid were significantly lower in power plants workers than in the control group (p < 0.002). We can conclude that levels of mercury, arsenic and cadmium in blood, despite their concentration within the reference values, significantly affect plasma ascorbic acid concentration, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity, which are able to increase the risk of oxidative stress.
The application of poultry litter to soils is a water quality concern on the Delmarva Peninsula, as runoff contributes P to the eutrophic Chesapeake Bay. This study compared a new subsurface applicator for poultry litter with conventional surface application and tillage incorporation of litter on a Coastal Plain soil under no-till management. Monolith lysimeters (61 cm by 61 cm by 61 cm) were collected immediately after litter application and subjected to rainfall simulation (61 mm h(-1) 1 h) 15 and 42 d later. In the first rainfall event, subsurface application of litter significantly lowered total P losses in runoff (1.90 kg ha(-1)) compared with surface application (4.78 kg ha(-1)). Losses of P with subsurface application were not significantly different from disked litter or an unamended control. By the second event, total P losses did not differ significantly between surface and subsurface litter treatments but were at least twofold greater than losses from the disked and control treatments. A rising water table in the second event likely mobilized dissolved forms of P in subsurface-applied litter to the soil surface, enriching runoff water with P. Across both events, subsurface application of litter did not significantly decrease cumulative losses of P relative to surface-applied litter, whereas disking the litter into the soil did. Results confirm the short-term reduction of runoff P losses with subsurface litter application observed elsewhere but highlight the modifying effect of soil hydrology on this technology's ability to minimize P loss in runoff. 相似文献
A new polymer-based composite binder was developed for the containment/immobilization of radioactive waste forms. This material was subjected to a variety of physicochemical tests to determine its suitability for this purpose. It appears that this composite material possesses superior qualities in terms of resisting radiation damage, retaining the radio isotopes after radiation exposure, and resisting biodegradation. Further, a combination of chemical fixation/immobilization technology with the radiation-resistant binder was studied. Our evaluation procedures, the results, and its potential applications based on our conclusions are presented in this article. 相似文献
This paper presents numerical simulation results from a set of control and sensitivity experiments on the effects of winter-time air-sea interaction on the variability of sea surface temperature (SST) on a two-dimensional continental shelf which is uniform in the along-shore direction and is bounded to the west by a straight coast and to the east by a prescribed Gulf Stream front. In the control experiment, the model ocean circulation is driven by a time-dependent wind forcing which is parameterically coupled to the cross-shelf SST gradient. In the sensitivity experiments, wind stress, diabatic cooling and air-sea coupling are turned on separately to estimate the individual contribution of each effect to the cross-shelf SST variation. Experiments have also been carried out for different coupling strengths and diabatic cooling rates to examine the model sensitivity to these paramenters. The model results indicate that air-sea interaction could induce a secondary SST front on the shelf. Comparisons of model results with observations obtained during the Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment conducted off the east coasts of the Carolinas during January and February 1986 qualitatively confirm our finding. 相似文献