Determination of hydrocarbons in old creosote contaminated soil using headspace solid phase microextraction and GC-MS.

Headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) has been used together with GC-MS to analyze organic substances directly in a soil, heavily contaminated with PAHs/creosote (approximately 300 mg/kg soil), from an old gaswork site in Stockholm, Sweden. The HS-SPME results, both qualitative and quantitative, were compared with traditional liquid extraction using ethyl acetate/hexane (20:80). It was shown that the concentrations determined with HS-SPME at 60 degrees C correlated well, for compounds containing up to two and three aromatic rings (naphthalenes, acenaphthene, acenaphthylene and fluorenes, while a lower concentration was obtained for phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene. The total concentrations for each compound determined with HS-SPME ranged from 2 to 25 microg/g soil. Quantification was done using standard addition of compounds directly to the soil samples. The bioavailable fraction of the compounds in the contaminated soil at 20 degrees C was analyzed using external calibration by spiking sterile uncontaminated sand (same texture and particle size as the contaminated soil but without a heavily sorbed organic fraction) with hydrocarbon standards in different concentrations. Storage of exposed fibers at 20 degrees C showed that analysis should be done within two days to make qualitative measurements and earlier (as soon as possible) for quantitative determinations.     

Cesium migration in saturated silica sand and Hanford sediments as impacted by ionic strength

Large amounts of 137Cs have been accidentally released to the subsurface from the Hanford nuclear site in the state of Washington, USA. The cesium-containing liquids varied in ionic strengths, and often had high electrolyte contents, mainly in the form of NaNO3 and NaOH, reaching concentrations up to several moles per liter. In this study, we investigated the effect of ionic strengths on Cs migration through two types of porous media: silica sand and Hanford sediments. Cesium sorption and transport was studied in 1, 10, 100, and 1000 mM NaCl electrolyte solutions at pH 10. Sorption isotherms were constructed from batch equilibrium experiments and the batch-derived sorption parameters were compared with column breakthrough curves. Column transport experiments were analyzed with a two-site equilibrium-nonequilibrium model. Cesium sorption to the silica sand in batch experiments showed a linear sorption isotherm for all ionic strengths, which matched well with the results from the column experiments at 100 and 1000 mM ionic strength; however, the column experiments at 1 and 10 mM ionic strength indicated a nonlinear sorption behavior of Cs to the silica sand. Transport through silica sand occurred under one-site sorption and equilibrium conditions. Cesium sorption to Hanford sediments in both batch and column experiments was best described with a nonlinear Freundlich isotherm. The column experiments indicated that Cs transport in Hanford sediments occurred under two-site equilibrium and nonequilibrium sorption. The effect of ionic strength on Cs transport was much more pronounced in Hanford sediments than in silica sands. Effective retardation factors of Cs during transport through Hanford sediments were reduced by a factor of 10 when the ionic strength increased from 100 to 1000 mM; for silica sand, the effective retardation was reduced by a factor of 10 when ionic strength increased from 1 to 1000 mM. A two order of magnitude change in ionic strength was needed in the silica sand to observe the same change in Cs retardation as in Hanford sediments.     

Metals concentration associated with respirable particulate matter (PM10) in industrial area of Eastern U.P. India

The present study deals with the assessment of ambient air quality with respect to respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM or PM10 < or = 10 microm) and trace metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr Ni, Cd, Mn and Pb) concentrations in RSPM at five locations of Renukoot, an industrial area of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The 24 hr mean concentrations of PM10 ranged between 69.3 to 118.9 microg m(-3), which is well within the permissible limit (150 microg m(-3)) of national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) but found higher than the prescribed annual daily limit of US EPA (50 microg m(-3)). The ambient air was mostly dominated by the Fe and least by the Cd among the metal analysed. Murdhawa, a commercial place influenced by vehicular population, is found to be the most polluted area of Renukoot and Dongia nalla (forest area) the least. The ambient air of Murdhawa is rich in Cu and Ni, indicating contribution of mobile sources. The Rammandir a residential place near the industry, is rich in Cd and Cr suggesting contribution of point sources. The Ni concentration is found to be alarmingly high in the air at all the locations except Dongia nallah, when compared with the EC (European Commission) limit (20 ng m(-3)). The Cd concentration is found to be higher only at Rammandir as compared with the EC limit (5 ng m(-3)). Mean concentrations of Zn, Pb and Mn are found to be almost equal in the ambient air of all the locations, suggesting the significance of sources contributing to presence of these metals. Zn, Cu, Pb and Ni having a significant correlation with PM10 indicate the same source contributing these metals as well as PM10. The present study has focused on the quantitative variation in different metals in the PM10, which is extremely harmful due to their toxic and carcinogenic nature.     

Substrate concentration and enzyme allocation can affect rates of microbial decomposition

A large proportion of the world's carbon is stored as soil organic matter (SOM). However, the mechanisms regulating the stability of this SOM remain unclear. Recent work suggests that SOM may be stabilized by mechanisms other than chemical recalcitrance. Here, we show that the mineralization rate of starch, a plant polymer commonly found in litter and soil, is concentration dependent, such that its decomposition rate can be reduced by as much as 50% when composing less than approximately 10% of SOM. This pattern is largely driven by low activities of starch-degrading enzymes and low inducibility of enzyme production by microbial decomposers. The same pattern was not observed for cellulose and hemicellulose degradation, possibly because the enzymes targeting these substrates are expressed at constitutively high levels. Nevertheless, given the heterogeneous distribution of SOM constituents, our results suggest a novel low-concentration constraint on SOM decomposition that is independent of chemical recalcitrance. These results may help explain the stability of at least some SOM constituents, especially those that naturally exist in relatively low concentrations in the soil environment.     

Genotoxicity of chromium in vitro on yeast: Interaction with DNA†

The genotoxicity of chromium chloride was investigated in cells of D₇ strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae harvested either from logarithmic or stationary growth phase.

A weak induction of mifotic gene conversion and point reverse mutation was obtained when the incubations were performed using phosphate buffer. No genetic effect was observed when the incubations were performed using Tris‐HCl buffer.

The experiments with ⁵¹Cr radiotracer demonstrated that Cr³⁺ ion enters the yeast cells and binds to DNA even if the incubation mixture was performed with Tris HCl buffer. This behaviour could be due to the highest concentration of CrCl₃ that cause some damages to cytoplasmatic membrane.     

Deposition and Storage of Spheroidal Carbonaceous Fly-Ash Particles in European Mountain Lake Sediments and Catchment Soils

Spheroidal carbonaceous particles(SCPs) are produced only from high temperaturecombustion of fossil-fuels. In mountain lakesystems, they provide an unambiguous indicator ofatmospheric deposition. In order to comparedepositional fluxes of SCPs between mountainareas experiencing various pollutant regimes,intensive bulk deposition sampling was undertakenat five sites across Europe. Catchment soil coresand lake sediment cores were also taken at eachsite to compare SCP storage over the post-industrial period. Atmospheric, sediment and soilSCP data showed similar patterns. Highestcontamination was found in Scotland, Slovakia andSpain with the Austrian site intermediate and themid-Norwegian site least contaminated. A highproportion of accumulated SCPs were found to bestored in catchment soils at each site.Therefore, a significant increase in soilerosion, possibly as a result of future climatechange, could lead to the input of largequantities of catchment stored SCPs and, byimplication, other atmospherically depositedcontaminants to the lake ecosystem.     

The effects of appraisal instrument,feedback and goal-setting on worker satisfaction and commitment

Twenty managers and 125 subordinates participated in a field experiment performed in the Israel Airport Authority. The managers received intensive training in giving performance feedback and setting specific goals when conducting appraisals of their subordinates. Following training, the managers were assigned randomly to one of four conditions: feedback and goals using BOS-based appraisal; feedback using BOS-based appraisal with no goals; feedback and goals using GRS-based appraisal; feedback alone using GRS-based appraisal. Work satisfaction and organizational commitment were measured before and after the performance appraisals were conducted. A two-way analysis of variance followed by univariate analyses by means of a studentized range test revealed that (1) the use of BOS-based appraisal increased work satisfaction significantly more than the use of GRS-based appraisal, (2) feedback followed by goal-setting resulted in significantly higher work satisfaction and organizational commitment than feedback alone, regardless of the appraisal scale that was used, and (3) the combination of BOS-based appraisal, feedback and goal-setting led to significantly higher work satisfaction than was the case in the other experimental conditions.     

Maintaining the Conservation Value of Shifting Cultivation Landscapes Requires Spatially Explicit Interventions

Fallow vegetation within landscapes dominated by shifting cultivation represents a woody species pool of critical importance with considerable potential for biodiversity conservation. Here, through the analysis of factors that influence the early stages of fallow vegetation regrowth in two contrasting forest margin landscapes in Southern Cameroon, we assessed the impact of current trends of land use intensification and expansion of the cultivated areas, upon the conservation potential of shifting cultivation landscapes. We combined the analysis of plot and landscape scale factors and identified a complex set of variables that influence fallow regrowth processes in particular the characteristics of the agricultural matrix and the distance from forest. Overall we observed a decline in the fallow species pool, with composition becoming increasingly dominated by species adapted to recurrent disturbance. It is clear that without intervention and if present intensification trends continue, the potential of fallow vegetation to contribute to biodiversity conservation declines because of a reduced capacity, (1) to recover forest vegetation with anything like its original species composition, (2) to connect less disturbed forest patches for forest dependent organisms. Strategies to combat biodiversity loss, including promotion of agroforestry practices and the increase of old secondary forest cover, will need not only to operate at a landscape scale but also to be spatially explicit, reflecting the spatial pattern of species reservoirs and dispersal strategies and human usage across landscapes.     

An Investigation of Environmental Racism Claims: Testing Environmental Management Approaches with a Geographic Information System

The purpose of this research was to explore the concept of an environmental racism claim through the use of several environmental management tools. The EPAs Toxics Release Inventory, Cumulative Exposure Project, and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services' Hot Zone Census Tract Assessment were combined with racial and socioeconomic data to test claims that minorities in South Central Los Angeles are disproportionately exposed to environmental lead. Multivariate analysis indicated that race is strongly associated with the number of cases of elevated blood lead levels in South Central, irrespective of poverty status. Proximity to point sources, a common focal point for studies of environmental racism, was not a contributing factor to health outcomes. Proximity to transportation corridors was consistently the strongest indicator of environmental lead exposure, while median home values were significantly and positively related to elevated blood lead levels. Implications for environmental justice advocates and social and environmental scientists are discussed.