The analysis of human health risk with a detailed procedure operating in a GIS environment

An approach for quantifying the human health risk caused by industrial sources, which, daily or accidentally, emit dangerous pollutants able to impact on different environmental media, is introduced. The approach is performed by the HHRA-GIS tool which employs an integrated, multimedia, multi-exposure pathways and multi-receptors risk assessment model able to manage all the steps of the analysis in a georeferenced structure. Upper-bound excess lifetime cancer risk and noncarcinogenic hazards are the risk measures, the spatial distribution of which is calculated and mapped on the involved territory, once all the pathways and receptors of the study area are identified. A sensitivity analysis completes the calculations allowing to understand how risk estimates are dependent on variability in the factors contributing to risk. The last part of the paper makes use of a case study concerning a working industrial site to put in evidence in which way the designed tool can help local authorities and policy makers in managing risks and planning remedial and reduction actions. The considered geographical area is a hypothetical territory characterized by residential, agricultural and industrial zones. The presence of two sources of contamination, a municipal waste incinerator (MWI) and a contaminated site, are evaluated by the tool application. Various typologies of receptors have been taken into account, each of them characterized by different anatomical and dietary properties. The achieved results are analyzed, compared with acceptable and background values and alternatives of minor environmental impact calculated.     

Physical resuspension and vertical mixing of sediments on a high energy continental margin (Sydney, Australia)

Four sediment cores from the continental margin adjacent to Sydney were analyzed for 210Pb, 137Cs, trace metals (Ag, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn), iron, dry bulk density, mud and moisture content. The concentrations of trace metals in the total sediment are low at all sites, although slightly elevated concentrations of Ag, Cu, Pb and Zn are present in the fine fraction of sediment (< 62.5 microns) near a major ocean outfall. Concentrations of trace metals in the fine fraction of sediment are similar in the upper 10-15 cm, indicating strong vertical mixing of the sediments, whereas an upward coarsening grain size in the upper 1-3 cm of sediment supports physical resuspension during storms. Sediment accumulation rates on the middle shelf adjacent to Sydney were estimated from downcore profiles of 210Pb and 137Cs and range between 0.2 and 0.4 cm yr-1. Although the mass fluxes of Cu, Pb and Zn within a distance of 2 km from the outfall (up to 36.1, 30.8 and 86.2 micrograms cm-2 yr-1, respectively) are greater than 20 km north of the outfall (< 23.5 micrograms cm-2 yr-1), the low concentrations of trace metals in sediments near the outfall support an efficient dispersal of anthropogenic contaminants on this continental margin.     

Decolorization of Remazol Black-B using a thermotolerant yeast, Kluyveromyces marxianus IMB3

The ability of Kluyveromyces marxianus IMB3 to decolorize Remazol Black-B dye was investigated. The effect of environmental conditions, such as pH and temperature were examined. No noticeable effects on decolorization were observed when pH varied from 3.0-5.5. Maximum colour removal, 98%, was achieved at 37 degrees C. Little or no colour removal was detected when K. marxianus IMB3 was incubated under anaerobic conditions. Further investigation, in which decolorization was monitored under extreme temperatures and low pH (to inhibit growth) and using ten fold dense inoculum, revealed that decolorization was due to biosorption to the yeast cells and not due to a metabolic reaction.     

Polybrominated diphenyl ether in the East Asian environment: a critical review

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been extensively used as flame retardants in consumer goods. Sufficient evidence shows that PBDEs have been rapidly accumulating in the environment worldwide. In Asia, deca-bromodiphenyl ether has been produced and used in large quantities, while penta-BDE has largely ceased in the mid-1990s. This paper summarizes and critically reviews the status of PBDE pollution in East Asia, with emphases on the comparisons with Europe and North America and the interpretation of the differences. In general, the concentrations of PBDEs in atmosphere, sludge, human and biological samples of East Asia are comparable to or lower than those in Europe and North America. However, in the sediments of waters near densely populated and heavily industrialized areas, PBDE levels are among the highest ever reported in the literature. In Japan and China, concentrations of PBDEs in sediment cores showed an increasing trend for the past 20-30 years. Also, PBDEs levels in human breast milk in Japan increased about 10-fold in the past 20 years. The presence of PBDEs in fur seal has increased about 150-fold in 1994 than that in 1972. Regional and inter-continental transport cannot be confirmed due to insufficient information. However, the detection of a number of PBDE congeners in a pristine lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau may be an evidence of their long-range transport.     

The Response of Hydrophytes to Environmental Pollution with Heavy Metals

The effects of Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Ni²⁺ at low and high concentrations (0.025 and 0.25 mg/ml) on the accumulation capacity, the state of the pigment complex, and photosynthesis rate have been studied in model experiments with three floating hydrophytes (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae L., Lemna gibba L., and Potamogeton natans L.) and four submerged hydrophytes (Elodea canadensis Michx., Lemna trisulka L., Ceratophyllum demersum L., and Potamogeton lucens L.). Copper and cadmium are especially toxic at the concentrations studied. The effect of Cu²⁺ was the strongest in hydatophytes, and the effect of Cd²⁺, in pleustophytes. It is hypothesized that the differences between hydrophytes with respect to accumulation of metals and decrease in photosynthesis rate may cause predominant elimination of submerged species. Therefore, changes in the species structure of hydrophyte communities may be expected in waters polluted with metals.     

Carbon Emission from the Surface of Coarse Woody Debris in Korean Pine Forests of Southern Primorye

Carbon dioxide fluxes from the surface of coarse woody debris (CWD) have been measured in Korean pine forests of the southern Sikhote-Alin mountain range. The seasonal dynamics of oxidative conversion of CWD carbon have been evaluated, and average values of the CO₂ emission rate have been determined for CWD fragments of three tree species at different stages of decomposition. The degree of decomposition is an important factor of spatial variation in CO₂ emission rate, and temporal variation in this parameter is adequately described by an exponential function of both CWD temperature and air temperature (R² = 0.65–0.75).     

Pectenotoxins--an issue for public health: a review of their comparative toxicology and metabolism.

Pectenotoxins (PTXs) are a group of toxins associated with diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and isolated from DSP toxin-producing dinoflagellate algae. Consumption of shellfish contaminated with PTXs has been associated with incidences of severe diarrhetic illness resulting in hospitalisation. Concern has been raised for public health following the discovery that these toxins are not only hepatotoxic and can cause diarrhetic effects in mammals, but that they are potently cytotoxic to human cancer cell lines and have been found to be tumour promoters in animals. With advances in knowledge and technology, more PTXs are being identified, but little is known of their toxicology and the potential impact these toxins may have on public health in the long term. Without such information, adequate health-risk assessments for the consumption of shellfish contaminated with PTXs cannot be performed. This review gives a brief introduction to diarrhetic shellfish toxins, details the known toxicology and metabolism of PTXs in animals, and discusses known incidences of PTX poisoning in humans.     

The Clean Development Mechanism and Sustainable Development in China''''s Electricity Sector

1 INTRODUCTIONEnergy and environmental issues in China have receivedsignificant attention in both the peer-reviewed literatureand in international energy and environmental policymaking in the last number of years. China's coal dominatedenergy consumption results in significant regional pollutionproblems, most notably acid rain that affects nearly 1/3rdof China's landmass and air pollution that plagues manyof its major cities. China now ranks as the top emitterof sulphur dioxide (SO2) pol…     

The use of ultra filtration in trace metal speciation studies in sea water

During this work, size fractionation technique "ultra filtration" is used in speciation studies of trace elements in the coastal sea water. Filtration is the most commonly used method to fractionate trace metal species, but often only "dissolved" and "particulate" fraction. The purpose of the present study is to determine colloidal and suspended particulate concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Mn in sea water. Suspended particulate matter were separated in three different size groups namely (>2.7 microm, <2.7->0.45 microm and <0.45->0.22 microm) by suction filtration using cellulose acetate and nitrate filter membranes. Thereafter to concentrate the solution with colloidal particle <0.22 microm-1.1 nm (0.5 k Nominal Molecular Weight cut-off Limit {NMWL}), the solution obtained from filtration through <0.22 microm, is sequentially passed through the ultra-filtration membranes having pore diameters of 14 nm (300 k NMWL), 3.1 nm (50 k NMWL), 2.2 nm (30 k NMWL), 1.6 nm (10 k NMWL) and 1.1 nm (0.5 k NMWL) by using Stirred Ultra-filtration Cells, operating in concentration mode. The concentration of Fe, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Mn were measured in suspended and dissolved fraction by ion chromatography, ICP-AES and Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The salinity of the solution in various dissolved fractions of sequential filtration varies between 30.89-34.22 parts per thousand. The maximum concentrations of colloidal Zn, Cu, Ni and Mn in dissolved fraction were in <2.2->1.6 nm fraction. In case of Fe, colloidal fractions <2.2->1.6 nm and <1.6-<1.1 nm shows higher concentration. The concentration of Zn, Cu, Ni and Mn increase with decrease in size in suspended particulate matter, while the reverse is observed in case of Fe. This size separation data that specifies the partitioning of metals between dissolved and suspended solid phases is necessary for developing physically based models of metal transport in aquatic system.     

Energy use,blue water footprint,and greenhouse gas emissions for current food consumption patterns and dietary recommendations in the US

This article measures the changes in energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with shifting from current US food consumption patterns to three dietary scenarios, which are based, in part, on the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines (US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services in Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, 7th edn, US Government Printing Office, Washington, 2010). Amidst the current overweight and obesity epidemic in the USA, the Dietary Guidelines provide food and beverage recommendations that are intended to help individuals achieve and maintain healthy weight. The three dietary scenarios we examine include (1) reducing Caloric intake levels to achieve “normal” weight without shifting food mix, (2) switching current food mix to USDA recommended food patterns, without reducing Caloric intake, and (3) reducing Caloric intake levels and shifting current food mix to USDA recommended food patterns, which support healthy weight. This study finds that shifting from the current US diet to dietary Scenario 1 decreases energy use, blue water footprint, and GHG emissions by around 9 %, while shifting to dietary Scenario 2 increases energy use by 43 %, blue water footprint by 16 %, and GHG emissions by 11 %. Shifting to dietary Scenario 3, which accounts for both reduced Caloric intake and a shift to the USDA recommended food mix, increases energy use by 38 %, blue water footprint by 10 %, and GHG emissions by 6 %. These perhaps counterintuitive results are primarily due to USDA recommendations for greater Caloric intake of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and fish/seafood, which have relatively high resource use and emissions per Calorie.