PAH-concentrations and compositions in the top 2 cm of forest soils along a 120 km long transect through agricultural areas, forests and the city of Oslo, Norway

The top 2 cm of forest soils were collected along a 120 km long south-north transect running through Norway's largest city Oslo. Forty samples were analysed for their polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH(16) as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) concentrations and compositions. Local variations in the PAH values are high and the reported concentrations are in general low (maximum sumPAH16: 2.6 mg/kg). The transect shows distinct differences of sumPAH16 values from south to north. PAH concentrations are substantially lower in the less populated areas at the north end of the transect than at the urbanised and much more populated south end. Several high values occur in a forested area to the north of Oslo, used for recreation purposes. The PAH distribution patterns point towards a predominantly pyrogenic origin. Local Cambrian carbon-rich black shales can be excluded as sources for PAHs in the forest soils.     

Antimicrobial resistance among Pseudomonas spp. and the Bacillus cereus group isolated from Danish agricultural soil

From four Danish pig farms, bacteria of Pseudomonas spp. and the Bacillus cereus group were isolated from soil and susceptibility towards selected antimicrobials was tested. From each farm, soil samples representing soil just before and after spread of animal waste and undisturbed agricultural soil, when possible, were collected. Soil from a well-characterized Danish farm soil (H?jbakkegaard) was collected for comparison. The Pseudomonas spp. and B. cereus were chosen as representative for Gram-negative and Gram-positive indigenous soil bacteria to test the effect of spread of animal waste on selection of resistance among soil bacteria. No variations in resistance levels were observed between farms; but when the four differently treated soils were compared, resistance was seen for carbadox, chloramphenicol, nalidixan (nalidixic acid), nitrofurantoin, streptomycin and tetracycline for Pseudomonas spp., and for bacitracin, erythromycin, penicillin and streptomycin for the B. cereus group. Variations in resistance levels were observed when soil before and after spread of animal waste was compared, indicating an effect from spread of animal waste.     

Experimental investigation of pneumatic soil vapor extraction

Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE) is a common remediation technique for removing volatile organic compounds from unsaturated contaminated soils. Soil heterogeneities can however cause serious limitations to the applicability of SVE due to air bypassing low permeable areas of the soil, leading to diffusion limitation of the remediation. To enhance removal from areas subject to diffusion limitation a new remediation technique, pneumatic soil vapor extraction, is proposed. In contrast to traditional SVE, in which soil vapor is extracted continuously by a vacuum pump, pneumatic SVE is based on enforcing a sequence of large pressure drops on the system to enhance the recovery from the low-permeable areas. The pneumatic SVE technique was investigated in the laboratory using TCE as a model contaminant. 2D-laboratory tank experiments were performed on homogeneous and heterogeneous sand packs. The heterogeneous packs consisted of a fine sand lens surrounded by a coarser sand matrix. As expected when using traditional SVE, the removal of TCE from the low permeable lens was extremely slow and subject to diffusion limitation. In contrast when pneumatic venting was used removal rates increased by up to 77%. The enhanced removal was hypothesized to be attributed to mixing of the contaminated air inside the lens and generation of net advective transport out of the lens due to air expansion.     

Field verification of sound attenuation modeling and air emission testing in support of missile motor disposal activities

The U.S. Department of Defense-approved activities conducted at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) include both operational readiness test firing of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) motors, as well as the destruction of obsolete or otherwise unusable ICBM motors through open burn/open detonation (OB/OD). Within the Utah Division of Air Quality, these activities have been identified as having the potential to generate unacceptable noise levels, as well as significant amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Hill Air Force Base, UT, has completed a series of field tests at the UTTR in which sound-monitoring surveillance of OB/OD activities was conducted to validate the Sound Intensity Prediction System (SIPS) model. Using results generated by the SIPS model to support the decision to detonate, the UTTR successfully disposed of missile motors having an aggregate net explosive weight (NEW) of 81,374 lb without generating adverse noise levels within populated areas. In conjunction with collecting noise-monitoring data, air emissions were collected to support the development of air emission factors for both static missile motor firings and OB/OD activities. Through the installation of 15 ground-based air samplers, the generation of combustion-fixed gases, VOCs, and chlorides was monitored during the 81,374-lb NEW detonation event. Comparison of field measurements to predictions generated from the US Navy energetic combustion pollutant formation model, POLU4WN, indicated that, as the detonation fire ball expanded, organic compounds, as well as CO, continued to oxidize as the combustion gases mixed with ambient air. VOC analysis of air samplers confirmed the presence of chloromethane, vinyl chloride, benzene, toluene, and 2-methyl-1-propene. Qualitative chloride analysis indicated that gaseous HCl was generated at low concentrations, if at all.     

Explaining implementation behaviour of the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

This paper explains the perceived implementation behaviour of counties in the United States with respect to the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The system represents a massive and historic policy mandate designed to restructure, standardise and thereby unify the efforts of a wide variety of emergency management entities. Specifically, this study examined variables identified in the NIMS and policy literature that might influence the behavioural intentions and actual behaviour of counties. It found that three key factors limit or promote how counties intend to implement NIMS and how they actually implement the system: policy characteristics related to NIMS, implementer views and a measure of local capacity. One additional variable—inter‐organisational characteristics—was found to influence only actual behaviour. This study's findings suggest that the purpose underlying NIMS may not be fulfilled and confirm what disaster research has long suggested: the potential for standardisation in emergency management is limited.     

The Incident Command System: a literature review

Given the foundational and the fundamental role that the Incident Command System (ICS) is intended to play in on‐scene response efforts across the United States, it is important to determine what is known about the system and how this is known. Accordingly, this study addresses the following research question: ‘How has research explored the ICS?’. To probe this question, a methodological review of the scant, but widening, pool of research literature directly related to the ICS was conducted. This paper reports on the findings of the analysis related to the focus, theoretical frameworks, population and sampling, methods, results, and conclusions of the existing research literature. While undertaken using different methodological approaches, the ICS research suggests that the system may be limited in its usefulness. In addition, the paper discusses the implications of the research for the state of knowledge of the system and for the direction of future research.     

Fishery Enhancement Reef Building Exercise

The constructive use of coal-fired power station waste products for building artificial reefs is being explored for the first time in the U.K. at present, the practice of sea dumping of raw pulverised fuel ash (PFA) from coal combustion is under review and the use of consolidated PFA blocks offers a possible alternative. the planned fitting of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) plant in the U.K. will additionally produce large quantities of gypsum. to test the environmental compatability of such materials in marine structures, an experimental reef has been constructed off the central south coast of the U.K. Fifty tonnes of blocks made from different combinations of PFA, gypsum, FGD waste water sludge, cement and gravel using standard concrete as the control material, were deployed. the site selected is remote from prominent sea bed features in an area of flat sand with limited species variety.The preliminary studies leading to the licensing of this project included bioassay experiments with diatom cultures, field trials with test tiles and trace metal bioaccumulation studies the stages of consultation and licensing of the project are outlined.

Colonisation of the reef has been rapid, initially by shoaling fish, particularly by bib (Trisopterus luscus) then, within the first month, by representatives of the commercial crab and lobster species typical of the local natural rocky coast. After three months the epifauna and flora were well established. at this stage some 80 species of flora and fauna have been identified in association with the reef with no differentiation in colonisation apparent between the PFA/gypsum mixtures and the concrete control. the number of species far exceeds that of PFA powder dumping grounds. Analyses for heavy metal ions in the reef blocks after 2 months immersion have not shown any significant difference from the original composition.     

Depletion of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during sewage sludge composting

Sewage and sewage sludge is known to contain pharmaceuticals, and since sewage sludge is often used as fertilizer within agriculture, the reduction of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) Citalopram, Sertraline, Paroxetine, Fluvoxamine and Fluoxetine during composting has been investigated. Sewage sludge was spiked with the SSRIs before the composting experiment started, and the concentration of the SSRIs in the sludge during a 21 day composting period was measured by liquid phase microextraction (LPME) and high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. All the SSRIs had a significant decrease in concentration during the composting process. The highest reduction rates were measured for Fluoxetine and Paroxetine and the lowest for Citalopram. In addition three out of four known SSRI metabolites were found in all the samples, and two of them showed a significant increase in concentration during the composting period.