Plant species richness of riverbed elevations—the Pripyat river valley case study

Flora of the still unchanged or slightly modified floodplains is particularly valuable. Such are the natural, periodically flooded riparian ecosystems within the Mid-Pripyat river valley in Belarus. Distinctive elements of that area are ‘periodic islands’, which arise from the most elevated parts of the riverbed during flooding and have a specific microtopography. The aim of the research was to recognize floristic composition and ecological conditions of the ‘islands.’ Noted plants were mainly photophilous, by clearly varied in soil moisture, acidity and fertility requirements.     

Possibilities for the efficient utilisation of spent geothermal waters

Waters located at greater depths usually exhibit high mineral content, which necessitates the use of closed systems, i.e. re-injecting them into the formation after recovering the heat. This significantly reduces investment efficiency owing to the need to drill absorption wells and to perform anti-corrosion and anti-clogging procedures. In this paper, possibilities for the efficient utilisation of cooled geothermal waters are considered, particularly with respect to open or mixed geothermal water installations. Where cooled water desalination technologies are used, this allows the water to be demineralised and used to meet local needs (as drinking water and for leisure purposes). The retentate left as a by-product of the process contains valuable ingredients that can be used for balneological and/or leisure purposes. Thus, the technology for desalinating spent geothermal waters with high mineral content allows improved water management on a local scale and makes it possible to minimise the environmental threat resulting from the need to dump these waters into waterways or surface water bodies and/or inject them into the formation. The paper is concerned with Polish geothermal system and provides information about the parameters of Polish geothermal waters.     

Reduction of Baltic Sea Nutrient Inputs and Allocation of Abatement Costs Within the Baltic Sea Catchment

The Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) requires tools to simulate effects and costs of various nutrient abatement strategies. Hierarchically connected databases and models of the entire catchment have been created to allow decision makers to view scenarios via the decision support system NEST. Increased intensity in agriculture in transient countries would result in increased nutrient loads to the Baltic Sea, particularly from Poland, the Baltic States, and Russia. Nutrient retentions are high, which means that the nutrient reduction goals of 135 000 tons N and 15 000 tons P, as formulated in the BSAP from 2007, correspond to a reduction in nutrient loadings to watersheds by 675 000 tons N and 158 000 tons P. A cost-minimization model was used to allocate nutrient reductions to measures and countries where the costs for reducing loads are low. The minimum annual cost to meet BSAP basin targets is estimated to 4.7 billion €.     

Contamination levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in wild versus cultivated samples of female and male mussels (Mytilus sp.) from the Northwest Coast of Iberian Peninsula—new application for QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) methodology

A newly analytical method based on QuEChERS extraction followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was developed and validated for the quantification of 18 PCBs in wild (from Matosinhos Beach, Portugal) and cultivated (from Ria de Arousa, Spain) mussel samples, pooled by sex. Wild animals showed higher PCB levels than cultivated mussels, with males from both origins, presenting an upper contamination profile comparing with females. This fact seems to be correlated with few biometric parameters, but other interdependencies, not addressed herein, such as distinct lipid contents between sexes, as a consequence of the gametogenic stage, may also explain this data. Overall, data reiterate the importance of investigating the presence of PCBs in marine biological samples, which can act both as bioindicators of environmental contamination, either as food quality controls for human health.     

Spatial distribution and reduction of PCDD/PCDF Toxic Equivalents along three shallow lowland reservoirs

Reservoirs situated along a river continuum are ecosystems where rates of transfer of suspended matter and associated micropollutants are reduced due to sedimentation, accumulation, and biological and physical transformation processes. Among the micropollutants, PCDDs and PCDFs are substances that are highly toxic and carcinogenic for humans and animals. They are emitted and dispersed in the environment throughout the whole catchment area and may accumulate in aquatic and terrestrial food chains, creating a risk for human health. A wealth of data exists indicating the increase in the concentrations of pollutants along a river continuum. A comparative analysis of total, individual, and TEQ PCDD/PCDF concentrations in large lowland, shallow reservoirs located in different catchments (“I”—industrial/urban/agricultural, “U”—urban/agricultural, and “A”—agricultural/rural) showed decreases of the TEQ concentrations in bottom sediments along a gradient from the middle sections to the dam walls. Moreover, penta-, hexa-, and heptachlorinated CDD/CDF congeners were reduced from 28.8 up to 93.6 % in all three types of reservoirs. A further analysis of water samples from the inlets and outlets of the “A” reservoir confirmed this tendency.     

Frequency of micronuclei and of other nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes of the grey mullet from the Mondego,Douro and Ave estuaries—Portugal

Fish are bioindicators of water pollution, and an increased rate of their erythrocyte nuclear morphological abnormalities (ENMAs)—and particularly of erythrocyte micronuclei (EMN)—is used as a genotoxicity biomarker. Despite the potential value of ENMAs and MN, there is scarce information about fish captured in Iberian estuaries. This is the case of the Portuguese estuaries of the Mondego, Douro and Ave, suffering from different levels of environmental stress and where chemical surveys have been disclosing significant amounts of certain pollutants. So, the aim of this study was to evaluate genotoxicants impacts and infer about the exposure at those ecosystems, using the grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) as bioindicator and considering the type and frequency of nuclear abnormalities of erythrocytes as proxies of genotoxicity. Sampling of mullets was done throughout the year in the important Mondego, Douro and Ave River estuaries (centre and north-western Portugal). The fish (total n?=?242) were caught in campaigns made in spring–summer and autumn–winter, using nets or fishing rods. The sampled mullets were comparable between locations in terms of the basic biometric parameters. Blood smears were stained with Diff-Quik to assess the frequencies of six types of ENMAs and MN (given per 1,000 erythrocytes). Some basic water physicochemical parameters were recorded to search for fluctuations matching the ENMAs. Overall, the most frequent nucleus abnormality was the polymorphic type, sequentially followed by the blebbed/lobed/notched, segmented, kidney shaped, vacuolated, MN and binucleated. The total average frequency of the ENMAs ranged from 73?‰ in the Mondego to 108?‰ in the Ave. The polymorphic type was typically ≥50 % of the total ENMAs, averaging about 51?‰, when considering all three estuaries. The most serious lesion—the MN—in fish from Mondego and Douro had a similar frequency (≈0.38?‰), which was significantly lower than that in the Ave (0.75?‰). No significant seasonal differences existed as to the MN rates and seasonal differences existed almost only in the Douro, with the higher values in AW. In general, the pattern of ENMAs frequencies was unrelated with the water physicochemical parameters. Considering the data for both the total ENMAs and for each specific abnormality, and bearing in mind that values of MN in fish erythrocytes >0.3?‰ usually reflect pollution by genotoxicants, it is suggested that mullets were likely being chronically exposed to such compounds, even in the allegedly less polluted ecosystem (Mondego). Moreover, data supported the following pollution exposure gradient: Mondego?<?Douro?<?Ave. The scenario and inferences nicely agree with the published data from chemical monitoring.     

DNA and chromosomal damage induced in fish (Anguilla anguilla L.) by aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA)—the major environmental breakdown product of glyphosate

The assessment of the direct impact of breakdown products of pesticide components on aquatic wildlife is ecotoxicologically relevant, but frequently disregarded. In this context, the evaluation of the genotoxic hazard posed by aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA—the major natural degradation product of glyphosate) to fish emerges as a critical but unexplored issue. Hence, the main goal of the present research was to assess the AMPA genotoxic potential to fish following short-term exposures (1 and 3 days) to environmentally realistic concentrations (11.8 and 23.6 μg L^?1), using the comet and erythrocytic nuclear abnormalities (ENA) assays, as reflecting different levels of damage, i.e. DNA and chromosomal damage, respectively. Overall, the present findings pointed out the genotoxic hazard of AMPA to fish and, subsequently, the importance of including it in future studies concerning the risk assessment of glyphosate-based herbicides in the water systems.     

The health risk assessment of organochlorine pesticides in smoked fish products available in Szczecin,Poland

The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of organochlorine pesticides [HCH and isomers (α, β, γ), aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide and DDT and its metabolites (op’-DDD, pp’-DDD, op’-DDT, pp’-DDE, pp’-DDT] in smoked fish. Analysis was made of 12 typical smoked fish products that are the most popular among customers from the city of Szczecin, Poland. Pesticide residues were found in all samples of smoked fish. The smoked sprat and cold-smoked Baltic salmon were the most contaminated smoked fish products in terms of chlorine pesticides. The sum of DDT metabolites ranged from 1.48 (smoked mackerel) to 35.53 ng/g wet weight (smoked sprat), with the lowest concentrations found for op’-DDT and the highest for pp’-DDE. The level of heptachlor epoxide isomer B was low and ranged from 0.06 ± 0.01 (smoked eel) to 0.27 ± 0.07 ng/g w.w. (smoked sprat). The content of heptachlor was 0.48–1.99 ng/g w.w. Concentration of endrin was higher compared to other pesticides, ranged from 1.50 (cold-smoked salmon fillet) to 16.84 ng/g w.w (hot-smoked warehou). The contamination of smoked products was significantly low and poses no risk to the health of consumers provided that they eat a diverse diet. The concentration of organochlorine pesticides in the analysed products was below the standards accepted in European countries.     

Evaluation and validation of two different chromatographic methods (HPLC and LC-MS/MS) for the determination and confirmation of ochratoxin A in pig tissues

This study was undertaken to compare two different analytical methods for the determination and confirmation of ochratoxin A (OTA) in blood serum, kidney and liver of pigs. Sample clean-up was based on liquid-liquid phase extraction. The detection of OTA was accomplished with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined either with fluorescence detection (FL) or electro spray ionization (ESI+) tandem mass spectrometry (MS–MS). Comparative method evaluation was based on the investigation of 90 samples of blood serum, kidney and liver per animal originating from different regions of Serbia. The analytical results are discussed in view of the respective method validation data and the corresponding experimental protocols. In general, analytical data obtained with (LC–MS–MS) liquid chromatography electro spray tandem mass spectro metry detection offered comparable good results at the sub-ppb concentration level. The results indicate that the liquid chromatography electro spray tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method was more specific and sensitive for the analysis and confirmation of ochratoxin A in pig tissues then high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method after methylation of OTA.     

Mercury in European Blushers,Amanita rubescens,mushrooms and topsoils: Bioconcentration potential and intake assessment

Total mercury content has been determined in fruiting bodies of European Blushers and topsoils collected from 11 sites across Poland in 2006-2008. Mercury analysis was carried out using a validated analytical method and cold-vapour atomic absorption (CV-AAS). The European Blusher effectively accumulated mercury in fruiting bodies. The mean values of total mercury in caps of European Blushers from background (uncontaminated) areas were from 0.22 to 1.0 (0.067-3.2) and in stipes from 0.16 to 0.65 (0.071-2.7) μg/g dry weight. In topsoil beneath to fruiting bodies, the median Hg concentration at 10 sites in Northern Poland varied between 0.030 and 0.072 (0.0096–0.19) μg/g dw, and in one site in Southern Poland was 0.20 (0.079–0.34) μg/g dw. Data on Hg in European Blushers from different countries were reviewed. The mean concentrations of total Hg in caps of European Blushers from two “pristine” sites in northern part of Poland were ～1.0 μg/g dw. A meal made with 300–500 g of fresh caps of European Blushers collected at such sites (assuming 90% water content in caps) can result in Hg intake of 0.0003–0.0005 mg Hg/kg bm (assuming a 60 kg bm), which is a dose equipotent to a new provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) value set for inorganic Hg.