Petroleum and hazardous chemical spills in Newark Bay, New Jersey, USA from 1982 to 1991

Newark Bay, New Jersey, is particularly vulnerable to ecological damage from petroleum and chemical spills, as a result of the enclosed nature and shallow depth of the bay, the high frequency of shipping traffic, and the numerous chemical and petroleum transfer terminals located alongs its shores. To evaluate the potential impacts to the natural resources of this coastal estuarine ecosystem, chemical and petroleum accidents reported to the US Coast Guard (USCG) between 1982 and 1991 were compiled to determine the frequency and volume of these incidents in Newark Bay and in each of its major tributaries. Records obtained from the USCG National Response Center's computerized database indicated that more than 1453 accidental incidents, resulting in the release of more than 18 million US gallons of hazardous materials and petroleum products, occurred throughout Newark Bay during this period of time. The bulk of the materials released to the aquatic environment consisted of petroleum products, specifically No. 6 Fuel Oil (103 spills, 12 829 272 US gal) and gasoline (207 spills, 48 816 US gal). The majority of the reported incidents occurred in the Arthur Kill and its tributaries, as well as in the Kill Van Kull and the Passaic River. The results of this study indicated that the accidental discharge of petroleum and hazardous chemicals represents a significant source of chemical pollution in Newark Bay. Based on the frequency of spills and the volume of materials released to the aquatic environment, it is likely that these events are having a deleterious effect on the Newark Bay ecosystem.     

Assessment of hazards associated with pesticide container disposal and of rinsing procedures as a means of enabling disposal of pesticide containers in sanitary landfills

To study problems associated with pesticide container disposal, a small vegetable production area in southwestern Ontario, the Thedford Marsh, was selected as the site for a model study. A container collection system was organized during the 1981 growing season, with collections being made from the ca. 50 growers on the marsh twice each month. In addition to the regular collection program a cleanup service for empty pesticide containers stored on farms or discarded on public lands also was initiated. More than 3600 containers were collected and disposed of at an authorized landfill site. Ca. 2/3 were herbicide containers, ca. 1/4 were insecticide containers, and 3% were fungicide containers. Unrinsed containers contained as much as 5 1/2% of the original contents with an average of 1%. Containers rinsed by the triple rinse method or using rinsing devices (E-Z Rinse, JET Rinse) generally contained less than 0.1% of the original content. Some formulations presented rinsing problems due to settling and caking. The results indicated that, while unacceptable quantities of pesticide residues remain in unrinsed containers, most rinsed pesticide containers will be acceptable for disposal at municipal sanitary landfill sites.     

Studies on transitory laxative effects of sorbitol and maltitol I: Estimation of 50% effective dose and maximum non-effective dose

The dose-response relationship between low-caloric sweetening agents, sorbitol and maltitol, administered orally in single doses, and the induction of diarrheal symptoms was investigated. Seven healthy male and 7 healthy female Japanese each in their twenties, thirties, and forties, respectively, or a total of 42 subjects were admitted to the study. The 50% laxative effective dose of sorbitol was estimated to be 0.4 g/kg for males and 1.0 g/kg for females and that of maltitol was estimated to be 0.8 g/kg for both males and females. The maximum non-effective dose of sorbitol was estimated to be 0.15 g/kg for males and 0.3 g/kg for females and that of maltitol was estimated to be 0.3 g/kg for both males and females.     

The fate of chlorobenzenes and permethrins during anaerobic sewage sludge digestion

Mixed primary sewage sludge was incubated anaerobically with and without azide addition to prevent biological activity. The behaviour of 1,3-, 1,4- and 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1,3,5-, 1,2,4- and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene, 1,2,3,4- and 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene, hexachlorobenzene, and cis- and trans-permethrin was examined to determine their potential removal during anaerobic digestion. All the chlorobenzenes were removed to varying extents over 32 days of incubation, ranging from 25% removal for 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene to 80% removal for 1,4-dichlorobenzene. Biodegradation may have been responsible for the reductions in 1,3- and 1,4-dichlorobenzene and 1,2,4- and 1,2,3-trichlorobenzene as there was no significant removal of these compounds in azide treated sludge. The removal over 32 days of cis- and transpermethrin was 87% and 96% respectively. These removals were attributed to a chemical or physical process.     

Aerobic ethanol production by leaves: Evidence for air pollution stress in trees of the Ohio River Valley, USA

We measured the frequency with which leaves of trees in the Ohio River Valley produced ethanol aerobically, to determine if aerobic ethanol production might provide a viable field assay for air pollution stress. Leaves were collected from trees during the summers of 1985 and 1986 and ethanol production was determined using headspace GC. Frequency of ethanol production was compared with environmental factors, including air pollution concentrations. We found frequent foliar ethanol production and elevated alcohol dehydrogenase activity in the leaves of several species of trees in the Ohio River Valley, USA. The ethanol concentrations measured were often equivalent to those produced by anaerobic leaves. Ethanol production was associated with hot, hazy weather and elevated NO(2) concentrations. Ethanol production was more frequent in urban and industrialized areas. Ethanol production was not associated with natural stresses such as flooding and herbivory. We propose that aerobic ethanol production is the result of cell acidification due to the accumulation of acidic gases in the cytoplasm. The use of ethanol production as a diagnostic tool for detecting stress imposed by acidic gases is discussed.     

Phthalate ester speciation in estuarine water, suspended particulates and sediments

Following earlier work (Al-Omran & Preston, 1987) in which phthalate ester speciation was examined in laboratory studies, the present paper describes the results of an attempt to validate the results by field measurements in the River Mersey Estuary, Liverpool, UK. Samples of water, suspended solids and sediments were analysed for their phthalate ester content. Solid samples were also analysed for their carbon, organic carbon and lipid content. A comparison of the field and laboratory results confirms the association between diethylhexyl phthalate and small particles and shows that other phthalates tend to be associated with relatively coarse, lipid-rich particles. Partition coefficients between dissolved phthalate esters and suspended particles are calculated and compared with other laboratory studies.