Total mercury determination in sand boxes from Montreal

Direct mercury analysis was successfully applied to determine trace levels of total mercury in samples from sand boxes in Montréal (Québec, Canada). Twenty sand boxes were sampled from across the city and divided into two size fractions, a fine fraction (<100 microm) and a whole fraction. The concentrations of mercury ranged from 1.6 to 35 microg Hg kg(-1) dry soil for the fine fraction and from 0.7 to 6 microg Hg kg(-1) dry soil for the whole fraction. The mercury concentrations correlated with the soil organic carbon content (R2= 0.67) in the sand. The ratio of the concentration of mercury in the fine over the whole fraction varied from 2.2 to 18. Using published soil ingestion rates for children, the calculated daily intake values varied from 0 to 0.5 ng Hg kg(-1) bw d(-1) with an estimated oral ingestion of 200 mg of sand and from 0.2 to 4.7 ng Hg kg(-1) bw d(-1) with an ingestion of 1750 mg of sand. None of the sand boxes contain sufficient amounts of mercury so as to exceed the currently accepted daily intake threshold of 0.105 microg Hg kg(-1) bw d(-1) established by Health Canada.     

EIA training courses organized by the centre for environmental management and planning,University of Aberdeen: An analysis of experience

In 1980, the World Health Organization (Regional Office for Europe) invited The Centre for Environmental Management and Planning (CEMP) to organize a two-week training course on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to provide a comprehensive introduction to EIA with emphasis on methods and techniques for impact identification, prediction and assessment. Not suprisingly the topic of environmental health impact assessment was to be a major focus. Since 1980, the course has been held each year at the University of Aberdeen. An analysis of participation in the course during its first five years yields several impressions about the success of this training effort and the ways in which it might be improved.     

The impact of a disused mine on uranium transport in the River Fal, South West England

Unfiltered and filtered (0.45 and 0.2 microm) water samples and sediment samples (sieved to <180 microm and 180-1000 microm) were collected along an approximately 15 km transect of the River Fal, Cornwall, UK, to examine the impact of the disused South Terras uranium mine on the uranium concentrations of the river water and underlying sediments. The uranium concentration of the water samples fluctuated along the river, with the 0.45 microm filtered water showing the largest, seven-fold, difference between minimum (0.19 microg L(-1)) and maximum (1.34 microg L(-1)) concentrations. The historical uranium mine and spoil heaps were not a significant source of uranium to the river water, as water concentrations were low next to the site, but a highly elevated uranium concentration (1000 mg kg(-1)) was found in sediment below an outflow pipe from this mine. Operationally defined "colloidal" (0.2-0.45 microm) and "dissolved" (<0.2 microm) uranium were the predominant forms of the element in the river water (35 and 45% respectively). The uranium concentration in the dissolved phase showed a correlation coefficient of 0.83 (n= 9) with the total cation concentration, suggesting that the uranium concentration in this fraction is directly linked to weathering of rocks and minerals. The observation that weathering is the dominant mechanism delivering uranium to the river water explains the low uranium concentrations in the river water close to South Terras mine, despite the proximity of the spoil heaps, and the maximum uranium concentrations close to a china clay mining area.     

Environmental indicators for long-range atmospheric transported heavy metals based on national moss surveys

Environmental indicators for long-range atmospheric transported heavy metals have been developed. The indicators are based on data for Pb and Cd from national moss surveys which are performed regularly in Norway. The interpolation programme kriging has been used to transform the data from irregular grids to regular grids. Contour maps have been produced, and areas above estimated background levels for Pb and Cd in mosses have been calculated. The indicators are used to characterise the atmospheric deposition of long-range atmospheric transported heavy metals and monitor the changes with time.     

Associations between distance lags,groundwater velocities,and detection efficiencies in groundwater monitoring networks

Effects of distance lags between landfills and monitoring wells on contaminant detection capability were quantified in several groundwater velocity settings. Detection efficiency calculations were made with and without imposing a time limit on contaminant travel. In general, longer distance lags yieldedhigher detection efficiencies. However, detection efficienciesdecreased as monitoring wells approached a buffer zone boundaryimposing a maximum permissible contaminant transport distance.Imposing a time limit on contaminant travel substantially reduced detection efficiency in low velocity settings, especiallyat longer distance lags. Time limits were less significant in high velocity settings where contaminants more quickly reachedmonitoring wells. Detection efficiencies also decreased as velocity increased, but decreases were minor once the velocityreached a threshold value.     

A framework for assessment and monitoring of small mammals in a lowland tropical forest

Development projects in tropical forests can impact biodiversity.Assessment and monitoring programs based on the principles of adaptive management assist managers to identify and reduce suchimpacts. The small mammal community is one important component ofa forest ecosystem that may be impacted by development projects. In 1996, a natural gas exploration project was initiated in a Peruvian rainforest. The Smithsonian Institution's Monitoring andAssessment of Biodiversity program cooperated with Shell Prospecting and Development Peru to establish an adaptive management program to protect the region's biodiversity. In thisarticle, we discuss the role of assessing and monitoring small mammals in relation to the natural gas project. We outline theconceptual issues involved in establishing an assessment andmonitoring program, including setting objectives, evaluating the results and making appropriate decisions. We also summarizethe steps taken to implement the small mammal assessment, provideresults from the assessment and discuss protocols to identifyappropriate species for monitoring.     

A Screening Procedure for Identifying Acid-Sensitive Lakes from Catchment Characteristics

Monitoring of Wilderness lakes for potential acidification requires information on lake sensitivity to acidification. Catchment properties can be used to estimate the acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) of lakes. Conceptual and general linear models were developed to predict the ANC of lakes in high-elevation (2170 m) Wilderness Areas in Californias Sierra Nevada mountains. Catchment-to-lake area ratio, lake perimeter-to-area ratio, bedrock lithology, vegetation cover, and lake headwater location are significant variables explaining ANC. The general linear models were validated against independently collected water chemistry data and were used as part of a first stage screen to identify Wilderness lakes with low ANC. Expanded monitoring of atmospheric deposition is essential for improving the predictability of lake ANC.     

Assessment of the Status of Urban Air pollution And Its Impact on Human Health in the City of Kolkata

Air pollution has significant effects on exacerbation of asthma, allergy and other respiratory diseases. Like many other magacities in the world the ambient air quality of Kolkata is also being deteriorated day by day. Automobile exhausts and certain industrial pollutants produce O₃ by photochemical reactions. The particulate matter, particularly less than 10 μ in size, can pass through the natural protective mechanism of human respiratory system and plays an important role in genesis and augmentation of allergic disorders. Sources of air pollution in the area and the unique problem arising out of the emission from the vehicles, industries, etc. have been described. Ambient air quality was monitored along with micrometeorological data and the results are discussed. The status of air pollution in the area has been evaluated and a questionnaire survey was conducted to estimate the allergic symptoms and exposure to assess the respiratory disorders. The data are analysed to evaluate the critical situation arising out of the emission of air pollutants and the impact on human health due to respirable diseases (RDs) to middle class sub-population (activity-wise) in the area are assessed. A strategic air quality management plan has been proposed. For the mitigation of air pollution problems in the city, the different measures to be adopted to maintain the balance between sustainable development and environmental management have been discussed.     

Incidence of stress in benthic communities along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts within different ranges of sediment contamination from chemical mixtures

Synoptic data on concentrations of sediment-associated chemical contaminants and benthic macroinfaunal community structure were collected from 1,389 stations in estuaries along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts as part of the nationwide Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). These data were used to develop an empirical framework for evaluating risks of benthic community-level effects within different ranges of sediment contamination from mixtures of multiple chemicals present at varying concentrations. Sediment contamination was expressed as the mean ratio of individual chemical concentrations relative to corresponding sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), including Effects Range-Median (ERM) and Probable Effects Level (PEL) values. Benthic condition was assessed using diagnostic, multi-metric indices developed for each of three EMAP provinces (Virginian, Carolinian, and Louisianian). Cumulative percentages of stations with a degraded benthic community were plotted against ascending values of the mean ERM and PEL quotients. Based on the observed relationships, mean SQG quotients were divided into four ranges corresponding to either a low, moderate, high, or very high incidence of degraded benthic condition. Results showed that condition of the ambient benthic community provides a reliable and sensitive indicator for evaluating the biological significance of sediment-associated stressors. Mean SQG quotients marking the beginning of the contaminant range associated with the highest incidence of benthic impacts (73–100% of samples, depending on the province and type of SQG) were well below those linked to high risks of sediment toxicity as determined by short-term toxicity tests with single species. Measures of the ambient benthic community reflect the sensitivities of multiple species and life stages to persistent exposures under actual field conditions. Similar results were obtained with preliminary data from the west coast (Puget Sound).