Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their oxygenated derivatives in urban aerosol: levels,chemical profiles,and contribution to PM2.5 oxidative potential

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and quinones, a subgroup of oxygenated PAHs (oxy-PAHs), were measured in PM2.5 samples...     

An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

An update of the Worldwide Integrated Assessment (WIA) on systemic insecticides. Part 1: new molecules,metabolism, fate,and transport

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - With the exponential number of published data on neonicotinoids and fipronil during the last decade, an updated review of literature has been...     

Effects of local fisheries and ocean productivity on the northeastern Ionian Sea ecosystem

To better understand the effects of fisheries and ocean productivity on the northeastern Ionian Sea we constructed an Ecopath with Ecosim model with 22 functional groups. Data on biomass, production/biomass, consumption/biomass, and diet for each group were estimated or extrapolated from the literature. Fisheries landings and discards were also included. Temporal trajectories were simulated using Ecosim. The model was fitted with time-series data for the most important groups from 1964 to 2006. Simulations highlighted a decline of top predators and of most of the commercial species since the late 1970s. The model shows that the decline of fish resources was mainly caused by an intensive fishing pressure that occurred in the area until the end of the 1990s and also by changes in primary production that impacted the trajectories of the main functional groups. In particular, simulated changes through time in PP impacted the abundance trends of all the commercial species, showing a cascade-up effect through the ecosystem. The application of Ecopath with Ecosim was a useful tool for understanding the trends of the main functional groups of the northeastern Ionian Sea. The model underlined that management actions are needed to restore and protect target species including marine mammals, pelagic and demersal fishes. In particular, measures to reduce overfishing, illegal fishing activities and to respect existing legislations are in need. Moreover, the adoption of marine protected areas could be an effective management measure to guarantee prey survival and to sustain marine predators.     

Ranked set sampling allocation models for multiple skewed variables: an application to agricultural data

The mean of a balanced ranked set sample is more efficient than the mean of a simple random sample of equal size and the precision of ranked set sampling may be increased by using an unbalanced allocation when the population distribution is highly skewed. The aim of this paper is to show the practical benefits of the unequal allocation in estimating simultaneously the means of more skewed variables through real data. In particular, the allocation rule suggested in the literature for a single skewed distribution may be easily applied when more than one skewed variable are of interest and an auxiliary variable correlated with them is available. This method can lead to substantial gains in precision for all the study variables with respect to the simple random sampling, and to the balanced ranked set sampling too.     

Experimental study on thermal and toxic hazards connected to fire scenarios in road tunnels

The problem of toxic smoke in case of an accident with fire scenario is particularly severe in long tunnels and immediate effects from combustion product exposure often include fatalities. Notwithstanding extensive studies on fire simulation in tunnel, there is still a substantial lack of information on the different toxic products from combustion of light or heavy vehicles. In particular, there is a need for reliable test methods suitable to provide toxic products yields connected to defined accidental fire scenarios. In this paper, experimental runs in a laboratory scaled tunnel, simulating accidental fires of different heat release rates allowed firstly to characterize the thermal profiles in pool and car fires and to compare results by an analytical pool fire model. Results were compared as well with those obtained in a real scale tunnel, so as to quantitatively assess the scaling effect. A series of experiments was performed simulating an accidental scenario including pool fire from collision between a light vehicle and a HazMat heavy vehicle. An extensive set of experimental data allowed performing with good accuracy and reproducibility a complete characterization of toxic gases from car model fires, together with carbon monoxide and oxygen trends. The results obtained under different heat release rates allowed evidencing the dependence of the yields of toxic gases upon the considered scenario. Based on the intrinsic toxicity data of identified compounds, it is possible to draw practical conclusions, useful to assess the potential hazard associated to exposure to toxic smoke in road tunnel.     

Participatory approach, acceptability and transparency of waste management LCAs: case studies of Torino and Cuneo

The paper summarises the main results obtained from two extensive applications of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to the integrated municipal solid waste management systems of Torino and Cuneo Districts in northern Italy. Scenarios with substantial differences in terms of amount of waste, percentage of separate collection and options for the disposal of residual waste are used to discuss the credibility and acceptability of the LCA results, which are adversely affected by the large influence of methodological assumptions and the local socio-economic constraints. The use of site-specific data on full scale waste treatment facilities and the adoption of a participatory approach for the definition of the most sensible LCA assumptions are used to assist local public administrators and stakeholders showing them that LCA can be operational to waste management at local scale.     

Simulating nitrogen dynamics in agricultural soils fertilized with pig slurry and urea

Within the framework of an interregional project in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy, the coupled MACRO-SOILN model was chosen to estimate soil protective capacity against pollutants. The aim of our study was to evaluate the model to better identify key parameters and processes that influence N losses in agricultural soils. Nitrate N content was monitored in soil under corn (Zea mays L.) fertilized with urea and/or pig slurry, in two field experiments performed on four different soils: a Fienili clay, a Barco-like silt, a Sant'Omobono silt loam, and a La Boaria silty clay soil. Measurements were compared with model predictions. For all soils, nitrate content was underestimated on average by 24 to 88% at lower N rates; it was overestimated by 1 to 104% at higher N rates. The root mean square error (RMSE) was equal to 81.1%. Simulation of crop N uptake and soil water flow, estimation of the ammonia losses at pig slurry spreading, and N transformation parameter setting were considered as possible error sources. The calibration of crop N uptake gave rise to good model efficiency index values. The RMSE for the simulation of soil water content varied between 9.8 and 20.2%. A more accurate setting of the ammonia losses and of the feces transformation parameter values could allow the RMSE for the simulation of soil nitrate content to be reduced by no more than 10 to 15%. It is possible for the model not to include the simulation of processes that could have relevant effects on the soil N dynamics.