Monitoring of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs and seasonal variations in mussels from the Mar Grande and the Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Ionian Sea,Southern Italy)

The levels and specific profiles of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DL-PCBs) in Mytilus galloprovincialis from the Mar Grande and the Mar Piccolo of Taranto were determined during the extensive monitoring plan of Local Health Authority to assess PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs contamination in food and farm products, within 20 km from the industrial areas of Taranto, between March and December 2011. The average Total Toxicity Equivalence (TEQ) values for the sum of PCDD/F and DL-PCBs ranged from 1.61 to 5.63 pg WHO₂₀₀₅-TEQ g^?1 wet weight basis, with the highest in the first inlet of the Mar Piccolo. In particular, DL-PCBs were the dominant chemicals in all samples, followed by PCDFs and PCDDs. Congener patterns in mussels were similar, indicating a homogeneous behavior in studied areas and, probably, the same type of source. The seasonal concentrations trend showed a relevant increase of dioxin and dioxin-like PCBs TEQs during the summer months, exceeding the limits set by the European Community for food and foodstuff. Reducing PCDD/Fs and PCBs is necessary to decrease contamination levels in order to safeguard marine ecosystem and human health in the Taranto area.     

Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in common buzzard (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Buteo buteo</Emphasis>) from Sicily (Italy)

In the present study, we investigated the concentrations and distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in intestine, liver, and muscle samples of 11 common buzzards (Buteo buteo) from Sicily used as bioindicator for monitoring pollution in environment. All samples of common buzzards were collected at the “Recovery Center of Wild Fauna” of Palermo, through the Zooprophilactic Institute. Quantitative determination of OCs and PCBs in the samples examined has been carried out using HRGC-ECD and GC-MS. The results obtained show the presence of concentrations of ∑DDT and ∑PCB in almost all samples. Regarding ∑DDT (4,4^′-DDE, 2,4^′-DDD, 4,4^′-DDD, 2,4^′-DDT, and 4,4^′-DDT), the highest concentrations were found in intestine (0.411 ± 0.050 μg/g) followed by muscle (0.130 ± 0.017 μg/g) and liver samples (0.109 ± 0.014 μg/g). As regards the ∑PCB congeners (PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-95, PCB-99, PCB-101, PCB-110, PCB-138, PCB-146, PCB-149, PCB-151, PCB-153, PCB-170, PCB-177, PCB-180, PCB-183, and PCB-187), the highest concentrations were found in intestine (1.686 ± 0.144 μg/g) followed by liver (1.064 ± 0.162 μg/g) and muscle samples (0.797 ± 0.078 μg/g). Our data deserve particular attention not only for their significance but especially because they were recorded in Sicily, a region with a very low risk of environmental pollution due to the shortage of industries.     

Disjunct Sea of Cortez–Pacific Ocean Gillichthys mirabilis populations and the evolutionary origin of their Sea of Cortez endemic relative, Gillichthys seta

The shortjaw mudsucker, Gillichthys seta, an intertidal goby endemic to the Sea of Cortez, has been proposed to be the paedomorphic derivative of the longjaw mudsucker, Gillichthys mirabilis. G. mirabilis is a disjunct species, with populations found along the Pacific coast of central California to central Baja California, and with isolated populations found in the northern Sea of Cortez. Previous studies have suggested that the endemic paedomorph form speciated in sympatry with the Sea of Cortez population of G. mirabilis. Alternatively, this speciation event could have occurred before the separation of G. mirabilis populations into two disjunct entities. To test these alternative hypotheses, we collected adult individuals from both species throughout their ranges from December 1997 to November 1998. We amplified and sequenced 142 partial [527 base pairs (bp)] mitochondrial cytochrome b regions and 18 nuclear creatine kinase introns (140 bp). We found that Pacific populations of G. mirabilis separated into two distinct clades, possibly reflecting a phylogeographic break found in other fish species along the Baja California coast at Punta Eugenia. These two Pacific populations were well separated from Sea of Cortez populations. Furthermore, our results indicate that the split between Sea of Cortez and Pacific populations of G. mirabilis occurred well after the speciation event that separated G. mirabilis from its paedomorphic counterpart, G. seta. Received: 30 March 2000 / Accepted: 4 September 2000     

Early Responses to Acute Ozone Exposure in Two Fagus Sylvatica Clones Differing in Xeromorphic Adaptations: Photosynthetic and Stomatal Processes, Membrane and Epicuticular Characteristics

Two Fagus sylvatica L. clones were used to investigate the early responses to acute O₃ exposure (150 nL L⁻¹, i.e., 1.35× ambient hourly peak in rural Italy) and whether xeromorphic adaptations affect gas exchange, membrane, and epicuticular responses. One clone originated in a wet and temperate climate in Central Italy (Tuscany); the other clone originated in a warmer and drier climate in the southern-most part of the F. sylvatica distribution (Sicily). Because of higher base gas exchange rates, the most negative effects of O₃ exposure (gas exchange impairment, uncoupling between net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, increased membrane lipid peroxidation) were found in the southern clone. Xeromorphic adaptations (higher epicuticular waxes and stomatal density, lower leaf wettability and size) were found in this clone. Our results suggest that xeromorphism may increase O₃ sensitivity in species not adapted to face water stress, like the mesophilic F. sylvatica, when experiments are carried out with full irrigation. We present evidence describing the relationship between gas exchange and number and status of stomata. Stomatal density and the structural damage to stomata resulting from O₃ exposure did not affect gas exchange: In fact, non-stomatal limitations to photosynthesis prevailed over stomatal limitations.     

Air Quality Survey Carried Out by Schoolchildren: An Innovative Tool for Urban Planning

An educational project on biological monitoring of air quality was launched in 2004 to involve about 650 young students (age 6 to 16) from 21 schools of nine municipalities in Tuscany (Central Italy) in active detection of the crucial pollutant ozone with indicator sensitive tobacco seedlings. Results implied the reading of 9,300 raw biological figures and were fortified by the data captured by six photometric analysers. Under the guidance of their teachers, the students had several opportunities to practice with many basic and applied study areas and were initiated into the scientific method in a simple and absorbing manner. Curiosity and involvement were widespread; a sort of emotional and responsible relationship was developed by several pupils. Though primarily an educational exercise, the survey introduced a research element and the regional picture of air pollution that emerged has increased our knowledge of the air quality situation in the area. Biological monitoring of air quality is a powerful tool to improve the awareness and involvement in key topics of environmental education. In addition, it represents a crucial element for improving the awareness of problems and implies the active participation of citizens in the assessment of several indicators of the state of the environment. Its potential as a robust implement in landscape and urban planning is noteworthy.     

Linking contemporary river restoration to economics,technology, politics,and society: Perspectives from a historical case study of the Po River Basin,Italy

River restoration is a novel paradigm of ‘mirescape’ (land-and-water-scape) management that developed along with the emergence of aquatic ecology. River restoration can be seen as the application of an ecological perspective to return rivers to nature. However, the river restoration paradigm is also the contemporary iteration of historical phases of mirescape management. We review the long and varied recorded history of the Po River in northern Italy as a case study to illustrate the transformations and common themes of mirescape management. We find, first, that significant changes in mirescape management and river condition only occur in the context of larger social, political, technological and economic transformations. Second, we show how particular cultural understandings, economic interests, technological innovations and political powers have driven particular paradigms of mirescape management. These have tended towards increasing territorial separation of wet and dry. We find, third, that these separations lead not only to increasing economic precariousness for many, but also to increasingly severe disasters. We conclude that river restoration faces social and political challenges to becoming relevant at a mirescape scale, due to its lack of integration with land management, or with current social, political, technological and economic transformations. To act on this conclusion, we suggest philosophically aligned social movements that river restoration could work with to improve impact and uptake.     

An imprecise Fault Tree Analysis for the estimation of the Rate of OCcurrence Of Failure (ROCOF)

The paper proposes an imprecise Fault Tree Analysis in order to characterize systems affected by the lack of reliability data. Differently from other research works, the paper introduces a classification of basic events into two categories, namely Initiators and Enablers. Actually, in real industrial systems some events refer to component failures or process parameter deviations from normal operating conditions (Initiators), whereas others refer to the functioning of safety barriers to be activated on demand (Enablers). As a consequence, the output parameter of interest is not the classical probability of occurrence of the top event, but its Rate of OCcurrence (ROCOF) over a stated period of time. In order to characterize the basic events, interval-valued information supplied by experts are properly aggregated and propagated to the top. To this purpose, the Dempster–Shafer Theory of evidence is proposed as a more appropriate mathematical framework than the classical probabilistic one. The proposed methodology, applied to a real industrial scenario, can be considered a helpful tool to support risk managers working in industrial plants.     

Assessment, validation and intercomparison of operational models for predicting tritium migration from routine discharges of nuclear power plants: the case of Loire River

During last decades, a number of projects have been launched to validate models for predicting the behaviour of radioactive substances in the environment. The project of the "Aquatic" working group of the project EMRAS (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety) organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was based on the validation and assessment of models for predicting the behaviour of radionuclides in the aquatic ecosystems. The present paper describes a blind test of models aimed at assessing the dispersion of tritium releases in the Loire River (France), on a large domain ( approximately 350km) and on a period of six months, by comparing the results obtained by operational-to-experimental values of tritium concentration at Angers, a city along the Loire River. The common conclusion is that the models used by the different participants namely 1D models and models based on a schematic hydraulic (box models) are reliable tools for tritium transport modelling. Nevertheless, the importance of proper and detailed hydrological data for the appropriate prediction of pollutant migration in water is demonstrated by the example provided during this study.     

A multi-objective approach to solid waste management

The issue addressed in this paper consists in the localization and dimensioning of transfer stations, which constitute a necessary intermediate level in the logistic chain of the solid waste stream, from municipalities to the incinerator. Contextually, the determination of the number and type of vehicles involved is carried out in an integrated optimization approach. The model considers both initial investment and operative costs related to transportation and transfer stations. Two conflicting objectives are evaluated, the minimization of total cost and the minimization of environmental impact, measured by pollution. The design of the integrated waste management system is hence approached in a multi-objective optimization framework. To determine the best means of compromise, goal programming, weighted sum and fuzzy multi-objective techniques have been employed. The proposed analysis highlights how different attitudes of the decision maker towards the logic and structure of the problem result in the employment of different methodologies and the obtaining of different results. The novel aspect of the paper lies in the proposal of an effective decision support system for operative waste management, rather than a further contribution to the transportation problem. The model was applied to the waste management of optimal territorial ambit (OTA) of Palermo (Italy).