Phytoavailability and potential transfer of Pb from a salt-affected soil to Atriplex verucifera,Salicornia europaea and Chenopodium album

The phytoavailability and potential transfer of Pb to Atriplex verucifera, Salicornia europaea and Chenopodium album in two calcareous soils with different salinity/sodicity were compared. The soils were spiked with 0, 250, 500 and 1000 mg Pb kg^?1 soil. Plant shoots were harvested and analysed for total Pb after they had been grown in the contaminated soils. Visual MINTEQ 3.0 was used to calculate the speciation of soluble Pb in the experimental soils. Results showed that although the concentrations of 1 M NH₄NO₃-extractable Pb were relatively similar, speciation of Pb in the soils were not the same. Salicornia europea was found to be the most salinity/sodicity-tolerant plant. When the plants were grown in non-saline soil, the Pb tolerance of the three plants was as follows: A. verucifera > C. album >S. europea, whereas in saline (sodic) soil, Pb tolerance was in the order S. europea > C. album > A. verucifera. Lead phytotoxicity to A. verucifera and C. album was higher in the saline soil, whereas for S. europea, Pb toxicity was higher in the non-saline soil. It could be concluded that the phytoavailability of Pb and its interactions with plants are widely dependent on soil salinity level and type of plant.     

Environmental geochemistry of higher radioactivity in a transboundary Himalayan river sediment (Brahmaputra,Bangladesh): potential radiation exposure and health risks

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study of a downstream segment (Brahmaputra, Bangladesh) of one of the longest transboundary (China-India-Bangladesh) Himalayan rivers reveals...     

GIS-based urban sustainability assessment: The case of Dammam city, Saudi Arabia

This paper applies an integrated approach to assessing urban sustainability in Dammam City, Saudi Arabia. The approach, based on geographic information systems (GIS), involves the evaluation of the planning process, the master plan and the land use activities resulting from planning. It concludes that some aspects of sustainability are not addressed by the planning process and the plan document. The planning process and the plan document addressed economic sustainability issues more than social and environmental issues. The result of the GIS-based sustainability assessment of the study area produces similar findings. The paper develops a sustainable planning guidance and makes some recommendations based on the findings.     

Spatial and temporal rainfall variability and its controlling factors under an arid climate condition: case of Gabes Catchment,Southern Tunisia

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Precipitation is the principal component of the hydrologic cycle. This study examines the spatial and temporal rainfall variability in Gabes Catchment...     

Influences of Magnesium <Emphasis Type="Italic">tri-</Emphasis>Silicate on the Physical,Mechanical, and Degradable Properties of Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation Cured Plain Board Surface

A series of formulations were prepared with different percentages of oligomer, epoxy diacrylate (EA-1020 ), monomer, 1,6 Hexane diol diacrylate,(HDDA) and different percentages of filler (Magnesium tri-silicate, Mg₂Si₃O₈). Irgacure 369 [2-Benzyl-2-dimethyl-amine-1 (4-morpholinophenyl) butanone-1] was used in the formulations as photoinitiator. Ultraviolet (UV) cured thin polymer films were prepared from these formulating solutions on clean glass plates. Pendulum hardness (PH), gel content and macro scratch hardness (MSH) of the UV cured films were studied. One percent Mg₂Si₃O₈ containing formulation showed the premium properties. The substrates (plain board) were coated by these formulating solutions and cured under the same UV lamp at different intensities of radiation. Various properties of the coated surface such as PH, gloss, adhesion, abrasion and MSH were investigated. The base coat containing 1% Mg₂Si₃O₈ and top coat containing 48% HDDA produced the best performance among all the formulations inspected. The degradable properties in different weathering conditions on PH, gloss, adhesion, abrasion and MSH were measured. The surface cured with the optimized formulation (E) again yielded the minimum loss of the properties.     

Quantitative estimation of essential/toxic elemental levels in the serum of esophagus cancer patients in relation to controls

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Esophageal cancer is a very deadly disease ranking 8th most common cancer in terms of incidence and the 6th highest in terms of mortality both in the...     

Size fraction of hazardous particulate matter governing the respiratory deposition and inhalation risk in the highly polluted city Delhi

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Delhi has been identified as one of the highly polluted cities in the world and recently associated with the highest population weighted PM2.5...     

Carbaryl stress induced cellular changes in Calothrix brevissima

Cyanobacterial biofertilizers are affected by paddy field pesticides as nontarget organism. Carbaryl is a carbamate pesticide and is commonly used against rice thrip pest in paddy fields. In the present work, cellular changes caused by exposure of the cyanobacterial biofertilizer namely Calothrix brevissima to carbaryl were studied with special reference to fatty acids, electrolyte leakage, sulfur metabolism, and osmolytes. To study the toxic effect of carbaryl, the test cyanobacterium was exposed to varying concentrations of pesticide (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 mg L^?1) for biochemical analyses. At 40 mg L^?1 carbaryl, polyunsaturated fatty acids were reduced by 32 % and membrane leakage was increased by 27 % suggesting that free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation took place. The sulfur-containing metabolites namely cysteine, cystine, and methionine were increased by 79, 64, and 52 %, respectively. The enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants namely glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reductase, reduced glutathione, and oxidized glutathione were increased to 56, 71, 72, and 60 %, respectively. Osmolytes that serve as stress enzyme protectors as well as nonenzymatic free radical scavenger were also increased, indicating their protective nature in context with carbaryl-induced stress. The respective increase in mannitol, trehalose, and glycogen were 158, 98, and 159 %. In C. brevissima, carbaryl-induced membrane leakage was counteracted by increasing enzymatic and nonenzymatic parameters that helped in scavenging free radicals.     

Impact of treated urban wastewater for reuse in agriculture on crop response and soil ecotoxicity

The scarcity of freshwater resources is a serious problem in arid regions, such as Tunisia, and marginal quality water is gradually being used in agriculture. This study aims to study the impact of treated urban wastewater for reuse in agriculture on the health of soil and food crops. The key findings are that the effluents of Sfax wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) did not meet the relevant guidelines, therefore emitting a range of organic (e.g., up to 90 mg L^?1 COD and 30 mg L^?1 BOD₅) and inorganic pollutants (e.g., up to 0.5 mg L^?1 Cu and 0.1 mg L^?1 Cd) in the receiving aquatic environments. Greenhouse experiments examining the effects of wastewater reuse on food plants such as tomato, lettuce, and radish showed that the treated effluent adversely affected plant growth, photosynthesis, and antioxidant enzyme contents. However, the pollution burden and biological effects on plants were substantially reduced by using a 50 % dilution of treated sewage effluent, suggesting the potential of reusing treated effluent in agriculture so long as appropriate monitoring and control is in place.     

Microplastics in water,sediments, and fish at Alpine River,originating from the Hindu Kush Mountain,Pakistan: implications for conservation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Microplastics (MP) pollution is an emerging threat to life and the environment. These particles are not restricted to human-inhabited lands but also...