Human dietary intake of organochlorines from Baltic herring: implications of individual fish variability and fisheries management

This study examines the extent to which Finnish human dietary intake of organochlorines (PCDD/Fs and PCBs) originating from Northern Baltic herring can be influenced by fisheries management. This was investigated by estimation of human intake using versatile modeling tools (e.g., a herring population model and a bioenergetics model). We used a probabilistic approach to account for the variation in human intake of organochlorines originating from the variation among herring individuals. Our estimates were compared with present precautionary limits and recommendation for use. The results show that present consumption levels and frequencies of herring give a high probability of exceeding recommended intake limits of PCDD/Fs and PCBs. Furthermore, our results clearly demonstrate that in the risk management of dioxinlike organochlorines, regulating fishing (in this case increasing fishing pressure) is a far less effective way to decrease the risk than regulating the consumption of herring. Increased fishing would only slightly decrease organochlorine concentrations of herring in the Finnish fish market.     

Trends in Ecosystem Service Research: Early Steps and Current Drivers

Over the past 50 years, human beings have influenced ecosystems more rapidly than at any similar time in human history, drastically altering ecosystem functioning. Along with ecosystem transformation and degradation, a number of studies have addressed the functioning, assessment and management of ecosystems. The concept of ecosystem services has been developed in the scientific literature since the end of the 1970s. However, ecosystem service research has focused on certain service categories, ecosystem types, and geographical areas, while substantial knowledge gaps remain concerning several aspects. We assess the development and current status of ecosystem service research on the basis of publications collected from the Web of Science. The material consists of (1) articles (n = 353) from all the years included in the Web of Science down to the completion of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and (2) more recent articles (n = 687) published between 2006 and 2008. We also assess the importance of international processes, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Kyoto Protocol and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, as drivers of ecosystem service research. Finally, we identify future prospects and research needs concerning the assessment and management of ecosystem services.     

Hierarchical log Gaussian Cox process for regeneration in uneven-aged forests

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - We propose a hierarchical log Gaussian Cox process (LGCP) for point patterns, where a set of points $$varvec{x}$$ affects another set of points...     

Exposure to heavy metals and PCDD/Fs by the population living in the vicinity of a hazardous waste landfill in Catalonia, Spain: Health risk assessment

Most fly ashes produced in municipal waste incinerators of Catalonia (Spain) are deposited in a hazardous waste landfill (HWL) placed in Castellolí (Barcelona). This facility means a concern for the population living nearby. In response to this, we performed a probabilistic study focused on assessing human health risks derived from environmental exposure to heavy metals and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) around the HWL. Concentrations of various metals and PCDD/Fs were determined in soil and air samples collected at the HWL, and in 4 locations around it. Health risks were evaluated according to the distance from the sampling locations to the HWL (near and far-sites). In general terms, metal and PCCD/F levels were relatively low in air and soil samples. However, concentrations of PCDD/Fs, as well as those of some metals, were found to be relatively higher in the HWL and Castellolí (the nearest village) samples than in those collected far away, resulting in a slight increase of exposure to those pollutants. Anyhow, the current concentrations of metals and PCDD/Fs suggest that it is highly unlikely that there are any additional non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks for the population living near the HWL.     

Ecological and human health risk aspects of burning arsenic-rich coal

The subject of the study was the ecological and human health consequences of environmental pollution from emissions arising from burning local coal with an arsenic content ranging from 900 to 1,500 g/tonne of dry substance. The first indication of environmental pollution by arsenic-containing emissions was the mass extinction of honeybee colonies. The neurotoxic and carcinogenic aspects of arsenic exposure were followed. On using a group diagnostics approach, significant hearing losses were detected in exposed children in both air and bone conduction audiometry at high frequency range (4,000 and 8,000 Hz, respectively). Exposure assessment of the local population of the Prievidza district, Central Slovakia, was based on biological monitoring. The criterion of higher exposure was arsenic content in hair exceeding concentrations of 3 μg/g of hair. In a 7.5-km radius of the exposed region, live about two-tenths of the district population who were considered as “exposed” and rest of the district served as the “reference” population. The subject of our analysis was a database of 1,503 non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) cases (756 in men and 747 in women) collected from 1977 to 1996 in the Prievidza district, Central Slovakia (population ~125,000). The age standardized incidence of NMSC (each confirmed by histological examination) in non-occupational settings ranged from 45.9 to 93.9 in men and from 34.6 to 81.4 in women. Analysis of our data demonstrates a positive correlation between human cumulative exposure to arsenic and incidence of NMSC.     

Assessment of risk from lead intake in mining areas: proposal of indicators

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - This study discusses an estimate of the risk associated with the intake of soil contaminated by lead, based on the nature of the source, through a detailed...     

Effects of soil amendment with PCB-contaminated sediment on the growth of two cucurbit species

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the application of increasing proportions (0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of an admixture of...     

Nutrient ratios and the complex structure of phytoplankton communities in a highly turbid estuary of Southeast Asia

Phytoplankton diversity and abundance in estuarine systems are controlled by many factors. Salinity, turbidity, and inorganic nutrient concentrations and their respective ratios have all been proposed as principal factors that structure phytoplankton diversity and influence the emergence of potentially toxic species. Although much work has been conducted on temperate estuaries, less is known about how phytoplankton diversity is controlled in tropical, monsoonal systems that are subject to large, seasonal shifts in hydrology and to rapidly changing land use. Here, we present the results of an investigation into the factors controlling phytoplankton species composition and distribution in a tropical, monsoonal estuary (Bach Dang estuary, North Vietnam). A total of 245 taxa, 89 genera from six algal divisions were observed. Bacillariophyceae were the most diverse group contributing to 51.4 % of the microalgal assemblage, followed by Dinophyceae (29.8 %), Chlorophyceae (10.2 %), Cyanophyceae (3.7 %), Euglenophyceae (3.7 %) and Dictyochophyceae (1.2 %). The phytoplankton community was structured by inorganic nutrient ratios (DSi:DIP and DIN:DIP) as well as by salinity and turbidity. Evidence of a decrease in phytoplankton diversity concomitant with an increase in abundance and dominance of certain species (e.g., Skeletonema costatum) and the appearance of some potentially toxic species over the last two decades was also found. These changes in phytoplankton diversity are probably due to a combination of land use change resulting in changes in nutrient ratios and concentrations and global change as both rainfall and temperature have increased over the last two decades. It is therefore probable in the future that phytoplankton diversity will continue to change, potentially favoring the emergence of toxic species in this system.