Auxinic herbicides induce oxidative stress on Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Pisces: Poeciliidae)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Pesticides might increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Dicamba (DIC) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) are auxinic...     

Synthesis of functionalized mesoporous material from rice husk ash and its application in the removal of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The rice husk ash (RHA) was used as an alternative source of silica for the synthesis of the functionalized mesoporous material, which was used in the...     

The analysis of human health risk with a detailed procedure operating in a GIS environment

An approach for quantifying the human health risk caused by industrial sources, which, daily or accidentally, emit dangerous pollutants able to impact on different environmental media, is introduced. The approach is performed by the HHRA-GIS tool which employs an integrated, multimedia, multi-exposure pathways and multi-receptors risk assessment model able to manage all the steps of the analysis in a georeferenced structure. Upper-bound excess lifetime cancer risk and noncarcinogenic hazards are the risk measures, the spatial distribution of which is calculated and mapped on the involved territory, once all the pathways and receptors of the study area are identified. A sensitivity analysis completes the calculations allowing to understand how risk estimates are dependent on variability in the factors contributing to risk. The last part of the paper makes use of a case study concerning a working industrial site to put in evidence in which way the designed tool can help local authorities and policy makers in managing risks and planning remedial and reduction actions. The considered geographical area is a hypothetical territory characterized by residential, agricultural and industrial zones. The presence of two sources of contamination, a municipal waste incinerator (MWI) and a contaminated site, are evaluated by the tool application. Various typologies of receptors have been taken into account, each of them characterized by different anatomical and dietary properties. The achieved results are analyzed, compared with acceptable and background values and alternatives of minor environmental impact calculated.     

Decolorization of Remazol Black-B using a thermotolerant yeast, Kluyveromyces marxianus IMB3

The ability of Kluyveromyces marxianus IMB3 to decolorize Remazol Black-B dye was investigated. The effect of environmental conditions, such as pH and temperature were examined. No noticeable effects on decolorization were observed when pH varied from 3.0-5.5. Maximum colour removal, 98%, was achieved at 37 degrees C. Little or no colour removal was detected when K. marxianus IMB3 was incubated under anaerobic conditions. Further investigation, in which decolorization was monitored under extreme temperatures and low pH (to inhibit growth) and using ten fold dense inoculum, revealed that decolorization was due to biosorption to the yeast cells and not due to a metabolic reaction.     

Recent socio-economic changes in relation to environmental quality of the Pearl River delta

Due to the favorable weather, abundant water resources and fertile soil, the area has been known as the homeland for crops and fish. However, being one of the most developed regions in China, the environmental quality of the Pearl River delta has deteriorated due to recent socio-economic changes during the past two decades. The drivers are industrialization and economic growth, population growth and agricultural development; and the pressures are water pollution which include nutrients and suspended solids, pesticides, other persistent toxic substances (PAHs and PCBs) and oil. These have imposed various impacts such as eutrophication, formation of red tides and biomagnification of organic contaminants through food chains. In response to these, regulatory measures have been established by the Environmental Protection Bureau of Guangdong Province, joining forces with environmental protection authorities in all urban cities and most counties, in addition to the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department, to control pollution in order to prevent further environmental deterioration and economic loss. The present paper is an attempt by following the DPSIR approach promoted by the OECD in the early 1990s and further developed by IGBP LOICZ to review the environmental quality of Pearl River with emphasis on water quality and the impact of rapid socio-economic changes.     

The Use of Natural Taraxacum officinale Wigg. Populations for Assessing the State of Technogenically Disturbed Areas

Russian Journal of Ecology -     

Methods for integrated assessment

Integrated assessment is an approach that seeks to involve all disciplines in policy-relevant assessment. The process aims to encompass environmental science, technology and policy problems. The aim is to establish an overview of the environmental issue in question that attempts to avoid the mistakes of the past associated with narrow, one-sided or unidimensional approaches. A number of methods are available for such assessments. However, they are also subject to a number of limitations, difficulties and dilemmas. Integrated methods are inherently complicated and the tradition is that only experts are involved. New more inclusionary procedures have to be devised in order to involve all stakeholders. They have to be involved in the framing of the issue and in the value judgements associated with the approach. The dilemmas cannot be solved by integrated approaches, but they can be mitigated via proper identification, analysis and evaluation of the gains and losses involved. In structuring the analysis the existence of ignorance has to be accounted for and communicated to the managers and the political decision makers. The ignorance/uncertainty aspects can be partially accommodated for via an intensification of feasible monitoring and research so as to minimise the risks of unpleasant surprises. Electronic Publication     

Occurrence of 222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra and U in groundwater in Fujian Province, China

222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra and U were determined in a total of 552 groundwater samples collected throughout Fujian Province of China. The geometric mean concentrations of 222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra and total U in the groundwater were 147.8 kBq m-3, 12.7 Bq m-3, 30.2 Bq m-3 and 0.54 microgram kg-1, respectively. High groundwater 222Rn was explained by the predominantly granitic rock aquifers in Fujian. A lifetime risk of 1.7 x 10(-3) was estimated for the ingestion of groundwater 222Rn. High ratios of 228Ra to 226Ra contents (geometric mean of 2.4) and their disproportion suggest that 228Ra should also be measured in the assessment of population doses from drinking water in the regions of high rock or soil 232Th. No significant correlation between the 222Rn concentrations in groundwater and air was found.     

Carbon emission reduction and cost–benefit of methane digester systems on hog farms in China

Three different sizes of hog farms were selected to analyze the carbon emissions reduction and the cost–benefit of three methane digester systems. The sizes of the digesters are 2,200, 2,200 and 800 m³, respectively. The sales of slaughter hogs from them are 50,000, 35,000 and 10,000 head, respectively. The carbon emissions reductions were 5,237, 4,017, and 1,334 tons, respectively. The results show that while the methane digester systems have a significant effect on carbon emissions reduction, it is difficult to operate the systems sustainably. If the carbon emissions reduction can be traded at high enough prices in the carbon offset markets, then the systems will be profitable and sustainable. Newly established China's domestic carbon offset market could provide this possibility, but more government support is needed. In addition, this study shows that scale economies make the digester adoption relatively more profitable for larger farms than smaller ones.