250-year records of mercury and trace element deposition in two lakes from Cajas National Park,SW Ecuadorian Andes

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Historical records of trace elements in lake sediments provide source-to-sink information about potentially toxic pollutants across space and time. We...     

Photolysis of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the marine environment under simulated sunlight conditions: irradiation and identification

The photochemical fate of 16 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) found in the environment has been studied under controlled laboratory conditions applying a sunlight simulator. Aqueous samples containing PPCPs at environmentally relevant concentrations were extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE) after irradiation. The exposed extracts were subsequently analysed by liquid chromatography combined with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) for studying the kinetics of photolytic transformations. Almost all exposed PPCPs appeared to react with a half-life time (τ _1/2) of less than 30 min. For ranitidine, sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac, warfarin, sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin, τ_1/2 was found to be even less than 5 min. The structures of major photolysis products were determined using quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QToF) and spectroscopic data reported in the literature. For diclofenac, the transformation products carbazol-1-yl-acidic acid and 8-chloro-9H-carbazol-1-yl-acetic acid were identified based on the mass/charge ratio of protonated ions and their fragmentation pattern in negative electrospray ionization (ESI^?-QTOF). Irradiation of carbamazepine resulted in three known products: acridine, carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide, and 10,11-dihydro-10,11-dihydroxy-carbamazepine, whereas acetaminophen was photolytically transformed to 1-(2-amino-5 hydroxyphenyl) ethenone. These photochemical products were subsequently identified in seawater or fish samples collected at sites exposed to wastewater effluents on the Saudi Arabian coast of the Red Sea.     

Electrochemical advanced oxidation and biological processes for wastewater treatment: a review of the combined approaches

As pollution becomes one of the biggest environmental challenges of the twenty-first century, pollution of water threatens the very existence of humanity, making immediate action a priority. The most persistent and hazardous pollutants come from industrial and agricultural activities; therefore, effective treatment of this wastewater prior to discharge into the natural environment is the solution. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have caused increased interest due to their ability to degrade hazardous substances in contrast to other methods, which mainly only transfer pollution from wastewater to sludge, a membrane filter, or an adsorbent. Among a great variety of different AOPs, a group of electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs), including electro-Fenton, is emerging as an environmental-friendly and effective treatment process for the destruction of persistent hazardous contaminants. The only concern that slows down a large-scale implementation is energy consumption and related investment and operational costs. A combination of EAOPs with biological treatment is an interesting solution. In such a synergetic way, removal efficiency is maximized, while minimizing operational costs. The goal of this review is to present cutting-edge research for treatment of three common and problematic pollutants and effluents: dyes and textile wastewater, olive processing wastewater, and pharmaceuticals and hospital wastewater. Each of these types is regarded in terms of recent scientific research on individual electrochemical, individual biological and a combined synergetic treatment.     

Physicochemical properties associated with the presence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Burkholderia pseudomallei</Emphasis> in small ruminant farm water supplies in Peninsular Malaysia

Burkholderia pseudomallei causes melioidosis, a life-threatening infection in both humans and animals. Water is an important reservoir of the bacteria and may serve as a source of environmental contamination leading to infection. B. pseudomallei has an unusual ability to survive in water for a long period. This paper investigates physicochemical properties of water associated with the presence of B. pseudomallei in water supply in small ruminant farms in Peninsular Malaysia. Physicochemical properties of water samples taken from small ruminant farms that included temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO₂), optical density (OD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were measured after which the samples were cultured for B. pseudomallei. Multivariable logistic regression model revealed that slightly acidic water pH and higher COD level were significantly associated with the likelihood of the B. pseudomallei presence in the water.     

Estimates of soil erosion using cesium-137 tracer models

The soil erosion was studied by ¹³⁷Cs technique in Yatagan basin in Western Turkey, where there exist intensive agricultural activities. This region is subject to serious soil loss problems and yet there is not any erosion data towards soil management and control guidelines. During the soil survey studies, the soil profiles were examined carefully to select the reference points. The soil samples were collected from the slope facets in three different study areas (Kırtas, Peynirli and Kayısalan Hills). Three different models were applied for erosion rate calculations in undisturbed and cultivated sites. The profile distribution model (PDM) was used for undisturbed soils, while proportional model (PM) and simplified mass balance model (SMBM) were used for cultivated soils. The mean annual erosion rates found using PDM in undisturbed soils were 15 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ at the Peynirli Hill and 27 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ at the Kırtas Hill. With the PM and SMBM in cultivated soils at Kayışalan, the mean annual erosion rates were obtained to be 65 and 116 t ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, respectively. The results of ¹³⁷Cs technique were compared with the results of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE).     

Solid phase extraction and preconcentration of cobalt in mineral waters with PAR-loaded Amberlite XAD-7 and flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple, sensitive, accurate, and selective method for determination of ultratrace levels of Co is modified. The method is based on preconcentration of Co on the PAR-loaded Amberlite XAD-7 at pH 2.0 ± 0.2 for contact time as low as 45 min. The adsorbed cobalt was eluted with concentrated nitric acid and measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Recoveries up to 90% were achieved. The optimized preconcentration method was applied to cobalt determination in natural mineral waters. The detection limit was found to be 0.1 ng mL⁻¹. The relative standard deviation was found to be 13% for 600 mL of 2.0 ng mL⁻¹, for 10 replicate preconcentration procedures. Cobalt concentrations in the studied water samples were found to be in the ranges of 0.5–3.5 ng mL⁻¹.     

Assessment of big floods in the Eastern Black Sea Basin of Turkey

In this study, general knowledge and some details of the floods in Eastern Black Sea Basin of Turkey are presented. Brief hydro-meteorological analysis of selected nine floods and detailed analysis of the greatest flood are given. In the studied area, 51 big floods have taken place between 1955–2005 years, causing 258 deaths and nearly US $500,000,000 of damage. Most of the floods have occurred in June, July and August. It is concluded that especially for the rainstorms that have caused significantly damages, the return periods of the rainfall heights and resultant flood discharges have gone up to 250 and 500 years, respectively. A general agreement is observed between the return periods of rains and resultant floods. It is concluded that there has been no significant climate change to cause increases in flood harms. The most important human factors to increase the damage are determined as wrong and illegal land use, deforestation and wrong urbanization and settlement, psychological and technical factors. Some structural and non-structural measures to mitigate flood damages are also included in the paper. Structural measures include dykes and flood levees. Main non-structural measures include flood warning system, modification of land use, watershed management and improvement, flood insurance, organization of flood management studies, coordination between related institutions and education of the people and informing of the stakeholders.     

Polybrominated aromatic pollutants found in fish in Sweden

Polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBBEs) have been found in fish caught in Swedish waters. The maximum level detected in muscular tissue was 0.15 mg/kg (27 mg/kg fat) in a pike (Esox lucius) caught in the south-west part of the country. The liver of the same specimen contained 22 mg PBBEs/kg (110 mg PBBEs/kg fat).     

Increase of collagen in the rat heart induced by noise

Rats were exposed to randomly applied noise during their nightly active phase for up to half a year. The ventricular myocardium was studied by electron microscopy and estimation of hydroxyproline. A significant increase of collagen was found especially in the left ventricle.A combination of noise stress with an Mg-deficient diet enhanced the increase of myocardial collagen Thus, Mg-deficiency and noise appears to act in a synergistic manner.