Simultaneous extraction of bromide, chloride, fluoride and sulfate from soils, waste- and building materials

The simultaneous extraction of bromide, chloride, fluoride and sulfate was studied in soils, waste- and building materials. Acid, neutral and alkaline extractants were used; 0.01 mol l(-1) H(3)PO(4), milliQ-water and 0.01 mol l(-1) NaOH, respectively. The extracts were analysed by ion chromatography and ion selective electrode. Extracted concentrations were compared with the amount obtained by an alkaline smelt, as an approximation of the total extractable content. The results indicate that there is a significant difference in extraction behaviour between waste- and building materials and soils. Bromide and chloride were in general completely extracted from the former solid materials, but less than 10% and 50%, respectively, from soils. Fluoride is strongly bound in all investigated samples; less than 10% of the total content was extracted with any of the three extractants. The fraction of extracted sulfate varied between 4 and 87% of the total content, and was in general larger in waste- and building materials than in soils. Differences in extracted concentration between the 3 extractants occurred mainly for fluoride and sulfate. Extracted bromide was similar with all three extractants and extracted chloride showed differences for the various soil samples only. Increasing the NaOH concentration up to 1 mol l(-1) resulted mainly in an increase of extracted amount of fluoride and for soils also in extracted amounts of bromide and sulfate. Although, the results show that the composition of the solid material strongly influences the final pH of the extract and the extracted amount of investigated anions, application of Milli-Q water as an extractant might be a very fruitful option within the development of the Dutch Building Materials Decree.     

Distribution and rate of disappearance of fluorene in pond ecosystems

Fluorene, an energy related polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon, was applied to several experimental pond ecosystems to effect concentrations of 0.12, 0.5, 2.0, 5.0, and 10.0 mg/L. Water, benthic sediment, and rooted macrophytes were monitored for fluorene residues for 56 days after application. Most of the fluorene at concentrations greater than its water solubility appeared to sublime from the surface of the ponds. The rate of disappearance of fluorene from the water decreased as the application rate increased. This reduction was linked to high concentrations and a flux of fluorene from benthic sediments, macrophytes, and pond surfaces to water columns. Several parameters of photosynthetic primary production were statistically linked to the accelerated disappearance of fluorene from the water.     

Governing local sustainability

This paper draws upon the DISCUS (Developing Institutional and Social Capacity for Sustainable Development) research project, co-funded by the European Commission. The project was undertaken during 2001 – 2004 and involved an in-depth study of 40 European towns and cities in order to understand the institutional and social factors and conditions that might contribute to policy ‘achievement' or ‘failure' in local sustainable development policy and practice. Based on the findings of this research it proposes a conceptual framework for local sustainable development, linking the concepts of institutional capital, social capital and governance to provide a model for understanding the governing of local sustainability. The research shows that in those cases that exhibit sustainable development policy achievements, there are also greater levels of civil society activity and knowledge regarding sustainability issues, and high levels of institutional capacity. Confident local government is crucial to the development of institutional capacity and to institutional learning. One aspect of this is local authorities being equipped to address the longer-term issues and to have a strategic vision for a sustainable future.     

Science of odor as a potential health issue

Historically, unpleasant odors have been considered warning signs or indicators of potential risks to human health but not necessarily direct triggers of health effects. However, citizen complaints to public health agencies suggest that odors may not simply serve as a warning of potential risks but that odor sensations themselves may cause health symptoms. Mal-odors emitted from large animal production facilities and wastewater treatment plants, for example, elicit complaints of eye, nose, and throat irritation, headache, nausea, diarrhea, hoarseness, sore throat, cough, chest tightness, nasal congestion, palpitations, shortness of breath, stress, drowsiness, and alterations in mood. There are at least three mechanisms by which ambient odors may produce health symptoms. First, symptoms can be induced by exposure to odorants (compounds with odor properties) at levels that also cause irritation or other toxicological effects. That is, irritation--rather than the odor--is the cause of the health symptoms, and odor (the sensation) simply serves as an exposure marker. Second, health symptoms from odorants at non-irritant concentrations can be due to innate (genetically coded) or learned aversions. Third, symptoms may be due to a co-pollutant (such as endotoxin) that is part of an odorant mixture. Objective biomarkers of health symptoms must be obtained, however, to determine if health complaints constitute health effects. One industry that is receiving much attention, worldwide, related to this subject is concentrated animal production agriculture. Sustainability of this industry will likely necessitate the development of new technologies to mitigate odorous aerial emissions. Examples of such "environmentally superior technologies" (EST) developed under the initiative sponsored through agreements between the Attorney General of North Carolina and Smithfield Foods and Premium Standard Farms are described.     

Uptake and Metabolism of TNT and GTN by Plants Expressing Bacterial Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate Reductase

The manufacture and improper disposal of explosives has resulted in a significant amount of land requiring remediation. The compound 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) is the most persistent and toxic of the explosive pollutants with current treatment methods being energy intensive and costly. Bacterial enzymes such as pentaerythritol tetranitrate reductase (PETNR) from Enterobacter cloacae PB2 have been found to have activity against TNT; however, microbes often lack the biomassnecessary for remediation applications. The PETNRgene (onr1) was transformed into tobacco plants in an attempt to combine the metabolic diversity of microbes with the sequestering properties of plants. The resulting transgenic plants were shown to have enhanced tolerance to TNT during germination and as seedlings. Phytoremediation applications with these plants may provide an alternative treatment of TNT contamination.     

Formula allocation as a policy tool: politics and measurement

Formula allocation is a major tool for the distribution of public funds in the United States of America. This paper explores several examples of formulae used in U.S. domestic programmes, looking at their construction, meaning and consequences. The authors argue that the design of formulae is both a political and technical task. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations to improve formulae as tools of distributional policy.     

A decision inventory approach for improving decision support for climate change impact assessment and adaptation

Assessing and adapting to the impacts of climate change requires balancing social, economic, and environmental factors in the context of an ever-expanding range of objectives, uncertainties, and management options. The term decision support describes a diverse class of resources designed to help manage this complexity and assist decision makers in understanding impacts and evaluating management options. Most climate-related decision support resources implicitly assume that decision making is primarily limited by the quantity and quality of available information. However, a wide variety of evidence suggests that institutional, political, and communication processes are also integral to organizational decision making. Decision support resources designed to address these processes are underrepresented in existing tools. These persistent biases in the design and delivery of decision support may undermine efforts to move decision support from research to practice. The development of new approaches to decision support that consider a wider range of relevant issues is limited by the lack of information about the characteristics, context, and alternatives associated with climate-related decisions. We propose a new approach called a decision assessment and decision inventory that will provide systematic information describing the relevant attributes of climate-related decisions. This information can be used to improve the design of decision support resources, as well as to prioritize research and development investments. Application of this approach will help provide more effective decision support based on a balanced foundation of analytical tools, environmental data, and relevant information about decisions and decision makers.     

First-trimester prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis using fibroblasts from a deceased index child to establish haplotypes

First-trimester prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) using linked DNA markers is usually only possible if there is an index affected child to establish the haplotype of the parental chromosomes. We describe a prenatal diagnosis where fibroblasts, cultured from the skin of a deceased affected child and then held in frozen storage for 3 years, were used as the starting point for tracking the CF gene. The fetus was diagnosed as a homozygous normal and the diagnosis confirmed by immunoreactive trypsin testing after birth. It was also possible to establish heterozygosity in the aunt of the affected child.