Estimation of internal radiation dose to the adult Asian population from the dietary intakes of two long-lived radionuclides

Daily dietary intakes of two naturally occurring long-lived radionuclides, 232Th and 238U, were estimated for the adult population living in a number of Asian countries, using highly sensitive analytical methods such as instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analysis (INAA and RNAA), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The Asian countries that participated in the study were Bangladesh (BGD), China (CPR), India (IND), Japan (JPN), Pakistan (PAK), Philippines (PHI), Republic of Korea (ROK) and Vietnam (VIE). Altogether, these countries represent more than 50% of the world population. The median daily intakes of 232Th ranged between 0.6 and 14.4 mBq, the lowest being for Philippines and the highest for Bangladesh, and daily intakes of 238U ranged between 6.7 and 62.5 mBq, lowest and the highest being for India and China, respectively. The Asian median intakes were obtained as 4.2 mBq for 232Th and 12.7 mBq for 238U. Although the Asian intakes were lower than intakes of 12.3 mBq (3.0 ug) 232Th and 23.6 mBq (1.9 ug) 238U proposed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for the ICRP Reference Man, they were comparable to the global intake values of 4.6 mBq 232Th and 15.6 mBq 238U proposed by the United Nation Scientific Commission on Effects of Radiation (UNSCEAR). The annual committed effective doses to Asian population from the dietary intake of 232Th and 238U were calculated to be 0.34 and 0.20 microSv, respectively, which are three orders of magnitude lower than the global average annual radiation dose of 2400 microSv to man from the natural radiation sources as proposed by UNSCEAR.     

Study on Assessing Economic Vulnerability of Small Island Regions

The main purpose of this study is to assess economic vulnerability of small island development regions as part of their sustainability constraints. By combining economic and environmental time series data, we assessed a composite index of economic vulnerability which is constructed from three exogenous variables, namely economic exposure, economic remoteness, and economic impact of environmental and natural disasters. We used the Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan as the case studies for this paper.The results indicated that using a gross island products based valuation index, Kikaijima is the most vulnerable island in the Amami Islands with a composite economic vulnerability index (CEVI) value of 0.678, while by using a per capita based index, Okinoerabujima is considered the most vulnerable island with a CEVI value of 0.680. From the results we also revealed that smaller islands have relative higher vulnerability than the bigger one, which also confirms some previous country-level vulnerability studies.However, it is matter of fact that some islands that have relatively high vulnerability also have good economic performance as shown by their per capita income. In this regard, it can be argued that the success of these small islands could have been achieved in spite of and not because of their inherent vulnerability conditions as an indicator of sustainability constraint. Regarding these findings, we also examined a comparison between vulnerability results and the preliminary concept of an island's resilience in order to capture another perspective on sustainability assessment in a small island region.     

Yield and arsenate uptake of arbuscular mycorrhizal tomato colonized by Glomus mosseae BEG167 in As spiked soil under glasshouse conditions

A glasshouse pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization by Glomus mosseae BEG167 on the yield and arsenate uptake of tomato plants in soil experimentally contaminated with five As levels (0, 25, 50, 75 and 150 mg kg(-1)). Mycorrhizal colonization (50-70% of root length) was little affected by As application and declined only in soil amended with 150 mg As kg(-1). Mycorrhizal colonization increased plant biomass at As application rates of 25, 50 and 75 mg kg(-1). Shoot As concentration increased with increasing As addition up to 50 mg kg(-1) but decreased with mycorrhizal colonization at As addition rates of 75 and 150 mg kg(-1). Shoot As uptake increased with mycorrhizal colonization at most As addition levels studied, but tended to decrease with addition of 150 mg As kg(-1). Total P uptake by mycorrhizal plants was elevated at As rates of 25, 50 and 75 mg kg(-1), and more P was allocated to the roots of mycorrhizal plants. Mycorrhizal plants had higher shoot and root P/As ratios at higher As application rates than did non-mycorrhizal controls. The soil of inoculated treatments had higher available As than uninoculated controls, and higher pH values at As addition levels of 25, 50 and 75 mg kg(-1). Mycorrhizal colonization may have increased plant resistance to potential As toxicity at the highest level of As contamination studied. Mycorrhizal tomato plants may have potential for phytoextraction of As from moderately contaminated soils or phytostabilization of more highly polluted sites.     

中国环境污染与经济增长的实证研究

本文基于我国1981-2007年环境污染与经济增长的相关数据,利用时间序列研究方法对我国EKC进行实证研究,说明建立EKC模型可能存在的问题。为弥补EKC模型中环境不影响经济的假设与变量难以量化的不足,运用VAR模型研究二者的动态关系。EKC研究结果表明:EKC是一种客观现象,而不是一般规律;与人们生产生活关系密切的污染物更有可能出现EKC特征。VAR脉冲响应和方差分解的动态分析结果与二者相互作用机理相符:一方面我国经济增长通过规模效应、结构效应、技术效应等因素影响环境;一方面随着人们环境质量需求弹性的增加,政府对环境质量的重视,环境对企业生产行为的约束机制正逐步形成,但可能由于人们通过自身消费影响产出的作用有限和环境政策实施存在滞后性等原因,这种机制的形成存在一定滞后。     

Consumer attitudes on the use of plastic and cloth bags

This paper examines consumer attitudes and behavior on the use of plastic and cloth bags in Eski?ehir, Turkey. To this end, a structural equation model is proposed. Environmental consciousness regarding the use of plastic bags, social pressure, support for the banning of plastic bags, the intention to use cloth bags and behavior to reduce plastic bag use are employed as latent variables in the model. The intention to use cloth bags and the behavior to reduce the use of plastic bags are defined as endogenous latent variables in the structural model. In the conclusion of the study, it is identified that consumers who are environmentally conscious and feel under social pressure, tend to reduce the use of plastic bags and switch to using cloth bags.     

Sorption of selenate on soils and pure phases: kinetic parameters and stabilisation

This study was conducted to identify the principle selenate carrier phases for two selected soils, by comparing their reactivity with selenate to that of pure phases of the solids. Silica, calcium carbonate, aluminium hydroxide, goethite, bentonite and humic acid were selected as the main soil carrier phases. Comparisons were made first on the parameter values obtained with the best fit of a kinetic sorption model which can discriminate instantaneous sorption from kinetically limited sorption. Then comparisons were made of the ability for each solid to stabilise selenate by measuring the ratio of the partition coefficient for sorption (Kd_sorption) over that of the desorption (Kd_desorption). Kinetics and stabilisation were used to help elucidate the nature of interactions with the test solid phases for a large range of selenate concentrations. The experiments were conducted over 165 h in batch reactors, the solid being isolated from the solution by dialysis tubing, at two pH (5.4 and 8) and three selenate concentrations (1 × 10⁻³, 1 × 10⁻⁶ and 1 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹). The results obtained showed that only aluminium hydroxide can sorb selenate throughout the studied pH range (pH 5.4 to 8.0). The sorption capacity on this mineral was high (Kd_sorption > 100 to 1 × 10⁴ L kg⁻¹) and the selenate was mainly stabilized by the formation of inner sphere complexes. The sorption on goethite occurred at pH 5.4 (Kd_sorption 52 L kg⁻¹), mainly as outer sphere complexes, and was null at pH 8. On silica, a weak sorption was observed only at pH 5.4 and at 165 h (Kd_sorption 4 L kg⁻¹). On bentonite, calcium carbonate and humic acid no significant sorption was observed. Concerning the two soils studied, different behaviours were observed for selenate. For soil Ro (pH 5.4), Kd_sorption was low (8 L kg⁻¹) compared to soil Bu (pH 8) (70 L kg⁻¹). The sorption behaviour of selenate on soil Ro was mainly due to outer sphere complexes, as for goethite, whereas for soil Bu the sorption was mainly attributed to inner sphere complexes followed by reduction mechanisms, probably initiated by microorganisms, in which no steady state was reached at the end of the 165 h experiments. The sorption of selenate decreased when concentrations reached 1 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹, due to solid saturation, except for aluminium hydroxide. Reduction of selenate seemed also to occur on goethite and soil Ro, for the same concentration, but without preventing a decrease in sorption. Thus, this work shows that the comparison of selenate behaviour between soil and pure phases helps to elucidate the main carrier phases and sorption mechanisms in soil.     

Cs, Pu concentrations and the Pu/Pu atom ratio in a sediment core from the sub-aqueous delta of Yangtze River estuary

A sediment core collected from the sub-aqueous delta of the Yangtze River estuary was subjected to analyses of ¹³⁷Cs and plutonium (Pu) isotopes. The ¹³⁷Cs was measured using γ-spectrometry at the laboratories at the Nanjing University and Pu isotopes were determined with Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), measurements made at the Australian National University. The results show considerable structure in the depth concentration profiles of the ¹³⁷Cs and ^239+240Pu. The shape of the vertical ¹³⁷Cs distribution in the sediment core was similar to that of the Pu. The maximum ¹³⁷Cs and ^239+240Pu concentrations were 16.21 ± 0.95 mBq/g and 0.716 ± 0.030 mBq/g, respectively, and appear at same depth. The average ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratio was 0.238 ± 0.007 in the sediment core, slightly higher than the average global fallout value. The changes in the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in the sediment core indicate the presence of at least two different Pu sources, i.e., global fallout and another source, most likely close-in fallout from the Pacific Proving Grounds (PPG) in the Marshall Islands, and suggest the possibility that Pu isotopes are useful as a geochronological tool for coastal sediment studies. The ¹³⁷Cs and ^239+240Pu inventories were estimated to be 7100 ± 1200 Bq/m² and 407 ± 27 Bq/m², respectively. Approximately 40% of the ^239+240Pu inventory originated from the PPG close-in fallout and about 50% has derived from land-origin global fallout transported to the estuary by the river. This study confirms that AMS is a useful tool to measure ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratio and can provide valuable information on sedimentary processes in the coastal environment.     

卤代烃毒性的化学评价法:鸟嘌呤卤代烃加合物FTIR、UV光谱表征

研究鸟嘌呤与一系列卤代烃反应的加合产物 ,利用HPLC二极管阵列检测器得到的特征紫外光谱 (UV)对加合产物样品进行了鉴定 ,然后加合产物经薄层 (TLC)分离 ,再进一步做红外 (FTIR)鉴定 ,从而得到鸟嘌呤 卤代烃氧位和氮位加合物的红外光谱表征 .研究表明 ,鸟嘌呤卤代烃的氮位加合物异构体的紫外光谱吸收峰的波长在 240～250nm之间 ,氧位加合物UV波长在 260～270nm附近 .鸟嘌呤与本文涉及的各卤代烃的加合物的红外光谱之间差别不大 :其氮位加合物在 1700cm^-1处 ,均有CO的特征吸收峰 ;其氧位加合物的红外光谱亦相近 .     

弹性填料微孔曝气生物膜法修复污染水源除NH4+-N

采用弹性填料微孔曝气生物接触氧化法对受污染的水源进行修复除NH₄⁺-N效果研究.结果表明,在正常水温20℃～27℃条件下,当污染水源COD_Mn7～14mg/L,NH₄⁺-N 0.7～2.0mg/L和生物修复工艺运行参数HRT为1.4h,气:水=0.5:1,DO为7～9mg/L时,生物修复工艺可去除水源中的NH₄⁺-N为64%～95%;在较低水温7℃～12℃条件下,当污染水源COD_Mn6～11mg/L,NH₄⁺-N 1.2～8.0mg/L和生物修复工艺运行参数HRT为1.4h,气:水=0.5:1,DO为8～10mg/L时,生物修复工艺可去除水源中的NH₄⁺-N为40%～63%.     

高铁酸盐预氧化对颤藻去除效果及机理的研究

以深圳市铁岗水库水源为主要研究对象，通过与单纯投加聚合氯化铝（PAC）相比，研究了高铁酸盐预氧化对铁岗水中颤藻（Oscillatoria)的去除效能，藻类去除率高达97．85％。证明在处理较难去除的颤藻时，高铁酸盐与PAC联用，可显著提高对藻类的去除效能，初步研究了预氧化方法对水中颤藻去除的机理。