PCDD/F and PCB history in dated sediments of a rural lake

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), dibenzofurans (PCDF) and biphenyls (PCB) were analysed from a sediment core, which had been sampled from a remote lake in Finland. The deepest subsamples were analysed from a depth of 4.0 m, and were more than 8000 years old. At the surface of the sediment core, low levels of industrial background contamination were detected. The sum of 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs was 35 ng/kg d.w. (dry weight), or 1.2 ng/kg d.w. in WHO's toxicity equivalent, WHO-TEQ. The annual accumulation rate of 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDD/Fs was 1.26 ng m(-2) a(-1). Deeper in the core, PCDD/F concentrations ranged between 2.11 and 11.1 ng/kg d.w. (0.24 and 1.70 ng/kg d.w. WHO-TEQ) and the accumulation rate was 0.11 ng m(-2) a(-1). A characteristic PCDD/F congener profile was found in all pre-industrial sediment layers. The order of concentrations was OCDD > 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD > 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD > 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD > 2,3,7,8-TCDD, and concentrations of 2,3,7,8-chlorinated dibenzofurans were below the detection limit. Similar congener profiles have previously been described in samples for which natural PCDD/F formation has been proposed. PCBs were present at low levels in all of the sediment samples. The sum of the PCB concentrations of the sediment subsamples ranged between 50 and 2540 ng/kg d.w., and the three predominant congeners in the core were PCBs 18, 52, and 110.     

Degradation rates of aged petroleum hydrocarbons are likely to be mass transfer dependent in the field

Evidence for on site biodegradation may be difficult to provide at heterogeneous sites without additional experiments in controlled laboratory conditions. In this study, microbial activities measured as CO₂ and CH₄ production were compared in situ, in intact soil cores and in bottle microcosms containing sieved soils. In addition, biodegradation rates were determined by measuring the decrease in petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations at 7°C in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Elevated concentrations of CO₂ and CH₄ in the soil gas phase indicated that both the aerobic and anaerobic microbial activity potentials were high at the contaminated site. Aerobic and anaerobic microbial degradation rates in laboratory experiments of petroleum hydrocarbons were highest in soils from the most contaminated point and degradation in the aerobic and anaerobic microcosms was linear throughout the incubation, indicating mass-transfer-dependent degradation. Different results for microbial activity measurements were obtained in laboratory studies depending on pretreatment and size of the sample, even when the environmental conditions were mimicked. These differences may be related to differences in the gas exchange rates as well as in changes in the bioavailability of the contaminant in different analyses. When predicting by modeling the behavior of an aged contaminant it is relevant to adapt the models in use to correspond to conditions relevant at the contaminated sites. The variables used in the models should be based on data from the site and on experiments performed using the original aged contaminant without any additions.     

Biological monitoring of wood dust exposure in nasal lavage by high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for biomonitoring of occupational wood dust exposure based on nasal lavage as a biomonitoring matrix was developed. Gallic acid (GA) was chosen as the indicator compound for oak dust exposure. From the chromatographic profile of ash dust, four peaks were chosen as indicator compounds. Phenolic indicator compounds were analysed by HPLC. Personal dust samples and corresponding nasal lavage samples were collected from 16 workers exposed to oak dust and six to ash dust. The dust concentrations in the workers' breathing zone varied between 0.7 and 13.8 mg m(-3). The indicators revealed the nature of the wood dust inhaled. For the workers who did not use respirators, the correlation between the dust and corresponding indicator compound in their nasal lavage was significant; r2 = 0.59 (n = 12) for oak dust and r2 = 0.58 (n = 6) for ash dust, respectively. Further, the correlation for oak dust workers who used respirators was r = 0.67 (n = 4). Nasal lavage sampling and HPLC analysis of polyphenol indicator compounds are promising tools for measuring wood dust exposure. Although further validation is necessary, determination of the individual dose may prove invaluable in prospective epidemiological studies.     

Nutrient Abatement Potential and Abatement Costs of Waste Water Treatment Plants in the Baltic Sea Region

We assess the physical potential to reduce nutrient loads from waste water treatment plants in the Baltic Sea region and determine the costs of abating nutrients based on the estimated potential. We take a sample of waste water treatment plants of different size classes and generalize its properties to the whole population of waste water treatment plants. Based on a detailed investment and operational cost data on actual plants, we develop the total and marginal abatement cost functions for both nutrients. To our knowledge, our study is the first of its kind; there is no other study on this issue which would take advantage of detailed data on waste water treatment plants at this extent. We demonstrate that the reduction potential of nutrients is huge in waste water treatment plants. Increasing the abatement in waste water treatment plants can result in 70 % of the Baltic Sea Action Plan nitrogen reduction target and 80 % of the Baltic Sea Action Plan phosphorus reduction target. Another good finding is that the costs of reducing both nutrients are much lower than previously thought. The large reduction of nitrogen would cost 670 million euros and of phosphorus 150 million euros. We show that especially for phosphorus the abatement costs in agriculture would be much higher than in waste water treatment plants.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-013-0435-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.