Umweltschäden durch Heizöl nach Hochwasserereignissen

Background Due to high safety measures in production, transport and storage of fuel oil it rarely occurs, that fuel oil will be released in the environment. One exception of this experience was the fuel oil releases of private fuel oil tanks during the “century flood” 2002 in Germany. By order of IWO (Institut für wirtschaftliche Oelheizung e.?V.), the authors investigated the environmental behaviour of fuel oil after flood incidents. Aim Due to the fast spreading of the fuel oil on water surfaces and the contamination of huge areas one expects large environmental harm. For appraisal the behaviour of fuel oil in water and soil must be studied in detail as well as the effect on high and low developed animals and plants, on water organisms and on the flora and fauna of soil. From the valuation of the environmental harm official measures and measures of precaution and safety by manufacturer and user of private fuel oil installations can be derived. Main features For considering the various aspects the authors studied the extensive analyses of the special measuring programme of Saxony-Anhalt, used interviews of concerned persons (private persons and officials), aerial photos, extensive study of literature including eco-toxicological investigations, experiences of more than 70-years applications of fuel oil in plant protection and practical experiences at large field redevelopment of oil damages following averages and accidents. The authors valuated on the base of results of analyses and on own calculations. Results The release of fuel oil in the air is no particular problem because about 40?% of the oil fast evaporate and will be decomposed to carbon dioxide and water. In addition to the evaporation a characteristic behaviour is fast spreading of the fuel oil on the water surface to very thin layers. For a typical coloured oil layer e.?g. one cubic meter of oil is spread on a water surface of about 3?km², this corresponds to 3?ml/m² surface and contaminates the soil after drying up with about 3?µg/kg soil some orders less than the natural content of hydrocarbons in soil. Because of the absorption capacity of soil and the microbial decomposition by everywhere existing hydrocarbons decomposing micro-organisms the oil infiltrates only a few centimetre and will be decomposed in a few months, so that ground water detriments not arise practically. By measurements a few months after fuel oil release in the flood 2002 oil components in the soil could not be detected. Discussion Acute injuries of micro-flora and -fauna in soil and water by fuel oil cannot be excluded from the first. Thus the limiting values of injuries for some water organisms are below 1?mg/l. According to the special measuring programme at the flood 2002 in Saxony-Anhalt however the measured values were mostly wide below of this limit. In detail the spreading and evaporation of fuel oil on water surfaces, the propagation and decomposition of fuel oil in soil will be described. A quantitative valuation of fuel oil distribution in a real flood incident will be given. Conclusions Particular measures of redevelopment of soil for fuel oil release after flood incidents are not necessary normally. Even at the redevelopment after transport damages or at devastated sites with essential higher oil contaminations of soil in comparison to fuel oil release after flood incidents high decomposition rates are obtained by normal soil improving measures supporting the natural micro-organisms in reducing the hydrocarbon concentration for 70–90?% after a few months. Perspectives With the described results a realistic valuation of the environmental harm of fuel oil release after flood incidents could be given. From this qualified measures can be derived for official decisions and precautionary and reliable activities at fuel oil installations of flood endangered areas.     

Fractionation of Cd,Cr, Pb and Ni in roadside soils of Uyo,Niger Delta Region: Nigeria using the optimized BCR sequential extraction technique

The optimized BCR sequential extraction procedure was applied to nine roadside soil samples for the determination of Cd, Cr, Pb and Ni. The extractable metals were isolated into three operationally defined fractions viz: acid extractable, reducible and oxidizable. The residue was treated with aqua regia solution. Metal analysis was done using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry with air–acetylene flame. Results obtained showed the concentrations of the metals as relative abundance in the mobile phases of the samples (based on the sum of the first three fractions) are in the following order: Cd(91.9) > Pb(82.8) > Ni(49.5) > Cr(39.0). The most non-mobilizable metals were Cr and Ni which are generally lithogenic, associated with the silicate matrix, and the order is as follows: Cr(61.0) > Ni(50.5) > Pb(17.2) > Cd(8.1). The recovery of all the metals expressed as the ratio of total metal concentration to fractional sum of the optimized BCR sequential extraction procedure was of the order: Cr(95.6) > Pb(95.0) > Ni(94.8) > Cd(92.4).     

Life-cycle impacts of the use of industrial by-products in road and earth construction

A two-stage study "Life cycle analysis of road construction and earthworks" was part of a more extensive Finnish research project "Assessment of the applicability of secondary products in earthworks". In the first stage of this work a life-cycle impact assessment procedure for the comparison and evaluation of alternative road and earth constructions was developed. Additionally, a database containing the environmental burdens of the most significant construction materials and unit operations was constructed. In order to evaluate the applicability of the procedure, the use of coal ash, crushed concrete waste and granulated blast-furnace slag in road construction was evaluated in case studies. The use of these secondary products was also compared with the use of natural materials in corresponding applications. The aim of the second stage was to transfer the assembled data for utilisation as a practical model by creating an inventory analysis program to calculate and compare the life cycle impacts of the most common road constructions and foundation engineering methods. The data obtained in the first stage was also augmented to the extent necessary for this purpose. The results of case studies indicate that the production and transport of the materials used in road constructions produce the most significant environmental burdens. Production of the bitumen and cement, crushing of materials and transport of materials are the most energy consuming single life-cycle stages of the construction. A large part of the emissions to atmosphere originates from energy production. In the expert assessment, consumption of natural materials and leaching behaviour were also regarded as being of great significance.     

Salps in the Lazarev Sea, Southern Ocean: II. Biochemical composition and potential prey value

Two species of salps, Salpa thompsoni and Ihlea racovitzai, were sampled during three cruises to the Lazarev Sea, Southern Ocean, in summer (December–January) 2005/2006, Autumn (April–May) 2004 and Winter (July–August) 2006. Dry weight, carbon, nitrogen, protein, lipid and carbohydrate contents were measured to characterize the potential value of salps as a food source for predators in the Antarctic ecosystem. Biochemical composition measurements showed that despite having a high percentage of water (~94% of wet weight), both species had relatively high carbon and protein contents in their remaining dry weight (DW). In particular I. racovitzai showed high carbon (up to 22% of DW) and protein (up to 32% of DW) values during all seasons sampled, compared to lower values for S. thompsoni (carbon content only about 15% of the DW, protein content about 10% of the DW). At the same time, carbohydrates (CH) and lipids (Lip) only accounted for a small portion of salp DW in both species (1.4% CH and 3.6% Lip for I. racovitzai; 2.1% CH and 2.9% Lip for S. thompsoni). There was little variability in the biochemical composition of either salp species between the seasons sampled. Both biochemical composition and life cycle characteristics suggest that Antarctic salps, especially I. racovitzai, may be important prey items for both cold and warm-blooded predators in an environment where food is often very scarce.     

四川色达县切都柯沟"7.8"泥石流灾害特性及危险性分析

2004年7月8日四川色达县歌乐沱乡切都柯沟发生了中等规模泥石流,最大流速10.4 m/s,洪峰流量156 m3/s,冲出方量约7×104 m3,造成了一定的财产损失. 泥石流稠度大,冲击力强,具有明显的直进性特征,为粘性泥石流. 切都柯沟泥石流发育阶段为壮年(偏幼)期. 切都柯沟为中度危险的泥石流沟,该沟一次泥石流最大堆积危险范围39 902 m2,最大堆积长度284 m,最大堆积厚度4.32 m. 提出了相应的防治措施一是在滑坡崩塌处进行加固,采取沟岸护坡等措施;二是在沟谷上游修建谷坊、拦挡坝,以降低流速,削减泥石流能量和规模.     

Impacts of copepods on marine seston,and resulting effects on<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Calanus finmarchicus</Emphasis> RNA:DNA ratios in mesocosm experiments

We investigated the impact of copepods on the seston community in a mesocosm set-up, and assessed how the changes in food quantity, quality and size affected the condition of the grazers, by measuring the RNA:DNA ratios in different developmental stages of Calanus finmarchicus. Manipulated copepod densities did not affect the particulate carbon concentration in the mesocosms. On the other hand, chlorophyll a content increased with higher copepod densities, and increasing densities had a positive effect on seston food quality in the mesocosms, measured as C:N ratios and 3:6 fatty acid ratios. These food quality indicators were significantly correlated to the nutritional status of C. finmarchicus. In contrast to our expectations, these results suggest a lower copepod growth potential on higher quality food. However, in concordance with earlier studies, we found that when copepods were in high densities the large particles (>1000 µm³) decreased and that the smaller particles (<1000 µm³) increased in number. These patterns were closely linked to the condition of C. finmarchicus, which were of better condition (RNA:DNA ratios) with increasing biovolumes of large particles, and, conversely, lower RNA:DNA ratios with increasing biovolumes of smaller particles. Consequentially, the selective grazing by copepods stimulated increased biovolumes of smaller plankton, and this increase was responsible for the increased food quality, in terms of C:N and 3:6 ratios. Thus, we conclude that the decreasing growth potentials of C. finmarchicus were a result of a decrease of favourably sized food particles, induced by copepod grazing.Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe     

Risk-based route evaluation against country-specific criteria of risk tolerability for hazmat transportation through Indian State Highways

Risk-based route evaluation is necessary for decision making by authorities for regulating hazardous materials (hazmats) transport vehicles. The paper highlights risk estimation and its representation for three highway study routes in western India using frequency analysis through logic diagrams and scenario based detailed consequence analysis of accidental releases considering 26 hazmats from UN Classes-2, 3, 6 and 8 categories. The 3 routes have been evaluated based on several layers of analysis namely hazmat-wise, route-segment-wise, route-wise and overall assessment including presentation of normalized risk figures. The results show that compared to the risk on city route segment, individual risks on other two routes are higher and extend beyond ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) region when assessed against HSE, UK risk criteria, whereas, societal risks on all three routes are within the ALARP except some part in the higher fatality area. But, considering the general mortality rates in India and sustained economic growth, the authors proposed widening of the ALARP region for individual risk tolerability of transportation activity of essential commodities that benefits society to a large extent in this developing economy. However, specific risk reduction measures have also been suggested to improve upon the risk picture in the study area.     

Cumulative risk assessment of chemical exposures in urban environments

We performed a cumulative risk assessment for people living in a hypothetical urban environment, called Urbania. The main aims of the study were to demonstrate how a cumulative risk assessment for a middle-sized European city can be performed and to identify the bottlenecks in terms of data availability and knowledge gaps. The assessment focused on five air pollutants (i.e., PM??, benzene, toluene, nonane and naphthalene) and six food pesticides (i.e., acetamiprid, carbendazim, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, imidacloprid and permethrin). Exposure predictions showed that PM??, benzene and naphthalene exposure frequently exceeded the standards, and that the indoor environment contributed more than the outdoor environment. Effect predictions showed that mixture and interaction effects were generally limited. However, model calculations indicated potential synergistic effects between naphthalene and benzene and between chlorpyrifos, diazinon and toluene. PM?? dominated the health impact expressed in Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). We conclude that measures to reduce the health impact of environmental pollution should focus on the improvement of indoor air quality and the reduction of PM?? emissions. Cumulative risk assessment can be improved by (1) the development of person-oriented exposure models that can simulate the cumulative exposure history of individuals, (2) a better mechanistic understanding of the effects of cumulative stressors, and (3) the development of instruments to prioritize stressors for inclusion in cumulative risk assessments.     

Personal care product use and urinary levels of phthalate metabolites in Mexican women

Sources of phthalates other than Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) related products are scarcely documented in Mexico. The objective of our study was to explore the association between urinary levels of nine phthalate metabolites and the use of personal care products. Subjects included 108 women who participated as controls in an ongoing population-based case-control study of environmental factors and genetic susceptibility to breast cancer in northern Mexico. Direct interviews were performed to inquire about sociodemographic characteristics, reproductive history, use of personal care products, and diet. Phthalate metabolites measured in urine by high performance liquid chromatography-isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry were monoethyl phthalate (MEP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MBP), mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-3-carboxypropyl phthalate (MCPP) as well as mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate (MEOHP), mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl phthalate (MEHHP), mono-2-ethyl-5-carboxypentyl phthalate (MECPP) that are metabolites of di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Detectable urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites varied from 75% (MEHP) to 100% (MEP, MBP, MEOHP, MEHHP and MECPP). Medians of urinary concentrations of some phthalate metabolites were significantly higher among users of the following personal care products compared to nonusers: body lotion (MEHHP, MECPP and sum of DEHP metabolites (ΣDEHP)), deodorant (MEHP and ΣDEHP), perfume (MiBP), anti-aging facial cream (MEP, MBP and MCPP) and bottled water (MCPP, MEHHP and MEOHP). Urinary concentrations of MEP showed a positive relationship with the number of personal care products used. Our results suggest that the use of some personal care products contributes to phthalate body burden that deserves attention due to its potential health impact.