Acid sulfate soils and human health—A Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Acid sulfate soils have been described as the “nastiest soils on earth” because of their strong acidity, increased mobility of potentially toxic elements and limited bioavailability of nutrients. They only cover a small area of the world's total problem soils, but often have significant adverse effects on agriculture, aquaculture and the environment on a local scale. Their location often coincides with high population density areas along the coasts of many developing countries. As a result, their negative impacts on ecosystems can have serious implications to those least equipped for coping with the low crop yields and reduced water quality that can result from acid sulfate soil disturbance. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment called on by the United Nations in 2000 emphasised the importance of ecosystems for human health and well-being. These include the service they provide as sources of food and water, through the control of pollution and disease, as well as for the cultural services ecosystems provide. While the problems related to agriculture, aquaculture and the environment have been the focus of many acid sulfate soil management efforts, the connection to human health has largely been ignored. This paper presents the potential health issues of acid sulfate soils, in relation to the ecosystem services identified in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. It is recognised that significant implications on food security and livelihood can result, as well as on community cohesiveness and the spread of vector-borne disease. However, the connection between these outcomes and acid sulfate soils is often not obvious and it is therefore argued that the impact of such soils on human well-being needs to be recognised in order to raise awareness among the public and decision makers, to in turn facilitate proper management and avoid potential human ill-health.     

Spatial distribution of uranium and thorium in the surface soil around proposed uranium mining site at Lambapur and its vertical profile in the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam

The understanding and evaluation of the possible interactions of various naturally occurring radionuclides in the world's third largest man-made dam, Nagarjuna Sagar located in Andhra Pradesh, India and built on river Krishna assumed significance with the finding of uranium deposits in locations near the dam. For the present work, surface soil samples from the mineralized area of Lambapur, Mallapuram, Peddagattu and sediment core samples from the Nagarjuna Sagar dam were analyzed for naturally occurring radionuclides namely uranium and thorium using gamma spectrometric technique. Also toxic elements lead and chromium were analysed by the Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (EDXRF) technique. Surface soil samples show a variation from 25 to 291 Bq/kg (2.02–23.5 mg/kg) for ²³⁸U and 32–311 Bq/kg (7.9–76.9 mg/kg) for ²³²Th. U/Th concentration ratio in surface soil samples ranged from 0.19 to 0.31 and was found comparable with the nation wise average of 0.26. The study of sediment core samples reflected higher U/Th concentration ratio of 0.30–0.33 in the bottom section of the core as compared to 0.22–0.25 in the upper section. The concentration ratio in the upper section of the core was similar to the ratio 0.23 found in the western Deccan Basalt region through which the river originates. A higher concentration of lead and chromium was observed in the upper section of the core compared to bottom section indicating the impact of river input on the geochemical character of dam sediment.     

New best estimates for radionuclide solid–liquid distribution coefficients in soils. Part 3: miscellany of radionuclides (Cd,Co, Ni,Zn, I,Se, Sb,Pu, Am,and others)

New best estimates for the solid–liquid distribution coefficient (K_d) for a set of radionuclides are proposed, based on a selective data search and subsequent calculation of geometric means. The K_d best estimates are calculated for soils grouped according to the texture and organic matter content. For a limited number of radionuclides this is extended to consider soil cofactors affecting soil–radionuclide interaction, such as pH, organic matter content, and radionuclide chemical speciation. Correlations between main soil properties and radionuclide K_d are examined to complete the information derived from the best estimates with a rough prediction of K_d based on soil parameters. Although there are still gaps for many radionuclides, new data from recent studies improve the calculation of K_d best estimates for a number of radionuclides, such as selenium, antimony, and iodine.     

A soil sampling intercomparison exercise for the ALMERA network

Soil sampling and analysis for radionuclides after an accidental or routine release is a key factor for the dose calculation to members of the public, and for the establishment of possible countermeasures. The IAEA organized for selected laboratories of the ALMERA (Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity) network a Soil Sampling Intercomparison Exercise (IAEA/SIE/01) with the objective of comparing soil sampling procedures used by different laboratories. The ALMERA network is a world-wide network of analytical laboratories located in IAEA member states capable of providing reliable and timely analysis of environmental samples in the event of an accidental or intentional release of radioactivity. Ten ALMERA laboratories were selected to participate in the sampling exercise. The soil sampling intercomparison exercise took place in November 2005 in an agricultural area qualified as a “reference site”, aimed at assessing the uncertainties associated with soil sampling in agricultural, semi-natural, urban and contaminated environments and suitable for performing sampling intercomparison. In this paper, the laboratories sampling performance were evaluated.     

社会减灾能力信任及水灾风险感知的区域对比——基于江西九江和宜春公众的调查

研究公众对社会减灾能力及灾害风险的认识,有助于从公众视角揭示风险潜在因素,不仅是进行风险沟通的必备环节,还可以为开展有效的减灾宣传教育、提高公众减灾意识提供决策依据。通过社会调查（221份样本）和统计分析方法,比较了江西九江、宜春公众对于社会减灾能力的信任及水灾风险感知。结果表明,公众对于社会减灾能力基本持信任态度,信任度高低排序为：灾害监测预报>政府应急>防灾工程>预警传播,其中宜春公众的信任度较高;公众对于水灾的风险感知较弱,尤其是宜春公众认为水灾发生、受灾的可能性很小;公众的信任与对区域减灾能力的了解无关,主要是受到受灾经历（受灾次数、灾情损失、灾后救援）的影响,即区域本底灾害风险的高低导致公众认知的差异,风险较高区域（九江）的公众具有更为明确的降低风险的行为倾向及意愿。     

Response of the pigment system of conifers to long-term industrial air pollution

To estimate the response of conifers to long-term industrial air pollution at the pigment system level, the dynamics of photosynthetic pigments have been studied in needles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) growing at different distances from the emission source (a pulp and paper mill). It has been shown that the pigment apparatus of spruce. The results show that in spruce, unlike in pine, the pigment apparatus remains unchanged under the effect of weak pollution. Long-term exposure at high levels of industrial emission results in suppression of chlorophyll and carotenoid syntheses in pine but stimulates pigment production in spruce. An increase in the contents of pigments in the needles of conifers growing in the impact zone of the pulp and paper mill reflects a compensatory mechanism of adaptation of their pigment system to long-term stress exposure.     

Mortality and recruitment of mountain birch (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Betula pubescens</Emphasis> ssp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">czerepanovii</Emphasis>) in the impact zone of a copper-nickel smelter in the period of significant reduction of emissions: The results of 15-year monitoring

Long-term monitoring of mountain birch populations (1992–2006) was performed in 14 test plots located at distances of 1 to 63 km from the copper-nickel smelter in Monchegorsk (Murmansk oblast) and differing in the degree of disturbance. In the period from 1999 to 2006, atmospheric emissions of sulfur dioxide and heavy metals amounted to only one-third of those between 1992 and 1998, but birch mortality in heavily polluted areas (with nickel concentrations in leaves exceeding 160 mg/kg) remained at the same level, being absent (as previously) in less polluted areas. Throughout the observation period, birch recruitment was observed only in areas where nickel concentrations in the leaves were below 160 mg/kg; i.e., this concentration proved to be the threshold with respect to both mortality and recruitment of mountain birch. The course of demographic processes in its populations has remained unchanged after the reduction of emissions, confirming the hypothesis of the “inertial“ effect of industrial emissions on ecosystems. In some areas of industrial barrens, mountain birch may perish completely within the next decade.     

环境库兹涅茨曲线假说在中国的经验研究

改革开放以来,中国年均98%的经济持续增长举世瞩目,然而对经济增长所付出的环境代价却存在着诸多争议。环境库兹涅茨曲线（EKC）假说是对环境 收入关系研究的经典表述,可以直观地展现环境与收入变化的关系。在前人研究EKC时运用单一或多个单一指标测量污染程度存在缺陷的基础上,基于 1982～2006年中国6类环境污染物,用改进的熵值法计算出代表我国整体环境污染状况的环境污染指数,利用协整检验来研究中国环境库兹涅茨曲线的存在性及其“本土化”特征,发现与一般发达国家和新兴发展中国家的“倒U”型环境库兹涅茨曲线不同,中国综合环境污染模型呈“正U”型,以21世纪初为分界点,之前环境污染水平不断下降,之后环境污染又开始有所恶化;利用脉冲响应函数来考察环境污染和经济增长的互动关系,发现经济增长在追溯期内对环境污染均为正向影响,而环境污染仅在短期对经济增长有促进作用。这一研究旨在为制定符合中国国情的环境、经济政策,实现经济与环境协调发展提供理论依据.     

Spatial character of polychlorinated biphenyls from soil and respirable particulate matter in Taiyuan, China

As one of China’s great metropolises, Taiyuan is affected by heavy chemical industry and manufacture of chemical products, and faces pollution from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the PCB concentrations in various environmental media in Taiyuan. We collected 15 soil samples, 34 respirable particulate matter (PM) samples (17 of PM_2.5 and 17 of PM₁₀) from urban areas of Taiyuan, and measured a total of 144 PCB congeners (including some coeluting PCB congeners). The total PCB concentrations were 51–4.7 × 10³ pg g⁻¹ in soil, 27–1.4 × 10² pg m⁻³ in PM_2.5 and 16–1.9 × 10² pg m⁻³ in PM₁₀. Of the PCB homologues, the dominant PCBs detected in the various media were all tri-CBs. Soil was relatively the most polluted media. Furthermore, principal-component analysis revealed that the major PCB source in Taiyuan may be associated with the main commercial PCB through long-range transmission. Toxic equivalency (TEQ) concentrations (based on ten dioxin-like PCBs) ranged from N.D. to 5.9 × 10⁻³ pg-WHO TEQ g⁻¹ in soil, 2.0 × 10⁻⁴–3.4 × 10⁻³ pg-WHO TEQ m⁻³ and 1.0 × 10⁻⁴–1.2 × 10⁻³ pg-WHO TEQ m⁻³ in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀, respectively. In previous studies, PCBs were not a severe component of contaminant in Taiyuan; however, this study suggested there is a potential threat of human exposure to PCBs for residents of Taiyuan.     

Inactivation of Ascaris eggs in soil by microwave treatment compared to UV and ozone treatment

This study reports on the effect of microwave radiation for inactivation of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs in 25 g of soil compared to ultraviolet irradiation and ozone expose. Microwave radiation at 700 W with 14% water content (w/w) achieved approximately 2.5 log inactivation of eggs in soil within 60 s. On the other hand, UV irradiation at 3 mW cm⁻² with and without shaking soil for 3600 s achieved approximately 0.32 and 0.01 log inactivation of eggs, respectively. In ozone treatment, 0.13 log inactivation of eggs was achieved with 5.8 ± 0.7 mg L⁻¹ of dissolved ozone dose for 30 min in a continuous diffusion reactor. In addition, the inactivation of eggs by three disinfection techniques was conducted in water in order to compare the inactivation efficiency of eggs in soil. The inactivation efficiency of microwave radiation was found to be no significant difference between in soil and water. However, the inactivation efficiency of UV irradiation was significantly increased in water while in ozone expose there was no significant difference between in soil and water. Microwave treatment thus proved to be the most efficient method in controlling A. lumbricoides eggs in soil.