Risk management of terrorist attacks in the transport of hazardous materials using dynamic geoevents

This paper focuses attention on emergency management associated with a terrorist attack in the transport of hazardous materials in urban areas. The case study is in an urban area, a potential target for terrorist attacks due to its high vulnerability. Since it is not possible to predict where and when an attack will occur, the risk associated with terrorism is complex. It is only possible to identify the critical points for potential actions where counter measure must be applied. In the case of incidents which evolve relatively slowly, mitigation actions can be applied. The use of dynamic geoevents permits the immediate location of the event on a georeferenced map and the possibility of having a dynamic evolution of the scenario and of the number of people involved. The dynamic scenario has been created using the output of a consequence simulation code and a GIS software. Some assumptions were necessary but, since the aim of the paper is to define the procedure for the construction of the dynamic geoevent, these can be considered acceptable. The method will be further implemented in future.     

嘉兴市南湖区危险废物现状调查及污染控制对策研究

对嘉兴市南湖区危险废物产生及污染控制状况进行调查分析的基础上，提出了目前存在的问题，并对危险废物的处置、管理，以及具体的防治对策提出了切实可行的建议。     

Quantitative and structural analyses of hazardous elements in Chinese medicines and herbs

Thirty samples of Chinese medicines and herbs were analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods, mainly noting on the hazardous elements arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), chromium, antimony and cobalt. The three Niuhuang Jiedu Pian samples contained 8.6%, 8.3% and 2.2% As. Two out of four Liushen Wan samples contained approximately7% of both As and Hg. Despite being identically named, the other two Liushen Wan samples did not contain such high concentrations. Japanese Liushen Wan for children contained 1.2 ± 0.03% As and 31 ± 12 mg/kg Hg, whereas Liushen Wan for adults manufactured by another Japanese company contained 550 ± 22 mg/kg As and 1.2 ± 0.05 mg/kg Hg. All the chemical structural formulas of As and Hg in the high-concentration Niuhuang Jiedu Pian and Liushen Wan were realgar (As₄S₄), uzonite (As₄S₅) and cinnabar (HgS). Although the human body is generally not believed to absorb sulphides, continuous intake of these Chinese medicines is potentially no good because it is possible that some arsenic-sulfides will dissolve in gastric acid and then alter their chemical structures. Additionally, many herbs contained low concentrations of Hg, and their chemical structures were unknown.     

Potential health impacts of heavy-metal exposure at the Tar Creek Superfund site,Ottawa County,Oklahoma

The potential impact of exposure to heavy metals and health problems was evaluated at the Tar Creek Superfund site, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, USA. Observed versus expected mortality was calculated for selected conditions in the County and exposed cities. Excess mortality was found for stroke and heart disease when comparing the exposed County to the state but not when comparing the exposed cities to the nonexposed rest of the County. However, sample sizes in the exposed area were small, population emigration has been ongoing, and geographic coding of mortality data was incomplete. In an exposed community, 62.5% of children under the age of 6 years had blood lead levels exceeding 10 μg/dl. The relationships between heavy-metal exposure and children’s health and chronic disease in adults are suggestive that a more thorough investigation might be warranted. A number of possible environmental and health studies are suggested, including those focusing on possible central nervous system impacts. Unfortunately, the exposed population is dispersing. One lesson learned at this site is that health studies need to be conducted as soon as possible after an environmental problem is identified to both study the impact of the most acute exposures and to maximize study sample size—including those exposed to higher doses—and minimize the loss of individuals to follow-up.     

Observations on metal trends in soil and vegetation samples collected in the vicinity of a hazardous waste incinerator under construction (1996–1998)

The temporal variation in metal concentrations in soil and vegetation samples collected in an area of Catalonia (Spain), which will be under the potential influence of a new hazardous waste incinerator was determined. In 1996 and again in 1998, As, Be, Cd, Cr, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn, Tl and V were measured in 40 soil and 40 herbage samples collected at 250–4000 m from the facility at the same sampling points. Data of both surveys and the percentages of variation are here presented for all metals. Results are shown according to the main wind directions in the area, as well as distances from the new facility. During the period 1996–1998, a general decrease was noted for most metals. Only the levels of Hg were significantly increased during this period. The present results will be useful for future surveys aimed to evaluate the environmental impact of metals derived from emissions of the new plant.     

Analysis of factors that influence hazardous material transportation accidents based on Bayesian networks: A case study in China

In this study, we applied Bayesian networks to prioritize the factors that influence hazardous material (Hazmat) transportation accidents. The Bayesian network structure was built based on expert knowledge using Dempster-Shafer evidence theory, and the structure was modified based on a test for conditional independence. We collected and analyzed 94 cases of Chinese Hazmat transportation accidents to compute the posterior probability of each factor using the expectation-maximization learning algorithm. We found that the three most influential factors in Hazmat transportation accidents were human factors, the transport vehicle and facilities, and packing and loading of the Hazmat. These findings provide an empirically supported theoretical basis for Hazmat transportation corporations to take corrective and preventative measures to reduce the risk of accidents.     

Future solutions for the treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes in China

The current status of the treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes in China is summarized on the basis of the results of the Declaring and Registration Project initiated nationally in 1995. A principle framework for the sound management of hazardous wastes is proposed, which includes three levels of technical solutions. Large-scale enterprises are encouraged to recycle, to treat, and to dispose of wastes by means of constructing facilities, and to have their extra capacities available to the public for a reasonable fee. Municipal governments, provincial governments, and the Central Government are to plan and construct centralized facilities to recycle, treat, and dispose of wastes. For a solution at the manufacturing level, recycling is identified as the main approach. Centralized facilities at the municipal level will mainly focus on special wastes that are unsuitable to transport and store, such as hospital waste, and for the technical solution at this level, incineration and recycling are identified as the main approaches. For the technical solution at the provincial and national levels, landfill and incineration are identified as the main approaches. Based on this principle and the current available data on hazardous wastes, a preliminary plan for the spatial distribution of cross-provincial centralized treatment and disposal facilities of hazardous wastes is presented. The construction of approximately nine cross-provincial comprehensive facilities is proposed. A priority list for the construction of these planned facilities is also presented.     

Risk assessment as a management tool for inactive hazardous materials disposal sites

A protocol for risk assessment at inactive hazardous material disposal sites has been developed by using mathematical modeling and estimation techniques. Compared with ranking models, the protocol yields quantitative results with a minimum of input data that may be used to select among management, scientific, or engineering alternatives for the site. This article reviews the background, presents the protocol, illustrates the application of the protocol, and demonstrates the use of the protocol in conjunction with thecritical environmental area concept. Comparisons are also presented with other model systems such as the EPA HRS.     

Land classification used to select abandoned hazardous waste study sites

The biological effects of hazardous substances in the environment are influenced by climate, physiography, and biota. These factors interact to determine the transport and fate of chemicals, but are difficult to model accurately except for small areas with a large data base. The requirement for a large data base may be reduced locally if the regional influences of these factors were predetermined from existing data. Knowledge of the regional factors would also relax the restriction to considering only small areas. This paper advocates consideration of regional characteristics of the environment in the early stages of waste management strategy development. It presents as an example a procedure for selecting study sites from candidate-abandoned hazardous waste dumpsites in the southeastern United States. It uses small-scale maps of low resolution from the National Atlas to delineate the boundaries and to determine the environmental characteristics that prevail over units of land within the region. A computer map-overlay and graphic approach is used to facilitate the grouping of land types. Abandoned hazardous waste dumpsites found within land types that best represent the region are surveyed for selecting a study site. It is expected that environmental impact data obtained from a representative site would be useful for predicting impact potentials in similar remotely located areas within the same general region.     

上海市危险废物的环境管理现状与对策

介绍了上海市危险废物的环境管理现状，列举了存在的问题和不足之处，在此基础上，提出了加快建设区域性危险物集中处置设施，并通过强化监管力度，积极推行危险物联单制度和危险废物经营许可证制度，以达到安全处理处置危险废物的目的。