Think globally,act locally: neighbourhood pollution and the future of the earth

Each year governments and industry around the globe spend billions of dollars in search of treatments and cures for diseases that shorten lives, which often means gadgets, implants, radiation and pills. These “cures”, do not get to the root of the problem. Perhaps it is time for us to adjust our thinking to be more proactive instead of reactive in public health. Perhaps we need to consider confronting environmental pollution of air, soil and water at a local level. As the Physicians for Social Responsibility point out, we should be “preventing what we cannot cure”. One such preventive measure is ensuring that our communities, including our poor inner-city neighbourhoods, enjoy a clean environment. We challenge local and national policy-makers to respond to the global call and to take action to address environmental toxins; to take local action to ameliorate the pollution of the air, water and soil in so many of our nation’s neighbourhoods. A person’s neighbourhood, and the proximity of dangerous environmental contaminants within it, is a powerful predictor of how long s/he will live. While situations like the poisoning of the water in Flint, Michigan have gotten some attention, they are generally treated as the exception rather than a reflection of real environmental hazards that exist in the west. Moreover we wonder why more endemic issues of neighbourhood environmental contamination that shorten human lives are not a priority for local action or that it is not linked to disproportionate production of greenhouse gases that cause climate change/warming/chaos.     

乌鲁木齐市不同区域大气降尘中重金属污染及来源分析

为进一步了解城市不同区域间大气降尘中重金属含量及其差异性,沿城市走向梯度布设降尘采样点采集样品。采用电感耦合等离子体原子发射光谱(ICP-AES)仪测定样品中Cu、Cr、Mn、Fe、Ni、Zn、Cd、Pb和As等重金属含量,并计算富集因子来判断不同区域间的污染源类型,通过因子分析方法探讨污染的来源。结果显示,所测重金属元素中除Mn外,均受到人为源的影响,且十分严重。从贡献率来看,不同区域间第一因子的贡献率虽有差异,但均为来自土壤的风沙扬尘造成;第二因子的贡献率也不尽相同,主要是燃煤产生的污染;第三因子出现了差异,市南区和市北区主要是受金属冶炼的影响,而市中区的影响可能来自垃圾焚烧;市南区未出现第四因子,而市中区和市北区的污染源也不相同。分析表明,城市大气降尘污染依然严重,做好防控风沙和建筑扬尘,减少煤炭消耗,调整能源结构和产业布局是整体减少大气降尘的关键。     

不同种植方式蔬菜中农药残留的差异及污染控制研究

采集了陕西地区不同种植方式的瓜果类、叶菜类蔬菜样品,研究了其中各种农药的残留情况,并分析了农药残留对环境的污染及其控制措施。结果表明:露地种植蔬菜与设施种植蔬菜相比,无论是农药残留检出率还是超标率都略高,两者的农药残留检出率分别为42.0%、36.5%,超标率分别为12.0%、8.2%;叶菜类蔬菜与瓜果类蔬菜相比,无论是农药残留检出率还是超标率都较高,两者的农药残留检出率分别为52.6%、29.6%,超标率分别为17.3%、5.4%;设施种植的瓜果类蔬菜和叶菜类蔬菜的农药残留检出率基本接近,而叶菜类蔬菜的农药残留超标率明显高于瓜果类蔬菜,露地种植的叶菜类蔬菜的农药残留检出率和超标率都远高于瓜果类蔬菜;设施种植蔬菜与露地种植蔬菜相比,甲胺磷、对硫磷、甲基对硫磷、毒死蜱、三氟氯氰菊酯和氰戊菊酯的残留检出率更高;瓜果类蔬菜与叶菜类蔬菜相比,毒死蜱、甲氰菊酯、三氟氯氰菊酯、氰戊菊酯的残留检出率更高;叶菜类蔬菜的农药施用浓度较高,施用农药后要间隔一定时间后再上市销售,并应采用更科学的施药方式,以减少农药在蔬菜中的残留和降低对环境的危害;一方面要开发并积极倡导使用高效、低毒、低残留的无公害农药,另一方面则要开发能够高效、快速降解残留农药的物质,同时还要进行农产品的清洁生产,以提高农产品的安全性,并降低环境中农药的残留危害。     

阿什河水系枯水期氮污染特征与同位素源解析

在阿什河水系设置20个采样点,采用水质监测技术和稳定氮同位素示踪技术,研究了枯水期阿什河氮污染特征和硝酸盐氮污染来源。结果表明:(1)阿什河枯水期大部分采样点氨氮浓度较低,大部分区域达到或优于《地表水环境质量标准》(GB3838—2002)中Ⅲ类。上游河段硝酸盐氮浓度较低,中游河段较高,到下游河段略有降低。总氮浓度较高,最高达19.4mg/L。(2)阿什河水系采样点15 N的丰度(δ15 N)主要处于0.11%~0.21%、0.42%~0.78%、0.83%~0.88%和1.09%~1.26%。稳定15 N同位素示踪解析阿什河硝酸盐氮污染来源表明,阿什河上游污染源主要为大气沉降、土壤有机氮和人工化肥;中游主要受畜禽养殖污水和生活污水污染;下游主要受城镇生活污水和工业废水影响。     

Optimization-Based Atmospheric Plume Source Identification

This work applies optimization and an Eulerian inversion approach presented by Bagtzoglou and Baun in 2005 in order to reconstruct contaminant plume time histories and to identify the likely source of atmospheric contamination using data from a real test site for the first time. Present-day distribution of an atmospheric contaminant plume as well as data points reflecting the plume history allow the reconstruction and provide the plume velocity, distribution, and probable source. The method was tested to a hypothetical case and with data from the Forest Atmosphere Transfer and Storage (FACTS) experiment in the Duke experimental forest site. In the scenarios presented herein, as well as in numerous cases tested for verification purposes, the model conserved mass, successfully located the peak of the plume, and managed to capture the motion of the plume well but underestimated the contaminant peak.     

Recharge and Flow in the Medicine Lake Volcano–Fall River Springs Groundwater Basin,California

Isotopic measurements of the 34 m³/s discharge from the Fall River Springs of northern California indicate recharge from 50 km upgradient in high elevation regions of Medicine Lake Volcano. Age determinations suggest less than 20-year travel time. Data demonstrate Klamath Basin further north cannot be a recharge source. Mass balance calculations support that annual precipitation on the volcano supplies observed spring discharge, requiring 50%–75% recharge rates. Radiocarbon and δ¹³C of dissolved inorganic carbon indicate 30%–40% is derived from magmatic CO₂. Measured excess ³He is also consistent with the presence of magmatic gas derived from the Quaternary Age Medicine Lake Volcano.     

农业源水污染物削减技术探讨

农业面源污染是水体中COD、氮、磷等指标的主要来源。它包括农药化肥施用、畜禽养殖和农村生活污水排放。对农业源水污染物进行削减是实现污染物总量控制的重要手段。通过详细总结国内外现有农业源水污染物削减技术方法,分析对比其优缺点和实用性,筛选出适用于不同农业污染来源的污水处理技术。结果表明,畜禽养殖废水的适宜处理技术有厌氧/缺氧/好氧(A/A/O)、序批式活性污泥法(SBR)、膜生物反应器(MBR)、升流式厌氧污泥床(UASB)、厌氧沼气池;农地施肥污水的适宜处理技术有SBR、MBR、UASB;农村生活污水的适宜处理技术有厌氧沼气池、生物滴滤池、人工湿地、稳定塘。     

湖库型水体总氮总量控制目标的区域分配研究

基于层次分析法原理,以资源禀赋、社会经济、农业生产生活、污染治理水平为主要考虑因素设计指标体系和层次结构,建立了湖库型水体总氮总量控制目标分配方法,并在石头口门水库流域进行了应用,为湖库型水体总氮总量控制目标分配及石头口门水库流域总氮总量控制提供借鉴。     

丝藻对含钼废水中MoO_4~(2-)的吸附特性及机制研究

研究了丝藻对含钼废水中MoO2-4的吸附作用。分别考察了初始pH、吸附时间、温度、投加量以及竞争离子等5个因素对吸附过程的影响,并应用吸附热力学和动力学方法对吸附机制进行了探讨。结果表明,丝藻在初始pH 1、吸附时间40min、投加量为1.0g以及30℃条件下,对含钼废水中MoO2-4的去除率达82%,平衡吸附量为0.657 0mg/g。PO3-4对MoO2-4的吸附具有较强的拮抗作用,平衡吸附量下降至0.380 0mg/g,SiO4-4对MoO2-4的拮抗作用相对较弱,而SO2-4对MoO2-4的吸附却有一定的协同作用。丝藻对MoO2-4的吸附等温数据更符合Langmuir吸附等温模型,准二级动力学方程拟合的吸附动力学过程相关性较高,20、25℃下的R2都在0.99以上。说明丝藻吸附MoO2-4属于化学吸附,受化学反应速率控制,且丝藻可以应用于含钼废水治理领域。