Study of total organic halogen as a means to detect groundwater contamination

Total organic halogen (TOX) was evaluated as a means to detect contamination of groundwater by halogenated organics. Groundwater samples from monitoring wells at 10 Canadian landfill sites were analyzed for carbon adsorbable TOX, total organic carbon and volatile organics. Low concentrations of TOX (range, ND-44; median 8 μg Cl L^?1) were found at nine sites, and elevated TOX levels (?2072 μg Cl L^?1) at the tenth site. This latter site was studied in greater detail, and TOX and GC-MS analyses were carried out for volatile, base neutral, and acid extractable fractions of the water in six monitoring wells at this site. The TOX and GC-MS techniques were found to provide complementary information. GC-MS analysis detected high concentrations of 1,2-dichloroethylene, trichloroethylene, toluene, and ethylbenzene in some of the wells. TOX measurements, however, indicated the presence of halogenated contaminants in the base-neutral and acid extractable fractions, which had not been detected by GC-MS.     

On-road driving evaluations: a potential tool for helping older adults drive safely longer

PROBLEM: This paper explores the potential use of on-road driving evaluations as a tool for helping older adults extend their safe driving years. METHOD: Three separate research activities were carried out. The first was a national telephone survey of current and former older drivers. The results of this survey provide information relevant to the potential market for on-road driving evaluations. The second was a series of focus groups with potential stakeholders in the process: driver educators, occupational therapists, and physicians. These groups explored the feasibility and requirements of offering on-road driving evaluations to the wider public. Supplemental data were also collected from a mail survey of driving schools nationwide. RESULTS: Based on the results of these efforts, a number of recommendations are presented for expanding the availability of on-road driving evaluations, specifically to help older adults make more responsible decisions about continuing or stopping driving, and more generally to help them drive safely longer.     

Assessing vulnerability to invasion by nonnative plant species at multiple spatial scales

Basic information on where nonnative plant species have successfully invaded is lacking. We assessed the vulnerability of 22 vegetation types (25 sets of four plots in nine study areas) to nonnative plant invasions in the north–central United States. In general, habitats with high native species richness were more heavily invaded than species-poor habitats, low-elevation areas were more invaded than high-elevation areas, and riparian zones were more invaded than nearby upland sites. For the 100 1000-m² plots (across all vegetation types), 50% of the variation in nonnative species richness was explained by longitude, latitude, native plant species richness, soil total percentage nitrogen, and mean maximum July temperature (n = 100 plots; P < 0.001). At the vegetation-type scale (n = 25 sets of four 1000-m² plots/type), 64% of the variation in nonnative species richness was explained by native plant species richness, elevation, and October to June precipitation (P < 0.001). The foliar cover of nonnative species (log) was strongly positively correlated with the nonnative species richness at the plot scale (r = 0.77, P < 0.001) and vegetation-type scale (r = 0.83, P < 0.001). We concluded that, at the vegetation-type and regional scales in the north–central United States, (1) vegetation types rich in native species are often highly vulnerable to invasion by nonnative plant species; (2) where several nonnative species become established, nonnative species cover can substantially increase; (3) the attributes that maintain high native plant species richness (high light, water, nitrogen, and temperatures) also help maintain nonnative plant species richness; and (4) more care must be taken to preserve native species diversity in highly vulnerable habitats.     

Exposing violences: Using women's human rights theory to reconceptualize food rights

Exposing food violences – hunger,malnutrition, and poisoning from environmentalmismanagement – requires policy action thatconfronts the structured invisibility of theseviolences. Along with the hidden deprivation offood is the physical and political isolation ofcritical knowledge on food violences and needs,and for policy strategies to address them. Iargue that efforts dedicated on behalf of ahuman right to food can benefit from thetheoretical analysis and activist work of theinternational Women's Rights are Human Rights(WRHR) movement. WRHR focuses on women andgirls; the food rights movement operates onbehalf of all people, with an emphasis on thepoor. Both attend to the protection of bodilyintegrity against physical and psychicviolences. Both cope with bodily violences thatare socially privatized and spatiallysegregated from public institutions of relief,that is, they are tacitly omitted from publicdiscourse and purview. Most typically, but notexclusively, these violences unfold in privatehousehold space. Both rights movements mustmobilize political rights to demand economicand social rights and security. I introduce theUnited Nations' early Declaration (1948) andCovenant (1966) language on the human right tofood and review problems of household accessand grassroots engagement that are ``writteninto' this early documentation. An abbreviatedoverview of the WRHR movement describes how thepublic/private and economic/political rightsdichotomies have been critiqued andre-formulated. A case study set in Polandacross the transition from (more) communist to(more) capitalist political economies attemptsto illuminate the discussion through agrounded example.     

Financing of wasteland afforestation in India

India has vast tracts of wastelands, which have been lying barren for ages. Most such lands are physically suitable for growing trees and thus could be put to socially productive uses. However, although usually economically viable, afforestation requires massive initial investment, generally beyond the means of the landowners. Also, government budgetary allocations do not cover current needs. In this situation, institutional credit is required. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) of India has recognized this need and has devised a number of different schemes to provide refinance facilities to individuals and organisations. Although the number of forestry schemes refinanced by NABARD has increased rapidly in the past, they currently constitute only about 1% of the total number of loans sanctioned, and only about 2% of NABARD's cumulative loan disbursement to date. In fact, since 1992, the share of afforestation schemes has declined. A number of factors have been identified as major constraints, including time-consuming and complicated procedures for accessing land; restrictions on harvesting and selling trees; delays in sanctioning and disbursement of bank credit; non-remunerative prices for tree products; and flawed public policies and programmes. This article argues that unless these constraints are overcome, NABARD will not be able to play an effective role in speeding up development programmes in the forestry sector. It further argues that most of the current constraints on institutional credit for wasteland afforestation can be removed or relaxed. Practical strategies are suggested to mobilize more funds and channel more institutional credit for wasteland afforestation in India.     

水环境承载能力调控与水质信息系统模式的探讨

水环境承载能力是可持续发展理论的重要体现，它具有很强的动态、空间时空、水量水质兼顾、补偿等特性。建立水质信息系统基础平台，科学地利用和调控水环境承载能力，实现水环境保护目标的实现。本文就水环境承载能力调控与水质信息系统模式的建立进行了分析研究，并结合中国实情提出了建模总体框架。     

新形势下的教师工资激励机制探讨

教育在社会发展中起能动作用,教师的工资结构应符合社会主义市场经济规律和教师工作特点,实行按劳分配原则,除标准工资外,还要建立等级津贴和特殊工资,从而保证教育人才的稳定和提高,提高教育的国际竞争力。     

天津市乡镇工业企业大气污染健康损失估算

或然值评估法（Contingent Valuation Method)是一种广泛应用于环境物品，公共物品非使用价值或损害估算的具有代表性的非市场评价方法，而支付意愿（Willingness To Pay)是指在某种虚拟市场下，人们对环境物品，公共物品或某种服务愿意支付的货币量，其中，支付的最大货币量具有意义，根据支付的最大货币量，可以间接得到环境物品，公共物品或其损害的经济价值，从而可以获得导致损害的污染的经济估算值，本采用或然值评估法，通过调查当地居居的支付意愿，估算了天津市郊区乡镇工业企业大气污染导致的人体健康损失，结果显示，在1999年，天津市郊区（县）乡镇工业企业大气污染导致的人体健康损失值在9645万元和55772万元之间，人均为31．2元到180．4元之间（1999年），分析结果还表明，被调查的年收入，年龄与其支付意愿呈极显性相关。     

论中国环境影响评价公众参与中的若干问题

本文针对中国环境影响评价中公众参与的现状及存在问题，指出公众参与是业主和相关人群双赢的重要举措，公众充分知情是搞好公众参与的前提条件，合理的样本结构和适度的样本空间是公众参与结论客观性的重要保证。     

吹脱法处理化肥厂氨氮废水的研究

在实验的基础上选用塔滤吹脱——接触氧化工艺处理化肥厂氨氨废水,使出水浓度低于10mg/l;井提出实验室最佳运行参数及工艺流程;采用空气预热的方法较好地解决了严寒地区结冰期吹脱塔运行的问题,通过控制 pH 值和选用塑料条板填料克服了塔内结垢的弊端。