Towards the development of a multidisciplinary understanding of the effects of toxic chemical mixtures on health

Mixtures can be divided into simple (chemicals with comparable properties—health risk assessments on the chemicals) and complex, which can be further subdivided into defined (a reasonably distinct composition, created at a specific time and place despite dissimilar components—risk assessments on the common source) and coincidental (chemicals without similar properties or constant composition in time or space—risk assessments on the receptor). Interactions recognized are: independent action, dose addition (additivity), and potentiation (synergy and antagonism). Unpredicted outcomes need recognition. New approaches in higher education and multidisciplinary investigations are essential. The community of the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health should help clarify points such as when transformations in mixtures may become important enough to alter the classification and the risk assessment. The multidisciplinary community is also well placed to support the integration of nonchemical influences into mixture analysis and to contribute to the investigation of cumulative and multiple exposures.     

SPATIAL VARIATIONS OF WATER LOSS DURING DROUGH A CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: A regional water conservation system for drought management involves many uncertain factors. Water received from precipitation may stay on the ground surface, evaporate back into the atmosphere, or infiltrate into the ground. Reliable estimates of the amount of evapotranspiration and infiltration are not available for a large basin, especially during periods of drought. By applying a geographic information system, this study develops procedures to investigate spatial variations of unavailable water for given levels of drought severity. Levels of drought severity are defined by truncated values of monthly precipitation and daily streamflow to reflect levels of water availability. The greater the truncation level, the lower the precipitation or streamflow. Truncation levels of monthly precipitation are recorded in depth of water while those of daily streamflow are converted into monthly equivalent water depths. Truncation levels of precipitation and streamflow treated as regionalized variables are spatially interpolated by the unbiased minimum variance estimation. The interpolated results are vector values of precipitation and streamflow at a grid of points covering the studied basin. They are then converted into raster‐based values and expressed graphically. The image subtraction operation is used to subtract the image of streamflow from that of precipitation at their corresponding level of drought severity. It is done on a cell‐by‐cell basis resulting in new attribute values to form the spatial image representing a spatial distribution of potential water loss at a given level of drought severity.     

Integrating Nonindigenous Aquatic Plant Control with Protection of Snail Kite Nests in Florida

The endangered snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) feeds primarily on the freshwater apple snail (Pomacea paludosa) in Florida. The nonindigenous, floating water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) impede kites from finding snails. Effective control of these aquatic plants in the littoral zone of central and south Florida lakes benefits kites by maintaining open foraging habitat. However, incidental herbicide spraying of nesting substrates result in nest collapse when kites breed in nonwoody, emergent plants [cattail (Typha spp.) and giant bulrush (Scirpus validus)] in the outer littoral zone during lower lake levels. Many endangered species recovery plans and their implementation have experienced problems due to inaction and/or noncooperation by various governmental agencies and their personnel. Herein, we describe the development and implementation of a buffer zone strategy to prevent secondary impacts from an aquatic plant control program to snail kites nesting on lakes in central and south Florida. A strategy was jointly developed by personnel of five state and federal agencies to control herbicide application near kite nesting areas during the normal breeding season. Although requiring various modifications during its implementation, this cooperative effort successfully integrated aquatic plant control objectives with snail kite conservation on Lake Okeechobee during 1988. The program was expanded the following year to lakes Kissimmee and Tohopekaliga. Since the implementation of the snail kite impact preclusion program, no nest loss was attributed to incidental herbicide applications on lakes Okeechobee, Kissimmee, and Tohopekaliga.     

浙北水稻主产区田间土-水磷素流失潜能

选取嘉善、余姚、德清、余杭 4个具有代表性浙北水稻主产区 ,研究了水田土 水磷素流失潜能及环境意义 .4稻区高水平磷肥投入促进了土壤富磷化 ,土壤Olsen-P积累的同时 ,相应地提高了土壤生物性有效磷、水浸提磷 ,并提高了土壤磷素的流失潜能 .稻区土壤在富磷化过程中 ,存在着土壤磷素的农学意义向环境意义方向演变的趋势 .在非植稻期 ,稻区农田水体 ,包括沟渠水、田表水、排渠水、暗管排水等总磷 (TP)平均超过了易诱发水体富营养化临界值 ,其中溶解磷 (DRP)占总磷 40% ;主要是源于绿肥田表水及部分排渠中的溶解磷对稻区外水体构成了直接危害 .在非植稻期 ,因稻区间农耕措施的差异导致了土壤富磷水平与对应田表水磷素水平不具相关性 ;在植稻期 ,施磷措施促进水田土壤富磷 ,相应地提高了田表水磷素水平 .     

推广国际化学品安全卡促进化学工业持续健康发展

国际化学品安全卡（ＩＣＳＣ）是联合国国际化学品;安全规划处（ＩＰＣＳ）与欧洲聪明委员会合作编写的一套权威性化学品信息卡片。文中论述了推广使用ＩＣＳＣ的重要意义,介绍了安全卡的内容以及如何正确使用ＩＣＳＣ。     

稳定企业安监队伍遏制安监人员流失

指出了近几年全国安全生产的严峻形势与安监队伍力量削弱有关,分析了造成企业安监人员流失的原因,提出了稳定安监队伍的措施和建议.     

我国职业伤害经济损失研究

结合国情 ,在全面、系统地研究了我国工业企业职业伤害的经济损失的基础上 ,对需要明确的若干问题进行了阐述。主要内容有 :国内外职业伤害的经济损失研究现状 ;职业伤害的经济损失的调查、统计与分析技术 ;工伤事故的经济损失估算方法及其主要规律等。     

涡喷消防车在化学事故中的抢险救援功能

我国化学工业中的有毒气体的泄漏 ,化学品爆炸、失火等特种灾害的发生频度随化学工业的发展速度而同步增长。涡喷消防车是一种特大功率的气体、洗消剂、灭火剂的喷射平台 ,在化学事故的抢险救援中 ,对吹散、稀释、洗消事故现场的有毒气体 ,强制通风、驱散有毒烟雾和火场降温有独特功能 ,有利于赢得抢险救援的宝贵时间。在防毒抢险和消防救援中 ,在保护人民生命安全和消除毒害及爆炸事故方面有其重要作用。     

山西省煤炭开采环境损失的经济核算

以环境经济学的经济外部性理论为依据,识别采煤过程中生态环境的外部不经济因素,应用环境价值评价法,对这些不经济因素进行量化和货币化,初步建立了省域煤炭开采环境污染和生态破坏经济损失核算体系.以2003年为基准年,核算了山西省煤炭开采环境污染和生态破坏的经济损失量.结果表明:2003年山西省煤炭开采环境污染与生态破坏造成的损失约为286.746 8×108元,折合每t煤损失63.79元.其中环境污染年损失61.979 4×108元,折合每t煤损失13.78元;生态破坏损失224.767 4×108元,折合每t煤损失50.00元.依据该核算结果,1978─2003年山西省累计采煤约65×108 t,所造成的环境损失约为4　100×108元.      

从《化学文摘》检索谈科技文摘的写作

以美国《化学文摘》收录部分环境科学文献为例,对收录前后标题、文摘进行探析,论述科技论文文摘的特点及写作方法;指出英文摘要写作时,应注意文体的严谨、准确、翔实、明了和科学性等问题。