An integrated fuzzy-stochastic modeling approach for risk assessment of groundwater contamination

An integrated fuzzy-stochastic risk assessment (IFSRA) approach was developed in this study to systematically quantify both probabilistic and fuzzy uncertainties associated with site conditions, environmental guidelines, and health impact criteria. The contaminant concentrations in groundwater predicted from a numerical model were associated with probabilistic uncertainties due to the randomness in modeling input parameters, while the consequences of contaminant concentrations violating relevant environmental quality guidelines and health evaluation criteria were linked with fuzzy uncertainties. The contaminant of interest in this study was xylene. The environmental quality guideline was divided into three different strictness categories: "loose", "medium" and "strict". The environmental-guideline-based risk (ER) and health risk (HR) due to xylene ingestion were systematically examined to obtain the general risk levels through a fuzzy rule base. The ER and HR risk levels were divided into five categories of "low", "low-to-medium", "medium", "medium-to-high" and "high", respectively. The general risk levels included six categories ranging from "low" to "very high". The fuzzy membership functions of the related fuzzy events and the fuzzy rule base were established based on a questionnaire survey. Thus the IFSRA integrated fuzzy logic, expert involvement, and stochastic simulation within a general framework. The robustness of the modeling processes was enhanced through the effective reflection of the two types of uncertainties as compared with the conventional risk assessment approaches. The developed IFSRA was applied to a petroleum-contaminated groundwater system in western Canada. Three scenarios with different environmental quality guidelines were analyzed, and reasonable results were obtained. The risk assessment approach developed in this study offers a unique tool for systematically quantifying various uncertainties in contaminated site management, and it also provides more realistic support for remediation-related decisions.     

Maintenance of Forest Biodiversity in a Post-Soviet Governance Model: Perceptions by Local Actors in Lithuania

Successful biodiversity conservation does not depend on ecologic knowledge alone. Good conservation policies and policy implementation tools are equally important. Moreover, the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of local actors, directly in charge of operations in the field, are a key to successful policy implementation. The connections between policy objectives and their implementation as well as the involvement of local actors’ efforts in implementing policy objectives largely depend on the governance model in use. This article assesses the knowledge of local actors in relation to the biodiversity conservation objectives and tools in Lithuanian forest management. As a main framework for this study, the needs assessment approach was applied. The study used both in-depth open-ended interviews and follow-up telephone interviews. Two state forest enterprises in Lithuania were selected as the study sites. The findings indicate that policy objectives in the field of forest biodiversity conservation and the related tools are well known but not well understood by those in charge of forest biodiversity policy implementation. To improve the situation, a transition toward adaptive learning and participatory governance as a means of facilitating conservation efforts is proposed.     

Losing Function Through Wetland Mitigation in Central Pennsylvania,USA

In the United States, the Clean Water Act requires mitigation for wetlands that are negatively impacted by dredging and filling activities. During the mitigation process, there generally is little effort to assess function for mitigation sites and function is usually inferred based on vegetative cover and acreage. In our study, hydrogeomorphic (HGM) functional assessment models were used to compare predicted and potential levels of functional capacity in created and natural reference wetlands. HGM models assess potential function by measurement of a suite of structural variables and these modeled functions can then be compared to those in natural, reference wetlands. The created wetlands were built in a floodplain setting of a valley in central Pennsylvania to replace natural ridge-side slope wetlands. Functional assessment models indicated that the created sites differed significantly from natural wetlands that represented the impacted sites for seven of the ten functions assessed. This was expected because the created wetlands were located in a different geomorphic setting than the impacted sites, which would affect the type and degree of functions that occur. However, functional differences were still observed when the created sites were compared with a second set of reference wetlands that were located in a similar geomorphic setting (floodplain). Most of the differences observed in both comparisons were related to unnatural hydrologic regimes and to the characteristics of the surrounding landscape. As a result, the created wetlands are not fulfilling the criteria for successful wetland mitigation.     

Initial Screening of Contaminated Land: A Comparison of US and Swedish Methods

Preliminary surveys are used to prioritize between contaminated sites to select those to be investigated more thoroughly. The data-gathering steps are almost identical between countries; however, the assessment procedures differ significantly. In this study, we have investigated 21 contaminated sites assessed as belonging to the high-risk or the very high-risk class using the Swedish Methods for Inventories of Contaminated Sites (MICS). We then applied the US Preliminary Assessment (PA) method to the same sites and compared the results and conclusions from the two screening procedures. In both cases, all sites were recommended for further investigation and the two approaches seem to corroborate one another; however, the PA assessment scores and the preliminary MICS classifications did not correlate. The results obtained with the PA method were easier to explain than the final MICS classification. The PA method also seems more transparent and easier to standardize, although objections could be made regarding the weighting scheme, because the outcome in this study was entirely dependent on the surface exposure pathway. However, to examine this in greater detail, it is necessary to include sites with less contamination: The importance of preliminary surveys in the overall risk management process gives a strong motivation for such an evaluation. Generally, the lack of research and scientific support for the various assessment procedures in use suggests that there is a need for method development, standardization, and validation.     

天山北坡经济带土壤重金属来源及污染评价

为定量识别与评价天山北坡经济带中奇台、吉木萨尔、阜康等地区土壤重金属来源与生态风险,对该区域171个表层土壤中Zn、Cu、Cr、Pb、Hg、As和Cd7种常见重金属的含量进行测定.运用统计学方法、主成分分析、正定矩阵因子分解（PMF）与潜在生态风险指数进行重金属污染程度评价以及来源分析.结果表明,研究区土壤Zn、Cu与Cr之外,Pb、Hg、As和Cd分别超过了新疆土壤背景值4.1、2.0、8.0和48.0倍;与国家土壤重金属风险筛选值相比,Zn、Cr和Hg浓度在安全范围内,Cu与Pb有少部分样点污染较严重,超出筛选值,As与Cd平均值分别超出筛选值的3.09倍与19.17倍.污染来源分析结果显示研究区土壤中的重金属元素主要来自于燃煤源、交通运输、大气降尘、农工业排放和自然因素.生态风险评价结果分析表明,Zn、Cu、Cr和Pb处于轻微风险状态;Cd处于极高风险水平;73.68%的Hg处于中等风险,18.71%处于高风险;43.86%的As生态风险处于中等风险,51.46%处于高风险.综合潜在生态指数介于472~2575.69,Cd对综合潜在生态指数贡献率达到了89.24%,其次是As与Hg,表明研究区Cd对土壤生态环境危害很大,As与Hg也需要特别引起重视.     

Short-term inhalation exposure evaluations of airborne antibiotic resistance genes in environments

Antibiotic resistance is a sword of Damocles that hangs over humans. In regards to airborne antibiotic resistance genes (AARGs), critical knowledge gaps still exist in the identification of hotspots and quantification of exposure levels in different environments. Here, we have studied the profiles of AARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and bacterial communities in various atmospheric environments by high throughput qPCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We propose a new AARGs exposure dose calculation that uses short-term inhalation (STI). Swine farms and hospitals were high-risk areas where AARGs standardised abundance was more abundant than suburbs and urban areas. Additionally, resistance gene abundance in swine farm worker sputum was higher than that in healthy individuals in other environments. The correlation between AARGs with MGEs and bacteria was strong in suburbs but weak in livestock farms and hospitals. STI exposure analysis revealed that occupational intake of AARGs (via PM₁₀) in swine farms and hospitals were 110 and 29 times higher than in suburbs, were 1.5 × 10⁴, 5.6 × 10⁴ and 5.1 × 10² copies, i.e., 61.9%, 75.1% and 10.7% of the overall daily inhalation intake, respectively. Our study comprehensively compares environmental differences in AARGs to identify high-risk areas, and forwardly proposes the STI exposure dose of AARGs to guide risk assessment.     

Source identification, contamination status and health risk assessment of heavy metals from road dusts in Dhaka, Bangladesh

In this study, concentrations of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb were determined in road dusts collected from different locations in Dhaka to assess source, contamination status and health risk. Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used to determine Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb and their mean concentrations were 162.27 ± 29.46, 721.18 ± 180.14, 35.65 ± 12.55, 104.56 ± 128.33, 515.32 ± 321.90, BDL, and 342.82 ± 591.20 mg/kg, respectively. Among the heavy metals, highest concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb were found at urban sites-7 (municipal waste dumping) and 8 (medical waste incineration). Highest concentration of Cr followed by Cu and Zn was found at site-5 (Tejgaon, urban). Principal component analysis revealed that anthropogenic activities are the potential sources for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb while earth crust for Mn. Pollution index and pollution load index results suggested that all the sites were contaminated and/or degraded by Cr, Cu, Zn and Pb except sites-9 (urban), 10 (sub-urban), 11 (rural) while sites-7 and 8 (urban) were extremely degraded. For noncarcinogenic health risk, hazard quotient values for dermal were higher compared to that of inhalation/ingestion. Though hazard index values were less than 1 at all the sites, these were at least one order of magnitude higher for children group than that of adult group, thus the children group may face more noncarcinogenic health risk at sites-7 and 8. Values of incremental lifetime cancer risk were from 10⁻⁹ to 10⁻¹¹ showed no carcinogenic health risk by road dusts contaminated with the heavy metals.     

指数模型法在海洋石油设施风险评估中的应用

针对海上油气设施工况复杂、自然环境恶劣、应急救援难度大等特点,通过构建海上采油平台、海底管道和钻修井平台风险评估指数模型,辨识出水深增大、服役期长、腐蚀、疲劳、浅层地质条件变化等是风险等级升高的主要因素,识别出部分采油平台主结构疲劳损伤,海底管道内壁腐蚀及缺陷无法准确掌握、作业平台插桩不到位等问题,并提出检验检测、更换设施、强制退出等风险管控措施和建议。     

战斗部飞行可靠性评估方法研究

目的 解决高可靠、小子样战斗部飞行可靠性评估时样本量不满足标准要求的问题。方法 通过对战斗部结构功能分析,建立包含壳体强度、主装药安定性及主装药正常起爆等单元的可靠性框图,并利用L-M法对战斗部系统进行可靠性评估。首先利用基准设计许用值的安全系数法将应力强度干涉模型与安全系数进行结合,对壳体强度可靠性进行评估;然后结合战斗部试验数据,利用最大熵试验法,在小样本下评估战斗部主装药安定性及正常起爆的可靠性;最后,将各单元的可靠性数据转化为成败型数据进行分析,利用L-M法,结合战斗部整机试验数据,开展战斗部飞行可靠度评估。结果 分别计算了小子样下战斗部壳体和装药安定性及正常起爆的可靠度,并将其转换为等效成功数和等效失败数,结合战斗部试验打靶等可靠性信息,综合评估了战斗部飞行可靠度。结论 充分利用战斗部在研制阶段的试验信息进行评估,减少了样本量,解决了战斗部可靠性高、样本量小的评估难题。     

老工业城市土壤-作物系统重金属的迁移累积及风险协同评价

为查明老工业城市土壤-作物系统的重金属环境地球化学特征,测试和分析石嘴山市水稻、小麦和玉米籽实及其根系土重金属含量和形态,利用统计学方法、风险评价编码法(RAC)、生物富集系数法(BCF)、土壤和农产品综合质量影响指数法(IICQ)及ArcGIS空间插值法开展土壤-作物系统重金属的迁移累积特征剖析及风险协同评价.结果表明,根系土中重金属ω(As)、ω(Cd)、ω(Cr)、ω(Cu)、ω(Hg)、ω(Ni)、ω(Pb)和ω(Zn)均值分别为12.56、 0.19、 63.48、 23.52、 0.038、 28.86、 21.68和69.47mg·kg^-1,与宁夏土壤背景值相比呈一定程度的累积,其中以Cd和Hg累积效应最为显著,但均低于农用地土壤污染风险筛选值;配套作物中上述8种重金属含量均值分别为0.014 9、 0.011 2、 0.075、 6.7、 0.001 5、 0.67、 0.042 7和20.48mg·kg^-1,与食品中污染物限量相比,作物中As、 Pb和Cr点位超标率分别为4%、 3%和1%,其余元素均未超标;相比水稻和小麦,...