Large-scale mercury variations in Lake Vänern (Sweden) 1974-98

Lake V?nern, the largest lake in Sweden, has been seriously contaminated with mercury during the 20th century. In the 1970's and 80's the direct load, mainly from a chlor-alkali industry in the area, of mercury was drastically reduced as a response to new legislation, from three to five tons down to between five and ten kg yr(-1). Large amounts of the disposed pollutant have accumulated in the sediments. The question posed in this work is now, is the effect of the drastic load reduction after more than two decades visible in the sediments? The question is relevant as large areas still are blacklisted for fishing, but also as a follow-up of a major remedy action. The lake also serves as a freshwater reservoir for even Sweden's second largest city. This work synthesises and compares data of mercury in the sediments from three major field programs, in 1974, 1984 and 1998. The interest is focused on both spatial heterogeneity and temporal trends. In 1974, the surface concentrations are significantly higher than in subsequent surveys. Significant differences are also found between 1984 and 1998. Significant spatial differences within the lake are found for respective year. The most contaminated area is located in the north, close to the major point source (a former chlor-alkali industry). This is also the area with the largest improvement, as a direct response to the reduction in load. Further from the outlet, the recovery is more affected by burial and transport processes out into the deeper basins.     

Lead in Soil and Sediment in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada, and Links with Human Health

This study determined the spatial distribution of soiland of sediment-associated lead in Iqaluit, Nunavut.Samples were collected from the following areas:outside the built-up area of the town to reflectbackground concentrations; known or potential pointsources of lead, such as the Upper Base, the SylviaGrinnell Dump and the Metal Dump (North 40); andresidential and commercial areas of Iqaluit and Apex,a satellite community. In the laboratory, the <63 m sample fraction was analyzed for total lead andbioavailable lead, estimated by non-residual acidextractable lead content. The research findings revealthat elevated levels of bioavailable lead are presentin the study area. Total lead concentrations generallydo not exceed environmental guidelines. However, leadconcentrations in the Sylvia Grinnell Dump, and Apexand Iqaluit grid areas exceed health-based guidelines.The research concludes that there is not a serioushealth hazard posed by lead levels in the soil andsediment in the study area. However, severalenvironmental (elevated lead levels, bioavailableforms of lead and bare soil surfaces) and behaviouralfactors (vigorous and unsupervised play outside) maycreate a risk of lead exposure.     

An Evaluation of Selenium Concentrations in Water, Sediment, Invertebrates, and Fish from the Republican River Basin: 1997–1999

The Republican River Basin of Colorado,Nebraska, and Kansas lies in a valley which contains PierreShale as part of its geological substrata. Selenium is anindigenous constituent in the shale and is readily leached intosurrounding groundwater. The Basin is heavily irrigated throughthe pumping of groundwater, some of which is selenium-contaminated, onto fields in agricultural production. Water,sediment, benthic invertebrates, and/or fish were collected from46 sites in the Basin and were analyzed for selenium to determinethe potential for food-chain bioaccumulation, dietary toxicity,and reproductive effects of selenium in biota. Resultingselenium concentrations were compared to published guidelines orbiological effects thresholds. Water from 38% of the sites (n = 18) contained selenium concentrations exceeding 5 g L^-1, which is reported to be a high hazard for selenium accumulation into the planktonic food chain. An additional 12 sites (26% of the sites) contained selenium in water between 3–5 g L^-1, constituting a moderate hazard. Selenium concentrations in sedimentindicated little to no hazard for selenium accumulation fromsediments into the benthic food chain. Ninety-five percent ofbenthic invertebrates collected exhibited selenium concentrationsexceeding 3 g g^-1, a level reported as potentially lethal to fish and birds that consume them. Seventy-five percent of fish collected in 1997, 90% in 1998, and 64% in 1999 exceeded 4 g g^-1selenium, indicating a high potential for toxicity andreproductive effects. However, examination of weight profilesof various species of collected individual fish suggestedsuccessful recruitment in spite of selenium concentrations thatexceeded published biological effects thresholds for health andreproductive success. This finding suggested that universalapplication of published guidelines for selenium may beinappropriate or at least may need refinement for systems similarto the Republican River Basin. Additional research is needed todetermine the true impact of selenium on fish and wildliferesources in the Basin.     

Aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of Kaohsiung Harbour and adjacent coast, Taiwan

Surficial sediment samples collected from Kaohsiung Harbour and its nearby coast were analyzed for aliphatic hydrocarbons and parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). According to our results, the average total concentrations of n-alkanes (n-C₁₂ to C₃₅) and aromatics (15 PAHs) were 4.33 µg g^–1 dry weight (ranged 0.46–22.60) and 0.59 µg g^–1 dry weight (ranged 0.09–1.75), respectively. The highest concentrations of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons were recorded in stations near the estuaries of Qianzhen River and Love River, respectively. Aliphatic hydrocarbons in the samples indicate that there has been significant non-petrogenic, possibly terrestrial, contribution in the sediment of the open coast of Kaohsiung Harbour and that there has been dominant contribution from petrogenic sources in the sediment of the inner harbour. PAHs, detected in the samples, however, indicated a higher pyrolytic contribution in open-coast samples and a higher petrogenic contribution in the inner harbour. Overall, sediment concentrations of total alkanes in this study were comparable to those found in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong and are higher than those found in Xiamen Harbour, China. Concentrations of total PAHs in inner Kaohsiung Harbour sediments were relatively lower than those found in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong and Xiamen Harbour, China, but comparable to those found in Hsin-ta Harbour, Taiwan and Incheon Harbour, Korea. In comparison with several effect-based sediment quality guidelines, most PAH concentrations found in samples taken from inner harbour stations exceeded the Threshold Effect Level of Florida indicating a slight possibility of adverse effects.     

海洋沉积物中的多氯联苯

综述了目前国内外对PCB的研究状况，并指出了PCB的来源、分布及其在沉积物和水相之间的循环受人为活动和生物活动等许多因素的影响。此外本文还概述了PCB的毒性研究近况以及测定其在沉积物中行为的方法，从而为控制环境污染提供了科学依据。     

黄河中游主要重金属污染物的迁移转化

探讨了内蒙古自治区黄河水体中微量有毒重金属汞、镉、铅、砷在水体中的迁移、转化。对于控制重金属污染物在水体中的形态分布、迁移转化及归宿具有重要的作用。     

可转让排污许可证制度立法研究

在市场经济条件下,对符合法定条件的排污许可证应当允许其有偿转让。可转让的排污许可证必须以污染物申报登记为基础,以污染物总量控制为前提,以环境标准为依据,转让活动应当在政府严格监督下进行。可转让排污许可证制度通过市场机制和价值规律必将有效地促进污染防治。     

Developing sediment quality criteria for heavy metal pollution in the Le An River with equilibrium partitioning approach

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物化-生化组合工艺处理化纤厂浆粕综合废水

根据化纤厂浆粕综合废水的水质特点 ,选择采用中和曝气 水解酸化 生物接触氧化 絮凝沉降处理工艺。实验结果表明 :当浆粕综合废水进水CODCr浓度 310 0～ 34 6 0mg/L ,BOD5浓度 10 2 0～ 142 0mg/L范围内时 ,处理后水质可达到《污水综合排放标准》GB8978 96中化纤浆粕工业二级排放标准。     

沉淀物和生物中U,Th和226Ra的联合测定

用放射化学法对U,Th,~(226)Ra等核素进行联合测定,国外已有不少报道,只是所用的分离方法和所测的介质不同而已。我国学者也做过一些这方面的工作。本工作建立了用三正辛胺-二甲苯萃取分离法对沉积物和生物样中U,Th和~(226)Ra的联合测定方法。 二、主要仪器与试剂