Grower reported pesticide poisonings among Florida citrus fieldworkers

In a 1981 survey of 436 Florida citrus growers, 27 pesticide related poisoning incidents were reported that were to have taken place within one year of the interview date. From these reports it is possible to estimate that there are 376 citrus fieldworker related poisonings per year in Florida. This number of estimated poisonings may be developed into an incidence rate of 113 fieldworker poisonings per 10,000 fieldworkers.     

Establishing a standard Sonoran Reference Plant and its application in monitoring industrial and urban pollution throughout the Sonoran Desert

Using analyses from honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) leaves from nearly pristine locations in Arizona, an inorganic plant concentration standard is proposed for use as a Sonoran Reference Plant (SRP). Such a standard can be used as a monitoring device for different anthropogenic pollution sources throughout the Sonoran Desert. To test the application of the SRP, honey mesquite leaves were collected at different sites in southern Arizona and their chemical fingerprints compared to SRP. Sources of element origin were identified through factor analysis and correlation matrices. A terrestrial factor was found in leaves from all sites. Anthropogenic factors varied for different sites. Mesquite leaves accumulated significant amounts of elements originating from copper smelters (As, Sb) and urban pollution (La, Sm, Ce, V). These pollutants are small-sized and have been linked to human lung diseases. Mesquite is a deciduous tree; the yearly comparison of mesquite leaf element concentration spectra to the SRP standard can be used to determine seasonal improvement or deterioration of environmental quality in a particular area.     

Prenatal pleural effusion associated with congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasia

A pleural effusion associated with congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasia was detected in a fetus in utero but was absent at the time of delivery. The pleural effusion was unilateral although the disease involved both lungs. In this case there was an association between polyhydramnios and congenital pulmonary lymphangiectasia.     

Book reviews

Earth Politics. Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacker, 1994, London, Zed Books, 234 pp. ISBN 1 85649 174 9, pb £14.95; hb £36.95

Greening Your Local Authority. Janice Morphet (Ed.), 1994, London, Pitman Publishing (originally Harlow, Longman), 144 pp. ISBN 0582 229 065, pb £32.50

Ecology and Society: an introduction. Luke Martell, 1994 London, Polity Press, 250 pp. ISBN 0 7456 1022 6, hb £39.50, ISBN 0 7456 1023 4, pb £11.95

The Politics of the Environment. Robert E. Goodin, 1994. Cheltenham, Edward Elgar, 599 pp. ISBN 1 85278 872 0, hb £115.00

Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment John Glasson, Riki Therivel & Andrew Chadwick, 1994, London, UCL Press, 352 pp. ISBN 1 85728 117 9, hb £45.00, ISBN 1 85728 118 7, pb £14.95

Planning for the Planet: sustainable development strategies for local and strategic plans. Friends of the Earth, 1994, London, FoE, 104 pp. ISBN 1 85750 224 8, £12.00

Environmental Strategy and Sustainable Development: the corporate challenge for the 21st century. Richard Welford, 1995, London, Routledge, 240 pp. ISBN 0 415 10551 X, hb £40.00, ISBN 0 415 10552 8, pb £12.99

Housing and the Environment: a new agenda. Mark Bhatti, Jane Brooke & Mike Gibson (Eds), 1994, Foreword by Jonathon Porritt, Coventry, Chartered Institute of Housing, 210 pp. ISBN 0 901 607 738, £14.95     

Application of the operating window concept to remediation‐option selection

An Erratum has been published for this article in Remediation 14(4) 2004, 141. The selection of remediation options for the management of unacceptable risks at contaminated sites is hindered by insufficient information on their performance under different site conditions. Therefore, there is a need to define “operating windows” for individual remediation options to summarize their performance under a variety of site conditions. The concept of the “operating window” has been applied as both a performance optimization tool and decision support tool in a number of different industries. Remediation‐option operating windows could be used as decision support tools during the “options appraisal” stage of the Model Procedures (CLR 11), proposed by the Environment Agency (EA) for England and Wales, to enhance the identification of “feasible remediation options” for “relevant pollutant linkages.” The development of remediation‐option operating windows involves: 1) the determination of relationships between site conditions (“critical variables”) and option performance parameters (e.g., contaminant degradation or removal rates) and 2) the identification of upper‐ and lower‐limit values (“operational limits”) for these variables that define the ranges of site conditions over which option performance is likely to be sufficient (the “operating window”) and insufficient (the “operating wall”) for managing risk. Some research has used case study data to determine relationships between critical variables and subsurface natural attenuation (NA) process rates. Despite the various challenges associated with the approach, these studies suggest that available case study data can be used to develop operating windows for monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and, indeed, other remediation options. It is envisaged that the development of remediation‐option operating windows will encourage the application of more innovative remediation options as opposed to excavation and disposal to landfill and/or on‐site containment, which remain the most commonly employed options in many countries. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Assessing London,Ontario's brownfield redevelopment effort to promote urban intensification

Intensification of existing urban areas is currently a major item on the policy agenda of the Ontario and Canadian governments. As part of the urban intensification drive, brownfield sites have become major candidates for redevelopment. Governments at all levels have initiated policies and programmes to encourage their remediation and redevelopment. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative exploration of brownfield redevelopment in London, Canada. Through in-depth interviews (n?=?17) with key stakeholders involved in brownfield redevelopment, the study explores the level of participation in brownfield redevelopment, barriers to brownfield redevelopment in the city, and perceptions about financial incentives in the city's Brownfield Community Improvement Plan. The study found that despite the availability of financial incentives, the overall private sector participation in brownfield redevelopment is low due to barriers such as competition from greenfield, risk, cost, negative public perception of brownfields, and complex remediation processes. The paper provides policy suggestions that may contribute to a more active participation in brownfield redevelopment in the city.     

The impact of methanogenesis on flow and transport in coarse sand

The effects of biofilm growth and methane gas generation on water flow in porous media were investigated in an anaerobic two-dimensional sand-filled cell. Inoculation of the lower portion of the cell with a methanogenic culture and addition of methanol to the bottom of the cell led to biomass growth and formation of a gas phase. Biomass distributions in the water and on the sand in the cell were measured by protein analysis. The biofilm distribution on sand was observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The formation, migration, distribution and saturation of gases in the cell were visualized by the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The effects of biofilm and gas generation on water flow were separated by performing one tracer test in the presence of both biofilm and a gas phase and a second tracer test after removal of the gas phase through water flushing. The results of tracer tests demonstrated that flow and transport in the two-dimensional cell were significantly affected by both gas generation and biofilm growth. Gas generated at the bottom of the cell in the biologically active zone moved upwards in discrete fingers, so that gas phase saturations (gas-filled fraction of void space) in the biologically active zone at the bottom of the cell did not exceed 40-50%, while gas accumulation at the top of the cell produced gas phase saturations as high as 80%. The greatest reductions in water phase permeability, based on measurements of reductions in water phase saturations, occurred near the top of the box as a result of the gas accumulation. In contrast the greatest reductions in permeability due to biofilm growth, based on measurements of biofilm thickness, occurred in the most biologically active zone at the bottom of the cell, where gas phase saturations were approximately 40-50%, but permeability reductions due to biofilm growth were estimated to be 80-95%.