Influences of binding to dissolved organic matter on hydrophobic organic compounds in a multi-contaminant system: Coefficients, mechanisms and ecological risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yi-Long; He, Wei; Liu, Wen-Xiu; Kong, Xiang-Zhen; Yang, Bin; Yang, Chen; Xu, Fu-Liu

2015-11-01

The complexation flocculation (CF) method was successfully employed to identify binding coefficients (Kdoc) of specific organic contaminants to dissolved organic matter (DOM, often indicated by dissolved organic carbon, DOC) in a multi-contaminant hydrophobic organic contaminant (HOC) system. Kdoc values were obtained for most of the evaluated 33 HOCs, indicating the feasibility and applicability of the CF method in a multi-contaminant system. Significant positive correlations were observed between binding coefficients and octanol-water partition coefficients (Kow) for organic halogen compounds, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (R(2) = 0.95, p mechanisms between PAHs and organic halogen compounds exist. These differences further result in discriminative competition partitions of HOCs between DOM and organisms. Assuming that only freely dissolved HOCs are bioconcentrative, the results of DOM-influenced bioconcentration factor (BCFDOM) and DOM-influenced lowest observed effect level (LOELDOM) indicate that the ecological risk of HOCs is decreased by DOM. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hierarchical responses to organic contaminants in aquatic ecotoxicological bioassays: from microcystins to biodegradation

OpenAIRE

Montenegro, Katia

2008-01-01

In this thesis I explore the ecotoxicological responses of aquatic organisms at different hierarchical levels to organic contaminants by means of bioassays. The bioassays use novel endpoints or approaches to elucidate the effects of exposure to contaminants and attempt to give mechanistic explanations that could be used to interpret effects at higher hierarchical scales. The sensitivity of population growth rate in the cyanobacteria species Microcystis aeruginosa to the herbicide glyp...

Hierarchic levels of a system classification of radiation-contaminated landscapes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolyin, V.V.; Sushchik, Yu.Ya.; Bondarenko, G.M.; Shramenko, Yi.F.; Dudar, T.V.

2001-01-01

Five hierarchic levels of the systematic organization of natural landscapes are determined: substantial-phase, soil-profile, biogeocenotic, landscape, and geosystematic. Systems and subsystems of compounds of chemical elements and natural and man-caused factors that characterized properties and mechanisms of ecological self-organization of biogeocenoses are brought into accordance with each level. A scheme of hierarchic subordination of systems, subsystems, and processes is worked out. Leading links of transformation and migration of radionuclides that define the contamination of tropic chains are determined

40 CFR 141.51 - Maximum contaminant level goals for inorganic contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Maximum contaminant level goals for inorganic contaminants. 141.51 Section 141.51 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Maximum Contaminant Level...

40 CFR 141.52 - Maximum contaminant level goals for microbiological contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 22 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Maximum contaminant level goals for microbiological contaminants. 141.52 Section 141.52 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL PRIMARY DRINKING WATER REGULATIONS Maximum Contaminant Level...

Evidence of Maternal Offloading of Organic Contaminants in White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias)

Science.gov (United States)

Mull, Christopher G.; Lyons, Kady; Blasius, Mary E.; Winkler, Chuck; O’Sullivan, John B.; Lowe, Christopher G.

2013-01-01

Organic contaminants were measured in young of the year (YOY) white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) incidentally caught in southern California between 2005 and 2012 (n = 20) and were found to be unexpectedly high considering the young age and dietary preferences of young white sharks, suggesting these levels may be due to exposure in utero. To assess the potential contributions of dietary exposure to the observed levels, a five-parameter bioaccumulation model was used to estimate the total loads a newborn shark would potentially accumulate in one year from consuming contaminated prey from southern California. Maximum simulated dietary accumulation of DDTs and PCBs were 25.1 and 4.73 µg/g wet weight (ww) liver, respectively. Observed ΣDDT and ΣPCB concentrations (95±91 µg/g and 16±10 µg/g ww, respectively) in a majority of YOY sharks were substantially higher than the model predictions suggesting an additional source of contaminant exposure beyond foraging. Maternal offloading of organic contaminants during reproduction has been noted in other apex predators, but this is the first evidence of transfer in a matrotrophic shark. While there are signs of white shark population recovery in the eastern Pacific, the long-term physiological and population level consequences of biomagnification and maternal offloading of environmental contaminants in white sharks is unclear. PMID:23646154

Enteropathogenic bacterial contamination of a latosol following application of organic fertilizer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Alexandre Escosteguy

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Poultry manure is used as fertilizer in natura, but little is known about whether it contaminates the soil with pathogenic organisms. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of organic, organomineral and mineral fertilizers on soil contamination by enteric pathogens, using poultry manure as the organic fertilizer. Manure was applied in field experiments at rates of 7.0 ton. ha-1 (maize crop, 2008/2009, 8.0 ton. ha-1 (wheat crop, 2009 and 14 ton. ha-1 (maize crop, 2010/2011. Organomineral fertilizer was applied at the same rates but was comprised of 50% manure and 50% mineral fertilizer. At 30 and 70 days after fertilization, the organic fertilizer and the upper 0-5 cm layer of the soil were tested for the presence of helminth eggs and larvae and enteropathogenic bacteria. Fecal and non-fecal coliforms (Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringes were found in the organic fertilizer, but neither Salmonella spp. nor enteroparasites were detected. The population of enteropathogenic bacteria in the soil was similar among the treatments for all crops at both evaluation times. The population of thermotolerant coliforms in the organic fertilizer was larger than the maximum level allowed in Brazil, but neither the organic or nor the organomineral fertilizer contaminated the soil.

Factors influencing the contamination rate of human organ-cultured corneas.

Science.gov (United States)

Röck, Daniel; Wude, Johanna; Bartz-Schmidt, Karl U; Yoeruek, Efdal; Thaler, Sebastian; Röck, Tobias

2017-12-01

To assess the influence of donor, environment and storage factors on the contamination rate of organ-cultured corneas, to consider the microbiological species causing corneal contamination and to investigate the corresponding sensitivities. Data from 1340 consecutive donor corneas were analysed retrospectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the influence of different factors on the contamination rate of organ-cultured corneas for transplantation. The mean annual contamination rate was 1.8 ± 0.4% (range: 1.3-2.1%); 50% contaminations were of fungal origin with exclusively Candida species, and 50% contaminations were of bacterial origin with Staphylococcus species being predominant. The cause of donor death including infection and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome increased the risk of bacterial or fungal contamination during organ culture (p = 0.007 and p = 0.014, respectively). Differentiating between septic and aseptic donors showed an increased risk of contamination for septic donors (p = 0.0020). Mean monthly temperature including warmer months increased the risk of contamination significantly (p = 0.0031). Sex, donor age, death to enucleation, death to corneoscleral disc excision and storage time did not increase the risk of contamination significantly. The genesis of microbial contamination in organ-cultured donor corneas seems to be multifactorial. The main source of fungal or bacterial contamination could be resident species from the skin flora. The rate of microbial contamination in organ-cultured donor corneas seems to be dependent on the cause of donor death and mean monthly temperature. © 2017 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Study of monitoring protection of radionuclides contamination in organism by autoradiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Shoupeng; Kang Baoan; He Guangren

1987-01-01

In view of the exceptionally important role of the medical radiation protection in human health, the authors try to study on the monitoring of internal contamination of radionuclides in organism by different autoradiographic methods, such as: monitoring of the body retention of isolated or combined radionuclides by freezing microautoradiography; monitoring of blood, bone marrow and excreta radioactive samples by smear autoradiography; differentiation of two radionuclides contamination by double radionuclide autoradiography; especially, monitoring of low level of radionuclides contamination by fluorescence sensitization autoradiography. The sensitivity of autoradiographic formation was increased by the scintillator by 10 times

Organic contaminants in soil : desorption kinetics and microbial degradation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schlebaum, W.

1999-01-01

The availability of organic contaminants in soils or sediments for microbial degradation or removal by physical means (e.g.) soil washing or soil venting) depends on the desorption kinetics of these contaminants from the soil matrix. When the organic contaminants desorb very slow from the

Abnormal ''Contamination' Levels On Garden Appliances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

German, U.; Levinson, S.; Elmelech, V.; Pelled, O.; Tshuva, A.; Laichter, Y.

1999-01-01

During routine contamination checks we encountered an abnormal high level of Alpha and Beta emitting radioisotopes on working gloves of employees of the gardening department. It came out that the source was due to ''contamination'' levels on steering wheels of some gardening machines. In order to ensure that no real contamination of these workers was involved , a series of checks was started to identity the source of the abnormal levels found during monitoring

Effects of chloride, sulfate and natural organic matter (NOM) on the accumulation and release of trace-level inorganic contaminants from corroding iron.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Ching-Yu; Ferguson, John F; Korshin, Gregory V

2013-09-15

This study examined effects of varying levels of anions (chloride and sulfate) and natural organic matter (NOM) on iron release from and accumulation of inorganic contaminants in corrosion scales formed on iron coupons exposed to drinking water. Changes of concentrations of sulfate and chloride were observed to affect iron release and, in lesser extent, the retention of representative inorganic contaminants (vanadium, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, lead and uranium); but, effects of NOM were more pronounced. DOC concentration of 1 mg/L caused iron release to increase, with average soluble and total iron concentrations being four and two times, respectively, higher than those in the absence of NOM. In the presence of NOM, the retention of inorganic contaminants by corrosion scales was reduced. This was especially prominent for lead, vanadium, chromium and copper whose retention by the scales decreased from >80% in the absence of NOM to chloride levels. Modeling indicated that the observed effects were associated with the formation of metal-NOM complexes and effects of NOM on the sorption of the inorganic contaminants on solid phases that are typical for iron corrosion in drinking water. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Penguin colonies as secondary sources of contamination with persistent organic pollutants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roosens, L.; Brink, van den N.W.; Riddle, M.; Blust, R.; Neels, H.; Covaci, A.

2007-01-01

Although long-range atmospheric transport has been described as the predominant mechanism for exposing polar regions to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), recent studies have suggested that bird activity can also contribute substantially to contaminant levels in some environments. However,

The Opera Instrument: An Advanced Curation Development for Mars Sample Return Organic Contamination Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Fries, M. D.; Fries, W. D.; McCubbin, F. M.; Zeigler, R. A.

2018-01-01

Mars Sample Return (MSR) requires strict organic contamination control (CC) and contamination knowledge (CK) as outlined by the Mars 2020 Organic Contamination Panel (OCP). This includes a need to monitor surficial organic contamination to a ng/sq. cm sensitivity level. Archiving and maintaining this degree of surface cleanliness may be difficult but has been achieved. MSR's CK effort will be very important because all returned samples will be studied thoroughly and in minute detail. Consequently, accurate CK must be collected and characterized to best interpret scientific results from the returned samples. The CK data are not only required to make accurate measurements and interpretations for carbon-depleted martian samples, but also to strengthen the validity of science investigations performed on the samples. The Opera instrument prototype is intended to fulfill a CC/CK role in the assembly, cleaning, and overall contamination history of hardware used in the MSR effort, from initial hardware assembly through post-flight sample curation. Opera is intended to monitor particulate and organic contamination using quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs), in a self-contained portable package that is cleanroom-compliant. The Opera prototype is in initial development capable of approximately 100 ng/sq. cm organic contamination sensitivity, with additional development planned to achieve 1 ng/sq. cm. The Opera prototype was funded by the 2017 NASA Johnson Space Center Innovation Charge Account (ICA), which provides funding for small, short-term projects.

Study on the metabolism of contamination of radioactive materials in organism by autoradiographic techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Shoupeng; Zhang Lansheng; Kang Baoan

1988-08-01

The metabolism of contamination of radioactive materials in organism was studied by diferent types of autoradiographic techniques, such as: (1) in body level by whole-body autoradiography; (2) in organ level by whole-organ autoradiography; (3) in cellular level by microautoradiography; (4) in subcellular level by electron microscopic autoradiography; (5) in combinative form by tissue fixative autoradiography; (6) in ionizing form by freezing autoradiography; (7) for radioactive mateials with two radionuclides by double radionuclide autoradiography; (8) for radioactive materials with low level of radionuclides by fluorescence sensitization autoradiography; (9) in dissociative products by chromatographic autoradiography

Trace organic chemicals contamination in ground water recharge.

Science.gov (United States)

Díaz-Cruz, M Silvia; Barceló, Damià

2008-06-01

Population growth and unpredictable climate changes will pose high demands on water resources in the future. Even at present, surface water is certainly not enough to cope with the water requirement for agricultural, industrial, recreational and drinking purposes. In this context, the usage of ground water has become essential, therefore, their quality and quantity has to be carefully managed. Regarding quantity, artificial recharge can guarantee a sustainable level of ground water, whilst the strict quality control of the waters intended for recharge will minimize contamination of both the ground water and aquifer area. However, all water resources in the planet are threatened by multiple sources of contamination coming from the extended use of chemicals worldwide. In this respect, the environmental occurrence of organic micropollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals and their metabolites has experienced fast growing interest. In this paper an overview of the priority and emerging organic micropollutants in the different source waters used for artificial aquifer recharge purposes and in the recovered water is presented. Besides, some considerations regarding fate and removal of such compounds are also addressed.

The speciation, stability, solubility and biodegradation of organic co-contaminant radionuclide complexes: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keith-Roach, Miranda J.

2008-01-01

The potential migration of radionuclides is of concern at contaminated land sites and, in the long term, waste repositories. Pathways of migration need to be characterised on a predictive level so that management decisions can be made with confidence. A pathway that is relatively poorly understood at present is radionuclide solubilisation due to complexation by organic complexing agents that are present in mixed radioactive wastes, and at radioactively contaminated land sites. Interactions of the complexing agents with radionuclides and the host environment, and the response to changes in the physicochemical conditions make their role far from simple to elucidate. In addition, chemical and biodegradation of the organic materials may be important. In this paper, key co-contaminant organics are reviewed with emphasis on their environmental fate and impact on radionuclide migration

The speciation, stability, solubility and biodegradation of organic co-contaminant radionuclide complexes: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keith-Roach, Miranda J. [Biogeochemistry and Environmental Analytical Chemistry Group/Consolidated Radio-isotope Facility, School of Earth, Ocean and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom)], E-mail: mkeith-roach@plymouth.ac.uk

2008-06-15

The potential migration of radionuclides is of concern at contaminated land sites and, in the long term, waste repositories. Pathways of migration need to be characterised on a predictive level so that management decisions can be made with confidence. A pathway that is relatively poorly understood at present is radionuclide solubilisation due to complexation by organic complexing agents that are present in mixed radioactive wastes, and at radioactively contaminated land sites. Interactions of the complexing agents with radionuclides and the host environment, and the response to changes in the physicochemical conditions make their role far from simple to elucidate. In addition, chemical and biodegradation of the organic materials may be important. In this paper, key co-contaminant organics are reviewed with emphasis on their environmental fate and impact on radionuclide migration.

Approaches for assessment of terrestrial vertebrate responses to contaminants: moving beyond individual organisms

Science.gov (United States)

Albers, P.H.; Heinz, G.H.; Hall, R.J.; Albers, Peter H.; Heinz, Gary H.; Ohlendorf, Harry M.

2000-01-01

Conclusions: A need for a broader range ofinformation on effects of contaminants on individuals exists among the 4 classes of terrestrial vertebrates, especially mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Separation of contaminant effects from other effects and reduction of speculative extrapolation within and among species requires information that can be produced only by combined field and laboratory investigations that incorporate seasonal or annual cycles and important spatial and interaction conditions. Assessments of contaminant effects at the population level and higher are frequently dependent on extrapolations from a lower organizational level. Actual measurements of the effects of contaminants on populations or communities, possibly in conjunction with case studies that establish relations between effects on individuals and effects on populations, are needed to reduce the uncertainty associated with these extrapolations. Associated with these assessment levels is the need for acceptable definitions of what we mean when we refer to a 'meaningful population change' or an 'effect on communities or ecosystems.' At these higher levels of organization we are also confronted with the need for procedures useful for separating contaminant effects from effects caused by other environmental conditions. Although the bulk of literature surveyed was of the focused cause-and-effect type that is necessary for proving relations between contaminants and wildlife, community or ecosystem field assessments, as sometimes performed with reptiles and amphibians, might be a useful alternative for estimating the potential of a contaminant to cause environmental harm. Assumptions about the special usefulness of reptiles and amphibians as environmental indicators ought to be tested with comparisons to mammals and birds. Information on the effects of contaminants above the individual level is needed to generate accurate estimates of the potential consequences of anthropogenic pollution (e

Contaminated environments in the subsurface and bioremediation: organic contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Holliger, C; Gaspard, S; Glod, G; Heijman, C; Schumacher, W; Schwarzenbach, R P; Vazquez, F

1997-07-01

Due to leakages, spills, improper disposal and accidents during transport, organic compounds have become subsurface contaminants that threaten important drinking water resources. One strategy to remediate such polluted subsurface environments is to make use of the degradative capacity of bacteria. It is often sufficient to supply the subsurface with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and aerobic treatments are still dominating. However, anaerobic processes have advantages such as low biomass production and good electron acceptor availability, and they are sometimes the only possible solution. This review will focus on three important groups of environmental organic contaminants: hydrocarbons, chlorinated and nitroaromatic compounds. Whereas hydrocarbons are oxidized and completely mineralized under anaerobic conditions in the presence of electron acceptors such as nitrate, iron, sulfate and carbon dioxide, chlorinated and nitroaromatic compounds are reductively transformed. For the aerobic often persistent polychlorinated compounds, reductive dechlorination leads to harmless products or to compounds that are aerobically degradable. The nitroaromatic compounds are first reductively transformed to the corresponding amines and can subsequently be bound to the humic fraction in an aerobic process. Such new findings and developments give hope that in the near future contaminated aquifers can efficiently be remediated, a prerequisite for a sustainable use of the precious-subsurface drinking water resources.

Biochar: a green sorbent to sequester acidic organic contaminants

Science.gov (United States)

Sigmund, Gabriel; Kah, Melanie; Sun, Huichao; Hofmann, Thilo

2015-04-01

Biochar is a carbon rich product of biomass pyrolysis that exhibits a high sorption potential towards a wide variety of inorganic and organic contaminants. Because it is a valuable soil additive and a potential carbon sink that can be produced from renewable resources, biochar has gained growing attention for the development of more sustainable remediation strategies. A lot of research efforts have been dedicated to the sorption of hydrophobic contaminants and metals to biochar. Conversely, the understanding of the sorption of acidic organic contaminants remains limited, and questions remain on the influence of biochar characteristics (e.g. ash content) on the sorption behaviour of acidic organic contaminants. To address this knowledge gap, sorption batch experiments were conducted with a series of structurally similar acidic organic contaminants covering a range of dissociation constant (2,4-D, MCPA, 2,4-DB and triclosan). The sorbents selected for experimentation included a series of 10 biochars covering a range of characteristics, multiwalled carbon nanotubes as model for pure carbonaceous phases, and an activated carbon as benchmark. Overall, sorption coefficient [L/kg] covered six orders of magnitude and generally followed the order 2,4-D pH dependent lipophilicity ratio (i.e. D instead of Kow), ash content and ionic strength are key factors influencing the sorption of acidic organic contaminants to biochars. Overall, the identified factors, as well as the environmental matrix, should be carefully considered when selecting the type of biochar for sequestration purposes.

Aqueous adsorption and removal of organic contaminants by carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Jin-Gang; Zhao, Xiu-Hui; Yang, Hua; Chen, Xiao-Hong; Yang, Qiaoqin; Yu, Lin-Yan; Jiang, Jian-Hui; Chen, Xiao-Qing

2014-01-01

Organic contaminants have become one of the most serious environmental problems, and the removal of organic contaminants (e.g., dyes, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals/drugs) and common industrial organic wastes (e.g., phenols and aromatic amines) from aqueous solutions is of special concern because they are recalcitrant and persistent in the environment. In recent years, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been gradually applied to the removal of organic contaminants from wastewater through adsorption processes. This paper reviews recent progress (145 studies published from 2010 to 2013) in the application of CNTs and their composites for the removal of toxic organic pollutants from contaminated water. The paper discusses removal efficiencies and adsorption mechanisms as well as thermodynamics and reaction kinetics. CNTs are predicted to have considerable prospects for wider application to wastewater treatment in the future. - Highlights: • We summarize the most recent research progress of CNTs for removal of organics. • Adsorption mechanisms between CNTs and organics were elucidated in detail. • The developing trends and prospects of CNTs for removal of organics were discussed

Aqueous adsorption and removal of organic contaminants by carbon nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Jin-Gang, E-mail: yujg@csu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082 (China); Key Laboratory of Resources Chemistry of Nonferrous Metals, Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Zhao, Xiu-Hui; Yang, Hua [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Key Laboratory of Resources Chemistry of Nonferrous Metals, Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Chen, Xiao-Hong [Collaborative Innovation Center of Resource-conserving and Environment-friendly Society and Ecological Civilization, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Yang, Qiaoqin [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9 (Canada); Yu, Lin-Yan [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Key Laboratory of Resources Chemistry of Nonferrous Metals, Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Jiang, Jian-Hui [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082 (China); Chen, Xiao-Qing, E-mail: xqchen@csu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China); Key Laboratory of Resources Chemistry of Nonferrous Metals, Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083 (China)

2014-06-01

Organic contaminants have become one of the most serious environmental problems, and the removal of organic contaminants (e.g., dyes, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals/drugs) and common industrial organic wastes (e.g., phenols and aromatic amines) from aqueous solutions is of special concern because they are recalcitrant and persistent in the environment. In recent years, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been gradually applied to the removal of organic contaminants from wastewater through adsorption processes. This paper reviews recent progress (145 studies published from 2010 to 2013) in the application of CNTs and their composites for the removal of toxic organic pollutants from contaminated water. The paper discusses removal efficiencies and adsorption mechanisms as well as thermodynamics and reaction kinetics. CNTs are predicted to have considerable prospects for wider application to wastewater treatment in the future. - Highlights: • We summarize the most recent research progress of CNTs for removal of organics. • Adsorption mechanisms between CNTs and organics were elucidated in detail. • The developing trends and prospects of CNTs for removal of organics were discussed.

Radioactive contamination of aquatic media and organisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fontaine, Y.

1960-01-01

After a brief account of the radioactive wastes produced by peaceful or military uses of Atomic Industry, the author first describes a series of observations carried out 'in the field' on the extent of contamination in aquatic organisms with respect to that of the medium. The experimental studies are then analysed, with reference both to the radioisotope metabolism and to the factors and types of contamination of aquatic organisms by wastes from atomic industry. A precise experimental project is presented at the end of the paper, including almost 300 references. (author) [fr

Determination of the plutonium contamination level in biological samples by liquid scintillation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willemot, J.M.; Verry, M.; Lataillade, G.

1989-01-01

Usual radiochemical processes are unable to carry out without delay the very large number of analyses as required in plutonium toxicology studies. Liquid scintillation is the best method to quickly determine plutonium contamination levels in most various samples (bone, organs,...) [fr

Soil contamination with cadmium, consequences and remediation using organic amendments.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Muhammad Amjad; Khan, Sardar; Khan, Anwarzeb; Alam, Mehboob

2017-12-01

Cadmium (Cd) contamination of soil and food crops is a ubiquitous environmental problem that has resulted from uncontrolled industrialization, unsustainable urbanization and intensive agricultural practices. Being a toxic element, Cd poses high threats to soil quality, food safety, and human health. Land is the ultimate source of waste disposal and utilization therefore, Cd released from different sources (natural and anthropogenic), eventually reaches soil, and then subsequently bio-accumulates in food crops. The stabilization of Cd in contaminated soil using organic amendments is an environmentally friendly and cost effective technique used for remediation of moderate to high contaminated soil. Globally, substantial amounts of organic waste are generated every day that can be used as a source of nutrients, and also as conditioners to improve soil quality. This review paper focuses on the sources, generation, and use of different organic amendments to remediate Cd contaminated soil, discusses their effects on soil physical and chemical properties, Cd bioavailability, plant uptake, and human health risk. Moreover, it also provides an update of the most relevant findings about the application of organic amendments to remediate Cd contaminated soil and associated mechanisms. Finally, future research needs and directions for the remediation of Cd contaminated soil using organic amendments are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood - European database on contaminant levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vandermeersch, Griet; Lourenço, Helena Maria; Alvarez-Muñoz, Diana

2015-01-01

Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment...... to seafood.So-called "contaminants of emerging concern" are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus...... potential risks cannot be excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus become urgent and imperative. A database (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu), containing available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood and providing the most recent data...

Reducing Organic Contamination in NASA JSC Astromaterial Curation Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Calaway, M. J.; Allen, C. C.; Allton, J. H.

2013-01-01

Future robotic and human spaceflight missions to the Moon, Mars, asteroids and comets will require handling and storing astromaterial samples with minimal inorganic and organic contamination to preserve the scientific integrity of each sample. Much was learned from the rigorous attempts to minimize and monitor organic contamination during Apollo, but it was not adequate for current analytical requirements; thus [1]. OSIRIS-REx, Hayabusa-2, and future Mars sample return will require better protocols for reducing organic contamination. Future isolation con-tainment systems for astromaterials, possibly nitrogen enriched gloveboxes, must be able to reduce organic and inorganic cross-contamination. In 2012, a baseline study established the current state of organic cleanliness in gloveboxes used by NASA JSC astromaterials curation labs that could be used as a benchmark for future mission designs [2, 3]. After standard ultra-pure water (UPW) cleaning, the majority of organic contaminates found were hydrocarbons, plasticizers, silicones, and solvents. Hydro-carbons loads (> C7) ranged from 1.9 to 11.8 ng/cm2 for TD-GC-MS wafer exposure analyses and 5.0 to 19.5 ng/L for TD-GC-MS adsorbent tube exposure. Plasticizers included peracetic acid sterilization were used in the atmospheric de-contamination (R) cabinets. Later, Lunar curation gloveboxes were degreased with a pressurized Freon 113 wash. Today, UPW has replaced Freon as the standard cleaning procedure, but does not have the degreasing solvency power of Freon. Future Cleaning Studies: Cleaning experiments are cur-rently being orchestrated to study how to degrease and reduce organics in a JSC curation glovebox lower than the established baseline. Several new chemicals in the industry have replaced traditional degreasing solvents such as Freon and others that are now federally restricted. However, these new suites of chemicals remain untested for lowering organics in curation gloveboxes. 3M's HFE-7100DL and Du

Microbial interactions with organic contaminants in soil: Definitions, processes and measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Semple, Kirk T.; Doick, Kieron J.; Wick, Lukas Y.; Harms, Hauke

2007-01-01

There has been and continues to be considerable scientific interest in predicting bioremediation rates and endpoints. This requires the development of chemical techniques capable of reliably predicting the bioavailability of organic compounds to catabolically active soil microbes. A major issue in understanding the link between chemical extraction and bioavailability is the problem of definition; there are numerous definitions, of varying degrees of complexity and relevance, to the interaction between organic contaminants and microorganisms in soil. The aim of this review is to consider the bioavailability as a descriptor for the rate and extent of biodegradation and, in an applied sense, bioremediation of organic contaminants in soil. To address this, the review will (i) consider and clarify the numerous definitions of bioavailability and discuss the usefulness of the term 'bioaccessibility'; (ii) relate definition to the microbiological and chemical measurement of organic contaminants' bioavailability in soil, and (iii) explore the mechanisms employed by soil microorganisms to attack organic contaminants in soil. - Understanding organic contaminant's behaviour in soil is key to chemically predicting biodegradation

Experimental increase in availability of a PAH complex organic contamination from an aged contaminated soil: Consequences on biodegradation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cébron, Aurélie; Faure, Pierre; Lorgeoux, Catherine; Ouvrard, Stéphanie; Leyval, Corinne

2013-01-01

Although high PAH content and detection of PAH-degraders, the PAH biodegradation is limited in aged-contaminated soils due to low PAH availability (i.e., 1%). Here, we tried to experimentally increase the soil PAH availability by keeping both soil properties and contamination composition. Organic extract was first removed and then re-incorporated in the raw soil as fresh contaminants. Though drastic, this procedure only allowed a 6-time increase in the PAH availability suggesting that the organic constituents more than ageing were responsible for low availability. In the re-contaminated soil, the mineralization rate was twice more important, the proportion of 5–6 cycles PAH was higher indicating a preferential degradation of lower molecular weight PAH. The extraction treatment induced bacterial and fungal community structures modifications, Pseudomonas and Fusarium solani species were favoured, and the relative quantity of fungi increased. In re-contaminated soil the percentage of PAH-dioxygenase gene increased, with 10 times more Gram negative representatives. -- Highlights: ► Re-incorporation of soil organic extract increased 6-times the PAH availability. ► Complexity of organic contamination is the main driver of PAH availability. ► Biodegradation of PAH with less than 5-cycles increased with increasing PAH availability. ► Pseudomonas and Fusarium species are favoured when PAH availability increased. -- More than ageing, the complexity of organic contamination is the main driver of PAH availability

Selected trace-element and organic contaminants in the streambed sediments of the Potomac River Basin, August 1992

Science.gov (United States)

Gerhart, James M.; Blomquist, Joel D.

1995-01-01

This report describes the occurrence and distribution of five selected contaminants in streambed sediments at 22 stream sites in the Potomac River Basin. Lead, mercury, and total DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) were detected at all sites, and chlordane and total PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyls) were detected at most sites. At six sites, streambed-sediment concentrations of contaminants were detected at levels with the potential to cause frequent adverse effects on aquatic organisms that live in the sediments. Chlordane was detected at these high levels at sampling sites on the Anacostia River, the North Branch Potomac River, Bull Run, and Accotink Creek; mercury was detected at these levels at sites on the South River and the South Fork Shenandoah River; and total PCB's were detected at these levels at the site on the South Fork Shenandoah River. The highest concentrations of all five contaminants generally occurred at sampling sites downstream from areas with industrial plants, urban centers, or orchard and agricultural activity. The occurrence of these contaminants in streambed sediments of the Potomac River Basin is of concern because the contaminants (1) are environmentally persistent, (2) are available for downstream transport during high streamflow periods, and (3) have the potential to cause adverse effects on the health of aquatic organisms and humans through bioaccumulation.

Organic Contamination Baseline Study on NASA JSC Astromaterial Curation Gloveboxes

Science.gov (United States)

Calaway, Michael J.; Allton, J. H.; Allen, C. C.; Burkett, P. J.

2013-01-01

Future planned sample return missions to carbon-rich asteroids and Mars in the next two decades will require strict handling and curation protocols as well as new procedures for reducing organic contamination. After the Apollo program, astromaterial collections have mainly been concerned with inorganic contamination [1-4]. However, future isolation containment systems for astromaterials, possibly nitrogen enriched gloveboxes, must be able to reduce organic and inorganic cross-contamination. In 2012, a baseline study was orchestrated to establish the current state of organic cleanliness in gloveboxes used by NASA JSC astromaterials curation labs that could be used as a benchmark for future mission designs.

40 CFR 141.13 - Maximum contaminant levels for turbidity.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... turbidity. 141.13 Section 141.13 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) WATER... Maximum contaminant levels for turbidity. The maximum contaminant levels for turbidity are applicable to... part. The maximum contaminant levels for turbidity in drinking water, measured at a representative...

Method of processing radiation-contaminated organic polymer materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobayashi, Yoshii.

1980-01-01

Purpose: To process radiation contaminated organic high polymer materials with no evolution of toxic gases, at low temperature and with safety by hot-acid immersion process using sulfuric acid-hydrogen peroxide. Method: Less flammable or easily flammable organic polymers contaminated with radioactive substances, particularly with long life actinoid are heated and carbonized in concentrated sulfuric acid. Then, aqueous 30% H 2 O 2 solution is continuously added dropwise as an oxidizing agent till the solution turns colourless. If the carbonization was insufficient, addition of H 2 O 2 solution is stopped temporarily and the carbonization is conducted again. Thus, the organic polymers are completely decomposed by the wet oxidization. Then, the volume of the organic materials to be discharged is decreased and the radioactive substances contained are simultaneously concentrated and collected. (Seki, T.)

Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood – European database on contaminant levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandermeersch, Griet; Lourenço, Helena Maria; Alvarez-Muñoz, Diana; Cunha, Sara; Diogène, Jorge; Cano-Sancho, German; Sloth, Jens J.; Kwadijk, Christiaan; Barcelo, Damia; Allegaert, Wim; Bekaert, Karen; Fernandes, José Oliveira; Marques, Antonio

2015-01-01

Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment to seafood. So-called “contaminants of emerging concern” are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus potential risks cannot be excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus become urgent and imperative. A database ( (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu)), containing available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood and providing the most recent data to scientists and regulatory authorities, was developed. The present paper reviews a selection of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood including toxic elements, endocrine disruptors, brominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, microplastics and marine toxins. Current status on the knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation are briefly presented and the outcome from scientific publications reporting on the levels of these compounds in seafood is presented and discussed. - Highlights: • Development of a European database regarding contaminants of emerging concern. • Current status on knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation. • Review on the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood.

Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood – European database on contaminant levels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vandermeersch, Griet, E-mail: griet.vandermeersch@ilvo.vlaanderen.be [Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit – Fisheries, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende (Belgium); Lourenço, Helena Maria [Division of Aquaculture and Upgrading (DivAV), Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Lisboa (Portugal); Alvarez-Muñoz, Diana [Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona (Spain); Cunha, Sara [LAQV-REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto (Portugal); Diogène, Jorge [Institute of Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture (IRTA), Sant Carles de la Ràpita (Spain); Cano-Sancho, German [Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Rovirai Virgili University (URV), Reus (Spain); Sloth, Jens J. [National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU Food), Søborg (Denmark); Kwadijk, Christiaan [Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies (IMARES), Wageningen University and Research Center, Ijmuiden (Netherlands); Barcelo, Damia [Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona (Spain); Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona (Spain); Allegaert, Wim; Bekaert, Karen [Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit – Fisheries, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende (Belgium); Fernandes, José Oliveira [LAQV-REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto (Portugal); Marques, Antonio [Division of Aquaculture and Upgrading (DivAV), Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Lisboa (Portugal); and others

2015-11-15

Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment to seafood. So-called “contaminants of emerging concern” are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus potential risks cannot be excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus become urgent and imperative. A database ( (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu)), containing available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood and providing the most recent data to scientists and regulatory authorities, was developed. The present paper reviews a selection of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood including toxic elements, endocrine disruptors, brominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, microplastics and marine toxins. Current status on the knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation are briefly presented and the outcome from scientific publications reporting on the levels of these compounds in seafood is presented and discussed. - Highlights: • Development of a European database regarding contaminants of emerging concern. • Current status on knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation. • Review on the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood.

Environmental contamination and transmission of Ascaris suum in Danish organic pig farms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katakam, Kiran K.; Thamsborg, Stig M.; Dalsgaard, Anders

2016-01-01

Background: Although Ascaris suum is the most common pig nematode, the on-farm transmission dynamics are not well described. Methods: We performed a 1-year field study on five organic pig farms, mapping egg contamination levels in pens and pasture soil as well as faecal egg counts in starter pigs...... % in starters, finishers, dry and lactating sows, respectively. For starters and finishers, the prevalence varied with season increasing towards the end of the year when 83-96 % of finishing pigs from each farm had fresh liver white spots. Farrowing pastures were contaminated with a mean of 78-171 larvated eggs....../kg dry soil depending on farm, while pastures for starter pigs contained 290-5397 larvated eggs/kg dry soil. The concentration of eggs in soil was highest in the autumn. Indoors, all pen areas were contaminated with A. suum eggs at comparable levels for shallow and deep litter. Overall there were 106...

Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood--European database on contaminant levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandermeersch, Griet; Lourenço, Helena Maria; Alvarez-Muñoz, Diana; Cunha, Sara; Diogène, Jorge; Cano-Sancho, German; Sloth, Jens J; Kwadijk, Christiaan; Barcelo, Damia; Allegaert, Wim; Bekaert, Karen; Fernandes, José Oliveira; Marques, Antonio; Robbens, Johan

2015-11-01

Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment to seafood. So-called "contaminants of emerging concern" are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus potential risks cannot be excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus become urgent and imperative. A database (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu), containing available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood and providing the most recent data to scientists and regulatory authorities, was developed. The present paper reviews a selection of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood including toxic elements, endocrine disruptors, brominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, microplastics and marine toxins. Current status on the knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation are briefly presented and the outcome from scientific publications reporting on the levels of these compounds in seafood is presented and discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of predicted climatic changes on distribution of organic contaminants in brackish water mesocosms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ripszam, M., E-mail: matyas.ripszam@chem.umu.se [Department of Chemistry, Umea University, 901 87 Umeå (Sweden); Gallampois, C.M.J. [Department of Chemistry, Umea University, 901 87 Umeå (Sweden); Berglund, Å. [Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå (Sweden); Larsson, H. [Umeå Marine Sciences Centre, Umeå University, Norrbyn, 905 71 Hörnefors (Sweden); Andersson, A. [Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå (Sweden); Tysklind, M.; Haglund, P. [Department of Chemistry, Umea University, 901 87 Umeå (Sweden)

2015-06-01

Predicted consequences of future climate change in the northern Baltic Sea include increases in sea surface temperatures and terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) runoff. These changes are expected to alter environmental distribution of anthropogenic organic contaminants (OCs). To assess likely shifts in their distributions, outdoor mesocosms were employed to mimic pelagic ecosystems at two temperatures and two DOC concentrations, current: 15 °C and 4 mg DOC L{sup −1} and, within ranges of predicted increases, 18 °C and 6 mg DOC L{sup −1}, respectively. Selected organic contaminants were added to the mesocosms to monitor changes in their distribution induced by the treatments. OC partitioning to particulate matter and sedimentation were enhanced at the higher DOC concentration, at both temperatures, while higher losses and lower partitioning of OCs to DOC were observed at the higher temperature. No combined effects of higher temperature and DOC on partitioning were observed, possibly because of the balancing nature of these processes. Therefore, changes in OCs' fates may largely depend on whether they are most sensitive to temperature or DOC concentration rises. Bromoanilines, phenanthrene, biphenyl and naphthalene were sensitive to the rise in DOC concentration, whereas organophosphates, chlorobenzenes (PCBz) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were more sensitive to temperature. Mitotane and diflufenican were sensitive to both temperature and DOC concentration rises individually, but not in combination. - Highlights: • More contaminants remained in the ecosystem at higher organic carbon levels. • More contaminants were lost in the higher temperature treatments. • The combined effects are competitive with respect to contaminant cycling. • The individual properties of each contaminant determine their respective fate.

Effects of predicted climatic changes on distribution of organic contaminants in brackish water mesocosms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ripszam, M.; Gallampois, C.M.J.; Berglund, Å.; Larsson, H.; Andersson, A.; Tysklind, M.; Haglund, P.

2015-01-01

Predicted consequences of future climate change in the northern Baltic Sea include increases in sea surface temperatures and terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) runoff. These changes are expected to alter environmental distribution of anthropogenic organic contaminants (OCs). To assess likely shifts in their distributions, outdoor mesocosms were employed to mimic pelagic ecosystems at two temperatures and two DOC concentrations, current: 15 °C and 4 mg DOC L −1 and, within ranges of predicted increases, 18 °C and 6 mg DOC L −1 , respectively. Selected organic contaminants were added to the mesocosms to monitor changes in their distribution induced by the treatments. OC partitioning to particulate matter and sedimentation were enhanced at the higher DOC concentration, at both temperatures, while higher losses and lower partitioning of OCs to DOC were observed at the higher temperature. No combined effects of higher temperature and DOC on partitioning were observed, possibly because of the balancing nature of these processes. Therefore, changes in OCs' fates may largely depend on whether they are most sensitive to temperature or DOC concentration rises. Bromoanilines, phenanthrene, biphenyl and naphthalene were sensitive to the rise in DOC concentration, whereas organophosphates, chlorobenzenes (PCBz) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were more sensitive to temperature. Mitotane and diflufenican were sensitive to both temperature and DOC concentration rises individually, but not in combination. - Highlights: • More contaminants remained in the ecosystem at higher organic carbon levels. • More contaminants were lost in the higher temperature treatments. • The combined effects are competitive with respect to contaminant cycling. • The individual properties of each contaminant determine their respective fate

Influences of binding to dissolved organic matter on hydrophobic organic compounds in a multi-contaminant system: Coefficients, mechanisms and ecological risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yi-Long; He, Wei; Liu, Wen-Xiu; Kong, Xiang-Zhen; Yang, Bin; Yang, Chen; Xu, Fu-Liu

2015-01-01

The complexation flocculation (CF) method was successfully employed to identify binding coefficients (K_d_o_c) of specific organic contaminants to dissolved organic matter (DOM, often indicated by dissolved organic carbon, DOC) in a multi-contaminant hydrophobic organic contaminant (HOC) system. K_d_o_c values were obtained for most of the evaluated 33 HOCs, indicating the feasibility and applicability of the CF method in a multi-contaminant system. Significant positive correlations were observed between binding coefficients and octanol–water partition coefficients (K_o_w) for organic halogen compounds, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (R"2 = 0.95, p < 0.05) and organic chlorine pesticides (OCPs) (methoxychlor excluded, R"2 = 0.82, p < 0.05). The positive correlations identified between the lgK_d_o_c and lgBCF (bioconcentration factor) for PBDEs and OCPs, as well as the negative correlation observed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), indicated that different binding or partition mechanisms between PAHs and organic halogen compounds exist. These differences further result in discriminative competition partitions of HOCs between DOM and organisms. Assuming that only freely dissolved HOCs are bioconcentrative, the results of DOM-influenced bioconcentration factor (BCF_D_O_M) and DOM-influenced lowest observed effect level (LOEL_D_O_M) indicate that the ecological risk of HOCs is decreased by DOM. - Highlights: • Complexing-flocculation is viable in measuring K_d_o_c in a multi-polluted system. • The binding mechanisms between PAHs and organic halogens were different. • DOM should be considered when assessing ecological risk of HOCs in natural ecosystem. - Assuming only freely dissolved HOCs are effective, bioconcentration factors and ecological risks of HOCs are decreased by dissolved organic matter via binding.

Hydrothermal processing of actinide contaminated organic wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Worl, A.; Buelow, S.J.; Le, L.A.; Padilla, D.D.; Roberts, J.H.

1997-01-01

Hydrothermal oxidation is an innovative process for the destruction of organic wastes, that occurs above the critical temperature and pressure of water. The process provides high destruction and removal efficiencies for a wide variety of organic and hazardous substances. For aqueous/organic mixtures, organic materials, and pure organic liquids hydrothermal processing removes most of the organic and nitrate components (>99.999%) and facilitates the collection and separation of the actinides. We have designed, built and tested a hydrothermal processing unit for the removal of the organic and hazardous substances from actinide contaminated liquids and solids. Here we present results for the organic generated at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility

Milk and serum standard reference materials for monitoring organic contaminants in human samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Schantz, Michele M; Eppe, Gauthier; Focant, Jean-François; Hamilton, Coreen; Heckert, N Alan; Heltsley, Rebecca M; Hoover, Dale; Keller, Jennifer M; Leigh, Stefan D; Patterson, Donald G; Pintar, Adam L; Sharpless, Katherine E; Sjödin, Andreas; Turner, Wayman E; Vander Pol, Stacy S; Wise, Stephen A

2013-02-01

Four new Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) have been developed to assist in the quality assurance of chemical contaminant measurements required for human biomonitoring studies, SRM 1953 Organic Contaminants in Non-Fortified Human Milk, SRM 1954 Organic Contaminants in Fortified Human Milk, SRM 1957 Organic Contaminants in Non-Fortified Human Serum, and SRM 1958 Organic Contaminants in Fortified Human Serum. These materials were developed as part of a collaboration between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with both agencies contributing data used in the certification of mass fraction values for a wide range of organic contaminants including polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, chlorinated pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners, and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) and dibenzofuran (PCDF) congeners. The certified mass fractions of the organic contaminants in unfortified samples, SRM 1953 and SRM 1957, ranged from 12 ng/kg to 2200 ng/kg with the exception of 4,4'-DDE in SRM 1953 at 7400 ng/kg with expanded uncertainties generally <14 %. This agreement suggests that there were no significant biases existing among the multiple methods used for analysis.

Contaminated environments in the subsurface and bioremediation: organic contaminants

OpenAIRE

Holliger, Christof; Gaspard, Sarra; Glod, Guy; Heijman, Cornelis; Schumacher, Wolfram; Schwarzenbach, René P.; Vazquez, Francisco

2017-01-01

Due to leakages, spills, improper disposal and accidents during transport, organic compounds have become subsurface contaminants that threaten important drinking water resources. One strategy to remediate such polluted subsurface environments is to make use of the degradative capacity of bacteria. It is often sufficient to supply the subsurface with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and aerobic treatments are still dominating. However, anaerobic processes have advantages such as low ...

Energy level alignment and molecular conformation at rubrene/Ag interfaces: Impact of contact contaminations on the interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinha, Sumona, E-mail: sumona.net.09@gmail.com [Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064 (India); Wang, C.-H. [National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu 30076, Taiwan (China); Mukherjee, M. [Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064 (India)

2017-07-01

Highlights: • Impact of contact contaminations on the energy level alignment and molecular conformation at rubrene/Ag interfaces. • Adventitious contamination layer was acted as a spacer layer between Ag substrate surface and rubrene molecular layer. • Hole injection barrier height and interface dipole at rubrene/Ag interfaces depend on the cleanliness of Ag substrate. • Molecular conformation as well as orientation controlled by the cleanliness of Ag surface. • Resulted different surface morphology of rubrene thin films on unclean and clean Ag substrate. - Abstract: This paper addresses the impact of electrode contaminations on the interfacial energy level alignment, the molecular conformation, orientation and surface morphology deposited organic film at organic semiconductor/noble metal interfaces by varying of film thickness from sub-monolayer to multilayer, which currently draws significant attention with regard to its application in organic electronics. The UHV clean Ag and unclean Ag were employed as substrate whereas rubrene was used as an organic semiconducting material. The photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and UPS) was engaged to investigate the evolution of interfacial energetics; polarization dependent near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) was employed to understand the molecular conformation as well as orientation whereas atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to investigate the surface morphologies of the films. The adventitious contamination layer was acted as a spacer layer between clean Ag substrate surface and rubrene molecular layer. As a consequence, hole injection barrier height, interface dipole as well as molecular-conformation, molecular-orientation and surface morphology of rubrene thin films were found to depend on the cleanliness of Ag substrate. The results have important inferences about the understanding of the impact of substrate contamination on the energy level alignment, the molecular conformation

Cadmium accumulation by muskmelon under salt stress in contaminated organic soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabrijel, Ondrasek [University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia)], E-mail: gondrasek@agr.hr; Davor, Romic [University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia); Zed, Rengel [Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley WA 6009 (Australia); Marija, Romic; Monika, Zovko [University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Svetosimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb (Croatia)

2009-03-15

Human-induced salinization and trace element contamination are widespread and increasing rapidly, but their interactions and environmental consequences are poorly understood. Phytoaccumulation, as the crucial entry pathway for biotoxic Cd into the human foodstuffs, correlates positively with rhizosphere salinity. Hypothesising that organic matter decreases the bioavailable Cd{sup 2+} pool and therefore restricts its phytoextraction, we assessed the effects of four salinity levels (0, 20, 40 and 60 mM NaCl) and three Cd levels (0.3, 5.5 and 10.4 mg kg{sup -1}) in peat soil on mineral accumulation/distribution as well as vegetative growth and fruit yield parameters of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) in a greenhouse. Salt stress reduced shoot biomass and fruit production, accompanied by increased Na and Cl and decreased K concentration in above-ground tissues. A 25- and 50-day exposure to salinity increased Cd accumulation in leaves up to 87% and 46%, respectively. Accumulation of Cd in the fruits was up to 43 times lower than in leaves and remained unaltered by salinity. Soil contamination by Cd enhanced its accumulation in muskmelon tissues by an order of magnitude compared with non-contaminated control. In the drainage solution, concentrations of Na and Cl slightly exceeded those in the irrigation solution, whereas Cd concentration in drainage solution was lower by 2-3 orders of magnitude than the total amount added. Chemical speciation and distribution modelling (NICA-Donnan) using Visual MINTEQ showed predominance of dissolved organic ligands in Cd chemisorption and complexation in all treatments; however, an increase in salt addition caused a decrease in organic Cd complexes from 99 to 71%, with free Cd{sup 2+} increasing up to 6% and Cd-chlorocomplexes up to 23%. This work highlights the importance of soil organic reactive surfaces in reducing trace element bioavailability and phytoaccumulation. Chloride salinity increased Cd accumulation in leaves but not in fruit

Modelling the fate of oxidisable organic contaminants in groundwater

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barry, D.A.; Prommer, H.; Miller, C.T.

2002-01-01

modelling framework is illustrated by pertinent examples, showing the degradation of dissolved organics by microbial activity limited by the availability of nutrients or electron acceptors (i.e., changing redox states), as well as concomitant secondary reactions. Two field-scale modelling examples......Subsurface contamination by organic chemicals is a pervasive environmental problem, susceptible to remediation by natural or enhanced attenuation approaches or more highly engineered methods such as pump-and-treat, amongst others. Such remediation approaches, along with risk assessment...... are discussed, the Vejen landfill (Denmark) and an example where metal contamination is remediated by redox changes wrought by injection of a dissolved organic compound. A summary is provided of current and likely future challenges to modelling of oxidisable organics in the subsurface. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science...

Bioavailability of sediment-bound contaminants to marine organisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, B. [Battelle/Marine Sciences Lab., Sequim, WA (United States)]|[Colby Coll., Waterville, ME (United States); Neff, J. [Battelle/Marine Sciences Lab., Sequim, WA (United States)]|[Battelle Ocean Sciences, Duxbury, MA (United States)

1993-09-01

The bioavailability of sediment-bound contaminants to marine organisms indicates that there exists a potential for transfer of these contaminants through marine food webs to commercial fisheries products consumed by humans. However, there has been relatively little effort to combine and synthesize data on chemical/biological interactions between benthic animals and seagrasses and the sediments in which they reside on the one hand, and on the chemistry of bioaccumulation on the other. This report provides a conceptual basis for an approach to bioavailability and biomagnification of sediment-bound contaminants that reviews biological and chemical approaches.

Combined effects of temperature changes and metal contamination at different levels of biological organization in yellow perch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grasset, Julie; Ollivier, Élodie; Bougas, Bérénice; Yannic, Glenn; Campbell, Peter G.C.; Bernatchez, Louis; Couture, Patrice

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Yellow perch were exposed to a combination of heat and metal (Cd or Ni) stress. • Kidney metal accumulation was greatly enhanced at higher temperatures. • Elevated temperatures negatively affected several indicators of condition and metabolic capacities. • Exposure to Ni stimulated gonad development. • Metal stress modified the normal response of antioxidant capacities and apoptosis to heat stress. - Abstract: In this study, we measured the effects of temperature (9 °C, 20 °C, and 28 °C), metal contamination (cadmium and nickel) and their interaction on yellow perch (Perca flavescens) using liver enzymatic and transcriptomic endpoints and biometric indices. Kidney metal concentrations increased with a rise of temperature. The biometric indices analysed (Fulton condition factor, pyloric cæca, hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indices) generally decreased with an increase of temperature but not with metal contamination. At the enzymatic level, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), involved in antioxidant response, was affected by both temperature and metal contamination, whereas the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), involved in energy accumulation but also in antioxidant response, was only affected by metal exposure. The response of perch to the stressors at the transcriptional level differed from the metabolic response. In particular, the transcription level of the cco and g6pdh genes sharply decreased with increasing temperature, while the activities of the corresponding enzymes remained stable. The normal response of the transcription level of the apoptotic gene (diablo) to heat stress was also altered in metal-contaminated fish. The combination of metal and temperature stresses also modified the response of antioxidant metabolism induced by these stressors individually. This study contributes to a better understanding of the influences of natural stressors like temperature on biomarkers commonly used in

Combined effects of temperature changes and metal contamination at different levels of biological organization in yellow perch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grasset, Julie [Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Centre Eau Terre Environnement, 490 de la Couronne, Québec, QC G1K 9A9 (Canada); Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6 (Canada); Ollivier, Élodie [Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Centre Eau Terre Environnement, 490 de la Couronne, Québec, QC G1K 9A9 (Canada); Bougas, Bérénice [Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6 (Canada); Yannic, Glenn [Laboratoire d’Écologie Alpine, UMR CNRS 5553, Université de Savoie Mont Blanc, 73376 Le Bourget-du-lac (France); Campbell, Peter G.C. [Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Centre Eau Terre Environnement, 490 de la Couronne, Québec, QC G1K 9A9 (Canada); Bernatchez, Louis [Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6 (Canada); Couture, Patrice, E-mail: patrice.couture@ete.inrs.ca [Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Centre Eau Terre Environnement, 490 de la Couronne, Québec, QC G1K 9A9 (Canada)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • Yellow perch were exposed to a combination of heat and metal (Cd or Ni) stress. • Kidney metal accumulation was greatly enhanced at higher temperatures. • Elevated temperatures negatively affected several indicators of condition and metabolic capacities. • Exposure to Ni stimulated gonad development. • Metal stress modified the normal response of antioxidant capacities and apoptosis to heat stress. - Abstract: In this study, we measured the effects of temperature (9 °C, 20 °C, and 28 °C), metal contamination (cadmium and nickel) and their interaction on yellow perch (Perca flavescens) using liver enzymatic and transcriptomic endpoints and biometric indices. Kidney metal concentrations increased with a rise of temperature. The biometric indices analysed (Fulton condition factor, pyloric cæca, hepatosomatic and gonadosomatic indices) generally decreased with an increase of temperature but not with metal contamination. At the enzymatic level, the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), involved in antioxidant response, was affected by both temperature and metal contamination, whereas the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), involved in energy accumulation but also in antioxidant response, was only affected by metal exposure. The response of perch to the stressors at the transcriptional level differed from the metabolic response. In particular, the transcription level of the cco and g6pdh genes sharply decreased with increasing temperature, while the activities of the corresponding enzymes remained stable. The normal response of the transcription level of the apoptotic gene (diablo) to heat stress was also altered in metal-contaminated fish. The combination of metal and temperature stresses also modified the response of antioxidant metabolism induced by these stressors individually. This study contributes to a better understanding of the influences of natural stressors like temperature on biomarkers commonly used in

Emerging organic contaminants in groundwater

OpenAIRE

Stuart, Marianne; Lapworth, Dan

2013-01-01

Emerging organic contaminants (ECs) are compounds now being found in groundwater from agricultural, urban sources that were previously not detectable, or thought to be significant. ECs include pesticides and degradates, pharmaceuticals, industrial compounds, personal care products, fragrances, water treatment by-products, flame retardants and surfactants, as well as ‘life-style’ compounds such as caffeine and nicotine. ECs may have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health. Freq...

Contaminants in Liquid Organic Fertilizers Used for Agriculture in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Hai, Dao M; Qiu, Xuchun; Xu, Hai; Honda, Masato; Yabe, Mitsuyasu; Kadokami, Kiwao; Shimasaki, Yohei; Oshima, Yuji

2017-07-01

To provide an overview of anthropogenic contaminants in liquid organic fertilizers (LOFs), products from four biogas plants in Kyushu, Japan, were analyzed for a wide range of contaminants, including copper, cadmium, tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT), perfluorooctane sulfonate, 952 semi-volatile organic compounds, and 89 antibiotics. The highest concentrations of copper (31.1 mg/L) and cadmium (0.08 mg/L) were found in LOFs from the Hita biogas plant. Only ofloxacin and sulfapyridine were detected in total 89 antibiotics screened. TBT, DBT, and perfluorooctane sulfonate were present at low concentrations in the LOFs from all four locations. Among the 952 semi-volatile organic compounds, 78 compounds were detected in at least one sample and were present at concentrations between 1.2 and 139.6 mg/L. On the basis of comparisons with previous studies and quality standards for the use of organic fertilizers, the concentrations of contaminants in the studied LOFs indicate that they might be safe for agricultural purposes.

Organic contaminants in environmental atmospheres and waters

OpenAIRE

Ramírez González, Noelia

2011-01-01

This Doctoral Thesis focuses on the development of efficient and highly sensitive analytical methods for determining organic contaminants in atmospheric, aquatic and house dust samples. The proposed analytical methods are based on single and comprehensive gas chromatography followed by different detectors (including mass spectrometry and nitrogen chemiluminiscence detection) and different sample preparation methods that have the aim of minimising the consumption of organic solvents in the who...

Using biochar for remediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals and organic pollutants.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaokai; Wang, Hailong; He, Lizhi; Lu, Kouping; Sarmah, Ajit; Li, Jianwu; Bolan, Nanthi S; Pei, Jianchuan; Huang, Huagang

2013-12-01

Soil contamination with heavy metals and organic pollutants has increasingly become a serious global environmental issue in recent years. Considerable efforts have been made to remediate contaminated soils. Biochar has a large surface area, and high capacity to adsorb heavy metals and organic pollutants. Biochar can potentially be used to reduce the bioavailability and leachability of heavy metals and organic pollutants in soils through adsorption and other physicochemical reactions. Biochar is typically an alkaline material which can increase soil pH and contribute to stabilization of heavy metals. Application of biochar for remediation of contaminated soils may provide a new solution to the soil pollution problem. This paper provides an overview on the impact of biochar on the environmental fate and mobility of heavy metals and organic pollutants in contaminated soils and its implication for remediation of contaminated soils. Further research directions are identified to ensure a safe and sustainable use of biochar as a soil amendment for remediation of contaminated soils.

Organic contaminant transport and fate in the subsurface: evolution of knowledge and understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Essaid, Hedeff I.; Bekins, Barbara A.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.

2015-01-01

Toxic organic contaminants may enter the subsurface as slightly soluble and volatile nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) or as dissolved solutes resulting in contaminant plumes emanating from the source zone. A large body of research published in Water Resources Research has been devoted to characterizing and understanding processes controlling the transport and fate of these organic contaminants and the effectiveness of natural attenuation, bioremediation, and other remedial technologies. These contributions include studies of NAPL flow, entrapment, and interphase mass transfer that have advanced from the analysis of simple systems with uniform properties and equilibrium contaminant phase partitioning to complex systems with pore-scale and macroscale heterogeneity and rate-limited interphase mass transfer. Understanding of the fate of dissolved organic plumes has advanced from when biodegradation was thought to require oxygen to recognition of the importance of anaerobic biodegradation, multiple redox zones, microbial enzyme kinetics, and mixing of organic contaminants and electron acceptors at plume fringes. Challenges remain in understanding the impacts of physical, chemical, biological, and hydrogeological heterogeneity, pore-scale interactions, and mixing on the fate of organic contaminants. Further effort is needed to successfully incorporate these processes into field-scale predictions of transport and fate. Regulations have greatly reduced the frequency of new point-source contamination problems; however, remediation at many legacy plumes remains challenging. A number of fields of current relevance are benefiting from research advances from point-source contaminant research. These include geologic carbon sequestration, nonpoint-source contamination, aquifer storage and recovery, the fate of contaminants from oil and gas development, and enhanced bioremediation.

Listeria monocytogenes in Fresh Produce: Outbreaks, Prevalence and Contamination Levels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qi Zhu

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Listeria monocytogenes, a member of the genus Listeria, is widely distributed in agricultural environments, such as soil, manure and water. This organism is a recognized foodborne pathogenic bacterium that causes many diseases, from mild gastroenteritis to severe blood and/or central nervous system infections, as well as abortion in pregnant women. Generally, processed ready-to-eat and cold-stored meat and dairy products are considered high-risk foods for L. monocytogenes infections that cause human illness (listeriosis. However, recently, several listeriosis outbreaks have been linked to fresh produce contamination around the world. Additionally, many studies have detected L. monocytogenes in fresh produce samples and even in some minimally processed vegetables. Thus L. monocytogenes may contaminate fresh produce if present in the growing environment (soil and water. Prevention of biofilm formation is an important control measure to reduce the prevalence and survival of L. monocytogenes in growing environments and on fresh produce. This article specifically focuses on fresh produce–associated listeriosis outbreaks, prevalence in growing environments, contamination levels of fresh produce, and associated fresh produce safety challenges.

Can volatile organic metabolites be used to simultaneously assess microbial and mite contamination level in cereal grains and coffee beans?

Science.gov (United States)

Salvador, Angelo C; Baptista, Inês; Barros, António S; Gomes, Newton C M; Cunha, Angela; Almeida, Adelaide; Rocha, Silvia M

2013-01-01

A novel approach based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-ToFMS) was developed for the simultaneous screening of microbial and mite contamination level in cereals and coffee beans. The proposed approach emerges as a powerful tool for the rapid assessment of the microbial contamination level (ca. 70 min versus ca. 72 to 120 h for bacteria and fungi, respectively, using conventional plate counts), and mite contamination (ca. 70 min versus ca. 24 h). A full-factorial design was performed for optimization of the SPME experimental parameters. The methodology was applied to three types of rice (rough, brown, and white rice), oat, wheat, and green and roasted coffee beans. Simultaneously, microbiological analysis of the samples (total aerobic microorganisms, moulds, and yeasts) was performed by conventional plate counts. A set of 54 volatile markers was selected among all the compounds detected by GC×GC-ToFMS. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied in order to establish a relationship between potential volatile markers and the level of microbial contamination. Methylbenzene, 3-octanone, 2-nonanone, 2-methyl-3-pentanol, 1-octen-3-ol, and 2-hexanone were associated to samples with higher microbial contamination level, especially in rough rice. Moreover, oat exhibited a high GC peak area of 2-hydroxy-6-methylbenzaldehyde, a sexual and alarm pheromone for adult mites, which in the other matrices appeared as a trace component. The number of mites detected in oat grains was correlated to the GC peak area of the pheromone. The HS-SPME/GC×GC-ToFMS methodology can be regarded as the basis for the development of a rapid and versatile method that can be applied in industry to the simultaneous assessment the level of microbiological contamination and for detection of mites in cereals grains and coffee beans.

Present level of contaminants in the Romanian Black Sea sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bologa, A.S.; Apas, M.; Cociasu, A.; Cuingioglu, E.; Patrascu, V.; Pecheanu, I.; Piescu, V.; Popa, L.

1999-01-01

The assessment of environmental quality in the Romanian Black Sea sector is being constantly made by the Romanian Marine Research Institute (RMRI) within the National Integrated Monitoring System. The contamination of the marine environment is expressed by considering four chemical and a biological parameter: nutrients (N-NO 2 , N-NO 3 , N-NH 4 , P-PO 4 , organic P, Si-SiO 4 ), heavy metals (Mn, Fe, Cu, Cd, Pb), artificial radionuclides ( 90 Sr, 137 Cs), total hydrocarbons, parasite and saprophyte fungi in sediments, sea water and/or biota. Present levels of contaminants are discussed as to their historical evolution during the last few years or decades. Inorganic N and P concentrations still exceed three to five times those before eutrophication started to intensify in the early '70s. Practical uses of results by national and regional authorities are discussed. (author)

9 CFR 310.18 - Contamination of carcasses, organs, or other parts.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Contamination of carcasses, organs, or... AND VOLUNTARY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION POST-MORTEM INSPECTION § 310.18 Contamination of carcasses... prevent contamination with fecal material, urine, bile, hair, dirt, or foreign matter; however, if...

Surveillance for previously unmonitored organic contaminants in the San Francisco Estuary.

Science.gov (United States)

Oros, Daniel R; Jarman, Walter M; Lowe, Theresa; David, Nicole; Lowe, Sarah; Davis, Jay A

2003-09-01

The San Francisco Estuary Regional Monitoring Program initiated surveillance monitoring to identify previously unmonitored synthetic organic contaminants in the San Francisco Estuary. Organic extracts of water samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in full scan mode. The major contaminant classes identified in the samples were fire retardants, pesticides, personal care product ingredients, and plasticizers. Evidence from the literature suggests that some of these contaminants can persist in the environment, induce toxicity, and accumulate in marine biota and in higher food chain consumers. The major sources of these contaminants into the marine environment are the discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater effluents, urban stormwater, and agricultural runoff. As a proactive effort, it is suggested that surveillance studies be used routinely in monitoring programs to identify and prevent potential problem contaminants from harming the marine environment.

Persistent organic contaminants and steroid hormones levels in Morelet's crocodiles from the Southern Gulf of Mexico.

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Jauregui, Mauricio; Valdespino, Carolina; Salame-Méndez, Arturo; Aguirre-León, Gustavo; Rendón-Vonosten, Jaime

2012-04-01

Effects of endocrine disruptors on reproductive variables of top predators, such as alligators and crocodiles, have long been cited. Due to their long life span, these predators provide us with historic contaminant annals. In this study we tried to test whether lifestyle (free-ranging vs. farm animals) and reproductive age of Morelet's crocodiles in Campeche, Mexico, affect the bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Subsequently, we tested to see whether their concentration was related to steroid hormones (testosterone and estradiol-17β) levels once normal cyclic hormone variation and reproductive age had been taken into account. From the group of contaminants considered (analyzed as families), only frequency of hexachlorocyclohexanes (∑HCH) and ∑PCB permitted analyses. Whereas there was a greater concentration of ∑HCH bioaccumulated by free-ranging crocodiles, ∑PCB was found in equal quantities in free-ranging and farm animals. No difference was observed in relation to reproductive age for any of the contaminants. However, ∑PCB concentrations were related to testosterone levels among female crocodiles. This androgenic effect of ∑PCB has not been reported previously. Because testosterone promotes aggressive behavior in vertebrates, excessive aggression during the estrous season, or when female crocodiles should be caring for their young, could result in reproductive failure in Morelet's crocodiles and potential long-term decline of the population.

Case studies in organic contaminant hydrogeology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, J.A.

1989-01-01

The effective management of domestic solid waste and hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste is a major problem in the area of environmental geology and water sciences throughout the world. A series of case studies is presented of organic contaminants from both solid and hazardous waste disposal facilities to provide examples of these problems. The facilities were investigated to determine risks and liabilities before acquisition, to determine the site hydrogeologic conditions for design of appropriate groundwater monitoring plans, and/or to determine the potential for groundwater contamination. The case studies are of disposal facilities located in glacial tills, carbonaceous weathered clay soils, weathered shale, limestone bedrock, dolomite bedrock, and alluvial and sedimentary deposits. The results of these studies and investigations show certain relationships in the distribution of organic pollutants to the different geologic and hydrogeologic characteristics of each facility. In each of the four case studies, all 129 priority pollutants were analyzed in private wells and/or monitoring wells. The 31 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the priority pollutant list were the majority of organic compounds detected. When VOCs are found in groundwater impacted by disposal facilities, they are present in groups and tend to be distributed in patterns based on their relative concentrations. It is rare to find only one or two VOCs from facilities where leakage has been detected. The ethylenes and ethanes appear to be more prevalent and mobile than aromatic VOCs. The aromatics are restricted primarily to leachates and wastes and in monitoring wells located adjacent to facilities. 2 refs., 15 figs

REDUCTIVE DEHALOGENATION OF ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN SOILS AND GROUND WATER

Science.gov (United States)

Introduction and large scale production of synthetic halogenated organic chemicals over the last 50 years has resulted in a group of contaminants which tend to persist in the environment and resist both biotic and abiotic degradation. The low solubility of these types of contamin...

Sorption of polar and nonpolar organic contaminants by oil-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong; Chen, Shuo; Quan, Xie; Zhao, Huimin; Zhang, Yaobin

2008-12-01

Sorption of nonpolar (phenanthrene and butylate) and polar (atrazine and diuron) organic chemicals to oil-contaminated soil was examined to investigate oil effects on sorption of organic chemicals and to derive oil-water distribution coefficients (K(oil)). The resulting oil-contaminated soil-water distribution coefficients (K(d)) for phenanthrene demonstrated sorption-enhancing effects at both lower and higher oil concentrations (C(oil)) but sorption-reducing (competitive) effects at intermediate C(oil) (approximately 1 g kg(-1)). Rationalization of the different dominant effects was attempted in terms of the relative aliphatic carbon content which determines the accessibility of the aromatic cores to phenanthrene. Little or no competitive effect occurred for butylate because its sorption was dominated by partitioning. For atrazine and diuron, the changes in K(d) at C(oil) above approximately 1 g kg(-1) were negligible, indicating that the presently investigated oil has little or no effect on the two tested compounds even though the polarity of the oil is much less than soil organic matter (SOM). Therefore, specific interactions with the active groups (aromatic and polar domains) are dominantly responsible for the sorption of polar sorbates, and thus their sorption is controlled by available sorption sites. This study showed that the oil has the potential to be a dominant sorptive phase for nonpolar pollutants when compared to SOM, but hardly so for polar compounds. The results may aid in a better understanding of the role of the aliphatic and aromatic domains in sorption of nonpolar and polar organic pollutants.

Organic Contamination Baseline Study: In NASA JSC Astromaterials Curation Laboratories. Summary Report

Science.gov (United States)

Calaway, Michael J.

2013-01-01

In preparation for OSIRIS-REx and other future sample return missions concerned with analyzing organics, we conducted an Organic Contamination Baseline Study for JSC Curation Labsoratories in FY12. For FY12 testing, organic baseline study focused only on molecular organic contamination in JSC curation gloveboxes: presumably future collections (i.e. Lunar, Mars, asteroid missions) would use isolation containment systems over only cleanrooms for primary sample storage. This decision was made due to limit historical data on curation gloveboxes, limited IR&D funds and Genesis routinely monitors organics in their ISO class 4 cleanrooms.

Oxidation by UV and ozone of organic contaminants dissolved in deionized and raw mains water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, P.D.

1987-01-01

Organic contaminants dissolved in deionized pretreated and raw mains water were reacted with ultraviolet light and ozone. Ozone first was used for partial oxidation followed by ozone combined with ultraviolet radiation to produce total oxidation. The reduction of total organic carbon (TOC) level and direct oxidation of halogenated compounds were measured throughout the treatment process. The rate of TOC reduction was compared for ozone injected upstream and inside the reactor

Contamination of living environment and human organism with plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benes, J.

1981-01-01

The applicability of 239 Pu in nuclear power is discussed. The radiotoxic properties of plutonium, its tissue distribution and the effects of internal and external contamination are described. The contamination of the atmosphere, water, and soil with plutonium isotopes is discussed. Dosimetry is described of plutonium in the living and working environments as is plutonium determination in the human organism. (H.S.)

Determination of Aflatoxin B1 Levels in Organic Spices and Herbs

Science.gov (United States)

Tosun, Halil; Arslan, Recep

2013-01-01

Organically produced spices and herbs were analyzed for determination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) by ELISA using immunoaffinity column. For this purpose 93 organic spices and 37 organic herbs were randomly selected from organic markets and organic shops in Turkey. AFB1 was detected in 58 organic spice and 32 organic herb samples. Among organic spice samples, the maximum value was detected in cinnamon sample (53 μg/kg). AFB1 was not detected in thyme samples. AFB1 levels of 41 organic spice samples were above the EU regulatory limit (5 μg/kg). Among organic herb samples the highest concentration of AFB1 (52.5 μg/kg) was detected in a rosehip sample. AFB1 levels of 21 organic herb samples were above the regulatory limits of the European Union. These results showed that more stringent measures must be taken for the prevention of mold contamination in the production of organic spices and herbs. PMID:23766719

Arsenic uptake by lettuce from As-contaminated soil remediated with Pteris vittata and organic amendment.

Science.gov (United States)

de Oliveira, Letuzia M; Suchismita, Das; Gress, Julia; Rathinasabapathi, Bala; Chen, Yanshan; Ma, Lena Q

2017-06-01

Leaching of inorganic arsenic (As) from chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood may elevate soil As levels. Thus, an environmental concern arises regarding As accumulation in vegetables grown in these soils. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the ability of As-hyperaccumulator P. vittata and organic amendments in reducing As uptake by lettuce (Lactuca sativa) from a soil contaminated from CCA-treated wood (63.9 mg kg -1 As). P. vittata was grown for 150 d in a CCA-contaminated soil amended with biochar, activated carbon or coffee grounds at 1%, followed by lettuce for another 55 d. After harvest, plant biomass and As concentrations in plant and soil were determined. The presence of P. vittata reduced As content in lettuce by 21% from 27.3 to 21.5 mg kg -1 while amendment further reduced As in lettuce by 5.6-18%, with activated C being most effective. Our data showed that both P. vittata and organic amendments were effective in reducing As concentration in lettuce. Though no health-based standard for As in vegetables exists in USA, care should be taken when growing lettuce in contaminated soils. Our data showed that application of organic amendments with P. vittata reduced As hazards in CCA-contaminated soils. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Phytoremediation of small organic contaminants using transgenic plants

Science.gov (United States)

James, C Andrew; Strand, Stuart E

2010-01-01

The efficacy of transgenic plants in the phytoremediation of small organic contaminants has been investigated. Two principal strategies have been pursued (1) the manipulation of phase I metabolic activity to enhance in planta degradation rates, or to impart novel metabolic activity, and (2) the enhanced secretion of reactive enzymes from roots leading to accelerated ex planta degradation of organic contaminants. A pair of dehalogenase genes from Xanthobacter autotrophicus was expressed in tobacco resulting in the dehalogenation of 1,2-dichloroethane, which was otherwise recalcitrant. A laccase gene from cotton was overexpressed in Arabidopsis thaliana resulting in increased secretory laccase activity and the enhanced resistance to trichlorophenol in soils. Although the results to date are promising, much of the work has been limited to laboratory settings; field demonstrations are needed. PMID:19342219

Types of organic materials present in BNFL intermediate level waste streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barlow, P.

1988-01-01

This presentation lists the constituents present in BNFL intermediate-level radioactive wastes. The inorganic and organic components are listed and there is a detailed analysis of the plutonium contaminated materials in terms of proportion of combustible and non-combustible content, up to the year 2000. A description of the Waste Treatment Complex at Sellafield is presented. The research programme for leach testing, sorption and solubility testing and decomposition of organic matter was outlined. (U.K.)

Inverse modeling of the biodegradation of emerging organic contaminants in the soil-plant system

OpenAIRE

Hurtado, Carlos; Trapp, Stefan; Bayona, Josep M.

2016-01-01

Understanding the processes involved in the uptake and accumulation of organic contaminants into plants is very important to assess the possible human risk associated with. Biodegradation of emerging contaminants in plants has been observed, but kinetical studies are rare. In this study, we analyse experimental data on the uptake of emerging organic contaminants into lettuce derived in a greenhouse experiment. Measured soil, root and leaf concentrations from four contaminants were selected wi...

Automatic Measurement of Low Level Contamination on Concrete Surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tachibana, M.; Itoh, H.; Shimada, T.; Yanagihara, S.

2002-01-01

Automatic measurement of radioactivity is necessary for considering cost effectiveness in final radiological survey of building structures in decommissioning nuclear facilities. The RAPID (radiation measuring pilot device for surface contamination) was developed to be applied to automatic measurement of low level contamination on concrete surfaces. The RAPID has a capability to measure contamination with detection limit of 0.14 Bq/cm2 for 60Co in 30 seconds of measurement time and its efficiency is evaluated to be 5 m2/h in a normal measurement option. It was confirmed that low level contamination on concrete surfaces could be surveyed by the RAPID efficiently compared with direct measurement by workers through its actual application

Radioactive contamination of aquatic media and organisms; La contamination radioactive des milieux et des organismes aquatiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fontaine, Y [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1960-07-01

After a brief account of the radioactive wastes produced by peaceful or military uses of Atomic Industry, the author first describes a series of observations carried out 'in the field' on the extent of contamination in aquatic organisms with respect to that of the medium. The experimental studies are then analysed, with reference both to the radioisotope metabolism and to the factors and types of contamination of aquatic organisms by wastes from atomic industry. A precise experimental project is presented at the end of the paper, including almost 300 references. (author) [French] Apres une courte etude des dechets radioactifs produits par les utilisations pacifiques ou militaires de l'Industrie Atomique, l'auteur fait etat d'abord des observations effectuees 'sur le terrain' concernant l'extension de la contamination des organismes aquatiques en rapport avec celle du milieu. L'auteur analyse ensuite les etudes experimentales se rapportant aussi bien au metabolisme des radioisotopes qu'aux facteurs et aux modalites de la contamination des organismes aquatiques par les dechets de l'industrie atomique. Un projet de travail experimental precis est presente a la fin de cette revue qui comporte pres de 300 references bibliographiques. (auteur)

Proposing nanofiltration as acceptable barrier for organic contaminants in water reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor

2010-10-01

For water reuse applications, " tight" nanofiltration (NF) membranes (of polyamide) as an alternative to reverse osmosis (RO) can be an effective barrier against pharmaceuticals, pesticides, endocrine disruptors and other organic contaminants. The use of RO in existing water reuse facilities is addressed and questioned, taking into consideration that tight NF can be a more cost-effective and efficient technology to target the problem of organic contaminants. It was concluded that tight NF is an acceptable barrier for organic contaminants because its removal performance approaches that of RO, and because of reduced operation and maintenance (O&M) costs in long-term project implementation. Average removal of neutral compounds (including 1,4-dioxane) was about 82% and 85% for NF and RO, respectively, and average removal of ionic compounds was about 97% and 99% for NF and RO, respectively. In addition, " loose" NF after aquifer recharge and recovery (ARR) can be an effective barrier against micropollutants with removals over 90%. When there is the presence of difficult to remove organic contaminants such as NDMA and 1,4-dioxane; for 1,4-dioxane, source control or implementation of treatment processes in wastewater treatment plants will be an option; for NDMA, a good strategy is to limit its formation during wastewater treatment, but there is evidence that biodegradation of NDMA can be achieved during ARR. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.

First evidence of persistent organic contaminants as potential anthropogenic stressors in the Barndoor Skate Dipturus laevis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyons, Kady; Adams, Douglas H

2017-03-15

Although exploited populations of elasmobranchs may be able to recover from fishing pressure, there is little information regarding the Barndoor Skate's ability to cope with other anthropogenic stressors such as organic contaminants (OCs). Legacy OCs were measured in liver, muscle and ova from fourteen Barndoor Skates with mature skates having significantly greater mean concentrations of OCs than immature skates, demonstrating bioaccumulation with age. Using Toxic Equivalency Factors, skates were found to have levels of PCBs that have been shown to elicit negative physiological responses in other fishes and these results highlight the need for future studies to investigate the potential impacts that bioaccumulated organic contaminants have on the recovery and conservation of this vulnerable species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of Mine Waste Contamination on Fish and Wildlife Habitat at Multiple Levels of Biological Organization in the Methow River, 2001-2002 Annual Report.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peplow, Dan; Edmonds, Robert.

2002-06-01

Type IV Glycogen Storage disease is occurring. GSD IV is caused by either a deficiency or inactivation of the glycogen branching enzyme that results in the synthesis of an abnormal glycogen molecule that is insoluble and has decreased branch points and increased chain length. These results show that the effects of mine waste contaminants can be expressed at all levels of organization from molecular to ecosystem-level responses.

Bioremediation of soil and ground water impacted with organic contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woods, W.B.

1991-01-01

Two case studies demonstrate the controlled use of micro-organisms to degrade organic contaminants under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The aerobic study illustrates the degradation of hydrocarbons in a soil matrix. Data are presented that show a two-phase degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) from about 1,300 ppm TPH to cleanup levels of 100 ppm or less in two months. Total aerobic microorganism and substate-specific degrader counts were tracked throughout the study. Typical total aerobic counts of 10 6 colony forming units (CFU)/g and hydrocarbon degrader counts of 10 4 CFU/g were observed. Hydrocarbon degraders were enumerated on minimal salts media incubated in the presence of hydrocarbon vapors. The anaerobic study documents the successful use of a supplemental carbon source and fertilizers to stimulate indigenous microbe to degrade ketones. A nutrient mix of s polysaccharide, a nitrate electron acceptor and an inorganic orthophosphate was used to augment 100,000 yd 3 of soil contaminated with ketones at about 1,000 ppm. The key elements of a biotreatment project are discussed (i.e., site characterization, treatability studies, biotreatment design, site construction, system maintenance, final disposal and site closure). Lastly, the benefits of bioremediation vs. other remediation alternatives such as landfill disposal, incineration, and stabilization/fixation are discussed in terms of cost and liability

Removing high-level contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wallace, Paula

2013-01-01

Full text: Using biomimicry, an Australian cleantech innovation making inroads intoChinas's industrial sector offers multiple benefits to miners and processors in Australia. Stephen Shelley, the executive chairman of Creative Water Technology (CWT), was on hand at a recent trade show to explain how his Melbourne company has developed world-class techniques in zero liquid discharge and fractional crystallization of minerals to apply to a wide range of water treatment and recycling applications. “Most existing technologies operate with high energy distillation, filters or biological processing. CWT's appliance uses a low temperature, thermal distillation process known as adiabatic recovery to desalinate, dewater and/or recycle highly saline and highly contaminated waste water,” said Shelley. The technology has been specifically designed to handle the high levels of contaminant that alternative technologies struggle to process, with proven water quality results for feed water samples with TDS levels over 300,000ppm converted to clean water with less than 20ppm. Comparatively, reverse osmosis struggles to process contaminant levels over 70,000ppm effectively. “CWT is able to reclaim up to 97% clean usable water and up to 100% of the contaminants contained in the feed water,” said Shelley, adding that soluble and insoluble contaminants are separately extracted and dried for sale or re-use. In industrial applications CWT has successfully processed feed water with contaminant levels over 650,000 mg/1- without the use of chemicals. “The technology would be suitable for companies in oil exploration and production, mining, smelting, biofuels, textiles and the agricultural and food production sectors,” said Shelley. When compared to a conventional desalination plant, the CWT system is able to capture the value in the brine that most plants discard, not only from the salt but the additional water it contains. “If you recover those two commodities... then you

Review of remediation techniques for arsenic (As) contamination: a novel approach utilizing bio-organisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Shahedur; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Saha, Subbroto Kumar; Swaraz, A M; Paul, Dipak Kumar

2014-02-15

Arsenic (As) contamination has recently become a worldwide problem, as it is found to be widespread not only in drinking water but also in various foodstuffs. Because of the high toxicity, As contamination poses a serious risk to human health and ecological system. To cope with this problem, a great deal of effort have been made to account for the mechanisms of As mineral formation and accumulation by some plants and aquatic organisms exposed to the high level of As. Hence, bio-remediation is now considered an effective and potent approach to breakdown As contamination. In this review, we provide up-to-date knowledge on how biological tools (such as plants for phytoremediation and to some extent microorganisms) can be used to help resolve the effects of As problems on the Earth's environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Levels and trends of contaminants in humans of the Arctic.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Jennifer; Adlard, Bryan; Olafsdottir, Kristin; Sandanger, Torkjel Manning; Odland, Jon Øyvind

2016-01-01

The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) is one of the six working groups established under the Arctic Council. AMAP is tasked with monitoring the levels of contaminants present in the Arctic environment and people as well as assessing their effects on a continuous basis, and reporting these results regularly. Most of the presented data have been collected over the last 20 years and are from all eight Arctic countries. Levels of contaminants appear to be declining in some of the monitored Arctic populations, but it is not consistent across the Arctic. Most Arctic populations continue to experience elevated levels of these contaminants compared to other populations monitored globally. There are certain contaminants, such as perfluorinated compounds and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, which are still increasing in Arctic populations. These contaminants require more investigation to find out the predominant and important sources of exposure, and whether they are being transported to the Arctic through long-range transport in the environment.

Effects of organic contaminants in sewage sludge on soil fertility, plants and animals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, J.E.; Sauerbeck, D.R.; L'Hermite, P.

1992-01-01

Sewage sludge production in Europe will continue to rise as a result of higher environmental standards, making disposal increasingly difficult in the future. A considerable part of this sludge is spread beneficially on agricultural land as an organic fertilizer, however, this outlet is very sensitive to the problems associated with the inorganic and organic contaminants which sludge inevitably contains. Much research has been devoted to the problems of contaminants in sludge and their potential effects on soil, plants, animals and man in recent years, and the European Commission's Concerted Action COST 681 has provided a valuable forum for the exchange of views and progress of research on sludge treatment and disposal. This book contains 19 papers presented to a joint meeting of Working Party 4 (Agricultural Value) and Working Party 5 (Environmental Effects) of COST 681, held at the German Federal Research Centre of Agriculture (FAL), Braunschweig on 6-8 June 1990. The meeting addressed two areas of current concern; the occurrence, behaviour and transfer of sludge-derived organic contaminants (Session 1), and the influence of inorganic and organic contaminants on soil micro-organisms and their activities (Session 2)

Organic contamination of ground water at Gas Works Park, Seattle, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turney, G.L.; Goerlitz, D.F.

1990-01-01

Gas Works Park, in Seattle, Washington, is located on the site of a coal and oil gasification plant that ceased operation in 1956. During operation, many types of wastes, including coal, tar, and oil, accumulated on-site. The park soil is currently (1986) contaminated with compounds such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, trace metals, and cyanide. Analyses of water samples from a network of observation wells in the park indicate that these compounds are also present in the ground water. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds were identified in ground water samples in concentrations as large as 200 mg/L. Concentrations of organic compounds were largest where ground water was in contact with a non-aqueous phase liquid in the soil. Where no non-aqueous phase liquid was present, concentrations were much smaller, even if the ground water was in contact with contaminated soils. This condition is attributed to weathering processes in which soluble, low-molecular-weight organic compounds are preferentially dissolved from the non-aqueous phase liquid into the ground water. Where no non-aqueous phase liquid is present, only stained soils containing relatively insoluble, high-molecular-weight compounds remain. Concentrations of organic contaminants in the soils may still remain large

Organic contamination of ground water at Gas Works Park, Seattle, Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Turney, G.L.; Goerlitz, D.F.

1990-01-01

Gas Works Park, in Seattle, Washington, is located on the site of a coal and oil gasification plant that ceased operation in 1956. During operation, many types of wastes, including coal, tar, and oil, accumulated on-site. The park soil is currently (1986) contaminated with compounds such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, trace metals, and cyanide. Analyses of water samples from a network of observation wells in the park indicate that these compounds are also present in the ground water. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds were identified in ground water samples in concentrations as large as 200 mg/L. Concentrations of organic compounds were largest where ground water was in contact with a non-aqueous phase liquid in the soil. Where no non-aqueous phase liquid was present, concentrations were much smaller, even if the ground water was in contact with contaminated soils. This condition is attributed to weathering processes in which soluble, low-molecular-weight organic compounds are preferentially dissolved from the non-aqueous phase liquid into the ground water. Where no non-aqueous phase liquid is present, only stained soils containing relatively insoluble, high-molecular-weight compounds remain. Concentrations of organic contaminants in the soils may still remain large.

Radioactive contamination of aquatic media and organisms; La contamination radioactive des milieux et des organismes aquatiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fontaine, Y. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1960-07-01

After a brief account of the radioactive wastes produced by peaceful or military uses of Atomic Industry, the author first describes a series of observations carried out 'in the field' on the extent of contamination in aquatic organisms with respect to that of the medium. The experimental studies are then analysed, with reference both to the radioisotope metabolism and to the factors and types of contamination of aquatic organisms by wastes from atomic industry. A precise experimental project is presented at the end of the paper, including almost 300 references. (author) [French] Apres une courte etude des dechets radioactifs produits par les utilisations pacifiques ou militaires de l'Industrie Atomique, l'auteur fait etat d'abord des observations effectuees 'sur le terrain' concernant l'extension de la contamination des organismes aquatiques en rapport avec celle du milieu. L'auteur analyse ensuite les etudes experimentales se rapportant aussi bien au metabolisme des radioisotopes qu'aux facteurs et aux modalites de la contamination des organismes aquatiques par les dechets de l'industrie atomique. Un projet de travail experimental precis est presente a la fin de cette revue qui comporte pres de 300 references bibliographiques. (auteur)

Process for the restoration of solids contaminated with hydrocarbons and heavy organic compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bala, G.A.; Thomas, C.P.; Jackson, J.D.; McMillin, R.A.

1994-01-01

Processes have been developed for the restoration of environments contaminated with hydrocarbons and heavy organics. The intended product is a field deployable materials handling system and phase separation process ranging in size from 1 yd 3 /hr to 50 yd 3 /hr for commercial application to environmental problems associated with the exploration, production, refining and transport of petroleum, petroleum products and organic chemicals. Effluents from contaminated sites will be clean solids (classified by size if appropriate), and the concentrated contaminant. The technology is based on biochemical solvation, liquid/liquid and liquid/solid extractions, materials classification, mechanical and hydraulic scrubbing, and phase separation of organic and aqueous phases. Fluid use is minimized through utilization of closed-loop (recycle) systems. Contaminants that are removed from the solid materials may be destroyed, disposed of using existing technologies, or used on-site for cogeneration of /power for plant operations. Additionally, if the contaminant is a valued product, the material may be recovered for application or sale. Clean solid material is not sterilized and may be returned to normal agricultural, commercial, residential or recreational use in most instances

The analysis of the level of radioactive contamination of agricultural lands in Mogilev region [Belarus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komleva, S.M.

2010-01-01

In the conditions of the Republic of Belarus there was analyzed the present level of radioactive situation and contamination of areas of agricultural companies with radiocesium at in Mogilev region. There were suggested methodical approaches on organizing the use of the lands in such a way as to get the minimum content of radionuclides in the manufactured products

Effects of dissolved organic matter from a eutrophic lake on the freely dissolved concentrations of emerging organic contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Yi-Hua; Huang, Qing-Hui; Vähätalo, Anssi V; Li, Fei-Peng; Chen, Ling

2014-08-01

The authors studied the effects of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on the bioavailability of bisphenol A (BPA) and chloramphenicol by measuring the freely dissolved concentrations of the contaminants in solutions containing DOM that had been isolated from a mesocosm in a eutrophic lake. The abundance and aromaticity of the chromophoric DOM increased over the 25-d mesocosm experiment. The BPA freely dissolved concentration was 72.3% lower and the chloramphenicol freely dissolved concentration was 56.2% lower using DOM collected on day 25 than using DOM collected on day 1 of the mesocosm experiment. The freely dissolved concentrations negatively correlated with the ultraviolent absorption coefficient at 254 nm and positively correlated with the spectral slope of chromophoric DOM, suggesting that the bioavailability of these emerging organic contaminants depends on the characteristics of the DOM present. The DOM-water partition coefficients (log KOC ) for the emerging organic contaminants positively correlated with the aromaticity of the DOM, measured as humic acid-like fluorescent components C1 (excitation/emission=250[313]/412 nm) and C2 (excitation/emission=268[379]/456 nm). The authors conclude that the bioavailability of emerging organic contaminants in eutrophic lakes can be affected by changes in the DOM. © 2014 SETAC.

Phytoextraction of low level U-contaminated soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandenhove, H.A.; Hees, M. van

2002-01-01

The nuclear fuel cycle may be a source of environmental contamination. Uranium exploitation produces large quantities of wastes but also accidental spills at nuclear fuel production, reprocessing or waste treatment plants have led to soil contamination with uranium. U-contaminated soil is generally excavated, packaged and removed which is a costly enterprise. Soil washing has also shown promising in removing U from contaminated soil, but results in the generation of liquid wastes and the deterioration of soil properties. In contrast, phytoextraction, the use of plants to remove contaminants from polluted soil, allows for in situ treatment and does not generate liquid wastes. Furthermore, the contaminated site is covered by plants during phytoextraction and wind and water erosion will be reduced. The phytoextraction potential depends on the amount of radionuclides extracted and the biomass produced. Hyper-accumulating plants often have a low biomass production. Moreover, uranium soil-to-plant transfer factors (TF: ratio of U concentration in dry plant tissue to concentration in soil) rarely exceed a value of 0.1 gg -1 . With a TF of 0.1 gg -1 and a biomass yield of 15t dry weigh ha -1 only 0.1% of the soil uranium will be annually immobilised in the plant biomass. These figures clearly show that the phytoextraction option is not a feasible remediation option, unless the uranium bioavailability could be drastically increased. It was shown that citric acid addition to highly contaminated U contaminated soil increased the U-accumulation of Brassica juncea 1000-fold. The objective of the present paper is to find out if low level U contaminated soil can be phytoextracted in order to achieve proposed release limits

Microbial Fuel Cells for Organic-Contaminated Soil Remedial Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Xiaojing; Wang, Xin; Weng, Liping; Zhou, Qixing; Li, Yongtao

2017-01-01

Efficient noninvasive techniques are desired for repairing organic-contaminated soils. Bioelectrochemical technology, especially microbial fuel cells (MFCs), has been widely used to promote a polluted environmental remediation approach, and applications include wastewater, sludge, sediment, and

Levels of Cs-137 and pathological shifts in the organs and tissues of dead humans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lushnikov, E.F.; Koleganov, Yu.F.; Lantsov, S.I.; Mozhaev, V.K.; Solov'eva, L.P.; Fomin, S.D.

1996-01-01

Measurements of the levels of Cs-137, alpha- and beta-radionuclides in the organs and tissues of 30 subjects dead 6 years after the accident, assessment of the pathological shifts and relationships between these shifts and exposure was carried out at territories contaminated with radionuclides in the Bryansk and Kaluga districts, in the town of Obninsk, and in region of Russia free of radionuclides. Study of radioautographs did not show alpha- or beta-radionuclides in any of the dead subjects. Cs-137 was detected in small quantities in the organs of all cadavers (3 to 424 Bq/kg) irrespective of their residence. The extent of radioactivity varied for different organs and was unrelated to organ pathology. Moreover, Cs-137 was detected in the organs of dead newborns and two-month-old infants, whose patients lived at territories contaminated with radionuclides [ru

Monitoring organic contaminants in eggs of glaucous and glaucous-winged gulls (Larus hyperboreus and Larus glaucescens) from Alaska

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vander Pol, Stacy S.; Becker, Paul R.; Ellisor, Michael B.; Moors, Amanda J.; Pugh, Rebecca S.; Roseneau, David G.

2009-01-01

Gull eggs have been used to monitor contaminants in many parts of the world. The Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP) is a long-term program designed to track trends in pollutants in northern marine environments using seabird eggs. Glaucous and glaucous-winged gull (Larus hyperboreus and Larus glaucescens) eggs collected in 2005 from seven Alaskan colonies were analyzed for organic contaminants. Concentrations ranged from below detection limits to 322 ng g -1 wet mass in one egg for 4,4'-DDE and differed among the samples collected in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering and Chukchi Seas. Chick growth and survival rates may be affected by the contaminant levels found in the eggs, but the eggs should be safe for human consumption if they are eaten in small quantities. STAMP plans to continue collecting and banking gull eggs for future real-time and retrospective analyses. - Organic contaminant concentrations in Alaskan gull eggs could possibly be affecting chick growth and survival rates, but the eggs should be safe for humans to eat in small quantities

Survey in organic contaminants content in sewage sludge from the Emilia Romagna region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mantovi, P.; Sassi, D.; Piccinini, S.; Rossi, L.

2008-01-01

Data was collected on the organic pollutants cited in the Working document on sludge, 3. draft (AOX, LAS, DEHP, NPE, PAH, PCB, PCDD/F), for sewage sludge deriving from 12 municipal-industrial wastewater treatment plants and 7 agro-industrial wastewater treatment plants located in the Emilia-Romagna region (Italy), taking samples in spring, summer and winter. The limit values given in the Working document were sporadically exceeded. The most frequent contamination was associated with LAS, in particular in the winter period. Results confirmed lower organic contaminant contents in sludge of agro-industrial origin, compared to sludge from municipal-industrial wastewater treatment plants, with generally not detectable values for the majority of organic pollutants. Comparison of the results collected in this survey with values recorded in other European countries shows that the organic contaminant content of sewage sludge obtained in plants in the Emilia-Romagna region, excepting LAS, is reasonable [it

Pilot-scale UV/H2O2 study for emerging organic contaminants decomposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Xiaona; Xiao, Yan; Hu, Jiangyong; Quek, Elaine; Xie, Rongjin; Pang, Thomas; Xing, Yongjie

2016-03-01

Human behaviors including consumption of drugs and use of personal care products, climate change, increased international travel, and the advent of water reclamation for direct potable use have led to the introduction of significant amounts of emerging organic contaminants into the aqueous environment. In addition, the lower detection limits associated with improved scientific methods of chemical analysis have resulted in a recent increase in documented incidences of these contaminants which previously were not routinely monitored in water. Such contaminants may cause known or suspected adverse ecological and/or human health effects at very low concentrations. Conventional drinking water treatment processes may not effectively remove these organic contaminants. Advanced oxidation process (AOP) is a promising treatment process for the removal of most of these emerging organic contaminants, and has been accepted worldwide as a suitable treatment process. In this study, different groups of emerging contaminants were studied for decomposition efficiency using pilot-scale UV/H2O2 oxidation setup, including EDCs, PPCPs, taste and odor (T&O), and perfluorinated compounds. Results found that MP UV/H2O2 AOP was efficient in removing all the selected contaminants except perfluorinated compounds. Study of the kinetics of the process showed that both light absorption and quantum yield of each compound affected the decomposition performance. Analysis of water quality parameters of the treated water indicated that the outcome of both UV photolysis and UV/H2O2 processes can be affected by changes in the feed water quality.

Anaerobic biodegradation of (emerging) organic contaminants in the aquatic environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghattas, Ann-Kathrin; Fischer, Ferdinand; Wick, Arne; Ternes, Thomas A

2017-06-01

Although strictly anaerobic conditions prevail in several environmental compartments, up to now, biodegradation studies with emerging organic contaminants (EOCs), such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, have mainly focused on aerobic conditions. One of the reasons probably is the assumption that the aerobic degradation is more energetically favorable than degradation under strictly anaerobic conditions. Certain aerobically recalcitrant contaminants, however, are biodegraded under strictly anaerobic conditions and little is known about the organisms and enzymatic processes involved in their degradation. This review provides a comprehensive survey of characteristic anaerobic biotransformation reactions for a variety of well-studied, structurally rather simple contaminants (SMOCs) bearing one or a few different functional groups/structural moieties. Furthermore it summarizes anaerobic degradation studies of more complex contaminants with several functional groups (CMCs), in soil, sediment and wastewater treatment. While strictly anaerobic conditions are able to promote the transformation of several aerobically persistent contaminants, the variety of observed reactions is limited, with reductive dehalogenations and the cleavage of ether bonds being the most prevalent. Thus, it becomes clear that the transferability of degradation mechanisms deduced from culture studies of SMOCs to predict the degradation of CMCs, such as EOCs, in environmental matrices is hampered due the more complex chemical structure bearing different functional groups, different environmental conditions (e.g. matrix, redox, pH), the microbial community (e.g. adaptation, competition) and the low concentrations typical for EOCs. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Organization of internal contamination monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badreddine, A.

1986-07-01

The nuclear energy takes a big part in the world's energy production. The nuclear techniques are used in most fields of life. Nevertheless the use of radioactive materials may cause prejudice to human beings by radiation contamination. The International Commission on Radiological Protection gives the general rules and regulations to avoid this danger. In the publication No. 30, the ICRP gives a metabolic model for the respiratory system and values of Annual Limit of Intake. The ALI for inhalation supposes a standard AMAD (Activity Median Aerodynamic Diameter) of 1 um. We have measured the AMAD in a laboratory under different conditions of functioning in order to show its variation. Then we have analysed the effect of this variation on the internal contamination monitoring. Thus we have calculated the Effective Committed Dose (ECD), the ALI, then the Derived Investigation Level (DIL) for different values of AMAD for Whole-Body Counting (WBC)

Fingerprinting of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) and other biogenic organic compounds (BOC) in oil-contaminated and background soil samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhendi; Yang, C; Yang, Z; Hollebone, B; Brown, C E; Landriault, M; Sun, J; Mudge, S M; Kelly-Hooper, F; Dixon, D G

2012-09-01

Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) or petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) are one of the most widespread soil contaminants in Canada, the United States and many other countries worldwide. Clean-up of PHC-contaminated soils costs the Canadian economy hundreds of millions of dollars annually. In Canada, most PHC-contaminated site evaluations are based on the methods developed by the Canadian Council of the Ministers of the Environment (CCME). However, the CCME method does not differentiate PHC from BOC (the naturally occurring biogenic organic compounds), which are co-extracted with petroleum hydrocarbons in soil samples. Consequently, this could lead to overestimation of PHC levels in soil samples. In some cases, biogenic interferences can even exceed regulatory levels (300 μg g(-1) for coarse soils and 1300 μg g(-1) for fine soils for Fraction 3, C(16)-C(34) range, in the CCME Soil Quality Level). Resulting false exceedances can trigger unnecessary and costly cleanup or remediation measures. Therefore, it is critically important to develop new protocols to characterize and quantitatively differentiate PHC and BOC in contaminated soils. The ultimate objective of this PERD (Program of Energy Research and Development) project is to correct the misconception that all detectable hydrocarbons should be regulated as toxic petroleum hydrocarbons. During 2009-2010, soil and plant samples were collected from over forty oil-contaminated and paired background sites in various provinces. The silica gel column cleanup procedure was applied to effectively remove all target BOC from the oil-contaminated sample extracts. Furthermore, a reliable GC-MS method in combination with the derivatization technique, developed in this laboratory, was used for identification and characterization of various biogenic sterols and other major biogenic compounds in these oil-contaminated samples. Both PHC and BOC in these samples were quantitatively determined. This paper reports the characterization

Determination of Optimum Sanitizer Levels for Prevention of Salmonella Cross-Contamination of Mature Round Tomatoes in a Laboratory Model Flume System.

Science.gov (United States)

Sreedharan, Aswathy; Li, You; De, Jaysankar; Gutierrez, Alan; Silverberg, Rachael; Schneider, Keith R

2017-09-01

Salmonella has been reported to be involved in several foodborne illness outbreaks, many of which resulted from consumption of raw tomatoes. This research aimed to optimize and evaluate the concentration of free chlorine (hypochlorous acid [HOCl]) used as a sanitizer to prevent cross-contamination of tomatoes inoculated with a cocktail of five rifampin-resistant Salmonella enterica serovars in a laboratory-based model flume system. Organic load, prepared using sterilized Scotts Premium Topsoil, was added in different quantities to the flume wash water to simulate real-world packinghouse conditions. In a typical packinghouse operation utilizing a recirculating flume system, the organic matter washed from tomato surfaces accumulates over time. In this study, different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 ppm) of HOCl were used as sanitizers under three organic load conditions (0, 650, and 1,000 mg/L chemical oxygen demand). Results showed that 100 ppm of HOCl was necessary to prevent Salmonella cross-contamination of uninoculated tomatoes in the model flume system in the presence of organic loading. Also, when treated with 100 ppm of HOCl, Salmonella levels were reduced by >4.5 log CFU per tomato from inoculated tomatoes in the presence of organic load. At 75 ppm of HOCl, Salmonella cross-contamination was prevented, but only in the absence of organic loading. In studies in which plate counts were negative, whole tomato enrichment studies were performed. No cross-contamination of uninoculated tomatoes was recorded when 100 ppm of HOCl was used, even in the presence of high organic load (1,000 mg/L chemical oxygen demand). Although sanitizer application reduces contamination on tomato surfaces, the primary function of sanitizers in the wash water is to prevent cross-contamination.

Contaminant levels and toxicity of sediments and water of Baltimore Harbor and Back River, Maryland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Logan, D.T.; Jacobs, F.; Mehrotra, N.

1995-01-01

The Patapsco and Back River Watershed drains the Baltimore metropolitan area, Maryland's most heavily industrialized and urbanized region. Due to the intensive development and industrialization of the Baltimore metropolitan area over the past 250 years, high levels of contaminants have been discharged into Baltimore Harbor on the Patapsco River and into the Back River. Pollutants historically discharged include heavy metals, petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides, cyanide, sewage, other organic chemicals, and nutrients. Sources have included industrial and municipal discharges, sewerage overflows, urban runoff, and leaks and spills from vessels and on-land facilities. The Maryland Department of the Environment undertook this study of ambient conditions as part of a developing strategy to assess and improve conditions in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Past studies were compiled, evaluated, and synthesized to identify the areas of degraded conditions and contaminants of possible concern. Sediment contaminant levels were assessed using historical sediment chemistry data, Effects Range Low and Median concentrations (ER-L and ER-M) as toxicological benchmarks, and a sum of toxicity units approach for multiple contaminants. Data on toxicity testing and biological monitoring was compared to sediment and water quality data. Fish tissue data were used to examine bioaccumulated chemicals. A computerized Geographical Information System (GIS) was used to manipulate and display complex geographical data. The final identification of areas and chemicals of potential concern relied on a syntheses of these results as well as information on present and past contaminant loadings

Final Report for Project ''Role of Metal Bioavailability in In Situ Bioremediation of Metal and Organic Co-Contaminated Sites''; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raina M. Maier

2002-01-01

A large proportion of hazardous waste sites are co-contaminated with organics and various metals. Such co-contaminated sites are difficult to bioremediate due to the nature of the mixed contaminants. Specifically, the presence of a co-contaminating metal imposes increased stress on indigenous populations already impacted by organic contaminant stress. The overall objective of this research is to investigate the effect of varying metal bioavailability on microbial populations and biodegradation of organics to allow a better understanding of how optimize remediation of co-contaminated sites. The hypothesis for this project is that metal bioavailability is not directly correlated with metal stress imposed on microbial populations that are degrading organics in soil and that further understanding of the relationship between metal bioavailability and metal stress is required for successful treatment of sites contaminated with mixtures of organics and metals. The specific objectives to be addressed to accomplish this goal are: (1) To determine the influence of metal bioavailability in soil microcosms co-contaminated with organics and metals on degradation of the organic contaminants and on mechanisms of metal resistance and (2) To determine the efficacy of different bioremediation strategies for co-contaminated soils based on metal bioavailability

Sequester of metals and mineralization of organic contaminants with microbial mats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bender, J.; Phillips, P.; Gould, J.P.

1995-01-01

Several recalcitrant organic contaminants are completely mineralized to simple products by microbial mats. Contaminants include chlordane, PCB, TNT, petroleum distillates, BM compounds and TCE in a mixed contaminant solution containing Zn. Degradation rates are relatively rapid under both dark and light conditions. In addition to complete degradation of organic materials, mats have been used to reduce selenate to elemental selenium, remove Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Co, Cr, Fe and Mn from water and sequester uranium (U 238 ) at a rate of 3.19 mg/m 2 /h. Results of three pilot projects, including field pond treatment of mine drainage and bioreactor treatment of BTEX compounds will be reported. Microbial mats are natural heterotrophic and autotrophic communities dominated by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). They are self-organized laminated structures annealed fightly together by slimy secretions from various microbial components. The surface slime of the mats effectively immobilizes the ecosystem to a variety of substrates, thereby stabilizing the most efficient internal microbial structure. Cyanobacteria mats are generated for bioremediation applications by enriching a water surface with ensiled grass clippings together with mat inocula developed in the laboratory

Is metal contamination responsible for increasing aneuploidy levels in the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum?

KAUST Repository

Piló, D.

2016-11-03

The present study assessed the metal genotoxicity potential at chromosome-level in the bivalve Ruditapes philippinarum collected along different areas of the Tagus estuary. Higher levels of aneuploidy on gill cells were detected at the most sediment contaminated area both in May (31.7%) and October (36.0%) when compared to a less contaminated area over the same periods (20.3% and 29.0% respectively). Interestingly, metal bioaccumulation in gills was higher in the specimens collected at the least contaminated area with the exception of Pb. Indeed, the multivariate analysis revealed a stronger relation between aneuploidy and sediment contamination than between aneuploidy and the bioaccumulation of the metals. The temporal and spatial inconsistency found for the bioaccumulation of metals in R. philippinarum and the positive correlation between sediment contamination and aneuploidy at the most contaminated area suggest that these chromosome-level effects might be due to chronic metal contamination occurring in the Tagus estuary, rather than a direct result of the temporal variation of bioavailable contaminants. The vertical transmission phenomenon of bivalve aneuploidy levels may then be perpetuating those levels on clams from the most contaminated area. The present results shed light about the effect of metal toxicity at the chromosome-level in species inhabiting chronic contaminated areas and highlight the use of aneuploidy as an effective tool to identify persistent contamination in worldwide transitional waters.

The Development of a Sub-Surface Monitoring System for Organic Contamination in Soils and Groundwater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharon L. Huntley

2002-01-01

Full Text Available A major problem when dealing with environmental contamination is the early detection and subsequent surveillance of the contamination. This paper describes the potential of sub-surface sensor technology for the early detection of organic contaminants in contaminated soils, sediments, and landfill sites. Rugged, low-power hydrocarbon sensors have been developed, along with a data-logging system, for the early detection of phase hydrocarbons in soil. Through laboratory-based evaluation, the ability of this system to monitor organic contamination in water-based systems is being evaluated. When used in conjunction with specific immunoassays, this can provide a sensitive and low-cost solution for long-term monitoring and analysis, applicable to a wide range of field applications.

Combined effects of microplastics and chemical contaminants on the organ toxicity of zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Science.gov (United States)

Rainieri, Sandra; Conlledo, Nadia; Larsen, Bodil K; Granby, Kit; Barranco, Alejandro

2018-04-01

Microplastics contamination of the aquatic environment is considered a growing problem. The ingestion of microplastics has been documented for a variety of aquatic animals. Studies have shown the potential of microplastics to affect the bioavailability and uptake route of sorbed co-contaminants of different nature in living organisms. Persistent organic pollutants and metals have been the co-contaminants majorly investigated in this field. The combined effect of microplastics and sorbed co-contaminants in aquatic organisms still needs to be properly understood. To address this, we have subjected zebrafish to four different feeds: A) untreated feed; B) feed supplemented with microplastics (LD-PE 125-250µm of diameter); C) feed supplemented with 2% microplastics to which a mixture of PCBs, BFRs, PFCs and methylmercury were sorbed; and D) feed supplemented with the mixture of contaminants only. After 3 weeks of exposure fish were dissected and liver, intestine, muscular tissue and brain were extracted. After visual observation, evaluation of differential gene expression of some selected biomarker genes in liver, intestine and brain were carried out. Additionally, quantification of perfluorinated compounds in liver, brain, muscular tissue and intestine of some selected samples were performed. The feed supplemented with microplastics with sorbed contaminants produced the most evident effects especially on the liver. The results indicate that microplastics alone does not produce relevant effects on zebrafish in the experimental conditions tested; on the contrary, the combined effect of microplastics and sorbed contaminants altered significantly their organs homeostasis in a greater manner than the contaminants alone. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Undergraduates in the lab: Analyzing metal and organic contaminants in oysters and sediments from southeastern North Carolina

Science.gov (United States)

Mead, R. N.; Kipp, L. E.; Liberatore, H.; Sherard, S.; Steagall, M.; Skrabal, S. A.

2016-02-01

A state-funded project to analyze a suite of metal and organic contaminants in oyster tissues and ambient sediments was carried out nearly exclusively by over 10 undergraduates at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. This study will present Concentrations of various trace metals (most notably arsenic, copper, mercury, and zinc) and organic contaminants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the antibacterial, triclosan) have been determined in oyster tissues and adjacent sediments in New Hanover and Brunswick counties, southeastern North Carolina. Trace metals that exceeded national median levels at multiple sites in this study included arsenic, copper, and zinc. Elevated levels of arsenic (exceeding the national median and, often, the national 85th percentiles) in oyster tissues are characteristic of much of the southeastern United States; these elevations are attributed to high natural background levels in the underlying bedrock and sediments as well as historical contamination by arsenic-containing agricultural pesticides. Another metal of national concern is mercury; however, concentrations of this metal were mostly at the national median for oyster tissue. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) barely exceeded or were near the national median at only 3 sites, 2 in Lockwood Folly estuary, Brunswick County and 1 at Bradley Creek, New Hanover County. Concentrations at the remaining sites were 4 to >10 times less than the national median. Triclosan, an antibacterial compound used in many consumer products, was found in oyster tissues and sediments at the 4 sites at which it was examined. Oyster tissues contained triclosan at levels 2 to 43 times as high as adjacent sediments, indicating its bioaccumulation potential. Levels of metals and PAHs in oyster tissues are consistently elevated near more urbanized areas but are unlikely to be at levels harmful for human consumption.

Comparative assessment of LECA and Spartina maritima to remove emerging organic contaminants from wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Ana Rita; Guedes, Paula; Mateus, Eduardo P; Ribeiro, Alexandra B; Couto, Nazaré

2017-03-01

The present work aimed to evaluate the capacity of constructed wetlands (CWs) to remove three emerging organic contaminants with different physicochemical properties: caffeine (CAF), oxybenzone (MBPh), and triclosan (TCS). The simulated CWs were set up with a matrix of light expanded clay aggregates (LECA) and planted with Spartina maritima, a salt marsh plant. Controlled experiments were carried out in microcosms using deionized water and wastewater collected at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), with different contaminant mass ranges, for 3, 7, and 14 days. The effects of variables were tested isolatedly and together (LECA and/or S. maritima). The presence of LECA and/or S. maritima has shown higher removal (around 61-97%) of lipophilic compounds (MBPh and TCS) than the hydrophilic compound (CAF; around 19-85%). This was attributed to the fact that hydrophilic compounds are dissolved in the water column, whereas the lipophilic ones suffer sorption processes promoting their removal by plant roots and/or LECA. In the control (only wastewater), a decrease in the three contaminant levels was observed. Adsorption and bio/rhizoremediation are the strongest hypothesis to explain the decrease in contaminants in the tested conditions.

Combined effects of microplastics and chemical contaminants on the organ toxicity of zebrafish ( Danio rerio )

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rainieri, Sandra; Conlledo, Nadia; Larsen, Bodil Katrine

2018-01-01

3 weeks of exposure fish were dissected and liver, intestine, muscular tissue and brain were extracted. After visual observation, evaluation of differential gene expression of some selected biomarker genes in liver, intestine and brain were carried out. Additionally, quantification of perfluorinated...... compounds in liver, brain, muscular tissue and intestine of some selected samples were performed. The feed supplemented with microplastics with sorbed contaminants produced the most evident effects especially on the liver. The results indicate that microplastics alone does not produce relevant effects......-contaminants of different nature in living organisms. Persistent organic pollutants and metals have been the co-contaminants majorly investigated in this field. The combined effect of microplastics and sorbed co-contaminants in aquatic organisms still needs to be properly understood. To address this, we have subjected...

Functional gene array-based analysis of microbial community structure in groundwaters with a gradient of contaminant levels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waldron, P.J.; Wu, L.; Van Nostrand, J.D.; Schadt, C.W.; Watson, D.B.; Jardine, P.M.; Palumbo, A.V.; Hazen, T.C.; Zhou, J.

2009-06-15

To understand how contaminants affect microbial community diversity, heterogeneity, and functional structure, six groundwater monitoring wells from the Field Research Center of the U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Remediation Science Program (ERSP; Oak Ridge, TN), with a wide range of pH, nitrate, and heavy metal contamination were investigated. DNA from the groundwater community was analyzed with a functional gene array containing 2006 probes to detect genes involved in metal resistance, sulfate reduction, organic contaminant degradation, and carbon and nitrogen cycling. Microbial diversity decreased in relation to the contamination levels of the wells. Highly contaminated wells had lower gene diversity but greater signal intensity than the pristine well. The microbial composition was heterogeneous, with 17-70% overlap between different wells. Metal-resistant and metal-reducing microorganisms were detected in both contaminated and pristine wells, suggesting the potential for successful bioremediation of metal-contaminated groundwaters. In addition, results of Mantel tests and canonical correspondence analysis indicate that nitrate, sulfate, pH, uranium, and technetium have a significant (p < 0.05) effect on microbial community structure. This study provides an overall picture of microbial community structure in contaminated environments with functional gene arrays by showing that diversity and heterogeneity can vary greatly in relation to contamination.

Geochemical baseline level and function and contamination of phosphorus in Liao River Watershed sediments of China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shaoqing; Wang, Jing; Lin, Chunye; He, Mengchang; Liu, Xitao

2013-10-15

The quantitative assessment of P contamination in sediments is a challenge due to sediment heterogeneity and the lacking of geochemical background or baseline levels. In this study, a procedure was proposed to determine the average P background level and P geochemical baseline level (GBL) and develop P geochemical baseline functions (GBF) for riverbed sediments of the Liao River Watershed (LRW). The LRW has two river systems - the Liao River System (LRS) and the Daliao River System (DRS). Eighty-eight samples were collected and analyzed for P, Al, Fe, Ca, organic matter, pH, and texture. The results show that Fe can be used as a better particle-size proxy to construct the GBF of P (P (mg/kg) = 39.98 + 166.19 × Fe (%), R(2) = 0.835, n = 66). The GBL of P was 675 mg/kg, while the average background level of P was 355 mg/kg. Noting that many large cities are located in the DRS watershed, most of the contaminated sites were located within the DRS and the riverbed sediments were more contaminated by P in the DRS watershed than in the LRS watershed. The geochemical background and baseline information of P are of great importance in managing P levels within the LRW. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying the effect of sorption and bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, W.; Bouwer, E.; Cunningham, A.

1994-01-01

In-situ bioremediation has been applied successfully at a few sites. Several restrictions presently exist which could greatly limit the effectiveness of this promising technology. Hydrophobic organic contaminants tend to sorb onto soil. However, microorganisms are most effective in utilizing substrates from the aqueous phase. Sorption tends to separate the direct contact between microorganisms and contaminants necessary for biodegradation to occur. A series of experiments, which represented scenarios with fast sorption/desorption, slow sorption/desorption, mass transfer across boundary layer and mass transfer within attached microorganisms (biofilm), was conducted to demonstrate the concentration effect and the mass transfer effect. A method has been developed to quantify bioavailability of organic contaminants in aquatic environments. Bioavailability Factor (B f ), a dimensionless parameter derived from mathematical models and verified by experimental results, has been formulated to describe the impact of equilibrium sorption, nonequilibrium sorption, and mass transfer processes on the rate and extent of biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons

Comparison of contaminants from different trophic levels and ecosystems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dietz, R.; Riget, F.; Cleemann, M.

2000-01-01

The present paper provides an overview of the priority contaminants and media from the Greenland part of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program. Levels and accumulation patterns of heavy metals, POPs and a radionuclide (Cs-137) are compared from the terrestrial, freshwater and marine...... ecosystems. Of the nine compounds presented, seven (Cd, Hg, Se, Sigma PCB, Sigma DDT, Sigma HCH, HCB) increased in concentration towards higher trophic levels. For these contaminants the concentrations in soil and aquatic sediment were in the same order of magnitude, whereas the concentrations in marine...

Contamination Analyzer

Science.gov (United States)

1994-01-01

Measurement of the total organic carbon content in water is important in assessing contamination levels in high purity water for power generation, pharmaceutical production and electronics manufacture. Even trace levels of organic compounds can cause defects in manufactured products. The Sievers Model 800 Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyzer, based on technology developed for the Space Station, uses a strong chemical oxidizing agent and ultraviolet light to convert organic compounds in water to carbon dioxide. After ionizing the carbon dioxide, the amount of ions is determined by measuring the conductivity of the deionized water. The new technique is highly sensitive, does not require compressed gas, and maintenance is minimal.

DETERMINATION OF MINERAL CONTAIN AND BACTERIA CONTAMINANT ON ORGANIC AND NONORGANIC FRESH VEGETABLES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harsojo Harsojo

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The determination of mineral content and bacteria contaminant on fresh vegetable of long bean (Vegan ungulate Wall., white cabbage (Basic tolerance L., and lettuce (Lectuca sativa L. that cultivated by organic and nonorganic system have been done. The mineral content has been analyzed using neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectroscopy method, while bacteria contaminant by total plate count number using Nutrient Agar, Mac Conkey Agar, Baird Parker medium, and Salmonella using selective medium. The results showed that there are some essential mineral such as Fe, Zn, Ca, Co, and nonessential mineral Cd. There is tendency that fresh vegetable that cultivated by organic system contained Fe, Zn, Ca, Co and Cd mineral less than nonorganic. The Zn mineral content in nonorganic of fresh vegetable were higher than the limit of threshold number from Health Department, Republic of Indonesia (2004, while Cd mineral in organic or nonorganic of fresh vegetable were greater then threshold number from Codex Alimentarius Commision. The measurement of bacteria contaminant on organic and nonorganic of fresh vegetables contained aerob, coli, and Staphylococcus bacteria in organic of fresh vegetables were less compared to nonorganic of fresh vegetables.   Keywords: mineral, bacteria aerob, coli, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, organic, and nonorganic vegetable, neutron activation

Dose assessment and radioecological consequences to aquatic organisms in the areas of Russia exposed to radioactive contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kryshev, I.I.; Sazykina, T.G.

1996-01-01

A comparative analysis of the radioecological state of aquatic ecosystems in the territory of Russia was performed. The following water bodies were considered: lakes and rivers in the Ural and Chernobyl contaminated areas, the Yenisei River, cooling ponds of nuclear power plants, and the Arctic Seas. It was demonstrated that in all cases under consideration, doses to aquatic organisms were markedly higher than those to humans. Especially high exposure levels to fish and molluscs much in excess of the natural background were observed in a number of water bodies in the Ural and Chernobyl contaminated areas

Evaluation of trace organic contaminants in ultra-pure water production processes by measuring total organic halogen formation potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urano, Kohei; Iwase, Yoko

1984-01-01

A new procedure for the determination of organic substances in water with high accuracy and high sensitivity was proposed, in which a hypochlorite is added to water, and the resultant total amount of organic halogen compounds (TOX formation potential) was measured, and it was applied to the evaluation of trace organic contaminants in ultra-pure water production process. In this investigation, the TOX formation potential of the raw water which was to be used for the ultra-pure water production process, intermediately treated water and ultra-pure water was measured to clarify the behavior of organic substances in the ultra-pure water production process and to demonstrate the usefulness of this procedure to evaluate trace organic contaminants in water. The measurement of TOX formation potential requires no specific technical skill, and only a short time, and gives accurate results, therefore, it is expected that the water quality control in the ultra-pure water production process can be performed more exactly by applying this procedure. (Yoshitake, I.)

Substantiation of the permissible radioactive contamination of working clothes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shcherbakov, V.L.; Korostin, A.S.

1977-01-01

A permissible level of working clothes contamination was determined on the base of the main migration routes of radioactive contaminants: permeation directly through the clothes into subclothes space on skin surface, emission into the air with amount of contaminants subsequently got by the organism of a working person through inhalation as well as transfer in the process of contacting of contaminated working clothes and surfaces of premises equipment, working person hands with amount of contaminants posteriorly got by the organism by alimentary or inhalation ways. Using the experimental and literature data available the permissible levels of working clothes contamination for the mentioned migration routes of radioactive materials have been calculated. According to the data obtained the permissible levels of working clothes contamination must not exceed 4 alpha-part/(cm 2 xmin) for contamination with high-tonic isotopes, 20 alpha-part./(cm 2 xmin) with other alpha-detine isotopes, 1000 beta-part./(cm 2 xmin) with beta-active ones. The permissible level of contamination of additional materials of the individual protection in the case of their contamination with high-tonic alpha-actine isotopes must not exceed 50 alpha-part./(cm 2 xmin), 200 alpha-part./(cm 2 xmin) for contamination th other alpha-active isotopes and 400 beta-part./(cm 2 xmin) with beta-active isotopes

Contamination levels of domestic water sources in Maiduguri ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study examines the levels of contamination of domestic water sources in Maiduguri Metropolis area of Borno State based on their physicochemical and bacteriological properties. It was informed by the global concern on good drinking water quality which is an indicator of development level; hence the focus on domestic ...

Inverse modeling of the biodegradation of emerging organic contaminants in the soil-plant system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hurtado, Carlos; Trapp, Stefan; Bayona, Josep M.

2016-01-01

Understanding the processes involved in the uptake and accumulation of organic contaminants into plants is very important to assess the possible human risk associated with. Biodegradation of emerging contaminants in plants has been observed, but kinetical studies are rare. In this study, we analyse...... experimental data on the uptake of emerging organic contaminants into lettuce derived in a greenhouse experiment. Measured soil, root and leaf concentrations from four contaminants were selected within the applicability domain of a steady-state two-compartment standard plant uptake model: bisphenol A (BPA......), carbamazepine (CBZ), triclosan (TCS) and caffeine (CAF). The model overestimated concentrations in most cases, when no degradation rates in plants were entered. Subsequently, biodegradation rates were fitted so that the measured concentrations were met.Obtained degradation kinetics are in the order, BPA

Transport of organic contaminants in subsoil horizons and effects of dissolved organic matter related to organic waste recycling practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Chabauty, Florian; Pot, Valérie; Bourdat-Deschamps, Marjolaine; Bernet, Nathalie; Labat, Christophe; Benoit, Pierre

2016-04-01

Compost amendment on agricultural soil is a current practice to compensate the loss of organic matter. As a consequence, dissolved organic carbon concentration in soil leachates can be increased and potentially modify the transport of other solutes. This study aims to characterize the processes controlling the mobility of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in deep soil layers and their potential impacts on the leaching of organic contaminants (pesticides and pharmaceutical compounds) potentially present in cultivated soils receiving organic waste composts. We sampled undisturbed soil cores in the illuviated horizon (60-90 cm depth) of an Albeluvisol. Percolation experiments were made in presence and absence of DOM with two different pesticides, isoproturon and epoxiconazole, and two pharmaceutical compounds, ibuprofen and sulfamethoxazole. Two types of DOM were extracted from two different soil surface horizons: one sampled in a plot receiving a co-compost of green wastes and sewage sludge applied once every 2 years since 1998 and one sampled in an unamended plot. Results show that DOM behaved as a highly reactive solute, which was continuously generated within the soil columns during flow and increased after flow interruption. DOM significantly increased the mobility of bromide and all pollutants, but the effects differed according the hydrophobic and the ionic character of the molecules. However, no clear effects of the origin of DOM on the mobility of the different contaminants were observed.

Preliminary assessment of contaminants in the sediment and organisms of the Swartkops Estuary, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Nel, L; Strydom, N A; Bouwman, H

2015-12-30

Urban estuaries are susceptible to metal and organic pollution, yet most remain understudied in South Africa with respect to the presence, concentrations and distribution of contaminants. Metal and organic chemical concentrations were assessed in sediment and organisms from different trophic levels in the lower reaches of the Swartkops Estuary. Species sampled included Upogebia africana (Malacostraca: Upogebiidae), Gilchristella aestuaria (Clupeidae), Psammogobius knysnaensis (Gobiidae), Mugil cephalus (Mugilidae), Lichia amia (Carangidae), Argyrosomus japonicus (Sciaenidae), Pomadasys commersonnii (Haemulidae) and Larus dominicanus (Avis: Laridae). This study is one of the most comprehensive studies to date assessing pollution levels in a food web in estuaries in South Africa. Due to biomagnification, higher concentrations of Arsenic, Lead, Mercury and Cadmium were found in the juveniles stages of popular angling fishes. High concentrations of Cadmium and Arsenic were recorded in the liver of L. amia, A. japonicus and P. commersonnii which exceed international quality food guidelines. Eggs from the gull, L. dominicanus, showed detectable concentrations of PCBs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Damage coefficient and defect level of copper-contaminated silicon N+P diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usami, A.; Kato, Y.

1975-01-01

The damage coefficient at 298 0 K of copper-contaminated N + P diodes is smaller than that of non-contaminated ones. In these copper-contaminated samples, the higher the bulk resistivity is, the smaller is the damage coefficient. For non-contaminated diodes, the damage coefficient of samples of pulled bulk crystals is smaller than that of floating zone crystals, and the higher bulk resistivity diodes have smaller damage coefficient. At 217 0 K measurement, the effect of copper-contamination on the damage coefficient could not be observed. The energy levels of defects introduced by gamma ray irradiation are approximately0.30 eV, and approximately0.28 eV with non-contaminated FZ 135 ohm-cm and CZ 10 ohm-cm bulk samples, respectively. In copper-contaminated samples, approximately0.60 eV and approximately0.45 eV are obtained as the defect energy levels for FZ 135 ohm-cm and CZ 10 ohm-cm bulk samples. (U.S.)

Monitoring pesticides residues and contaminants for some leafy vegetables at the market level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahim, A. B. H.

2004-03-01

Pesticide residues and contaminants in selected leafy vegetables, namely (lettuce, garden rocket and salad onion) were monitored at market level in Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia, during the period june to july 2001. Fifteen samples of vegetables from the City vegetable market of Riyadh were collected and subjected to multi-pesticide residue detection and analysis by gas chromatography with mass spectrometer and electron capture detectors (GC/MS,ECD). Results of sample extracts analysis showed that the two vegetables of: garden rocket and salad onion contain pesticide residues and contaminants which have no Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) prescribed by Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) collaborate with World Health and Food and Agriculture Organizations (WHO/FAO). Whereas lettuce vegetable was found free of any identified pesticide residues or contaminants. Garden rocket was shown to contain dibutyl phthalate (0.04 ppm)-steryl chloride (0.02 ppm) tridecane (0.06 ppm)-hexadecane (0.07 ppm)-BIS (ethylhexyl) phthalate (0.006 ppm) and pyridinium, 1-hexyl chloride (0.01 ppm). The salad onion was found to contain 9-octadecanamide (0.13 ppm)-tridecane (0.15 ppm) and tetradecane (0.16 ppm). There are no established MRL s for these pesticides and contaminants detected in garden rocket and salad onion, although when impacts on human health were reviewed some of them were found probably hazardous. (Author)

Decontamination method for radiation contaminated metal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enda, Masami; Hosaka, Katsumi; Sakai, Hitoshi.

1997-01-01

An organic acid solution is used as a decontamination liquid, and base materials of radiation contaminated metals are dissolved in the solution. The concentration of the organic acid is measured, and the organic acid is supplied by an amount corresponding to the lowering of the concentration. The decontamination liquid wastes generated during the decontamination step are decomposed, and metals leached in the organic acid solution are separated. With such procedures, contamination intruded into the inside of the mother materials of the metals can be removed, and radioactivity of the contaminated metals such as stainless steels and carbon steels can be eliminated, or the radiation level thereof can be reduced. In addition, the amount of secondary wastes generated along with the decontamination can be suppressed. (T.M.)

Multi-residue analysis of legacy POPs and emerging organic contaminants in Singapore's coastal waters using gas chromatography-triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hui; Bayen, Stéphane; Kelly, Barry C

2015-08-01

A gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) based method was developed for determination of 86 hydrophobic organic compounds in seawater. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) was employed for sequestration of target analytes in the dissolved phase. Ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and florisil chromatography were utilized for determination of concentrations in suspended sediments (particulate phase). The target compounds included multi-class hydrophobic contaminants with a wide range of physical-chemical properties. This list includes several polycyclic and nitro-aromatic musks, brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, methyl triclosan, chlorobenzenes, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Spiked MilliQ water and seawater samples were used to evaluate the method performance. Analyte recoveries were generally good, with the exception of some of the more volatile target analytes (chlorobenzenes and bromobenzenes). The method is very sensitive, with method detection limits typically in the low parts per quadrillion (ppq) range. Analysis of 51 field-collected seawater samples (dissolved and particulate-bound phases) from four distinct coastal sites around Singapore showed trace detection of several polychlorinated biphenyl congeners and other legacy POPs, as well as several current-use emerging organic contaminants (EOCs). Polycyclic and nitro-aromatic musks, bromobenzenes, dechlorane plus isomers (syn-DP, anti-DP) and methyl triclosan were frequently detected at appreciable levels (2-20,000pgL(-1)). The observed concentrations of the monitored contaminants in Singapore's marine environment were generally comparable to previously reported levels in other coastal marine systems. To our knowledge, these are the first measurements of these emerging contaminants of concern in Singapore or Southeast Asia. The developed method may prove beneficial for future environmental monitoring of hydrophobic organic contaminants

Monitoring of organic contaminants in sediments using low field proton nuclear magnetic resonance

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chi; Rupert, Yuri

2016-04-01

The effective monitoring of soils and groundwater contaminated with organic compounds is an important goal of many environmental restoration efforts. Recent geophysical methods such as electrical resistivity, complex conductivity, and ground penetrating radar have been successfully applied to characterize organic contaminants in the subsurface and to monitor remediation process both in laboratory and in field. Low field proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a geophysical tool sensitive to the molecular-scale physical and chemical environment of hydrogen-bearing fluids in geological materials and shows promise as a novel method for monitoring contaminant remediation. This laboratory research focuses on measurements on synthetic samples to determine the sensitivity of NMR to the presence of organic contaminants and improve understanding of relationships between NMR observables, hydrological properties of the sediments, and amount and state of contaminants in porous media. Toluene, a light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) has been selected as a representative organic contaminant. Three types of porous media (pure silica sands, montmorillonite clay, and various sand-clay mixtures with different sand/clay ratios) were prepared as synthetic sediments. NMR relaxation time (T2) and diffusion-relaxation (D - T2) correlation measurements were performed in each sediment saturated with water and toluene mixed fluid at assorted concentrations (0% toluene and 100% water, 1% toluene and 99% water, 5% toluene and 95% water, 25% toluene and 75% water, and 100% toluene and 0% water) to 1) understand the effect of different porous media on the NMR responses in each fluid mixture, 2) investigate the role of clay content on T2 relaxation of each fluid, 3) quantify the amount hydrocarbons in the presence of water in each sediment, and 4) resolve hydrocarbons from water in D - T2 map. Relationships between the compositions of porous media, hydrocarbon concentration, and hydraulic

Microbial contamination level profiles attributed to contamination of beef carcasses, personnel, and equipment: case of small and medium enterprise slaughterhouses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wambui, Joseph; Lamuka, Peter; Karuri, Edward

2018-01-01

The microbial contamination level profiles (MCLPs) attributed to contamination of beef carcasses, personnel, and equipment in five Kenyan small and medium enterprise slaughterhouses were determined. Aerobic plate counts, Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus, and Salmonella were used to determine...... contamination at four different slaughter stages, namely, dehiding, evisceration, splitting, and dispatch. Microbiological criteria of the four microorganisms were used to score contamination levels (CLs) as poor (0), poor to average (1), average (2), or good (3). MCLPs were further assigned to carcasses......, personnel, and equipment at each stage by summing up the CL scores. The CL score attributed to aerobic plate count contamination was 2 or 3 for carcasses but 0 for personnel and equipment in almost all slaughterhouses. A score of 0 on carcasses was mostly attributed to Enterobacteriaceae at evisceration...

Monitoring of raptors and their contamination levels in Norway.

Science.gov (United States)

Gjershaug, Jan Ove; Kålås, John Atle; Nygård, Torgeir; Herzke, Dorte; Folkestad, Alv Ottar

2008-09-01

This article summarizes results from raptor monitoring and contamination studies in Norway of the golden eagle, gyrfalcon, white-tailed sea eagle, osprey, peregrine, and merlin. Golden eagle and gyrfalcon populations have been monitored since 1990 as part of the "Monitoring Programme for Terrestrial Ecosystems" (TOV). No long-term trend in the population size or productivity of golden eagle has been shown in any of the 5 study areas. The reproductive output of gyrfalcon is monitored in 3 areas. It is positively correlated with the populations of its main prey species, the rock ptarmigan and the willow ptarmigan. The white-tailed sea eagle population has been monitored since 1974 by the Norwegian Ornithological Society, and the population is increasing. The levels of pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls are low in the eggs of both the golden eagle and the gyrfalcon, but elevated levels and effects on reproduction have been indicated for a coastal subpopulation of golden eagle. The pollutant levels in white-tailed sea eagle are lower than in the Baltic population of sea eagles, and shell thinning was never severe overall, but individual eggs have contained pollutant concentrations above critical levels. The levels of pollutants in the bird-eating falcons, peregrine, and merlin were higher than in other species. New emerging pollutants, like brominated diphenylethers and perfluorinated organic compounds, could be detected in all species. By incorporating available published and unpublished data, we were able to produce time trends for pollutants and shell thickness over 4 decades.

Effects of low molecular weight organic acids on 137Cs release from contaminated soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiang, Po Neng; Wang, Ming Kuang; Huang, Pan Ming; Wang, Jeng Jong

2011-01-01

Radio pollutant removal is one of several priority restoration strategies for the environment. This study assessed the effect of low molecular weight organic acid on the lability and mechanisms for release of 137 Cs from contaminated soils. The amount of 137 Cs radioactivity released from contaminated soils reacting with 0.02 M low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) specifically acetic, succinic, oxalic, tartaric, and citric acid over 48 h were 265, 370, 760, 850, and 1002 Bq kg -1 , respectively. The kinetic results indicate that 137 Cs exhibits a two-step parabolic diffusion equation and a good linear relationship, indicating that the parabolic diffusion equation describes the data quite well, as shown by low p and high r 2 values. The fast stage, which was found to occur within a short period of time (0.083-3 h), corresponds to the interaction of LMWOAs with the surface of clay minerals; meanwhile, during the slow stage, which occurs over a much longer time period (3-24 h), desorption primarily is attributed to inter-particle or intra-particle diffusion. After a fifth renewal of the LMWOAs, the total levels of 137 Cs radioactivity released by acetic, succinic, oxalic, tartaric, and citric acid were equivalent to 390, 520, 3949, 2061, and 4422 Bq kg -1 soil, respectively. H + can protonate the hydroxyl groups and oxygen atoms at the broken edges or surfaces of the minerals, thereby weakening Fe-O and Al-O bonds. After protonation of H + , organic ligands can attack the OH and OH 2 groups in the minerals easily, to form complexes with surface structure cations, such as Al and Fe. The amounts of 137 Cs released from contaminated soil treated with LMWOAs were substantially increased, indicating that the LMWOAs excreted by the roots of plants play a critical role in 137 Cs release.

Contamination levels observed on the Belgian territory subsequent to the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cottens, E.

1986-01-01

A summary of the data from different laboratories concerning the fallout on the Belgian territory following the Chernobyl emissions is presented. The evolution of the particulate air activity at ground level, the integrated fallout captured in water, the deposition on soil surface directly for different localities in Belgium are given. The grass contamination, the milk contamination from individual farms, the concentration levels on leafy vegetables, surface waters and water basins and the contamination of meat during the month of May are presented. (A.F.)

Molecular-Level Processes Governing the Interaction of Contaminants with Iron and Manganese Oxides - Final Report; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, G. E. Jr.; Chambers, S. A.

1999-01-01

Many of the inorganic and organic contaminants present in sediments at DOE sites can be altered or destroyed by reduction and oxidation (redox) reactions occurring at mineral surfaces. A fundamental understanding of such redox processes provided by molecular-level studies on structurally and compositionally well-defined mineral surfaces will lead to: (i) improved models of contaminant fate and transport in geochemical systems, and (ii) optimized manipulation of these processes for remediation purposes. To contribute to this understanding, we will study, both experimentally and theoretically, redox processes involving three important contaminants - chromate ion, carbon tetrachloride, and trichloroethene TCE, on the following iron and manganese oxides - hematite, magnetite, maghemite, and pyrolusite. These oxides and their hydroxylated analogs commonly occur as coatings on minerals or as interfaces in the subsurface environment. Single-crystal surfaces of these oxides will be synthesized in carefully controlled fashion by molecular beam epitaxy. These surfaces, as well as high surface are powdered samples of these oxides, will be used in spectroscopic and kinetic experiments in both aqueous and gas phases. Our goal is to identify products and to determine the kinetics and mechanisms of surface-catalyzed redox reaction of Cr(VI) and CR(III), and the reductive dechlorination of carbon tetrachloride and TCE. The combination of theory and experiment will provide the base information needed to scale from the molecular level to the microscopic grain level minerals

Feasibility of biochar manufactured from organic wastes on the stabilization of heavy metals in a metal smelter contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelhafez, Ahmed A; Li, Jianhua; Abbas, Mohamed H H

2014-12-01

The main objectives of the current study were to evaluate the potential effects of biochar derived from sugar cane bagasse (SC-BC) and orange peel (OP-BC) on improving the physicochemical properties of a metal smelter contaminated soil, and determining its potentiality for stabilizing Pb and As in soil. To achieve these goals, biochar was produced in a small-scale biochar producing plant, and an incubation experiment was conducted using a silt loam metal-contaminated soil treated with different application rates of biochar (0-10% w/w). The obtained results showed that, the addition of SC-BC and OP-BC increased significantly the soil aggregate stability, water-holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, organic matter and N-status in soil. SC-BC considerably decreased the solubility of Pb to values lower than the toxic regulatory level of the toxicity characteristics leaching procedure extraction (5 mg L(-1)). The rise in soil pH caused by biochar application, and the increase of soil organic matter transformed the labile Pb into less available fractions i.e. "Fe-Mn oxides" and "organic" bound fractions. On the other hand, As was desorbed from Fe-Mn oxides, which resulted in greater mobility of As in the treated soil. We concluded that SC-BC and OP-BC could be used successfully for remediating soils highly contaminated with Pb. However, considerable attention should be paid when using it in soil contaminated with As. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of organic amendments on enhanced bioremediation of heavy metal(loid) contaminated soils.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jin Hee; Lamb, Dane; Paneerselvam, Periyasamy; Choppala, Girish; Bolan, Nanthi; Chung, Jae-Woo

2011-01-30

As land application becomes one of the important waste utilization and disposal practices, soil is increasingly being seen as a major source of metal(loid)s reaching food chain, mainly through plant uptake and animal transfer. With greater public awareness of the implications of contaminated soils on human and animal health there has been increasing interest in developing technologies to remediate contaminated sites. Bioremediation is a natural process which relies on soil microorganisms and higher plants to alter metal(loid) bioavailability and can be enhanced by addition of organic amendments to soils. Large quantities of organic amendments, such as manure compost, biosolid and municipal solid wastes are used as a source of nutrients and also as a conditioner to improve the physical properties and fertility of soils. These organic amendments that are low in metal(loid)s can be used as a sink for reducing the bioavailability of metal(loid)s in contaminated soils and sediments through their effect on the adsorption, complexation, reduction and volatilization of metal(loid)s. This review examines the mechanisms for the enhanced bioremediation of metal(loid)s by organic amendments and discusses the practical implications in relation to sequestration and bioavailability of metal(loid)s in soils. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of organic contaminants on the spectral induced polarization response of porous media - mechanistic approach

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, N.; Huisman, J. A.; Furman, A.

2012-12-01

In recent years, there is a growing interest in using geophysical methods in general and spectral induced polarization (SIP) in particular as a tool to detect and monitor organic contaminants within the subsurface. The general idea of the SIP method is to inject alternating current through a soil volume and to measure the resultant potential in order to obtain the relevant soil electrical properties (e.g. complex impedance, complex conductivity/resistivity). Currently, a complete mechanistic understanding of the effect of organic contaminants on the SIP response of soil is still absent. In this work, we combine laboratory experiments with modeling to reveal the main processes affecting the SIP signature of soil contaminated with organic pollutant. In a first set of experiments, we investigate the effect of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) on the complex conductivity of unsaturated porous media. Our results show that addition of NAPL to the porous media increases the real component of the soil electrical conductivity and decreases the polarization of the soil (imaginary component of the complex conductivity). Furthermore, addition of NAPL to the soil resulted in an increase of the electrical conductivity of the soil solution. Based on these results, we suggest that adsorption of NAPL to the soil surface, and exchange process between polar organic compounds in the NAPL and inorganic ions in the soil are the main processes affecting the SIP signature of the contaminated soil. To further support our hypothesis, the temporal change of the SIP signature of a soil as function of a single organic cation concentration was measured. In addition to the measurements of the soil electrical properties, we also measured the effect of the organic cation on the chemical composition of both the bulk and the surface of the soil. The results of those experiments again showed that the electrical conductivity of the soil increased with increasing contaminant concentration. In addition

Characterization of surface water contaminants in the Clinch River and Poplar Creek

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, C.; Madix, S.; Rash, C.

1995-01-01

Surface waters in the Clinch River and Poplar Creek have been contaminated by activities on the DOE's Oak Ridge Reservation throughout the more than 50 year history of Oak Ridge. Though the Clinch River and Poplar Creek drainage areas are contaminated with heavy metals, organics and radionuclides, public access to these sites is not restricted. The investigation, divided into discrete studies, was tailored to provide a statistically sound picture of contaminants and aqueous toxicity in Poplar Creek, investigate contaminant remobilization from sediments, and determine contaminant levels during a series of ''worst-case'' events. Results for Poplar Creek indicate that average contaminant values were below levels of concern for human health and ecological risk, though contaminant distributions suggest that episodic events contribute sufficiently to system contaminant levels to be of concern. Additionally, water column contaminant levels were significantly higher in particle deposition areas rather than at known contaminant sources. Levels of organic compounds in reference areas to Poplar Creek exceeded those in the Poplar Creek study area. In the Clinch River and Poplar Creek, statistical differences in metal and radionuclide levels from known contaminated areas confirmed previous results, and were used to independently distinguish between sites. Contaminant concentrations were elevated in association with sediments, though no distinction between deposition and remobilization could be made. Due to elevated contaminant levels, and some unexpected contaminant distributions, sites in Poplar Creek and off-channel embayments of the Clinch River were identified that will require additional characterization

Persistence and internalization of Salmonella on/in organic spinach sprout: exploring the contamination route

Science.gov (United States)

Purpose: The effects of contamination route, including seed and water, on the persistence and internalization of Salmonella in organic spinach cultivars- Lazio, Space, Emilia and Waitiki were studied. Methods: Seeds (1g) were contaminated with S. Newport using 10 ml of S. Newport-water suspension ov...

Metabolic responses of Eisenia fetida after sub-lethal exposure to organic contaminants with different toxic modes of action

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McKelvie, Jennifer R.; Wolfe, David M.; Celejewski, Magda A. [Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail Toronto, ON M1C 1A4 (Canada); Alaee, Mehran [Environment Canada, 867 Lakeshore Rd., P.O. Box 5050, Burlington, ON L7R 4A6 (Canada); Simpson, Andre J. [Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail Toronto, ON M1C 1A4 (Canada); Simpson, Myrna J., E-mail: myrna.simpson@utoronto.ca [Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail Toronto, ON M1C 1A4 (Canada)

2011-12-15

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) - based metabolomics has the potential to identify toxic responses of contaminants within a mixture in contaminated soil. This study evaluated the metabolic response of Eisenia fetida after exposure to an array of organic compounds to determine whether contaminant-specific responses could be identified. The compounds investigated in contact tests included: two pesticides (carbaryl and chlorpyrifos), three pharmaceuticals (carbamazephine, estrone and caffeine), two persistent organohalogens (Aroclor 1254 and PBDE 209) and two industrial compounds (nonylphenol and dimethyl phthalate). Control and contaminant-exposed metabolic profiles were distinguished using principal component analysis and potential contaminant-specific biomarkers of exposure were found for several contaminants. These results suggest that NMR-based metabolomics offers considerable promise for differentiating between the different toxic modes of action (MOA) associated with sub-lethal toxicity to earthworms. - Highlights: > NMR-based earthworm metabolomic analysis of the toxic mode of action of various environmental contaminants. > Organic chemicals with different toxic modes of action resulted in varied metabolomic responses for E. fetida. > NMR-based metabolomics differentiates between the different modes of action associated with sub-lethal toxicity. - {sup 1}H NMR metabolomics was used to identify potential biomarkers of organic contaminant exposure in Eisenia fetida earthworms.

Effects of steaming on contaminants of emerging concern levels in seafood

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barbosa, Vera; Maulvault, Ana Luísa; Alves, Ricardo N

2018-01-01

in contaminant levels was observed after steaming, though varying according to contaminant and seafood species (e.g. iAs, perfluorobutanoate, dibenzo(ah)anthracene in Mytilus edulis, HHCB-Lactone in Solea sp., 2-Ethylhexyl salicylate in Lophius piscatorius). Furthermore, the increase in some CeCs, like Pb, Me...

Method for restoring contaminants to base levels in previously leached formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strom, E.T.; Espencheid, W.F.

1983-01-01

The present invention relates to a method for restoring to environmentally acceptable levels the soluble contaminants in a subterranean formation that has been subjected to oxidative leaching. The contaminants are defined as those ionic species that when subjected to calcium ions form precipitates which are insoluble in the formation fluids. In accordance with the present invention, soluble calcium values are introduced into the formation. The level of contaminants is monitored and when such reaches the desired level, the introduction of soluble calcium values is stopped. The introduction of calcium values may be achieved in several ways one of which is to inject into the formation an aqueous solution containing therein solubilized calcium values. Another method of introducing calcium values into a formation, is to inject into the formation an aqueous solution containing carbon dioxide to solubilize calcium values, such as calcium carbonates, found in the formation

Microbe and Mineral Mediated Transformation of Heavy Metals, Radionuclides, and Organic Contaminants

Science.gov (United States)

Gerlach, R.

2011-12-01

Microorganisms influence their surroundings in many ways and humans have utilized microbially catalyzed reactions for benefit for centuries. Over the past few decades, microorganisms have been used for the control of contaminant transport in subsurface environments where many microbe mineral interactions occur. This presentation will discuss microbially influenced mineral formation and transformation as well as their influence on the fate of organic contaminants such as chlorinated aliphatics & 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), heavy metals such as chromium, and radionuclides such as uranium & strontium. Both, batch and flow experiments have been performed, which monitor the net effect of microbe mineral interactions on the fate of these contaminants. This invited presentation will place an emphasis on the relative importance of direct microbial (i.e. biotic) transformations, mineral-mediated transformations as well as other abiotic reactions influencing the fate of environmental contaminants. Experiments will be summarized and placed in context of past and future engineered applications for the control of subsurface contaminants.

Proposing nanofiltration as acceptable barrier for organic contaminants in water reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor; Maeng, Sungkyu; Fujioka, Takahiro; Kennedy, Maria Dolores; Amy, Gary L.

2010-01-01

. The use of RO in existing water reuse facilities is addressed and questioned, taking into consideration that tight NF can be a more cost-effective and efficient technology to target the problem of organic contaminants. It was concluded that tight NF

Passive sampling methods for contaminated sediments: State of the science for organic contaminants

Science.gov (United States)

Lydy, Michael J; Landrum, Peter F; Oen, Amy MP; Allinson, Mayumi; Smedes, Foppe; Harwood, Amanda D; Li, Huizhen; Maruya, Keith A; Liu, Jingfu

2014-01-01

This manuscript surveys the literature on passive sampler methods (PSMs) used in contaminated sediments to assess the chemical activity of organic contaminants. The chemical activity in turn dictates the reactivity and bioavailability of contaminants in sediment. Approaches to measure specific binding of compounds to sediment components, for example, amorphous carbon or specific types of reduced carbon, and the associated partition coefficients are difficult to determine, particularly for native sediment. Thus, the development of PSMs that represent the chemical activity of complex compound–sediment interactions, expressed as the freely dissolved contaminant concentration in porewater (Cfree), offer a better proxy for endpoints of concern, such as reactivity, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Passive sampling methods have estimated Cfree using both kinetic and equilibrium operating modes and used various polymers as the sorbing phase, for example, polydimethylsiloxane, polyethylene, and polyoxymethylene in various configurations, such as sheets, coated fibers, or vials containing thin films. These PSMs have been applied in laboratory exposures and field deployments covering a variety of spatial and temporal scales. A wide range of calibration conditions exist in the literature to estimate Cfree, but consensus values have not been established. The most critical criteria are the partition coefficient between water and the polymer phase and the equilibrium status of the sampler. In addition, the PSM must not appreciably deplete Cfree in the porewater. Some of the future challenges include establishing a standard approach for PSM measurements, correcting for nonequilibrium conditions, establishing guidance for selection and implementation of PSMs, and translating and applying data collected by PSMs. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2014;10:167–178. © 2014 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of

Titania nano-coated quartz wool for the photocatalytic mineralisation of emerging organic contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Saracino, M; Pretali, L; Capobianco, M L; Emmi, S S; Navacchia, M L; Bezzi, F; Mingazzini, C; Burresi, E; Zanelli, A

2018-01-01

Many emerging contaminants pass through conventional wastewater treatment plants, contaminating surface and drinking water. The implementation of advanced oxidation processes in existing plants for emerging contaminant remediation is one of the challenges for the enhancement of water quality in the industrialised countries. This paper reports on the production of a TiO 2 nano-layer on quartz wool in a relevant amount, its characterisation by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, and its use as a photocatalyst under ultraviolet radiation for the simultaneous mineralisation of five emerging organic contaminants (benzophenone-3, benzophenone-4, carbamazepine, diclofenac, and triton X-100) dissolved in deionised water and tap water. This treatment was compared with direct ultraviolet photolysis and with photocatalytic degradation on commercial TiO 2 micropearls. The disappearance of every pollutant was measured by high performance liquid chromatography and mineralisation was assessed by the determination of total organic carbon. After 4 hours of treatment with the TiO 2 nano-coated quartz wool, the mineralisation exceeds 90% in deionised water and is about 70% in tap water. This catalyst was reused for seven cycles without significant efficiency loss.

Development of HUMASORB trademark, a lignite derived humic acid for removal of metals and organic contaminants from groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanjay, H.G.; Srivastave, K.C.; Walia, D.S.

1995-01-01

Heavy metal and organic contamination of surface and groundwater systems is a major environmental concern. The contamination is primarily due to improperly disposed industrial wastes. The presence of toxic heavy metal ions, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and pesticides in water is of great concern and could affect the safety of drinking water. Decontamination of surface and groundwater can be achieved using a broad spectrum of treatment options such as precipitation, ion-exchange, microbial digestion, membrane separation, activated carbon adsorption, etc. The state of the art technologies for treatment of contaminated water however, can in one pass remediate only one class of contaminants, i.e., either VOCs (activated carbon) or heavy metals (ion exchange). This would require the use of at a minimum, two different stepwise processes to remediate a site. The groundwater contamination at different Department of Energy (DOE) sites (e.g., Hanford) is due to the presence of both VOCs and heavy metals. The two-step approach increases the cost of remediation. To overcome the sequential treatment of contaminated streams to remove both organics and metals, a novel material having properties to remove both classes of contaminants in one step is being developed as part of this project.The objective of this project is to develop a lignite-derived adsorbent, Humasorb TM to remove heavy metals and organics from ground water and surface water streams

Radioactive contamination level of vehicles resulted from transporting fine rare-earth minerals by rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Kaichun; Yu Boyong; Gao Shengwei

1997-01-01

This paper presents monitoring results of radioactive contamination level of steel open wagon surface resulted from transporting fine rare-earth minerals. Under promising transport conditions (the packaging consists of two layers of plastic bags and two layers of plastic net sacks, each package contains 50 kg of minerals, each vehicle carries 60 t), the surface radioactivity (total α and total β) of 16 vehicles on two lines from Baotou to Wujiachuan (924 km) and from Baotou to Sankeshu (2236 km) was measured before loading, after unloading and washing, using α and β surface contamination detector. The results showed that the radioactive contamination level of the vehicle surface after unloading appeared significantly different. The contamination level of vehicle bases was higher than that of both sides, long distance vehicles was higher than that of short distance vehicles. The radioactive contamination level of vehicles surface after washing was below the standard limits, these vehicles can be used for ordinary goods transport

Assessing the bioavailability of organic contaminants using a novel bioluminescent biosensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keane, A.; Phoenix, P.; Lau, P.C.K.; Ghoshal, S.

2002-01-01

The limited rate and extent of biodegradation in contaminated soils is often attributed to a lack of bioavailability of hydrophobic organic compounds. To date, the majority of studies aimed at assessing bioavailability and modes of bacterial uptake have relied upon quantification of microbial degradation rates in comparison to rates of dissolution or desorption in corresponding abiotic systems. Several studies have indicated the possibility of a direct uptake mechanism for sorbed or separate phase compounds. However, there is a lack of direct evidence to support these claims. To address the need for a direct measurement technique for microbial bioavailability, we have constructed a whole-cell bioluminescent biosensor, Pseudomonas putida F1G4 (PpF1G4), by fusing lux genes that encode for bioluminescence to the solvent efflux pump (sep) promoter element in PpF1G4, which is induced by the presence of target organic compounds. When the biosensor microorganism is exposed to an inducing compound, the bioluminescence system is activated and the cell produces an intensity of visible light (λ = 495 nm) that is directly related to the level of exposure to the contaminant. Batch experiments were carried out to assess whether the biosensor is able to sense the presence of toluene, a representative target compound, contained in a NAPL. Preliminary results show that while PpF1G4 responds to toluene in the aqueous phase, the biosensor does not appear to emit a significant bioluminescence signal in response to the toluene present in the NAPL. Ongoing research is focusing on optimizing the experimental procedure to fully explore this issue. (author)

Intrinsic bacterial biodegradation of petroleum contamination demonstrated in situ using natural abundance, molecular-level 14C analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slater, G.F.; Nelson, R.K.; Kile, B.M.; Reddy, C.M.

2006-01-01

Natural abundance, molecular-level C 14 analysis was combined with comprehensive gas chromatography (GC x GC) to investigate, in situ, the role of intrinsic biodegradation in the loss of petroleum hydrocarbons from the rocky, inter-tidal zone impacted by the Bouchard 120 oil spill. GC x GC analysis indicated accelerated losses of n-alkane components of the residual petroleum hydrocarbons between day 40 and day 50 after the spill. 14 C analysis of bacterial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) from the impacted zone on day 44 showed that the polyunsaturated fatty acids attributed to the photoautotrophic component of the microbial community had the same ( 14 C as the local dissolved inorganic carbon (DIG), indicating that this DIG was their carbon source. In contrast there was significant (C depletion in the saturated and mono-unsaturated PLFA indicating incorporation of petroleum carbon. This correlation between the observed accelerated n-alkane losses and microbial incorporation of (C-depleted carbon directly demonstrated, in situ, that intrinsic biodegradation was affecting the petroleum. Since the majority of organic contaminants originate from petroleum feed-stocks, in situ molecular-level 14 C analysis of microbial PLFA can provide insights into the occurrence and pathways of biodegradation of a wide range of organic contaminants. (Author)

Nanofiltration vs. reverse osmosis for the removal of emerging organic contaminants in water reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor

2011-10-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) in existing water reuse facilities is a water industry standard. However, that approach may be questioned taking into consideration that "tight" NF can be equal or "better" than RO. NF can achieve the same removals of RO membranes when dealing with emerging organic contaminants (pharmaceuticals, pesticides, endocrine disruptors and others). Experiments using 18 emerging contaminants were performed using membranes NF200 and NF90 at bench-scale units, and for a more complete study, results of NF and RO pilot and full-scale experiments where compared to our experimental results. The removal results showed that NF can remove many emerging contaminants. The average removal by tight NF was 82% for neutral contaminants and 97% for ionic contaminants. The average removal by RO was 85% for neutral contaminants and 99% for ionic contaminants. Aquifer recharge and recovery (ARR) followed by NF can effectively remove emerging contaminants with removals over 90% when loose NF membranes are used.

Nanofiltration vs. reverse osmosis for the removal of emerging organic contaminants in water reuse

KAUST Repository

Yangali-Quintanilla, Victor

2011-01-01

Reverse osmosis (RO) in existing water reuse facilities is a water industry standard. However, that approach may be questioned taking into consideration that "tight" NF can be equal or "better" than RO. NF can achieve the same removals of RO membranes when dealing with emerging organic contaminants (pharmaceuticals, pesticides, endocrine disruptors and others). Experiments using 18 emerging contaminants were performed using membranes NF200 and NF90 at bench-scale units, and for a more complete study, results of NF and RO pilot and fullscale experiments where compared to our experimental results. The removal results showed that NF can remove many emerging contaminants. The average removal by tight NF was 82% for neutral contaminants and 97% for ionic contaminants. The average removal by RO was 85% for neutral contaminants and 99% for ionic contaminants. Aquifer recharge and recovery (ARR) followed by NF can effectively remove emerging contaminants with removals over 90% when loose NF membranes are used. © 2011 2011 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Development of HUMASORB trademark, a lignite derived humic acid for removal of metals and organic contaminants from groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanjay, H.G.; Srivastava, K.C.; Walia, D.S.

1995-01-01

Heavy metal and organic contamination of surface and groundwater systems is a major environmental concern. The contamination is primarily due to improperly disposed industrial wastes. The presence of toxic heavy metal ions, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and pesticides in water is of great concern and could affect the safety of drinking water. Decontamination of surface and groundwater can be achieved using a broad spectrum of treatment options such as precipitation, ion-exchange, microbial digestion, membrane separation, activated carbon adsorption, etc. The state of the art technologies for treatment of contaminated water however, can in one pass remediate only one class of contaminants, i.e., either VOCs (activated carbon) or heavy metals (ion exchange). This would require the use of at a minimum, two different stepwise processes to remediate a site. The groundwater contamination at different Department of Energy (DOE) sites (e.g., Hanford) is due to the presence of both VOCs and heavy metals. The two-step approach increases the cost of remediation. To overcome the sequential treatment of contaminated streams to remove both organics and metals, a novel material having properties to remove both classes of contaminants in one step is being developed as part of this project

Metabolic responses of Eisenia fetida after sub-lethal exposure to organic contaminants with different toxic modes of action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKelvie, Jennifer R.; Wolfe, David M.; Celejewski, Magda A.; Alaee, Mehran; Simpson, Andre J.; Simpson, Myrna J.

2011-01-01

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) - based metabolomics has the potential to identify toxic responses of contaminants within a mixture in contaminated soil. This study evaluated the metabolic response of Eisenia fetida after exposure to an array of organic compounds to determine whether contaminant-specific responses could be identified. The compounds investigated in contact tests included: two pesticides (carbaryl and chlorpyrifos), three pharmaceuticals (carbamazephine, estrone and caffeine), two persistent organohalogens (Aroclor 1254 and PBDE 209) and two industrial compounds (nonylphenol and dimethyl phthalate). Control and contaminant-exposed metabolic profiles were distinguished using principal component analysis and potential contaminant-specific biomarkers of exposure were found for several contaminants. These results suggest that NMR-based metabolomics offers considerable promise for differentiating between the different toxic modes of action (MOA) associated with sub-lethal toxicity to earthworms. - Highlights: → NMR-based earthworm metabolomic analysis of the toxic mode of action of various environmental contaminants. → Organic chemicals with different toxic modes of action resulted in varied metabolomic responses for E. fetida. → NMR-based metabolomics differentiates between the different modes of action associated with sub-lethal toxicity. - 1 H NMR metabolomics was used to identify potential biomarkers of organic contaminant exposure in Eisenia fetida earthworms.

Enhanced organic contaminants accumulation in crops: Mechanisms, interactions with engineered nanomaterials in soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiang; Wang, Wei; Zhu, Lizhong

2018-05-02

The mechanism of enhanced accumulation of organic contaminants in crops with engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) were investigated by co-exposure of crops (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk (Swamp morning-glory), Cucumis sativus L. (cucumber), Zea mays L. (corn), Spinacia oleracea L. (spinach) and Cucurbita moschata (pumpkin))to a range of chemicals (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)) and ENMs (TiO 2 , Ag, Al 2 O 3 , graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs)) in soil. Induced by 50 mg kg -1 graphene co-exposure, the increase range of BDE-209, BaP, p,p'-DDE, HCB, PYR, FLU, ANT, and PHEN in the plants were increased in the range of 7.51-36.42, 5.69-32.77, 7.09-59.43, 11.61-66.73, 4.58-57.71, 5.79-109.07, 12.85-109.76, and15.57-127.75 ng g -1 , respectively. The contaminants in ENMs-spiked and control soils were separated into bioavailable, bound and residual fractions using a sequential ultrasonic extraction procedure (SUEP) to investigate the mechanism of the enhanced accumulation. The bioavailable fraction in spiked soils showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) from that in the control, while the bound fraction increased in equal proportion (p > 0.05) to the reduction in the residual fraction. These results implied that ENMs can competitively adsorbed the bound of organic contaminants from soil and co-transferred into crops, followed by a portion of the residual fraction transferred to the bound fraction to maintain the balance of different fractions in soils. The mass balance was all higher than 98.5%, indicating the portion of degraded contaminants was less than 1.5%. These findings could expand our knowledge about the organic contaminants accumulation enhancement in crops with ENMs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microbiological Analysis of an Active Pilot-Scale Mobile Bioreactor Treating Organic Contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brigmon, R.L.

1997-01-01

Samples were obtained for microbiological analysis from a granular activated carbon fluidized bed bioreactor (GAC-FBR). This GAC-FBR was in operation at a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) Site in Augusta Georgia for in situ groundwater bioremediation of organics. The samples included contaminated site groundwater, GAC-FBR effluent, and biofilm coated granular activated carbon at 5, 9, and 13 feet within the GAC-FBR column. The objective of this analysis was to correlate contaminant removal with microbiological activity within the GAC-FBR

Methodology for determining acceptable residual radioactive contamination levels at decommissioned nuclear facilities/sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, E.C.; Kennedy, W.E. Jr.; Hoenes, G.R.; Waite, D.A.

1979-01-01

The ultimate disposition of decommissioned nuclear facilities and their surrrounding sites depends upon the degree and type of residual contamination. Examination of existing guidelines and regulations has led to the conclusion that there is a need for a general method to derive residual radioactive contamination levels that are acceptable for public use of any decommissioned nuclear facility or site. This paper describes a methodology for determining acceptable residual radioactive contamination levels based on the concept of limiting the annual dose to members of the public. It is not the purpose of this paper to recommend or even propose dose limits for the exposure of the public to residual radioactive contamination left at decommissioned nuclear facilities or sites. Unrestricted release of facilities and/or land is based on the premise that the potential annual dose to any member of the public using this property from all possible exposure pathways will not exceed appropriate limits as may be defined by Federal regulatory agencies. For decommissioned land areas, consideration should be given to people living directly on previously contaminated areas, growing crops, grazing food animals and using well water. Mixtures of radionuclides in the residual contamination representative of fuel reprocessing plants, light water reactors and their respective sites are presented. These mixtures are then used to demonstrate the methodology. Example acceptable residual radioactive contamination levels, based on an assumed maximum annual dose of one millirem, are calculated for several selected times following shutdown of a facility. It is concluded that the methodology presented in this paper results in defensible acceptable residual contamination levels that are directly relatable to risk assessment with the proviso that an acceptable limit to the maximum annual dose will be established. (author)

Variability of sediment-contact tests in freshwater sediments with low-level anthropogenic contamination - Determination of toxicity thresholds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoess, S.; Ahlf, W.; Fahnenstich, C.; Gilberg, D.; Hollert, H.; Melbye, K.; Meller, M.; Hammers-Wirtz, M.; Heininger, P.; Neumann-Hensel, H.; Ottermanns, R.; Ratte, H.-T.

2010-01-01

Freshwater sediments with low levels of anthropogenic contamination and a broad range of geochemical properties were investigated using various sediment-contact tests in order to study the natural variability and to define toxicity thresholds for the various toxicity endpoints. Tests were performed with bacteria (Arthrobacter globiformis), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans), oligochaetes (Lumbriculus variegatus), higher plants (Myriophyllum aquaticum), and the eggs of zebrafish (Danio rerio). The variability in the response of some of the contact tests could be explained by particle size distribution and organic content. Only for two native sediments could a pollution effect not be excluded. Based on the minimal detectable difference (MDD) and the maximal tolerable inhibition (MTI), toxicity thresholds (% inhibition compared to the control) were derived for each toxicity parameter: >20% for plant growth and fish-egg survival, >25% for nematode growth and oligochaete reproduction, >50% for nematode reproduction and >60% for bacterial enzyme activity. - Sediment-contact tests require toxicity thresholds based on their variability in native sediments with low-level contamination.

Variability of sediment-contact tests in freshwater sediments with low-level anthropogenic contamination - Determination of toxicity thresholds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoess, S., E-mail: hoess@ecossa.d [Ecossa, Giselastr. 6, 82319 Starnberg (Germany); Institute of Biodiversity - Network (IBN), Dreikronengasse 2, 93047 Regensburg (Germany); Ahlf, W., E-mail: ahlf@tu-harburg.d [Institute of Environmental Technology and Energy Economics, Technical University Hamburg-Harburg, Eissendorfer Str. 40, 21071 Hamburg (Germany); Fahnenstich, C. [Institute of Environmental Technology and Energy Economics, Technical University Hamburg-Harburg, Eissendorfer Str. 40, 21071 Hamburg (Germany); Gilberg, D., E-mail: d-gilberg@ect.d [ECT Oekotoxikologie, Boettgerstr. 2-14, 65439 Floersheim (Germany); Hollert, H., E-mail: henner.hollert@bio5.rwth-aachen.d [Department of Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research (Biology 5), RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Melbye, K. [Dr. Fintelmann and Dr. Meyer, Mendelssohnstr. 15D, 22761 Hamburg (Germany); Meller, M., E-mail: m-meller@ecotox-consult.d [ECT Oekotoxikologie, Boettgerstr. 2-14, 65439 Floersheim (Germany); Hammers-Wirtz, M., E-mail: hammers-wirtz@gaiac.rwth-aachen.d [Research Institute for Ecosystem Analysis and Assessment (gaiac), RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52056 Aachen (Germany); Heininger, P., E-mail: heininger@bafg.d [Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG), Am Mainzer Tor 1, 56070 Koblenz (Germany); Neumann-Hensel, H., E-mail: hensel@fintelmann-meyer.d [Dr. Fintelmann and Dr. Meyer, Mendelssohnstr. 15D, 22761 Hamburg (Germany); Ottermanns, R., E-mail: ottermanns@bio5.rwth-aachen.d [Chair for Environmental Biology and Chemodynamics, Institute for Environmental Research (Biology 5), RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Ratte, H.-T., E-mail: toni.ratte@bio5.rwth-aachen.d [Chair for Environmental Biology and Chemodynamics, Institute for Environmental Research (Biology 5), RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen (Germany)

2010-09-15

Freshwater sediments with low levels of anthropogenic contamination and a broad range of geochemical properties were investigated using various sediment-contact tests in order to study the natural variability and to define toxicity thresholds for the various toxicity endpoints. Tests were performed with bacteria (Arthrobacter globiformis), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans), oligochaetes (Lumbriculus variegatus), higher plants (Myriophyllum aquaticum), and the eggs of zebrafish (Danio rerio). The variability in the response of some of the contact tests could be explained by particle size distribution and organic content. Only for two native sediments could a pollution effect not be excluded. Based on the minimal detectable difference (MDD) and the maximal tolerable inhibition (MTI), toxicity thresholds (% inhibition compared to the control) were derived for each toxicity parameter: >20% for plant growth and fish-egg survival, >25% for nematode growth and oligochaete reproduction, >50% for nematode reproduction and >60% for bacterial enzyme activity. - Sediment-contact tests require toxicity thresholds based on their variability in native sediments with low-level contamination.

ASSESSMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINANTS FOUND IN LOW LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE STREAMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

R.H. Little, P.R. Maul, J.S.S. Penfoldag

2003-01-01

This paper describes and presents the findings from two studies undertaken for the European Commission to assess the long-term impact upon the environment and human health of non-radioactive contaminants found in various low level radioactive waste streams. The initial study investigated the application of safety assessment approaches developed for radioactive contaminants to the assessment of nonradioactive contaminants in low level radioactive waste. It demonstrated how disposal limits could be derived for a range of non-radioactive contaminants and generic disposal facilities. The follow-up study used the same approach but undertook more detailed, disposal system specific calculations, assessing the impacts of both the non-radioactive and radioactive contaminants. The calculations undertaken indicated that it is prudent to consider non-radioactive, as well as radioactive contaminants, when assessing the impacts of low level radioactive waste disposal. For some waste streams with relatively low concentrations of radionuclides, the potential post-closure disposal impacts from non-radioactive contaminants can be comparable with the potential radiological impacts. For such waste streams there is therefore an added incentive to explore options for recycling the materials involved wherever possible

A framework and methods for incorporating gender-related issues in wildlife risk assessment: gender-related differences in metal levels and other contaminants as a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Joanna

2007-05-01

Gender plays a role in the genetics, physiology, morphology, and behavior of organisms, and thus influences the uptake, fate, and effects of contaminants in organisms. There are a number of chemical analysis tools, as well as biological approaches to understanding the influence of gender on contaminant levels and effects in wildlife. Biological approaches occur at all levels, from mutagenesis, gene expression and biochemistry, to physiology, morphology and development, to pathology and behavior. Information on the effects of gender at all these levels is essential for model building, risk assessment, and developing biomonitoring plans. Gender influences both internal and external fate and effects. However, bioaccumulation and effects cannot occur without exposure, which is mediated by behavior, bioavailability, bioaccessibility, and absorption. Gender influences a number of individual features (size, nutrition, genetics, hormones), that in turn affect niche differentiation, leading back to differences in exposure and susceptibility. Both sexes have a variety of methods of ridding the body of contaminants, through the bile, urine, exhaled air, and sloughing of epidermal structures (skin, hair, feathers). Females can also rid their body of contaminants through egg contents and egg shells, or mammals by transfer to the developing fetus and through breast milk. The availability of contaminant data in wildlife depends partly on the ease of identification of the sexes by either external or internal examination. Thus, there are more data on contaminant levels in birds and mammals than in fish. Surprisingly, metal levels are not uniformly low in females, even when they are morphologically smaller than males. For 43 studies of metals in vertebrates, females had higher levels in 30 cases where there were significant differences (and males were higher in only 14 cases). Females usually had higher levels of mercury than males. Review of the literature suggests that authors

Tidal influence on the distribution of hydrophobic organic contaminants in the Seine Estuary and biomarker responses on the copepod Eurytemora affinis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cailleaud, K. [Universite Bordeaux 1, CNRS, ISM-LPTC-UMR 5255, Laboratory of Physico- and Toxico-Chemistry, 351 Cours de la Liberation, 33405 Talence (France) and Universite des Sciences et Technologies de Lille - Lille 1, Laboratoire d' Oceanologie et de Geosciences, UMR CNRS 8187 LOG, Station Marine de Wimereux, 28 Avenue Foch, 62930 Wimereux (France) and Faculte des Sciences et Techniques du Havre, LEMA-UPRES EA3222, Laboratoire d' Ecotoxicologie-Milieux Aquatiques, GDR IMOPHYS, 25 rue Philippe Lebon, 76058 Le Havre (France); Forget-Leray, J. [Faculte des Sciences et Techniques du Havre, LEMA-UPRES EA3222, Laboratoire d' Ecotoxicologie-Milieux Aquatiques, GDR IMOPHYS, 25 rue Philippe Lebon, 76058 Le Havre (France); Peluhet, L.; LeMenach, K. [Universite Bordeaux 1, CNRS, ISM-LPTC-UMR 5255, Laboratory of Physico- and Toxico-Chemistry, 351 Cours de la Liberation, 33405 Talence (France); Souissi, S. [Universite des Sciences et Technologies de Lille - Lille 1, Laboratoire d' Oceanologie et de Geosciences, UMR CNRS 8187 LOG, Station Marine de Wimereux, 28 Avenue Foch, 62930 Wimereux (France); Budzinski, H. [Universite Bordeaux 1, CNRS, ISM-LPTC-UMR 5255, Laboratory of Physico- and Toxico-Chemistry, 351 Cours de la Liberation, 33405 Talence (France)], E-mail: h.budzinski@ism.u-bordeaux1.fr

2009-01-15

To elucidate tidally related variations of hydrophobic organic contaminant (HOC) bioavailability and the impact of these contaminants on estuarine ecosystems, both PCB and PAH concentrations were investigated in the dissolved phase and in the suspended particulate material (SPM) of the Seine Estuary. Both PAH and PCB highest levels were observed in surface and bottom water when SPM remobilizations were maximum, in relation to higher speed currents. In parallel, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were investigated in the copepod Eurytemora affinis. Significant decreasing AChE levels were measured during the tidal cycle and between surface and bottom copepods related to salinity and to HOC concentration variations. Significant increasing GST levels were also observed when HOC concentrations in the water column were the highest. This study underlined the need to standardize sampling procedures for biomonitoring studies in order to avoid interfering factors that could modify biomarker responses to chemical exposure. - Variations of contamination of E. affinis and enzymatic responses have been studied over a tide cycle in view to improve the use of this copepod for biomonitoring.

Tidal influence on the distribution of hydrophobic organic contaminants in the Seine Estuary and biomarker responses on the copepod Eurytemora affinis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cailleaud, K.; Forget-Leray, J.; Peluhet, L.; LeMenach, K.; Souissi, S.; Budzinski, H.

2009-01-01

To elucidate tidally related variations of hydrophobic organic contaminant (HOC) bioavailability and the impact of these contaminants on estuarine ecosystems, both PCB and PAH concentrations were investigated in the dissolved phase and in the suspended particulate material (SPM) of the Seine Estuary. Both PAH and PCB highest levels were observed in surface and bottom water when SPM remobilizations were maximum, in relation to higher speed currents. In parallel, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities were investigated in the copepod Eurytemora affinis. Significant decreasing AChE levels were measured during the tidal cycle and between surface and bottom copepods related to salinity and to HOC concentration variations. Significant increasing GST levels were also observed when HOC concentrations in the water column were the highest. This study underlined the need to standardize sampling procedures for biomonitoring studies in order to avoid interfering factors that could modify biomarker responses to chemical exposure. - Variations of contamination of E. affinis and enzymatic responses have been studied over a tide cycle in view to improve the use of this copepod for biomonitoring

Levels of chemical contaminants in nonoccupationally exposed U. S. residents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holleman, J.W.; Hammons, A.S.

1978-08-01

Data are presented on the levels of all chemical contaminants resulting from environmental pollution which have been found in human tissues including blood, urine, breast milk, and tissue samples obtained at autopsy. Most data results from specific surveys to determine health hazards. The roles of trace elements and recognition of the need to determine baseline levels of chemicals introduced into the environment are factors which have motivated surveys by individual investigators. Thus, most data on chemicals in human tissues record levels of pesticides (e.g., DDT and metabolites), levels of trace metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, or levels of nutritionally essential elements such as zinc, copper, manganese, and fluoride. Data available on iron and calcium are not presented as their presence in the environment is generally not considered hazardous. Data on several uncommon chemicals, such as indium and ytterbium, are included basically as items of interest and to further document their presence in healthy individuals. Baseline data were presented where available to provide perspective as to chemical levels which might be expected under conditions where exposure could be considered normal or not directly related to a pollutant source. Nearly 600 cited surveys or investigations, most of which were reported within the past decade, are listed. Ninety-four different chemical contaminants, primarily trace metals and organochlorine pesticides, are reported. It is estimated that over 75% of the data published during the past 30 years on chemical contaminants derived from environmental pollution and found in human tissue in the United States are represented in this report.

Levels of chemical contaminants in nonoccupationally exposed U.S. residents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holleman, J.W.; Hammons, A.S.

1978-08-01

Data are presented on the levels of all chemical contaminants resulting from environmental pollution which have been found in human tissues including blood, urine, breast milk, and tissue samples obtained at autopsy. Most data results from specific surveys to determine health hazards. The roles of trace elements and recognition of the need to determine baseline levels of chemicals introduced into the environment are factors which have motivated surveys by individual investigators. Thus, most data on chemicals in human tissues record levels of pesticides (e.g., DDT and metabolites), levels of trace metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury, or levels of nutritionally essential elements such as zinc, copper, manganese, and fluoride. Data available on iron and calcium are not presented as their presence in the environment is generally not considered hazardous. Data on several uncommon chemicals, such as indium and ytterbium, are included basically as items of interest and to further document their presence in healthy individuals. Baseline data were presented where available to provide perspective as to chemical levels which might be expected under conditions where exposure could be considered normal or not directly related to a pollutant source. Nearly 600 cited surveys or investigations, most of which were reported within the past decade, are listed. Ninety-four different chemical contaminants, primarily trace metals and organochlorine pesticides, are reported. It is estimated that over 75% of the data published during the past 30 years on chemical contaminants derived from environmental pollution and found in human tissue in the United States are represented in this report

Organic Pollutant Contamination of the River Tichá Orlice as Assessed by Biochemical Markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Havelková

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This study used biochemical markers to assess contamination at two contaminated sites (Králíky and Lichkov and one control site (Červená Voda on the River Tichá Orlice, a left-side tributary of the River Elbe. The brown trout (Salmo trutta fario was selected as an indicator species. Enzymes of the first stage of xenobiotic conversion, namely cytochrome P450 (CYP 450 and ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD in the liver were selected as biochemical markers. Blood plasma vitellogenin concentrations were used to evaluate xenoestrogenic effects of contamination. Results were compared with the most important inductors of these markers, i.e. with organic pollutants (PCB, HCH, HCB, OCS and DDT and their metabolites in fish muscle and with PAH concentrations in bottom sediments. The highest contamination with organic pollutants was at Králíky, and this was reflected in increased cytochrome P450, EROD activity and vitellogenin concentrations. Significant differences were demonstrated in EROD activity and vitellogenin concentrations between Králíky and Červená Voda (P s = -0.964 between EROD activity and vitellogenin concentrations was demonstrated. This relationship was discussed from the point of view of a possible induction or inhibition of the assessed biomarkers at persistently highly contaminated sites.

Bioclogging Effects Relevant to In-Situ Bioremediation of Organic Contaminants

Science.gov (United States)

Bielefeldt, A. R.; Illangasekare, T.

2002-05-01

This presentation will summarize 5 years of laboratory experiments investigating the effects of biodegradation of organic contaminants on the hydrodynamic properties of saturated sand due to biomass accumulation. The contaminants studied included naphthalene, decane, diesel fuel, propylene glycol, and aircraft de-icing fluid (ADF). Most of the experiments were conducted in columns (~6 cm dia x 15 cm L). A wide range of environmental conditions were simulated including low to high organic loading (1.2 to 38,000 mg C/kg dry sand/d), various nutrient concentrations (C:N 3:1 to 5424:1), seepage velocity (0.5-11 m/d), and sand size (average diameter 0.19, 0.32, 0.49 mm). Changes in the hydraulic conductivity and dispersivity of the media over time and the biomass distribution in the sand at the end of the experiments were measured. In general, the hydraulic conductivity in the columns declined over time until a steady-state minimum was reached when the new biogrowth was balanced by endogenous decay and shear stress losses from the system. The minimum conductivity was generally 2 to 4 orders of magnitude below that of the clean sand. Dispersivity was evaluated using bromide tracer tests and monitoring the break-through curves. Dispersivity after biomass growth was always higher than that of the clean sand (up to 10x), but trends over time did not always consistently increase. Under selected conditions the dispersivity initially increased and then decreased, although never achieving a level below that of the clean sand. Final biomass concentrations in the sand at steady state ranged from 0.1 to 10 mg dry weight/g dry sand. In some experiments the biomass was evenly distributed through the sand while in others significantly more biomass was present at the column inlet. Some experiments were also conducted in larger 2-D tanks (122 cm L x 46 cm H x 6 cm W) which allowed the groundwater flow to route around local areas of bioclogging as would be likely to occur in subsurface

Time trend of butyl- and phenyl-tin contamination in organisms of the Lagoon of Venice (1999-2003).

Science.gov (United States)

Zanon, F; Rado, N; Centanni, E; Zharova, N; Pavoni, B

2009-05-01

In the period 1999-2003 a monitoring study on the accumulation of organotin compounds in edible organisms in the Lagoon of Venice was conducted. Butyl and Phenyl derivatives were determined in pooled samples of Mytilus galloprovincialis and Tapes spp. with the aims of assessing organotin contamination in the Lagoon of Venice in the period just preceding their ban in Europe, monitoring the concentrations in organisms with a high commercial use, evaluating a potential hazard for human health due to seafood and identifying the possible contamination sources. Sampling stations (up to 20) were distributed around the Lagoon and particularly concentrated in the area close to the town of Chioggia. Significantly higher (analysis of variance (ANOVA), p 0.05) in either species. Furthermore, by analyzing the entire data set, it is evident that most stations show analogous concentrations in the 3 years for both species, whereas few have anomalously higher concentrations. If organotin concentrations in specimens from some sites are compared with the Tolerable Average Residue Level, a possible risk for human health must be considered.

Level of Campylobacter jejuni from naturally contaminated chicken liver and chicken legs in various task: a cross contamination study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

New, C.Y.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Cross contamination is one of the most important contributing factors in foodborne illness originating in household environments. The objective of this research was to determine the transfer between naturally contaminated chicken liver and leg to cutting board, hand glove, knife and cucumber, during slicing. The microorganism tested was Campylobacter jejuni and the results showed that the pathogen transferred to all utensils, at different transfer rate, despite the low level of the naturally contaminating pathogen. With unknown concentration bacteria in the naturally contaminated samples, a proportion of the utensils were still contaminated with C. jejuni and not surprisingly, when the sample were contaminated with higher concentrations of the pathogen, a higher proportion of the utensils had detectable C. jejuni cells present, though in many cases cross contamination seems to be a random event. Transfer of the naturally contaminating C. jejuni from the chicken liver and leg to the utensils were <3.0 to 9.2 MPN/g and <3.0 to 3.0 MPN/g, respectively. The results of this study highlighted the potential for cross contamination of food borne pathogens in the kitchen environment.

Incidence and Levels of Deoxynivalenol, Fumonisins and Zearalenone Contaminants in Animal Feeds Used in Korea in 2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong-Ho Kim

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and levels of deoxynivalenol (DON, fumonisins B1 and B2 (FBs, and zearalenone (ZEN contaminants in animal feeds used in Korea in 2012. Contamination with DON was observed in 91.33% and 53.33% in compound feeds and feed ingredients, respectively. Among compound feeds, poultry layer feed (laying exhibited the highest contaminant level of 1.492 mg/kg. FBs contaminants were present in compound feeds and feed ingredients at 93.33% and 83.33%, respectively. Most poultry broiler (early feeds were highly contaminated with FBs, and one of these feeds detected the level as 12.823 mg/kg as the highest level. The levels of ZEN in compound feeds and feed ingredients were 71.33% and 47%, respectively. Ninety-eight percent of compound feeds for cattle were contaminated with ZEN, and the highest contamination level of 0.405 mg/kg was observed in cattle fatting feeds.

Uncertainty of mass discharge estimation from contaminated sites at screening level

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Nanna Isbak; Troldborg, M.; McKnight, Ursula S.

Contaminated sites threaten groundwater resources worldwide. The number of contaminated sites is large and there are too few economic resources available to ensure a thorough investigation and remediation of them all. Risk assessment must already be done at a screening level in order to ensure...... consider possible source and hydrogeological descriptions, where each model is believed to be a realistic representation of the given site, based on the current level of information. Parameter uncertainty is quantified using Monte Carlo simulations. For each conceptual model we calculate a transient mass...

The Use of Modified Bentonite for Removal of Aromatic Organics from Contaminated Soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Gitipour; Bowers; Bodocsi

1997-12-15

This study investigates the clay-aromatic interactions with a view to the use of bentonite clay for binding benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene (BTEX compounds) in contaminated soils. BTEX compounds are the most toxic aromatic constituents of gasoline present in many underground storage tanks. Modified (organophilic) and ordinary bentonites are used to remove these organics. The organophilic bentonites are prepared by replacing the exchangeable inorganic cations present in bentonite particles with a quaternary ammonium salt. Various clay-to-soil ratios were applied to determine the efficiency of the modified bentonite in enhancing the cement-based solidification/stabilization (S/S) of BTEX contaminated soils. Toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) tests were performed on soil samples to evaluate the leaching of the organics. In addition, X-ray diffraction analyses were conducted to assess the changes in the basal spacing of the clays as a result of their interaction with BTEX compounds. The findings of this study reveal that organophilic bentonite can act as a successful adsorbent for removing the aromatic organics from contaminated soil. Thus, this material is viable for enhancing the performance of cement-based S/S processes, as an adsorbent for petroleum spills, and for landfill liners and slurry walls. Copyright 1997 Academic Press.

The use of modified bentonite for removal of aromatic organics from contaminated soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gitipour, S.; Bowers, M.T.; Bodocsi, A.

1997-01-01

This study investigates the clay-aromatic interactions with a view to the use of bentonite clay for binding benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and o-xylene (BTEX compounds) in contaminated soils. BTEX compounds are the most toxic aromatic constituents of gasoline present in many underground storage tanks. Modified (organophilic) and ordinary bentonites are used to remove these organics. The organophilic bentonites are prepared by replacing the exchangeable inorganic cations present in bentonite particles with a quaternary ammonium salt. Various clay-to-soil ratios were applied to determine the efficiency of the modified bentonite in enhancing the cement-based solidification/stabilization (S/S) of BTEX contaminated soils. Toxicity characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) tests were performed on soil samples to evaluate the leaching of the organics. In addition, X-ray diffraction analyses were conducted to assess the changes in the basal spacing of the clays as a result of their interaction with BTEX compounds. The findings of this study reveal that organophilic bentonite can act as a successful adsorbent for removing the aromatic organics from contaminated soil. Thus, this material is viable for enhancing the performance of cement-based S/S processes, as an adsorbent for petroleum spills, and for landfill liners and slurry walls

Leaching of organic contaminants from storage of reclaimed asphalt pavement.

Science.gov (United States)

Norin, Malin; Strömvall, A M

2004-03-01

Recycling of asphalt has been promoted by rapid increases in both the use and price of petroleum-based bitumen. Semi-volatile organic compounds in leachates from reclaimed asphalt pavement, measured in field samples and in laboratory column test, were analysed through a GC/MS screen-test methodology. Sixteen PAH (polyaromatic hydrocarbons) were also analysed in leachates from the column study. The highest concentrations of semi-volatile compounds, approximately 400 microg l(-1), were measured in field samples from the scarified stockpile. Naphthalene, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were the most dominant of the identified semi-volatiles. The occurrence of these compounds in urban groundwater, also indicate high emission rates and persistent structures of the compounds, making them potentially hazardous. Car exhausts, rubber tires and the asphalt material itself are all probable emission sources, determined from the organic contaminants released from the stockpiles. The major leaching mechanism indicated was dissolution of organic contaminants from the surface of the asphalt gravels. In the laboratory column test, the release of high-molecular weight and more toxic PAH was higher in the leachates after two years than at the commencement of storage. The concentrations of semi-volatiles in leachates, were also several times lower than those from the field stockpile. These results demonstrate the need to follow up laboratory column test with real field measurements.

Blood culture contamination with Enterococci and skin organisms: implications for surveillance definitions of primary bloodstream infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, Joshua T; Chen, Luke Francis; Sexton, Daniel J; Anderson, Deverick J

2011-06-01

Enterococci are a common cause of bacteremia but are also common contaminants. In our institution, approximately 17% of positive blood cultures with enterococci are mixed with skin organisms. Such isolates are probable contaminants. The specificity of the current definition of primary bloodstream infection could be increased by excluding enterococci mixed with skin organisms. Copyright © 2011 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating Exposure of Terrestrial Wildlife to Contaminants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sample, B.E.

1994-01-01

assessment endpoints. The models presented herein are models of the exposure of individual organisms, but except for threatened and endangered species, all the wildlife endpoints for the ORR are for populations (Suter et al. 1994). The use of organism exposures is appropriate because of the need to integrate exposure estimates with exposure-response information which is expressed as organism-level responses. The conversion of individual exposure to population effects occurs in the risk characterization. Conceptually, the conversion of organism-level exposures to the population level can be made in two ways. First, it may be assumed that there is a distinct population on the site so that the exposure of the population is the exposure of all the individuals. This assumption is appropriate for small organisms on large sites, particularly if the site constitutes a distinct habitat that is surrounded by inappropriate habitat. For example, a grassy site surrounded by forest or industrial development might support a distinct population of voles. The risks to that population can be estimated directly from the exposures of the individual organisms. Second, it may be assumed that a certain number of individuals are exposed to contaminants out of a larger population. For example, a certain proportion of a deer herd may forage on a site or a pair of hawks may hunt on a site. The estimated exposure of these individuals will result in estimation of certain effects on those individuals, and the resulting population risks will need to be characterized. In either case, the organism level exposure models are appropriate.

Allowable residual contamination levels for decommissioning. Part 2. A summary of example results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, W.E. Jr.; Napier, B.A.

1985-01-01

This paper contains a description of the results of a study sponsored by UNC Nuclear Industries to determine Allowable Residual Contamination Levels (ARCL) for decommissioning facilities in the 100 Areas of the Hanford Site. ARCL results are presented both for surface contamination remaining in facilities (in dpm/100 cm 2 ) and for unconfined surface and confined subsurface soil conditions (in pCi/g). Two confined soil conditions are considered: contamination at depths between 1 and 4 m, and contamination at depths greater than or equal to 5 m. A set of worksheets are discussed for modifying the ARCL values to accommodate changes in the radionuclide mixture or concentrations, to consider the impacts of radioactive decay, and to predict instrument responses. Finally, a comparison is made between the unrestricted release ARCL values for the 100 Area facilities and existing decommissioning and land disposal regulations. For surface contamination, the comparison shows good agreement for a selected annual dose limit. For soil contamination, the comparison shows good agreement if reasonable modification factors are applied to account for the differences in modeling soil contamination and licensed low-level waste. 6 references, 1 figures, 4 tables

Assessment of surface contamination level in an operating uranium ore processing facility of Jaduguda, India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meena, J.S.; Patnaik, R.L.; Jha, V.N.; Sahoo, S.K.; Ravi, P.M.; Tripathi, R.M.

2014-01-01

Radiological concern of the occupational workers and the area is given priority over other safety issue in confirmation with the stipulated guideline of national regulatory agency (AERB/FEFCF/SG-2, 2007). The key concern from the radiological hazard evaluation point of view is air activity, external gamma level and surface contamination. Present investigations was carried out to ascertain the surface contamination level of uranium ore processing facility at Jaduguda, Jharkhand. For a low grade uranium ore processing industry surface contamination is a major concern in product precipitation and recovery section. In view of this, the ore processing plant can broadly be classified into three areas i.e. ion exchange area, precipitation and product recovery section and other areas. The monitoring results incorporate the level of surface contamination of the plant during the last five years. The geometric mean activity of surface contamination level was 31.1, 34.5 and 9.8 Bq dm -2 in ion exchange, product precipitation and recovery and other areas with GSD of 2, 2.5 and 1.9. In most of the cases the surface contamination level was well within the recommended limit of 100 Bq dm -2 for M class uranium compound. Occasional cases of surface contamination levels exceeding the recommended limit were addressed and areas were decontaminated. Based on the study, modification in the design feature of the surface of the finished product section was also suggested so that the decontamination procedure can be more effectively implemented

Effects of decontamination at varying contamination levels of Campylobacter jejuni on broiler meat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boysen, Louise; Wechter, Naja Strandby; Rosenquist, Hanne

2013-01-01

/sample) or single or few strains of the species (or both) should not be interpreted as a generic result for the species. If inoculation studies cannot be replaced by investigations of naturally contaminated meat, we advise using a mixture of strains found in the production environment at levels as close as possible...... to the natural contamination level....

Biogenic volatile organic compounds as a potential stimulator for organic contaminant degradation by soil microorganisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLoughlin, Emma; Rhodes, Angela H.; Owen, Susan M.; Semple, Kirk T.

2009-01-01

The effects of monoterpenes on the degradation of 14 C-2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP) were investigated in soils collected from areas surrounding monoterpene and non-monoterpene-emitting vegetation. Indigenous microorganisms degraded 14 C-2,4-DCP to 14 CO 2 , after 1 d contact time. Degradation was enhanced by prior exposure of the soils to 2,4-DCP for 32 d, increasing extents of mineralisation up to 60%. Monoterpene amendments further enhanced 2,4-DCP degradation, but only following pre-exposure to both 2,4-DCP and monoterpene, with total 2,4-DCP mineralisation extents of up to 71%. Degradation was greatest at the higher monoterpene concentrations (≥1 μg kg -1 ). Total mineralisation extents were similar between concentrations, but higher than the control and the 0.1 μg kg -1 amendment, indicating that increases in monoterpene concentration has a diminishing enhancing effect. We suggest that monoterpenes can stimulate the biodegradation of 2,4-DCP by indigenous soil microorganisms and that monoterpene amendment in soils is an effective strategy for removing organic contaminants. - A amendment of soils with monoterpenes may induce organic contaminant degradation by indigenous soil microorganisms

Circulating levels of environmental contaminants are associated with dietary patterns in older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Ax, Erika; Lampa, Erik; Lind, Lars; Salihovic, Samira; van Bavel, Bert; Cederholm, Tommy; Sjögren, Per; Lind, P Monica

2015-02-01

Food intake contributes substantially to our exposure to environmental contaminants. Still, little is known about our dietary habits' contribution to exposure variability. The aim of this study was to assess circulating levels of environmental contaminants in relation to predefined dietary patterns in an elderly Swedish population. Dietary data and serum concentrations of environmental contaminants were obtained from 844 70-year-old Swedish subjects (50% women) in the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study. Dietary data from 7-day food records was used to assess adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet, a low carbohydrate-high protein diet and the WHO dietary recommendations. Circulating levels of 6 polychlorinated biphenyl markers, 3 organochlorine pesticides, 1 dioxin and 1 polybrominated diphenyl ether, the metals cadmium, lead, mercury and aluminum and serum levels of bisphenol A and 4 phthalate metabolites were investigated in relation to dietary patterns in multivariate linear regression models. A Mediterranean-like diet was positively associated with levels of several polychlorinated biphenyls (118, 126, 153, and 209), trans-nonachlor and mercury. A low carbohydrate-high protein diet was positively associated with polychlorinated biphenyls 118 and 153, trans-nonachlor, hexachlorobenzene and p, p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, mercury and lead. The WHO recommended diet was negatively related to levels of dioxin and lead, and borderline positively to polychlorinated biphenyl 118 and trans-nonachlor. Dietary patterns were associated in diverse manners with circulating levels of environmental contaminants in this elderly Swedish population. Following the WHO dietary recommendations seems to be associated with a lower burden of environmental contaminants. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of interfacial properties on the two-phase liquid flow of organic contaminants in groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demond, A.H.; Desai, F.N.; Hayes, K.F.

1992-01-01

DOE's waste sites are contaminated with a variety of organic liquids. Because of their low solubility in water, organic liquids such as these will persist as separate liquid phases and be transported as such in the subsurface. Thus, an improved understanding of the factors influencing the movement of a separate organic liquid phase in the subsurface is important to DOE's efforts to control groundwater contamination. Wettability is sometimes cited as the most important factor influencing two-phase flow in porous media. The wetting phase migrates preferentially through the smaller pores, whereas the nonwetting phase is concentrated in the larger pores. Typically, aquifers are thought of as strongly water-wet, implying that the organic liquid preferentially occupies the larger pores. But in fact, that state depends on the properties of the three interfaces of the system: between the organic liquid and water, water and the solid, and the organic liquid and the solid. Characteristics of the system which affect the interfacial properties also impact the wettability, such as the nature of the aquifer solids' surfaces, the composition of the goundwater and the properties of the organic contaminant. The alteration of wettability at DOE waste sites may be dominated by the presence of co-contaminants such as organic acids and bases which behave as surface-active agents or surfactants. Because of their physicochemical nature, surfactants will sorb preferentially at the interfaces of the system, thereby impacting the wettability and the distribution of the liquids in the porous medium. The over-all objective of this research was to determine how changes in interfacial properties affect two-phase flow. Specifically, the objective was to examine the effect of surfactant sorption on capillary pressure relationships by correlating measurements of sorption, zeta potential, interfacial tension and contact angle, with changes in the capillary pressure-saturation relationships

The delivery of organic contaminants to the Arctic food web: Why sea ice matters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pucko, M.; Stern, Gary; Macdonald, Robie

2015-01-01

For decades sea ice has been perceived as a physical barrier for the loading of contaminants to the Arctic Ocean. We show that sea ice, in fact, facilitates the delivery of organic contaminants to the Arctic marine food web through processes that: 1) are independent of contaminant physical......–chemical properties (e.g. 2–3-fold increase in exposure to brine-associated biota), and 2) depend on physical–chemical properties and, therefore, differentiate between contaminants (e.g. atmospheric loading of contaminants to melt ponds over the summer, and their subsequent leakage to the ocean). We estimate...... risk of increased exposures through melt pond loading and drainage due to the high ratio of melt pond water to seawater concentration (Melt pond Enrichment Factor, MEF), which ranges from 2 for dacthal to 10 for endosulfan I. Melt pond contaminant enrichment can be perceived as a hypothetical ‘pump...

Comparison of contaminants from different trophic levels and ecosystems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dietz, R.; Riget, F. [Department of Arctic Environment, Ministry of Environment and Energy, National Environmental Research Institute, Tagensvej 135, 4 floor, DK-2200 Copenhagen (Denmark); Cleemann, M. [Department of Environmental Chemistry, Ministry of Environment and Energy, National Environmental Research Institute, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Aarkrog, A. [Risoe National Laboratory, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Johansen, P. [Department of Arctic Environment, Ministry of Environment and Energy, National Environmental Research Institute, Tagensvej 135, 4 floor, DK-2200 Copenhagen (Denmark); Hansen, J.C. [Risoe National Laboratory, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark)

2000-01-17

The present paper provides an overview of the priority contaminants and media from the Greenland part of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program. Levels and accumulation patterns of heavy metals, POPs and a radionuclide (137Cs) are compared from the terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Of the nine compounds presented, seven (Cd, Hg, Se, {sigma}PCB, {sigma}DDT, {sigma}HCH, HCB) increased in concentration towards higher trophic levels. For these contaminants the concentrations in soil and aquatic sediment were in the same order of magnitude, whereas the concentrations in marine biota were higher than found in the freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems probably due to the presence of longer food chains. Pb and 137Cs showed the reverse pattern compared with the other compounds. The concentrations in soil and aquatic sediments decreased in the order terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, which was reflected in the biota as well. Reindeer had similar or lower levels of Pb and 137Cs than lichens. Levels of Pb and 137Cs in marine biota did not show the same clear increase towards higher trophic as found for the other analysed compounds. Greenland Inuit contains considerably less mercury but higher levels of {sigma}PCB, {sigma}DDT and HCB than other Arctic marine top consumers.

Emerging organic contaminants in groundwater : a review of sources, fate and occurrence

OpenAIRE

Lapworth, D.J.; Baran, N.; Stuart, M.E.; Ward, R.S.

2012-01-01

Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) detected in groundwater may have adverse effects on human health and aquatic ecosystems. This paper reviews the existing occurrence data in groundwater for a range of EOCs including pharmaceutical, personal care, ‘life-style’ and selected industrial compounds. The main sources and pathways for organic EOCs in groundwater are reviewed, with occurrence data for EOCs in groundwater included from both targeted studies and broad reconnaissance surveys. Nanogram...

The characterization of organic contaminants during the development of the Space Station water reclamation and management system

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, H.; Habercom, M.; Crenshaw, M.; Johnson, S.; Manuel, S.; Martindale, W.; Whitman, G.; Traweek, M.

1991-01-01

Examples of the application of various methods for characterizing samples for alcohols, fatty acids, detergents, and volatile/semivolatile basic, neutral, and phenolic acid contaminants are presented. Data, applications, and interpretations are given for a variety of methods including sample preparation/cleanup procedures, ion chromatography, and gas chromatography with various detectors. Summaries of the major organic contaminants that contribute to the total organic carbon content are presented.

Characterization of organics in leachates from low-level radioactive waste disposal sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, A.J.; Iden, C.R.; Nine, B.; Chang, C.

1979-01-01

Low-level radioactive wastes generated by the nuclear industry, universities, research institutions, and hospitals are disposed of in shallow-land trenches and pits. In 1962 the first commercial disposal site was opened in Beatty, Nevada. Since then, the industry has grown to include three private companies operating six disposal areas located in sparsely populated areas: at Maxey Flats (Morehead), Kentucky; Beatty, Nevada; Sheffield, Illinois; Barnwell, South Carolina; West Valley, New York; and Richland, Washington. Although the facilities are operated by private industry, they are located on public land and are subject to federal and state regulation. Although inventories of the radioactive materials buried in the disposal sites are available, no specific records are kept on the kinds and quantities of organic wastes buried. In general, the organic wastes consist of contaminated paper, packing materials, clothing, plastics, ion-exchange resins, scintillation vials, solvents, chemicals, decontamination fluids, carcasses of experimental animals, and solidification agents. Radionuclides such as 14 C, 3 H, 90 Sr, 134 137 Cs, 60 Co, 241 Am, and 238 239 240 Pu have been identified in leachate samples collected from several trenches at Maxey Flats and West Valley. The purpose of this report is to identify some of the organic compounds present in high concentrations in trench leachates at the disposal sites in order to begin to evaluate their effect on radionuclide mobilization and contamination of the environment

Organic Contamination Baseline Study in NASA Johnson Space Center Astromaterials Curation Laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Calaway, Michael J.; Allen, Carlton C.; Allton, Judith H.

2014-01-01

Future robotic and human spaceflight missions to the Moon, Mars, asteroids, and comets will require curating astromaterial samples with minimal inorganic and organic contamination to preserve the scientific integrity of each sample. 21st century sample return missions will focus on strict protocols for reducing organic contamination that have not been seen since the Apollo manned lunar landing program. To properly curate these materials, the Astromaterials Acquisition and Curation Office under the Astromaterial Research and Exploration Science Directorate at NASA Johnson Space Center houses and protects all extraterrestrial materials brought back to Earth that are controlled by the United States government. During fiscal year 2012, we conducted a year-long project to compile historical documentation and laboratory tests involving organic investigations at these facilities. In addition, we developed a plan to determine the current state of organic cleanliness in curation laboratories housing astromaterials. This was accomplished by focusing on current procedures and protocols for cleaning, sample handling, and storage. While the intention of this report is to give a comprehensive overview of the current state of organic cleanliness in JSC curation laboratories, it also provides a baseline for determining whether our cleaning procedures and sample handling protocols need to be adapted and/or augmented to meet the new requirements for future human spaceflight and robotic sample return missions.

High level bacterial contamination of secondary school students' mobile phones.

Science.gov (United States)

Kõljalg, Siiri; Mändar, Rando; Sõber, Tiina; Rööp, Tiiu; Mändar, Reet

2017-06-01

While contamination of mobile phones in the hospital has been found to be common in several studies, little information about bacterial abundance on phones used in the community is available. Our aim was to quantitatively determine the bacterial contamination of secondary school students' mobile phones. Altogether 27 mobile phones were studied. The contact plate method and microbial identification using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer were used for culture studies. Quantitative PCR reaction for detection of universal 16S rRNA, Enterococcus faecalis 16S rRNA and Escherichia coli allantoin permease were performed, and the presence of tetracycline ( tet A, tet B, tet M), erythromycin ( erm B) and sulphonamide ( sul 1) resistance genes was assessed. We found a high median bacterial count on secondary school students' mobile phones (10.5 CFU/cm 2 ) and a median of 17,032 bacterial 16S rRNA gene copies per phone. Potentially pathogenic microbes ( Staphylococcus aureus , Acinetobacter spp. , Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus cereus and Neisseria flavescens ) were found among dominant microbes more often on phones with higher percentage of E. faecalis in total bacterial 16S rRNA. No differences in contamination level or dominating bacterial species between phone owner's gender and between phone types (touch screen/keypad) were found. No antibiotic resistance genes were detected on mobile phone surfaces. Quantitative study methods revealed high level bacterial contamination of secondary school students' mobile phones.

Absorption of technetium by plants in relation to soil type contamination level and time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mousny, J.M.; Myttenaere, C. (Louvain Univ. (Belgium). Lab. de Physiologie Vegetale)

1981-01-01

Plants of Pisum sativum (var. Merveille de Kelvedon) were grown on seven typical european soils contaminated with different levels of /sup 99/Tc(0.17; 1.7 and 17 ..mu..Ci/kg). Added initially as pertechnetate, the technetium absorption has been studied for three successive cultures. The translocation of technetium from soil to plant leaves is high, but its transfer is reduced in soils rich in organic matter (Fen) or poorly drained (Braunerde). Aging reduces the technetium transfer and modify its relative distribution in plant (relatively more technetium is found in fruits); these results let suppose some modification of the technetium chemical form in soils with time.

Reduction in bioavailability of arsenic in contaminated irrigated soil using zinc and organic manure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batool, S.Q.

2012-01-01

The experiments were conducted to reduce the bioavailability of arsenic with application of organic and inorganic materials from contaminated soils irrigated with arsenic contaminated water. The results showed that the amount of extractable arsenic increased with submergence and decreased with application of organic material. However, amount of such decrease altered with inorganic material i.e. zinc and decrease was greater with As5Zn10 (0.17 to 0.0 mg/kg) where zinc was applied at the rate of 10 mg/kg. Among the different organic materials, arsenic content in soil remarkably decreased with application of farmyard manure. The decrease in arsenic content was less than upper toxic limit of arsenic in soil i.e.10mg/kg for paddy soils. Other manures also showed decrease in arsenic concentration but with desorption after half interval of treatment. Best remediating agents used for arsenic retention was zinc sulphate> organic compost >farmyard manure. (author)

Comparative study on the level of bacteriological contamination of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Comparative study on the level of bacteriological contamination of automatic teller machines, public toilets and public transport commercial motorcycle crash ... Conclusion: This study has revealed the ability of these public devices to serve as vehicle of transmission of microorganisms with serious health implications.

Thermopiles - a new thermal desorption technology for recycling highly organic contaminated soils down to natural levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haemers, J.; Cardot, J.; Falcinelli, U.; Zwaan, H.

2005-01-01

The Thermopile R technology, developed by Deep Green, provides an implementation system allowing to treat hydrocarbon and PAH contaminated materials down to natural levels or down to levels where they are treatable with a traditional thermal desorption unit, in a controlled batch system. The materials are indirectly heated while a substantial part of the energy is reused to heat the pile of soil. The system differs from most of the indirect thermal desorption systems by its very high energetic efficiency as well as its ability to be set -up remotely. The system does not face preferential path problems, since the heating medium is only conduction, which is very indifferent with regard to soil type (clay, sand, silt, etc.). That property is critical to an in-depth clean-up with a batch system. Other systems, based on heat, are mostly sending heat vectors (gases, hot air, steam, etc.) through the soil, which implies preferential paths, which are the main cause for not completely cleaning the soil with most batch technologies (down to natural levels). The soil to treat is placed in a pile or in a modular container in which perforated steel pipes are installed along a hexagonal pattern. During treatment those pipes are heated by hot gases (about 600 deg. C) coming from the afterburner. Consequently the soil reaches the contaminant's desorption temperature. The desorbed pollutants are then drawn by convection and diffusion into the heating pipes via the perforations. Once in the pipes the desorbed gases are mixed with the heating gases. They are sucked by the ID fan and sent to the afterburner. The hydrocarbons in gaseous phase are then oxidized in the afterburner. In this manner, they provide a part of the energy needed to heat the soil itself. The pilot unit is also equipped with a purge that allows the evacuation of a part of the gases circulating in the system; Different additional gas treatments can be applied as required by the type of contaminants and the

Steroid markers to assess sewage and other sources of organic contaminants in surface sediments of Cienfuegos Bay, Cuba.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolosa, I; Mesa, M; Alonso-Hernandez, C M

2014-09-15

Analyses of faecal steroids in coastal sediments from Cienfuegos Bay Cuba indicate chronic sewage contamination at the main outfalls from the city, where concentrations of coprostanol up to 5400ngg(-)(1) (dry wt) were measured. In contrast, steroid concentrations and compositions from sites from the south part of the Bay are characteristic of uncontaminated sewage environments. The levels of coprostanol in the Cienfuegos sediments compares to the lower to mid-range of concentrations reported for coastal sediments on a world-wide basis, with sedimentary levels markedly below those previously reported for heavily impacted sites. This study delivers baseline data for further investigation of the effectiveness of the proposed sewerage plan promoted by the GEF project in Cienfuegos. Investigations on the correlations between faecal steroids and other organic contaminants confirmed that the major source of petroleum hydrocarbons within the bay was associated with the sewage effluents from the Cienfuegos city. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Physicochemical and microbiological factors influencing the bioavailability of organic contaminants in subsoils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

We report progress in elucidating the microbiological variables important in determining the relative success of bacteria in utilizing soil-sorbed contaminants. Two bacterial species, Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 17484) and an Alcaligenes sp. isolated from petroleum contaminated soil are known to differ markedly in their ability to utilize soil-sorbed napthalene based on a kinetic comparison of their capability of naphthalene mineralization in soil-containing and soil-free systems. The kinetic analysis led us to conclude that strain 17484 had direct access to naphthalene present in a labile sorbed state which promoted the rapid desorption of naphthalene from the non-labile phase. Conversely, both the rate and extent of naphthalene mineralization by strain NP-Alk suggested that this organism had access only to naphthalene in solution. Desorption was thus limited and the efficiency of total naphthalene removal from these soil slurries was poor. These conclusions were based on the average activities of cells in soil slurries without regard for the disposition of the organisms with respect to the sorbent. Since both organisms degrade naphthalene by apparently identical biochemical pathways, have similar enzyme kinetic properties, and are both motile, gram negative organisms, we undertook a series of investigations to gain a better understanding of what microbiological properties were important in bioavailability

In situ relationship between energy reserves and steroid hormone levels in Nereis diversicolor (O.F. Müller) from clean and contaminated sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Mouneyrac, C; Pellerin, J; Moukrim, A; Ait Alla, A; Durou, C; Viault, N

2006-10-01

The aim of this study was to investigate, in situ, the temporal effects of urban effluent discharge on energy reserves and steroid hormone levels in the intrasedimentary worm Nereis diversicolor. Results have shown no differences in energy reserves (glycogen, lipids) in organisms originating from a contaminated site (Oued Souss) and a comparatively clean site (Oualidia). Both sites are located on the Moroccan Atlantic coast. In contrast, steroid hormone (progesterone, testosterone, and 17beta-estradiol) levels were significantly decreased in animals from Oued Souss. The differences in the responses suggest that organisms from the polluted site have been exposed to endocrine disruptors.

X-231B technology demonstration for in situ treatment of contaminated soil: Contaminant characterization and three dimensional spatial modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, O.R.; Siegrist, R.L.; Mitchell, T.J.; Pickering, D.A.; Muhr, C.A.; Greene, D.W.; Jenkins, R.A.

1993-11-01

Fine-textured soils and sediments contaminated by trichloroethylene (TCE) and other chlorinated organics present a serious environmental restoration challenge at US Department of Energy (DOE) sites. DOE and Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc. initiated a research and demonstration project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The goal of the project was to demonstrate a process for closure and environmental restoration of the X-231B Solid Waste Management Unit at the DOE Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The X-231B Unit was used from 1976 to 1983 as a land disposal site for waste oils and solvents. Silt and clay deposits beneath the unit were contaminated with volatile organic compounds and low levels of radioactive substances. The shallow groundwater was also contaminated, and some contaminants were at levels well above drinking water standards. This document begins with a summary of the subsurface physical and contaminant characteristics obtained from investigative studies conducted at the X-231B Unit prior to January 1992 (Sect. 2). This is then followed by a description of the sample collection and analysis methods used during the baseline sampling conducted in January 1992 (Sect. 3). The results of this sampling event were used to develop spatial models for VOC contaminant distribution within the X-231B Unit

A potential approach for monitoring drinking water quality from groundwater systems using organic matter fluorescence as an early warning for contamination events.

Science.gov (United States)

Stedmon, Colin A; Seredyńska-Sobecka, Bożena; Boe-Hansen, Rasmus; Le Tallec, Nicolas; Waul, Christopher K; Arvin, Erik

2011-11-15

The fluorescence characteristics of natural organic matter in a groundwater based drinking water supply plant were studied with the aim of applying it as a technique to identify contamination of the water supply. Excitation-emission matrices were measured and modeled using parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and used to identify which wavelengths provide the optimal signal for monitoring contamination events. The fluorescence was characterized by four components: three humic-like and one amino acid-like. The results revealed that the relative amounts of two of the humic-like components were very stable within the supply plant and distribution net and changed in a predictable fashion depending on which wells were supplying the water. A third humic-like component and an amino acid-like component did not differ between wells. Laboratory contamination experiments with wastewater revealed that combined they could be used as an indicator of microbial contamination. Their fluorescence spectra did not overlap with the other components and therefore the raw broadband fluorescence at the wavelengths specific to their fluorescence could be used to detect contamination. Contamination could be detected at levels equivalent to the addition of 60 μg C/L in drinking water with a TOC concentration of 3.3 mg C/L. The results of this study suggest that these types of drinking water systems, which are vulnerable to microbial contamination due to the lack of disinfectant treatment, can be easily monitored using online organic matter fluorescence as an early warning system to prompt further intensive sampling and appropriate corrective measures. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Burrowing and avoidance behaviour in marine organisms exposed to pesticide-contaminated sediment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møhlenberg, Flemming; Kiørboe, Thomas

1983-01-01

Behavioural effects of marine sediment contaminated with pesticides (6000 ppm parathion, 200 ppm methyl parathion, 200 ppm malathion) were studied in a number of marine organisms in laboratory tests and in situ. The burrowing behaviour in Macoma baltica, Cerastoderma edule, Abra alba, Nereis...

Microbial Contamination Level Profiles Attributed to Contamination of Beef Carcasses, Personnel, and Equipment: Case of Small and Medium Enterprise Slaughterhouses.

Science.gov (United States)

Wambui, Joseph; Lamuka, Peter; Karuri, Edward; Matofari, Joseph; Njage, Patrick Murigu Kamau

2018-04-01

The microbial contamination level profiles (MCLPs) attributed to contamination of beef carcasses, personnel, and equipment in five Kenyan small and medium enterprise slaughterhouses were determined. Aerobic plate counts, Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus, and Salmonella were used to determine contamination at four different slaughter stages, namely, dehiding, evisceration, splitting, and dispatch. Microbiological criteria of the four microorganisms were used to score contamination levels (CLs) as poor (0), poor to average (1), average (2), or good (3). MCLPs were further assigned to carcasses, personnel, and equipment at each stage by summing up the CL scores. The CL score attributed to aerobic plate count contamination was 2 or 3 for carcasses but 0 for personnel and equipment in almost all slaughterhouses. A score of 0 on carcasses was mostly attributed to Enterobacteriaceae at evisceration and to Salmonella at dehiding and evisceration. In addition, a score of 0 was mostly attributed to Staphylococcus contamination of personnel at dehiding. A score of 3 was attributed mostly to Enterobacteriaceae on hands at splitting, whereas a score of 2 was mostly attributed to the clothes at dehiding and evisceration. A CL score of 3 was mostly attributed to Enterobacteriaceae and Salmonella contamination of equipment at dehiding and splitting, respectively. Although CLs attributed to contamination of carcasses, personnel, and equipment ranged from 0 to 3, the maximum MCLP score of 9 was only attained in carcasses from two slaughterhouses at dehiding and from one slaughterhouse at dispatch. There is, therefore, a lot of room for small and medium enterprise slaughterhouses to improve their food safety objectives by improving food safety management systems at the points characterized by low CL scores.

Evaluation of organic contamination in urban groundwater surrounding a municipal landfill, Zhoukou, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, D M; Tong, X X; Jin, M G; Hepburn, Emily; Tong, C S; Song, X F

2013-04-01

This paper investigates the organic pollution status of shallow aquifer sediments and groundwater around Zhoukou landfill. Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons, monocylic aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides and other pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been detected in some water samples. Among the detected eleven PAHs, phenanthrene, fluorine, and fluoranthene are the three dominant in most of the groundwater samples. Analysis of groundwater samples around the landfill revealed concentrations of PAHs ranging from not detected to 2.19 μg/L. The results show that sediments below the waste dump were low in pollution, and the shallow aquifer, at a depth of 18-30 m, was heavily contaminated, particularly during the wet season. An oval-shaped pollution halo has formed, spanning 3 km from west to east and 2 km from south to north, and mainly occurs in groundwater depths of 2-4 m. For PAH source identification, both diagnostic ratios of selected PAHs and principal component analysis were studied, suggesting mixed sources of pyro- and petrogenic derived PAHs in the Zhoukou landfill. Groundwater table fluctuations play an important role in the distribution of organic pollutants within the shallow aquifer. A conceptual model of leachate migration in the Quaternary aquifers surrounding the Zhoukou landfill has been developed to describe the contamination processes based on the major contaminant (PAHs). The groundwater zone contaminated by leachate has been identified surrounding the landfill.

Organic acid enhanced electrodialytic extraction of lead from contaminated soil fines in suspension

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Pernille Erland; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.

2007-01-01

for decontamination of the sludge was investigated. The ability of 11 organic acids to extract Pb from the fine fraction of contaminated soil (grains soil fines in suspension......The implementation of soil washing technology for the treatment of heavy metal contaminated soils is limited by the toxicity and unwieldiness of the remaining heavy metal contaminated sludge. In this work, the feasibility of combining electrodialytic remediation with heterotrophic leaching...... was tested. Five of the acids showed the ability to extract Ph from the soil fines in excess of the effect caused solely by pH changes. Addition of the acids, however, severely impeded EDR, hence promotion of EDR by combination with heterotrophic leaching was rejected. In contrast, enhancement of EDR...

Depositional history of organic contaminants on the Palos Verdes Shelf, California

Science.gov (United States)

Eganhouse, R.P.; Pontolillo, J.

2000-01-01

During more than 60 years, sedimentation on the Palos Verdes Shelf has been dominated by time-varying inputs of municipal wastewater from the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) and debris from the Portuguese Bend Landslide (PBL). The present study examines the depositional history of wastewater-derived organic contaminants at a site approximately 6-8 km downcurrent from the outfall system. Sediments at this location are impacted by contributions from both sources, but the relative influence of the sources has changed over time. Two classes of hydrophobic organic contaminants (chlorinated hydrocarbons, long-chain alkylbenzenes) were determined in sediment cores collected in 1981 and 1992. Using molecular stratigraphy, we determined average sedimentation rates (cm/year) and mass accumulation rates (g cm-2 year-1) for the following periods: 1955-1965, 1965-1971, 1971-1981 and 1981-1992. The results show that sedimentation and mass accumulation rates increased from 1955 to 1971 and decreased from 1971 to 1981. These trends are consistent with historical information on the emission of suspended solids from the outfall system, indicating that the discharge of wastes dominated sedimentation at the site during this period. In the 1980s and early 1990s, however, mass accumulation rates increased in spite of continually decreasing emissions of wastewater solids. Several lines of evidence indicate that this increase was due to mobilization of debris from the PBL during and after unusually strong winter storms in the 1980s. As a result, heavily contaminated sediments deposited during the years of greatest waste emissions (i.e. 1950-1970) have been buried to greater sub-bottom depths, thereby reducing their availability for mobilization to the overlying water column. These results highlight the dynamic nature of sedimentation in contaminated coastal ecosystems and its importance to the long-term fate and effects of toxic substances.

Simultaneous removal of organic contaminants and heavy metals from kaolin using an upward electrokinetic soil remediation process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.-Y.; Huang, X.-J.; Kao, Jimmy C.M.; Stabnikova, Olena

2007-01-01

Kaolins contaminated with heavy metals, Cu and Pb, and organic compounds, p-xylene and phenanthrene, were treated with an upward electrokinetic soil remediation (UESR) process. The effects of current density, cathode chamber flushing fluid, treatment duration, reactor size, and the type of contaminants under the vertical non-uniform electric field of UESR on the simultaneous removal of the heavy metals and organic contaminants were studied. The removal efficiencies of p-xylene and phenanthrene were higher in the experiments with cells of smaller diameter or larger height, and with distilled water flow in the cathode chamber. The removal efficiency of Cu and Pb were higher in the experiments with smaller diameter or shorter height cells and 0.01 M HNO 3 solution as cathode chamber flow. In spite of different conditions for removal of heavy metals and organics, it is possible to use the upward electrokinetic soil remediation process for their simultaneous removal. Thus, in the experiments with duration of 6 days removal efficiencies of phenanthrene, p-xylene, Cu and Pb were 67%, 93%, 62% and 35%, respectively. The experiment demonstrated the feasibility of simultaneous removal of organic contaminants and heavy metals from kaolin using the upward electrokinetic soil remediation process

Organic and inorganic micropollutants in Adriatic seafood: contamination levels and evaluation of human potential intake; Microinquinanti organici ed inorganici in specie marine eduli del mare Adriatico: livelli di presenza e stima dell`assunzione potenziale da parte dell`uomo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cubadda, F; Stacchini, P; Baldini, M [Istituto Superiore di Sanita` , Rome (Italy). Lab. Alimenti

1998-06-01

Review the state of the art on the chemical contamination of seafood and on the human intake of contaminants through these commodities in the Adriatic area. Scientific literature on the levels of inorganic (i.e. cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead) and organic (i.e. pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) contaminants as well as studies on potential health hazard related to Adriatic seafood consumption were examined. Where sufficient data were available, an evaluation of the average potential intake was carried out through the correlation between contamination levels in marine organisms and seafood consumption. The results of this study did not show any risk for the average consumer related to the consumption of Adriatic seafood. Nevertheless it is essential to carefully evaluate the potential risk to which some population groups, especially high consumers of local seafood, are exposed. For this purpose, it is necessary to obtain additional data on the content of contaminants in the main seafood products and on the levels of consumption by the Adriatic coastal populations. [Italiano] Si propone di fare il punto sullo stato dell`arte in materia di contaminazione chimica delle specie marine eduli e di assunzione di contaminanti da parte dell`uomo mediante tali alimenti nell`are adriatica. A tal fine e` stata presa in esame la letteratura scientifica concernente i livelli di presenza di contaminanti inorganici (cadmio, cromo, mercurio, piombo) e organici (pesticidi, policlorobifenili, diossine, idrocarburi policiclici aromatici), nonche` gli studi relativi al problema del rischio sanitario associato al consumo di prodotti della pesca nel Mare Adriatico. Nel caso dei contaminanti per i quali esiste una sufficiente base di dati si e` proceduto ad una stima dell`assunzione media potenziale calcolata mediante la correlazione dei livelli di presenza negli organismi marini con dati di consumo alimentare. In base ai risultati ottenuti

Removal of organic contaminants from secondary effluent by anodic oxidation with a boron-doped diamond anode as tertiary treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia-Segura, Sergi, E-mail: sergigarcia@ub.edu [Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, Level 4, Gehrmann Bld. (60), St Lucia, QLD 072 (Australia); Laboratori d’Electroquímica dels Materials i del Medi Ambient, Departament de Química Física, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Keller, Jürg [Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, Level 4, Gehrmann Bld. (60), St Lucia, QLD 072 (Australia); Brillas, Enric [Laboratori d’Electroquímica dels Materials i del Medi Ambient, Departament de Química Física, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Radjenovic, Jelena, E-mail: j.radjenovic@awmc.uq.edu.au [Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, Level 4, Gehrmann Bld. (60), St Lucia, QLD 072 (Australia)

2015-02-11

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Mineralization of secondary effluent by anodic oxidation with BDD anode. • Complete removal of 29 pharmaceuticals and pesticides at trace level concentrations. • Organochlorine and organobromine byproducts were formed at low μM concentrations. • Chlorine species evolution assessed to evaluate the anodic oxidation applicability. - Abstract: Electrochemical advanced oxidation processes (EAOPs) have been widely investigated as promising technologies to remove trace organic contaminants from water, but have rarely been used for the treatment of real waste streams. Anodic oxidation with a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode was applied for the treatment of secondary effluent from a municipal sewage treatment plant containing 29 target pharmaceuticals and pesticides. The effectiveness of the treatment was assessed from the contaminants decay, dissolved organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand removal. The effect of applied current and pH was evaluated. Almost complete mineralization of effluent organic matter and trace contaminants can be obtained by this EAOP primarily due to the action of hydroxyl radicals formed at the BDD surface. The oxidation of Cl{sup −} ions present in the wastewater at the BDD anode gave rise to active chlorine species (Cl{sub 2}/HClO/ClO{sup −}), which are competitive oxidizing agents yielding chloramines and organohalogen byproducts, quantified as adsorbable organic halogen. However, further anodic oxidation of HClO/ClO{sup −} species led to the production of ClO{sub 3}{sup −} and ClO{sub 4}{sup −} ions. The formation of these species hampers the application as a single-stage tertiary treatment, but posterior cathodic reduction of chlorate and perchlorate species may reduce the risks associated to their presence in the environment.

Campylobacter contamination and the relative risk of illness from organic broiler meat in comparison with conventional broiler meat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenquist, Hanne; Boysen, Louise; Krogh, Anne Louise

2013-01-01

Danish organic broiler meat, represented by carcasses sampled at the end of processing after chilling, was more frequently contaminated with thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. than conventional broiler carcasses; the yearly mean prevalence being 54.2% (CI: 40.9-67.5) for organic and 19.7% (CI: 14.......8-24.7) for conventional carcasses. Campylobacter jejuni was the most frequently isolated species. The difference in prevalence was obvious in all quarters of the year. Contamination of organic and conventional broiler carcasses was more likely to occur in the warmer summer months, in this case in the third quarter......, as also documented for conventional broiler flocks. When contaminated, the mean concentration of Campylobacter on neck skin samples of organic and conventional carcasses was not significantly different (P=0.428); 2.0±0.65log10cfu/g and 2.1±0.93log10cfu/g, respectively. Assessing the relative risk...

The status of soil contamination by semivolatile organic chemicals (SVOCs) in China: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai Quanying [College of Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China)], E-mail: cai_quanying@yahoo.com; Mo Cehui [Department of Environmental Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632 (China)], E-mail: tchmo@jnu.edu.cn; Wu Qitang [College of Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China); Katsoyiannis, Athanasios [European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP), Physical and Chemical Exposure Unit, Ispra (Vatican City State, Holy See,), TP-281, Via E. Fermi 1, I-21020 (Italy)], E-mail: athanasios.katsogiannis@jrc.it; Zeng Qiaoyun [College of Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China)

2008-01-25

This paper summarizes the published scientific data on the soil contamination by semivolatile organic chemicals (SVOCs) in China. Data has been found for more than 150 organic compounds which were grouped into six classes, namely, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and phthalic acid esters (PAEs). An overview of data collected from the literature is presented in this paper. The Chinese regulation and/or other maximum acceptable values for SVOCs were used for the characterization of soils. In general, the compounds that are mostly studied in Chinese soils are OCPs, PAHs and PCBs. According to the studies reviewed here, the most abundant compounds were PAEs and PAHs (up to 46 and 28 mg kg{sup -1} dry weight, respectively); PCBs and OCPs occurred generally at concentrations lower than 100 {mu}g kg{sup -1} dry weight. Nevertheless, quite high concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PBDEs were observed in contaminated sites (e.g., the sites affected by electronic waste activities). The average concentrations of PAHs and OCPs in soils of North China were higher than those in South China. The principal component analysis demonstrated different distribution patterns for PAH, PCB and PCDD/F congeners and for the various sites/regions examined. The isomer ratios of DDTs and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) indicated different sources and residue levels in soils. Finally, this review has highlighted several areas where further research is considered necessary.

Inverse modeling of the biodegradation of emerging organic contaminants in the soil-plant system.

Science.gov (United States)

Hurtado, Carlos; Trapp, Stefan; Bayona, Josep M

2016-08-01

Understanding the processes involved in the uptake and accumulation of organic contaminants into plants is very important to assess the possible human risk associated with. Biodegradation of emerging contaminants in plants has been observed, but kinetical studies are rare. In this study, we analyse experimental data on the uptake of emerging organic contaminants into lettuce derived in a greenhouse experiment. Measured soil, root and leaf concentrations from four contaminants were selected within the applicability domain of a steady-state two-compartment standard plant uptake model: bisphenol A (BPA), carbamazepine (CBZ), triclosan (TCS) and caffeine (CAF). The model overestimated concentrations in most cases, when no degradation rates in plants were entered. Subsequently, biodegradation rates were fitted so that the measured concentrations were met. Obtained degradation kinetics are in the order, BPA < CAF ≈ TCS < CBZ in roots, and BPA ≈ TCS < CBZ < CAF in leaves. Kinetics determined by inverse modeling are, despite the inherent uncertainty, indicative of the dissipation rates. The advantage of the procedure that is additional knowledge can be gained from existing experimental data. Dissipation kinetics found via inverse modeling is not a conclusive proof for biodegradation and confirmation by experimental studies is needed. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Unit Process Wetlands for Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants and Pathogens from Municipal Wastewater Effluents

Science.gov (United States)

Jasper, Justin T.; Nguyen, Mi T.; Jones, Zackary L.; Ismail, Niveen S.; Sedlak, David L.; Sharp, Jonathan O.; Luthy, Richard G.; Horne, Alex J.; Nelson, Kara L.

2013-01-01

Abstract Treatment wetlands have become an attractive option for the removal of nutrients from municipal wastewater effluents due to their low energy requirements and operational costs, as well as the ancillary benefits they provide, including creating aesthetically appealing spaces and wildlife habitats. Treatment wetlands also hold promise as a means of removing other wastewater-derived contaminants, such as trace organic contaminants and pathogens. However, concerns about variations in treatment efficacy of these pollutants, coupled with an incomplete mechanistic understanding of their removal in wetlands, hinder the widespread adoption of constructed wetlands for these two classes of contaminants. A better understanding is needed so that wetlands as a unit process can be designed for their removal, with individual wetland cells optimized for the removal of specific contaminants, and connected in series or integrated with other engineered or natural treatment processes. In this article, removal mechanisms of trace organic contaminants and pathogens are reviewed, including sorption and sedimentation, biotransformation and predation, photolysis and photoinactivation, and remaining knowledge gaps are identified. In addition, suggestions are provided for how these treatment mechanisms can be enhanced in commonly employed unit process wetland cells or how they might be harnessed in novel unit process cells. It is hoped that application of the unit process concept to a wider range of contaminants will lead to more widespread application of wetland treatment trains as components of urban water infrastructure in the United States and around the globe. PMID:23983451

Unit Process Wetlands for Removal of Trace Organic Contaminants and Pathogens from Municipal Wastewater Effluents.

Science.gov (United States)

Jasper, Justin T; Nguyen, Mi T; Jones, Zackary L; Ismail, Niveen S; Sedlak, David L; Sharp, Jonathan O; Luthy, Richard G; Horne, Alex J; Nelson, Kara L

2013-08-01

Treatment wetlands have become an attractive option for the removal of nutrients from municipal wastewater effluents due to their low energy requirements and operational costs, as well as the ancillary benefits they provide, including creating aesthetically appealing spaces and wildlife habitats. Treatment wetlands also hold promise as a means of removing other wastewater-derived contaminants, such as trace organic contaminants and pathogens. However, concerns about variations in treatment efficacy of these pollutants, coupled with an incomplete mechanistic understanding of their removal in wetlands, hinder the widespread adoption of constructed wetlands for these two classes of contaminants. A better understanding is needed so that wetlands as a unit process can be designed for their removal, with individual wetland cells optimized for the removal of specific contaminants, and connected in series or integrated with other engineered or natural treatment processes. In this article, removal mechanisms of trace organic contaminants and pathogens are reviewed, including sorption and sedimentation, biotransformation and predation, photolysis and photoinactivation, and remaining knowledge gaps are identified. In addition, suggestions are provided for how these treatment mechanisms can be enhanced in commonly employed unit process wetland cells or how they might be harnessed in novel unit process cells. It is hoped that application of the unit process concept to a wider range of contaminants will lead to more widespread application of wetland treatment trains as components of urban water infrastructure in the United States and around the globe.

Occurrence of organic wastewater and other contaminants in cave streams in northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas

Science.gov (United States)

Bidwell, Joseph R.; Becker, C.; Hensley, S.; Stark, R.; Meyer, M.T.

2010-01-01

The prevalence of organic wastewater compounds in surface waters of the United States has been reported in a number of recent studies. In karstic areas, surface contaminants might be transported to groundwater and, ultimately, cave ecosystems, where they might impact resident biota. In this study, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCISs) and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were deployed in six caves and two surface-water sites located within the Ozark Plateau of northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas in order to detect potential chemical contaminants in these systems. All caves sampled were known to contain populations of the threatened Ozark cavefish (Amblyopsis rosae). The surface-water site in Oklahoma was downstream from the outfall of a municipal wastewater treatment plant and a previous study indicated a hydrologic link between this stream and one of the caves. A total of 83 chemicals were detected in the POCIS and SPMD extracts from the surface-water and cave sites. Of these, 55 chemicals were detected in the caves. Regardless of the sampler used, more compounds were detected in the Oklahoma surface-water site than in the Arkansas site or the caves. The organic wastewater chemicals with the greatest mass measured in the sampler extracts included sterols (cholesterol and ??-sitosterol), plasticizers [diethylhexylphthalate and tris (2-butoxyethyl) phosphate], the herbicide bromacil, and the fragrance indole. Sampler extracts from most of the cave sites did not contain many wastewater contaminants, although extracts from samplers in the Oklahoma surfacewater site and the cave hydrologically linked to it had similar levels of diethylhexyphthalate and common detections of carbamazapine, sulfamethoxazole, benzophenone, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), and octophenol monoethoxylate. Further evaluation of this system is warranted due to potential ongoing transport of wastewaterassociated chemicals into the cave. Halogenated organics

Optimization of the allowed levels of radioactive contamination on a virtual market of polluted provisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frantsevich, L.Yi.

1997-01-01

The goal is to optimize the allowed levels of 137 Cs contamination of food products according to the ALARA principle. The model creates a virtual market of contaminated daily portions of various products, their contamination being distributed log normally with the same parameters as in real products. The consumer requests portions and wasters contaminated until one obtains 365 acceptable portions of every product per year. The cost of wastering is high at a low allowed level. The floating price of irradiation depends on the yearly consumption of 137 Cs and is stated very high when the last value approaches the dose limit (risk aversive function). Varying allowed levels, it is possible to minimize the cost of wastering and total cost of wastering and irradiation. The iterative algorithm is proposed

Radiocesium levels in vegetation colonizing a contaminated floodplain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garten, C.T. Jr.; Briese, L.A.; Geiger, R.A.; Sharitz, R.; Smith, M.H.

1975-01-01

Radiocesium concentrations in herbaceous and woody plants inhabiting a floodplain contaminated by nuclear production reactor effluents were measured. Leaves and stems of herbaceous plants (Andropogon sp. and Scirpus cyperinus) contained higher concentrations of radiocesium than those of woody plants (Alnus serrulata, Myrica cerifera, and Salix nigra). Andropogon and Alnus fruits had higher concentrations than the leaves or stems. Radiocesium concentrations in fruits and leaves were significantly correlated with stem radiocesium levels in some or all of the species sampled. Mean radiocesium levels in the plant parts exceeded mean soil concentrations; this indicates concentration of radiocesium by the vegetation

Organization A Comprehensive System Of Insurance Coverage In The Potential Chemical And Biological Contamination Zone In Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nina Vladimirovna Zaytseva

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article provides a scientific rationale for an integrated approach to the provision of insurance coverage in the potential chemical and biological contamination zone. The following modern forms of chemical safety in the Russian Federation were considered: state reserve’s system, target program financing, state social insurance. The separate issue tackles the obligatory civil liability insurance for owners of dangerous objects. For improvement of the existing insurance protection system against emergency situations, risks were analyzed (shared on exogenous and endogenous. Among the exogenous risks including natural and climatic conditions of a region, its geographical arrangement, economic specialization, the seismic and terrorist risks were chosen and approaches to its solution were suggested. In endogenous risks’ group, the special focus is on wear and tear and obsolescence of hazardous chemical and biological object’s fixed assets. In case of high risk of an incident, it is suggested to increase in extent of insurance protection through self-insurance, a mutual insurance in the form of the organization of societies of a mutual insurance or the self-regulating organizations, and also development of voluntary insurance of a civil liability, both the owner of hazardous object, and regions of the Russian Federation and municipalities. The model of insurance coverage in the potential chemical and biological contamination zone is based on a differentiated approach to the danger level of the area. A matrix of adequate forms and types of insurance (required for insurance coverage of the population in the potential chemical and biological contamination zone was constructed. Proposed health risk management toolkit in the potential chemical and biological contamination zone will allow to use financial resources for chemical and biological safety in the regions more efficiently.

Contamination of an arctic terrestrial food web with marine-derived persistent organic pollutants transported by breeding seabirds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choy, Emily S.; Kimpe, Linda E.; Mallory, Mark L.; Smol, John P.; Blais, Jules M.

2010-01-01

At Cape Vera, Devon Island (Nunavut, Canada), a colony of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) concentrates and releases contaminants through their guano to the environment. We determined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from seabirds were transferred to coastal food webs. Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) were the most contaminated species, with ΣPCB and ΣDDT (mean: 168, 106 ng/g ww) concentrations surpassing environmental guidelines for protecting wildlife. When examined collectively, PCB congeners and DDT in jewel lichen (Xanthoria elegans) were lower in samples taken farther from the seabird colony, and increased with increasing δ 15 N values. However, only concentrations of p'p-DDE:ΣDDT and PCB-95 were significantly correlated inversely with distance from the seabird cliffs. Linkages between marine-derived POPs and their concentrations in terrestrial mammals were less clear. Our study provides novel contaminant data for these species and supports biovector transport as a source of organic contaminants to certain components of the terrestrial food web. - This study provides evidence of contaminant transport by seabirds to a coastal Arctic food web.

Contamination of an arctic terrestrial food web with marine-derived persistent organic pollutants transported by breeding seabirds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choy, Emily S., E-mail: echoy087@uottawa.c [Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 (Canada); Kimpe, Linda E., E-mail: linda.kimpe@uottawa.c [Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 (Canada); Mallory, Mark L., E-mail: mark.mallory@ec.gc.c [Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Iqaluit, NU, X0A 0H0 (Canada); Smol, John P., E-mail: smolj@queensu.c [Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen' s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6 (Canada); Blais, Jules M., E-mail: jules.blais@uottawa.c [Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 (Canada)

2010-11-15

At Cape Vera, Devon Island (Nunavut, Canada), a colony of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) concentrates and releases contaminants through their guano to the environment. We determined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from seabirds were transferred to coastal food webs. Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) were the most contaminated species, with {Sigma}PCB and {Sigma}DDT (mean: 168, 106 ng/g ww) concentrations surpassing environmental guidelines for protecting wildlife. When examined collectively, PCB congeners and DDT in jewel lichen (Xanthoria elegans) were lower in samples taken farther from the seabird colony, and increased with increasing {delta}{sup 15}N values. However, only concentrations of p'p-DDE:{Sigma}DDT and PCB-95 were significantly correlated inversely with distance from the seabird cliffs. Linkages between marine-derived POPs and their concentrations in terrestrial mammals were less clear. Our study provides novel contaminant data for these species and supports biovector transport as a source of organic contaminants to certain components of the terrestrial food web. - This study provides evidence of contaminant transport by seabirds to a coastal Arctic food web.

Modeling the pH-mediated Extraction of Ionizable Organic Contaminants to Improve the Quality of Municipal Sewage Sludge Destined for Land Application

OpenAIRE

Venkatesan, Arjun K.; Halden, Rolf U.

2016-01-01

A model was developed to assess the impact of adding acids and bases to processed municipal sewage sludge (MSS) to mobilize contaminants, facilitating their removal from sludge by flushing prior to land application. Among 312 organic contaminants documented to occur in U.S. MSS, 71 or 23% were identified as ionizable organic contaminants (IOCs), contributing a disproportionately large fraction of 82% of the total mass of sludge-borne contaminants. Detected IOCs included 57 pharmaceuticals and...

Phytoextraction for clean-up of low-level uranium contaminated soil evaluated

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandenhove, H.; Hees, M. van

2004-01-01

Spills in the nuclear fuel cycle have led to soil contamination with uranium. In case of small contamination just above release levels, low-cost yet sufficiently efficient remedial measures are recommended. This study was executed to test if low-level U contaminated sandy soil from a nuclear fuel processing site could be phytoextracted in order to attain the required release limits. Two soils were tested: a control soil (317 Bq 238 U kg -1 ) and the same soil washed with bicarbonate (69 Bq 238 U kg -1 ). Ryegrass (Lolium perenne cv. Melvina) and Indian mustard (Brassica juncea cv. Vitasso) were used as test plants. The annual removal of soil activity by the biomass was less than 0.1%. The addition of citric acid (25 mmol kg -1 ) 1 week before the harvest increased U uptake up to 500-fold. With a ryegrass and mustard yield of 15,000 and 10,000 kg ha -1 , respectively, up to 3.5% and 4.6% of the soil activity could be removed annually by the biomass. With a desired activity reduction level of 1.5 and 5 for the bicarbonate-washed and control soil, respectively, it would take 10-50 years to attain the release limit. However, citric acid addition resulted in a decreased dry weight production

Comparison of Passive Samplers for Monitoring Dissolved Organic Contaminants in Water Column Deployments

Science.gov (United States)

Nonionic organic contaminants (NOCs) are difficult to measure in the water column due to their inherent chemical properties resulting in low water solubility and high particle activity. Traditional sampling methods require large quantities of water to be extracted and interferen...

Calculation of reasonable exemption levels for surface contamination by measuring overall gamma ray

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogino, Haruyuki; Hattori, Takatoshi

2008-01-01

The present regulation on surface contamination [Bq/cm 2 ] is determined from a simple radiological model for the most hazardous radionuclides (Pu-239 for alpha emitters and Sr-90 for beta emitters) and its extremely conservative model is applied for all other alpha and beta emitters. In this study, reasonable exemption levels for surface contamination are calculated for each radionuclide by adopting an original radiological dose evaluation method for surface contamination that can be applied in radiation safety, transport safety and waste safety. Furthermore, a new concept of judging the exemption by estimating the overall contamination [Bq] on the objects from the measurement of gamma ray has been designed and a reasonable value was derived. We conclude that the overall exemption levels obtained by gamma ray measurement can be one order smaller than those obtained by the conventional method for some radionuclides, such as Mn-54, Co-60, Nb-94, Cs-134, Cs-137, Eu-152 and Eu-154. (author)

New biodegradable organic-soluble chelating agents for simultaneous removal of heavy metals and organic pollutants from contaminated media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ullmann, Amos; Brauner, Neima; Vazana, Shlomi; Katz, Zhanna; Goikhman, Roman; Seemann, Boaz; Marom, Hanit; Gozin, Michael

2013-01-01

Highlights: • New soil remediation process using phase transition of partially miscible solvents. • Design and synthesis of new bio-degradable, organic soluble chelating agents. • Feasibility tests of the process on authentically polluted sediments and sludge. • Simultaneous removal of toxic metals and organic pollutants was demonstrated. -- Abstract: Advanced biodegradable and non-toxic organic chelators, which are soluble in organic media, were synthesized on the basis of the S,S-ethylenediamine-disuccinate (S,S-EDDS) ligand. The modifications suggested in this work include attachment of a lipophilic hydrocarbon chain (“tail”) to one or both nitrogen atoms of the S,S-EDDS. The new ligands were designed and evaluated for application in the Sediments Remediation Phase Transition Extraction (SR-PTE) process. This novel process is being developed for the simultaneous removal of both heavy metals and organic pollutants from contaminated soils, sediments or sludge. The new chelators were designed to bind various target metal ions, to promote extraction of these ions into organic solvents. Several variations of attached tails were synthesized and tested. The results for one of them, N,N′-bis-dodecyl-S,S-EDDS (C24-EDDS), showed that the metal-ligand complexes are concentrated in the organic-rich phase in the Phase Transition Extraction process (more than 80%). Preliminary applications of the SR-PTE process with the C24-EDDS ligand were conducted also on actually contaminated sludge (field samples). The extraction of five toxic metals, namely, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn was examined. In general, the extraction performance of the new ligand was not less than that of S,S-EDDS when a sufficient ligand-to-extracted ion ratio (about 4:1 was applied

New biodegradable organic-soluble chelating agents for simultaneous removal of heavy metals and organic pollutants from contaminated media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ullmann, Amos, E-mail: Ullmann@eng.tau.ac.il [Faculty of Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel); Brauner, Neima; Vazana, Shlomi; Katz, Zhanna [Faculty of Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel); Goikhman, Roman [The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Robert H. Smith, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Rehovot (Israel); Seemann, Boaz; Marom, Hanit [School of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel); Gozin, Michael, E-mail: cogozin@gmail.com [School of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978 (Israel)

2013-09-15

Highlights: • New soil remediation process using phase transition of partially miscible solvents. • Design and synthesis of new bio-degradable, organic soluble chelating agents. • Feasibility tests of the process on authentically polluted sediments and sludge. • Simultaneous removal of toxic metals and organic pollutants was demonstrated. -- Abstract: Advanced biodegradable and non-toxic organic chelators, which are soluble in organic media, were synthesized on the basis of the S,S-ethylenediamine-disuccinate (S,S-EDDS) ligand. The modifications suggested in this work include attachment of a lipophilic hydrocarbon chain (“tail”) to one or both nitrogen atoms of the S,S-EDDS. The new ligands were designed and evaluated for application in the Sediments Remediation Phase Transition Extraction (SR-PTE) process. This novel process is being developed for the simultaneous removal of both heavy metals and organic pollutants from contaminated soils, sediments or sludge. The new chelators were designed to bind various target metal ions, to promote extraction of these ions into organic solvents. Several variations of attached tails were synthesized and tested. The results for one of them, N,N′-bis-dodecyl-S,S-EDDS (C24-EDDS), showed that the metal-ligand complexes are concentrated in the organic-rich phase in the Phase Transition Extraction process (more than 80%). Preliminary applications of the SR-PTE process with the C24-EDDS ligand were conducted also on actually contaminated sludge (field samples). The extraction of five toxic metals, namely, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn was examined. In general, the extraction performance of the new ligand was not less than that of S,S-EDDS when a sufficient ligand-to-extracted ion ratio (about 4:1 was applied.

Micropore clogging by leachable pyrogenic organic carbon: A new perspective on sorption irreversibility and kinetics of hydrophobic organic contaminants to black carbon.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bingyu; Zhang, Wei; Li, Hui; Fu, Heyun; Qu, Xiaolei; Zhu, Dongqiang

2017-01-01

Black carbon (BC) plays a crucial role in sequestering hydrophobic organic contaminants in the environment. This study investigated key factors and mechanisms controlling nonideal sorption (e.g., sorption irreversibility and slow kinetics) of model hydrophobic organic contaminants (nitrobenzene, naphthalene, and atrazine) by rice-straw-derived BC. After removing the fraction of leachable pyrogenic organic carbon (LPyOC) (referring to composites of dissoluble non-condensed organic carbon and associated mineral components) with deionized water or 0.5 M NaOH, sorption of these sorbates to BC was enhanced. The sorption enhancement was positively correlated with sorbate molecular size in the order of atrazine > naphthalene > nitrobenzene. The removal of LPyOC also accelerated sorption kinetics and reduced sorption irreversibility. These observations were attributed to increased accessibility of BC micropores initially clogged by the LPyOC. Comparison of BC pore size distributions before and after atrazine sorption further suggested that the sorbate molecules preferred to access the micropores that were more open, and the micropore accessibility was enhanced by the removal of LPyOC. Consistently, the sorption of nitrobenzene and atrazine to template-synthesized mesoporous carbon (CMK3), a model sorbent with homogeneous pore structures, showed decreased kinetics, but increased irreversibility by impregnating sorbent pores with surface-grafted alkylamino groups and by subsequent loading of humic acid. These findings indicated an important and previously unrecognized role of LPyOC (i.e., micropore clogging) in the nonideal sorption of organic contaminants to BC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Expanded target-chemical analysis reveals extensive mixed-organic-contaminant exposure in USA streams

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley, Paul M.; Journey, Celeste A.; Romanok, Kristin; Barber, Larry B.; Buxton, Herbert T.; Foreman, William T.; Furlong, Edward T.; Glassmeyer, Susan T.; Hladik, Michelle L.; Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Jones, Daniel K.; Kolpin, Dana W.; Kuivila, Kathryn M.; Loftin, Keith A.; Mills, Marc A.; Meyer, Michael T.; Orlando, James L.; Reilly, Timothy J.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Villeneuve, Daniel L.

2017-01-01

Surface water from 38 streams nationwide was assessed using 14 target-organic methods (719 compounds). Designed-bioactive anthropogenic contaminants (biocides, pharmaceuticals) comprised 57% of 406 organics detected at least once. The 10 most-frequently detected anthropogenic-organics included eight pesticides (desulfinylfipronil, AMPA, chlorpyrifos, dieldrin, metolachlor, atrazine, CIAT, glyphosate) and two pharmaceuticals (caffeine, metformin) with detection frequencies ranging 66–84% of all sites. Detected contaminant concentrations varied from less than 1 ng L–1 to greater than 10 μg L–1, with 77 and 278 having median detected concentrations greater than 100 ng L–1 and 10 ng L–1, respectively. Cumulative detections and concentrations ranged 4–161 compounds (median 70) and 8.5–102 847 ng L–1, respectively, and correlated significantly with wastewater discharge, watershed development, and toxic release inventory metrics. Log10 concentrations of widely monitored HHCB, triclosan, and carbamazepine explained 71–82% of the variability in the total number of compounds detected (linear regression; p-values: environment application (pesticides), designed-bioactive organics (median 41 per site at μg L–1 cumulative concentrations) in developed watersheds present aquatic health concerns, given their acknowledged potential for sublethal effects to sensitive species and lifecycle stages at low ng L–1.

Individual, population and community level effects of subtle anthropogenic contamination in estuarine meiobenthos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubal, Marcos; Guilhermino, Lucia M.; Medina, Matias H.

2009-01-01

The study presented here searched for the level of taxonomic resolution required to detect the effects of low-level chronic pollution on estuarine meiobenthic communities. Meiofauna from two sites, with special attention to harpacticoid copepods, was analysed at different taxonomic levels of aggregation using uni- and multivariate methods. Adaptation processes that could buffer biodiversity disruptions were also considered through the analysis of fitness-related and tolerance traits in the harpacticoid copepod Paronychocamptus nanus. Results showed that uni- and multivariate analyses could be inadequate when assessing subtle anthropogenic contamination. Instead, the assessment of inter-population differences in tolerance to the main source of stress rises as a required procedure if potential effects of this type of contamination are being investigated. Specifically, a 96 h acute toxicity test performed with populations from the affected site appears as a faster and reliable general tool to assess impacts of low-level chronic pollution in estuaries. - Tolerance of local populations as a reliable tool to assess impacts of subtle anthropogenic contamination in estuaries.

Individual, population and community level effects of subtle anthropogenic contamination in estuarine meiobenthos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rubal, Marcos [CIIMAR/CIMAR-LA - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigacao Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Laboratorio de Ecotoxicologia, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto (Portugal); Guilhermino, Lucia M. [CIIMAR/CIMAR-LA - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigacao Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, Laboratorio de Ecotoxicologia, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto (Portugal); ICBAS - Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas de Abel Salazar, Departamento de Estudos de Populacoes, Laboratorio de Ecotoxicologia, Universidade do Porto, Lg. Prof. Abel Salazar 2, 4099-003 Porto (Portugal); Medina, Matias H., E-mail: matias.medina@avs-chile.c [AVS Chile SA, Imperial 0655, Off. 3A, Puerto Varas (Chile); Centro i-mar, Universidad de Los Lagos, Camino Chinquihue km 6, Puerto Montt (Chile)

2009-10-15

The study presented here searched for the level of taxonomic resolution required to detect the effects of low-level chronic pollution on estuarine meiobenthic communities. Meiofauna from two sites, with special attention to harpacticoid copepods, was analysed at different taxonomic levels of aggregation using uni- and multivariate methods. Adaptation processes that could buffer biodiversity disruptions were also considered through the analysis of fitness-related and tolerance traits in the harpacticoid copepod Paronychocamptus nanus. Results showed that uni- and multivariate analyses could be inadequate when assessing subtle anthropogenic contamination. Instead, the assessment of inter-population differences in tolerance to the main source of stress rises as a required procedure if potential effects of this type of contamination are being investigated. Specifically, a 96 h acute toxicity test performed with populations from the affected site appears as a faster and reliable general tool to assess impacts of low-level chronic pollution in estuaries. - Tolerance of local populations as a reliable tool to assess impacts of subtle anthropogenic contamination in estuaries.

Secondary environmental impacts of remedial alternatives for sediment contaminated with hydrophobic organic contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Yongju; Thompson, Jay M; Lin, Diana; Cho, Yeo-Myoung; Ismail, Niveen S; Hsieh, Ching-Hong; Luthy, Richard G

2016-03-05

This study evaluates secondary environmental impacts of various remedial alternatives for sediment contaminated with hydrophobic organic contaminants using life cycle assessment (LCA). Three alternatives including two conventional methods, dredge-and-fill and capping, and an innovative sediment treatment technique, in-situ activated carbon (AC) amendment, are compared for secondary environmental impacts by a case study for a site at Hunters Point Shipyard, San Francisco, CA. The LCA results show that capping generates substantially smaller impacts than dredge-and-fill and in-situ amendment using coal-based virgin AC. The secondary impacts from in-situ AC amendment can be reduced effectively by using recycled or wood-based virgin AC as production of these materials causes much smaller impacts than coal-based virgin AC. The secondary environmental impacts are highly sensitive to the dredged amount and the distance to a disposal site for dredging, the capping thickness and the distance to the cap materials for capping, and the AC dose for in-situ AC amendment. Based on the analysis, this study identifies strategies to minimize secondary impacts caused by different remediation activities: optimize the dredged amount, the capping thickness, or the AC dose by extensive site assessments, obtain source materials from local sites, and use recycled or bio-based AC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Task 15 - Remediation of Organically Contaminated Soil Using Hot/Liquid (Subcritical) Water. Semiannual report, November 1, 1996-- March 31,1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawthorne, Steven B.

1997-01-01

This activity will perform a pilot-scale demonstration of the use of hot/liquid water for the removal of organic contaminants from soil at the pilot (20 to 40 kg) scale. Lab-scale studies will be performed to determine the optimum temperature, contact time, and flow rates for removal of the organic contaminants. Initial investigations into using carbon sorbents to clean the extractant water for recycle use and to concentrate the extracted contaminants in a small volume for disposal will also be performed

Systematic study of the contamination of wastewater treatment plant effluents by organic priority compounds in Almeria province (SE Spain).

Science.gov (United States)

Barco-Bonilla, Nieves; Romero-González, Roberto; Plaza-Bolaños, Patricia; Martínez Vidal, José L; Garrido Frenich, Antonia

2013-03-01

The occurrence of priority organic pollutants in wastewater (WW) effluents was evaluated in a semi-arid area, characterized by a high agricultural and tourism activity, as Almeria province (Southeastern Spain). Twelve wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were sampled in three campaigns during 2011, obtaining a total of 33 WW samples, monitoring 226 compounds, including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenolic compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Certain banned organochlorine pesticides such as aldrin, pentachlorobenzene, o,p'-DDD and endosulfan lactone were found, and the most frequently detected pesticides were herbicides (diuron, triazines). PAHs and VOCs were also detected, noting that some of these pollutants were ubiquitous. Regarding phenolic compounds, 4-tertoctylphenol was found in all the WW samples at high concentration levels (up to 89.7 μg/L). Furthermore, it was observed that WW effluent samples were less contaminated in the second and third sampling periods, which corresponded to dry season. This evaluation revealed that despite the WW was treated in the WWTP, organic contaminants are still being detected in WW effluents and therefore they are released into the environment. Finally the risk of environmental threat due to the presence of some compounds in WWTP effluents, especially concerning 4-tertoctylphenol must be indicated. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of molecular contamination in mask pod

Science.gov (United States)

Foray, Jean Marie; Dejaune, Patrice; Sergent, Pierre; Gough, Stuart; Cheung, D.; Davenet, Magali; Favre, Arnaud; Rude, C.; Trautmann, T.; Tissier, Michel; Fontaine, H.; Veillerot, M.; Avary, K.; Hollein, I.; Lerit, R.

2008-04-01

Context/ study Motivation: Contamination and especially Airbone Molecular Contamination (AMC) is a critical issue for mask material flow with a severe and fairly unpredictable risk of induced contamination and damages especially for 193 nm lithography. It is therefore essential to measure, to understand and then try to reduce AMC in mask environment. Mask material flow was studied in a global approach by a pool of European partners, especially within the frame of European MEDEA+ project, so called "MUSCLE". This paper deals with results and assessment of mask pod environment in term of molecular contamination in a first step, then in a second step preliminary studies to reduce mask pod influence and contamination due to material out gassing. Approach and techniques: A specific assessment of environmental / molecular contamination along the supply chain was performed by all partners. After previous work presented at EMLC 07, further studies were performed on real time contamination measurement pod at different sites locations (including Mask manufacturing site, blank manufacturing sites, IC fab). Studies were linked to the main critical issues: cleaning, storage, handling, materials and processes. Contamination measurement campaigns were carried out along the mask supply chain using specific Adixen analyzer in order to monitor in real time organic contaminants (ppb level) in mask pods. Key results would be presented: VOC, AMC and humidity level on different kinds of mask carriers, impact of basic cleaning on pod outgassing measurement (VOC, NH3), and process influence on pod contamination... In a second step, preliminary specific pod conditioning studies for better pod environment were performed based on Adixen vacuum process. Process influence had been experimentally measured in term of molecular outgassing from mask pods. Different AMC experimental characterization methods had been carried out leading to results on a wide range of organic and inorganic

Low contaminant formic acid fuel for direct liquid fuel cell

Science.gov (United States)

Masel, Richard I [Champaign, IL; Zhu, Yimin [Urbana, IL; Kahn, Zakia [Palatine, IL; Man, Malcolm [Vancouver, CA

2009-11-17

A low contaminant formic acid fuel is especially suited toward use in a direct organic liquid fuel cell. A fuel of the invention provides high power output that is maintained for a substantial time and the fuel is substantially non-flammable. Specific contaminants and contaminant levels have been identified as being deleterious to the performance of a formic acid fuel in a fuel cell, and embodiments of the invention provide low contaminant fuels that have improved performance compared to known commercial bulk grade and commercial purified grade formic acid fuels. Preferred embodiment fuels (and fuel cells containing such fuels) including low levels of a combination of key contaminants, including acetic acid, methyl formate, and methanol.

Screening of inorganic and organic contaminants in floodwater in paddy fields of Hue and Thanh Hoa in Vietnam

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trinh Thu, Ha; Marcussen, Helle; Hansen, Hans Chr. Bruun

2017-01-01

In the rainy season, rice growing areas in Vietnam often become flooded by up to 1.5 m water. The floodwater brings contaminants from cultivated areas, farms and villages to the rice fields resulting in widespread contamination. In 2012 and 2013, the inorganic and organic contaminants in floodwater...... was investigated in Thanh Hoa and Hue. Water samples were taken at 16 locations in canals, paddy fields and rivers before and during the flood. In total, 940 organic micro-pollutants in the water samples were determined simultaneously by GC-MS method with automatic identification and quantification system (AIQS...... detection frequency of 90%, followed by isoprothiolane (88%) and fenobucarb (71%). The results indicated that contaminants in floodwater come from untreated wastewater from villages, and the agricultural activities are the major sources of increased pesticides resuspended in the floodwater in this study....

Effects of Land Use Types on the Levels of Microbial Contamination ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effects of land use types on levels of microbial contamination based on total coliforms and E. coli (faecal coliform) levels was investigated in the Mara River system, Kenya and Tanzania. Water samples were taken from five sampling sites with different land uses and the Most Probable Number (MPN) method used to ...

Detection of contaminated metallurgical scrap at borders: a proposal for an 'investigation level'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duftschmid, K.E.

1999-01-01

In 1995 the IAEA started a program to combat illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials which includes the problem of cross-border movement of contaminated metallurgical scrap. A major activity in this program is the elaboration of a Safety Guide on 'Preventing, Detecting and Responding to Illicit Trafficking', co-sponsored by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and INTERPOL. The guide will provide advice to the Member States, in particular on technical and administrative procedures for detection of radioactive materials at borders. Radiation monitoring systems for contaminated scrap metals have been successfully used in steel plants and larger scrap yards since several years and suitable products are on the market today. Using sophisticated software and dynamic scanning techniques such systems allow for detection of an artificial increase in radiation background level as low as by 20%, even if the natural background signal is substantially suppressed by the vehicle itself entering the monitor. However, the measurement conditions at borders are essentially different from those in plants. Large traffic crossing major borders limits the time for detection and response to a few seconds and multiple checks are nearly impractical. Shielded radioactive sources - even of high activity - which are deeply buried in scrap, cannot be detected without unloading the vehicle, a procedure generally ruled out at borders. Highly sensitive monitoring systems necessarily cause frequent false alarms or nuisance alarms due to innocent radioactive materials such as naturally occurring radioactivity e.g. in fertilizers, scale in pipes used in the oil industry or medical radioisotopes. A particular, rather frequent problem is the unnecessary reject of scrap transports on borders due to the inherent low level contamination of steel with 60 Co, even in sheet metal used for lorries or railroad cars. Such contamination can easily be caused by the routine method to control

Quantification of fossil organic matter in contaminated sediments from an industrial watershed: Validation of the quantitative multimolecular approach by radiocarbon analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeanneau, Laurent; Faure, Pierre

2010-01-01

The quantitative multimolecular approach (QMA) based on an exhaustive identification and quantification of molecules from the extractable organic matter (EOM) has been recently developed in order to investigate organic contamination in sediments by a more complete method than the restrictive quantification of target contaminants. Such an approach allows (i) the comparison between natural and anthropogenic inputs, (ii) between modern and fossil organic matter and (iii) the differentiation between several anthropogenic sources. However QMA is based on the quantification of molecules recovered by organic solvent and then analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which represent a small fraction of sedimentary organic matter (SOM). In order to extend the conclusions of QMA to SOM, radiocarbon analyses have been performed on organic extracts and decarbonated sediments. This analysis allows (i) the differentiation between modern biomass (contemporary 14 C) and fossil organic matter ( 14 C-free) and (ii) the calculation of the modern carbon percentage (PMC). At the confluence between Fensch and Moselle Rivers, a catchment highly contaminated by both industrial activities and urbanization, PMC values in decarbonated sediments are well correlated with the percentage of natural molecular markers determined by QMA. It highlights that, for this type of contamination by fossil organic matter inputs, the conclusions of QMA can be scaled up to SOM. QMA is an efficient environmental diagnostic tool that leads to a more realistic quantification of fossil organic matter in sediments.

Levels of surface contamination with radioactive materials at workplaces of nuclear research centre at Rez

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoelgye, Z.; Nemcova, I.; Kasikova, M.; Popper, J.; Chysky, J.

1983-01-01

A hygiene supervision unit at workplaces of the nuclear Research Institute in Rez monitored on a long-term basis surface contamination with radioactive substances. Surface contamination was found at workplaces with open sources. Of the 4343 monitored places action levels were only exceeded in 13 cases. The obtained data were used for typifying workplaces with the highest level of surface contamination, to determine in certain instances the mechanism of the escape of radioactive substances from insulating facilities and to determine the rate of the spread of the radioactive substance into adjacent non-active workplaces. (author)

A New Method for Processing Airborne Gamma Ray Spectrometry Data for Mapping Low Level Contaminations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aage, Helle Karina; Korsbech, Uffe C C; Bargholz, Kim

1999-01-01

A new technique for processing airborne gamma ray spectrometry data has been developed. It is based on the noise adjusted singular value decomposition method introduced by Hovgaard in 1997. The new technique opens for mapping of very low contamination levels. It is tested with data from Latvia...... where the remaining contamination from the 1986 Chernobyl accident together with fallout from the atmospheric nuclear weapon tests includes Cs-137 at levels often well below 1 kBq/m(2) equivalent surface contamination. The limiting factors for obtaining reliable results are radon in the air, spectrum...

Comparison of trace element contamination levels (Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Comparison of trace element contamination levels (Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd and Pb) in the soft tissues of the gastropods Tympanotonus fuscatus fuscatus and Tf radula collected in the Ebrié Lagoon (Côte d'Ivoire): Evidence of the risks linked to linked to lead and.

Building classification trees to explain the radioactive contamination levels of the plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Briand, B.

2008-04-01

The objective of this thesis is the development of a method allowing the identification of factors leading to various radioactive contamination levels of the plants. The methodology suggested is based on the use of a radioecological transfer model of the radionuclides through the environment (A.S.T.R.A.L. computer code) and a classification-tree method. Particularly, to avoid the instability problems of classification trees and to preserve the tree structure, a node level stabilizing technique is used. Empirical comparisons are carried out between classification trees built by this method (called R.E.N. method) and those obtained by the C.A.R.T. method. A similarity measure is defined to compare the structure of two classification trees. This measure is used to study the stabilizing performance of the R.E.N. method. The methodology suggested is applied to a simplified contamination scenario. By the results obtained, we can identify the main variables responsible of the various radioactive contamination levels of four leafy-vegetables (lettuce, cabbage, spinach and leek). Some extracted rules from these classification trees can be usable in a post-accidental context. (author)

Molecular-level removal of proteinaceous contamination from model surfaces and biomedical device materials by air plasma treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, K K; Kumar, S; Bremmell, K E; Griesser, H J

2010-11-01

Established methods for cleaning and sterilising biomedical devices may achieve removal of bioburden only at the macroscopic level while leaving behind molecular levels of contamination (mainly proteinaceous). This is of particular concern if the residue might contain prions. We investigated at the molecular level the removal of model and real-life proteinaceous contamination from model and practical surfaces by air plasma (ionised air) treatment. The surface-sensitive technique of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to assess the removal of proteinaceous contamination, with the nitrogen (N1s) photoelectron signal as its marker. Model proteinaceous contamination (bovine serum albumin) adsorbed on to a model surface (silicon wafer) and the residual proteinaceous contamination resulting from incubating surgical stainless steel (a practical biomaterial) in whole human blood exhibited strong N1s signals [16.8 and 18.5 atomic percent (at.%), respectively] after thorough washing. After 5min air plasma treatment, XPS detected no nitrogen on the sample surfaces, indicating complete removal of proteinaceous contamination, down to the estimated XPS detection limit 10ng/cm(2). Applying the same plasma treatment, the 7.7at.% nitrogen observed on a clinically cleaned dental bur was reduced to a level reflective of new, as-received burs. Contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy also indicated complete molecular-level removal of the proteinaceous contamination upon air plasma treatment. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of air plasma treatment for removing proteinaceous contamination from both model and practical surfaces and offers a method for ensuring that no molecular residual contamination such as prions is transferred upon re-use of surgical and dental instruments. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contaminants assessment in the coral reefs of Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument

Science.gov (United States)

Bargar, Timothy A.; Garrison, Virginia H.; Alvarez, David A.; Echols, Kathy

2013-01-01

Coral, fish, plankton, and detritus samples were collected from coral reefs in Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument (VICR) to assess existing contamination levels. Passive water sampling using polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) and semi-permeable membrane devices found a few emerging pollutants of concern (DEET and galaxolide) and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Very little persistent organic chemical contamination was detected in the tissue or detritus samples. Detected contaminants were at concentrations below those reported to be harmful to aquatic organisms. Extracts from the POCIS were subjected to the yeast estrogen screen (YES) to assess potential estrogenicity of the contaminant mixture. Results of the YES (estrogen equivalency of 0.17–0.31 ng/L 17-β-estradiol) indicated a low estrogenicity likelihood for contaminants extracted from water. Findings point to low levels of polar and non-polar organic contaminants in the bays sampled within VICR and VIIS.

Study of the trace metal ion influence on the turnover of soil organic matter in cultivated contaminated soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumat, C.; Quenea, K.; Bermond, A.; Toinen, S.; Benedetti, M.F.

2006-01-01

The role of metals in the behaviour of soil organic matter (SOM) is not well documented. Therefore, we investigated the influence of metals (Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd) on the dynamic of SOM in contaminated soils where maize (C 4 plant) replaced C 3 cultures. Three pseudogley brown leached soil profiles under maize with a decreasing gradient in metals concentrations were sampled. On size fractions, stable carbon isotopic ratio (δ 13 C), metals, organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations were measured in function of depth. The determined sequence for the amount of C 4 organic matter in the bulk fractions: M 3 (0.9) > M 2 (0.4) > M 1 (0.3) is in agreement with a significant influence of metals on the SOM turnover. New C 4 SOM, mainly present in the labile coarser fractions and less contaminated by metals than the stabilised C 3 SOM of the clay fraction, is more easily degraded by microorganisms. - Measure of δ 13 C and total metal concentrations in size fractions of contaminated soils suggests an influence of metals on the soil organic matter dynamic

Biodegradation of organ chlorine pesticides in contaminated soil collected from Yen Tap, Cam Khe, Phu Tho

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen Thuy Binh; Nguyen Van Toan; Pham Thi Thai; Dinh Thi Thu Hang

2007-01-01

Biodegradation of POPs contaminant in soil collected from Phu Tho province and Nghe An province had carried out. The process comprises treating soil, which contains anaerobic and aerobic microbes capable of transforming lindane and DDT into harmless material and being under anaerobic and aerobic steps. Significant biodegradation of POPs contaminants occurred in there tests. But some of toxic organic compounds remained. (author)

Low levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in New Zealand eels reflect isolation from atmospheric sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmqvist, Niklas; Stenroth, Patrik; Berglund, Olof; Nystroem, Per; Olsson, Karin; Jellyman, Don; McIntosh, Angus R.; Larsson, Per

2006-01-01

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organic pesticides (i.e., DDTs) were measured in long finned eels (Anguilla dieffenbachii) in 17 streams on the west coast of South Island, New Zealand. Very low levels of PCBs and low levels of ppDDE were found. The concentrations of PCBs and ppDDE were not correlated within sites indicating that different processes determined the levels of the two pollutants in New Zealand eels. The PCBs probably originate from atmospheric transport, ppDDE levels are determined by land use and are higher in agriculture areas. The low contamination level of these aquatic systems seems to be a function of a low input from both long and short-range transport as well as few local point sources. No correlation could be found between lipid content and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) concentration (as shown in previous studies) in the eels which could be explained by low and irregular intake of the pollutants. - Low levels of PCBs found in New Zealand eels reflect isolation from atmospheric sources while DDTs levels are determined by land use

Ex-situ bioremediation of petroleum contaminated soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minier, M.R.

1994-01-01

The use of stress acclimated bacteria and nutrient supplements to enhance the biodegradation of petroleum contaminated soil can be a cost effective and reliable treatment technology to reduce organic contaminant levels to below established by local, state, and federal regulatory clean-up criteria. This paper will summarize the results of a field study in which 12,000 yds 3 of petroleum contaminated soil was successfully treated via ex-situ bioremediation and through management of macro and micronutrient concentrations, as well as, other site specific environmental factors that are essential for optimizing microbial growth

Remediation of Biological Organic Fertilizer and Biochar in Paddy Soil Contaminated by Cd and Pb

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MA Tie-zheng

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The effect of application of biological organic fertilizer and biochar on the immobilized remediation of paddy soil contaminated by Cd and Pb was studied under the field experiment. The results showed that biological organic fertilizer and biochar increased the soil pH and soil nutrient contents, and reduced the soil available Cd and Pb concentrations significantly. The soil pH had significantly negative correla-tion with the soil available Cd and Pb contents. The application of biological organic fertilizer and biochar decreased Cd and Pb concentration in all parts of the rice plant, with Cd concentration in brown rice decrease by 22.00% and 18.34% and Pb decease in brown rice by 33.46% and 12.31%. The concentration of Cd and Pb in brown rice had significant positive correlation with the soil available Cd and Pb concentra-tions. It was observed that both biological organic fertilizer and biochar had a positive effect on the remediation of paddy soil contaminated by Cd and Pb.

Radiolytic generation of chloro-organic compounds in transuranic and low-level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reed, D.T.; Armstrong, S.C.; Krause, T.R.

1993-01-01

The radiolytic degradation of chloro-plastics is being investigated to evaluate the formation of chlorinated volatile organic compounds in radioactive waste. These chlorinated VOCs, when their subsequent migration in the geosphere is considered, are potential sources of ground-water contamination. This contamination is an important consideration for transuranic waste repositories being proposed for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant project and the several additional low-level radioactive waste sites being considered throughout the United States. The production of chlorinated volatile organic compounds due to the interaction of ionizing radiation with chloro-plastic materials has been well-established in both this work and past studies. This occurs as a result of gamma, beta, and alpha particle interactions with the plastic material. The assemblage of organic compounds generated depends on the type of plastic material, the type of ionizing radiation, the gaseous environment present and the irradiation temperature. In the authors' experiments, gas generation data were obtained by mounting representative plastics near (3 mm) an alpha particle source (Am-241 foil). This assembly was placed in an irradiation vessel which contained air, nitrogen, or a hydrogen/carbon dioxide mixture, at near-atmospheric pressures, to simulate the range of atmospheres likely to be encountered in the subsurface. The gas phase in the vessels are periodically sampled for net gas production. The gas phase concentrations are monitored over time to determine trends and calculate the radiolytic yield for the various gaseous products

Certified reference materials for organic contaminants for use in monitoring of the aquatic environment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boer, de J.; McGovern, E.

2001-01-01

Over the last three decades organic contaminants have been of increasing importance in environmental monitoring. Dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides have determined the environmental research agenda. This has led to an increasing demand for certified reference

Influence of radioactive contaminants on absorbed dose estimates for radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, E.E.; Stabin, M.G.

1986-01-01

Several popular radiopharmaceutical products contain low levels of radioactive contaminants. These contaminants increase the radiation absorbed dose to the patient without any increased benefit and, in some cases, with a decrease in image quality. The importance of a contaminant to the radiation dosimetry picture is a function of 1) the contaminant level, 2) the physical half-life of the contaminant, 3) the organ uptake and the biological half-time of the contaminant in the various body systems, and 4) the decay mode, energy, etc. of the contaminant. The general influence of these parameters is discussed in this paper; families of curves are included that reflect the changing importance of contaminant dosimetry with respect to the primary radionuclide as a function of these variables. Several specific examples are also given of currently used radiopharmaceutical products which can contain radioactive contaminants (I-123, In-111, Tl-201, Ir-191m, Rb-82, Au-195m). 7 references, 8 figures, 4 tables

Energy-level alignment at metal-organic and organic-organic interfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veenstra, Sjoerd; Jonkman, H.T.

2003-01-01

This article reports on the electronic structure at interfaces found in organic semiconductor devices. The studied organic materials are C-60 and poly (para-phenylenevinylene) (PPV)-like oligomers, and the metals are polycrystalline Au and Ag. To measure the energy levels at these interfaces,

Real-time detection of organic contamination events in water distribution systems by principal components analysis of ultraviolet spectral data.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jian; Hou, Dibo; Wang, Ke; Huang, Pingjie; Zhang, Guangxin; Loáiciga, Hugo

2017-05-01

The detection of organic contaminants in water distribution systems is essential to protect public health from potential harmful compounds resulting from accidental spills or intentional releases. Existing methods for detecting organic contaminants are based on quantitative analyses such as chemical testing and gas/liquid chromatography, which are time- and reagent-consuming and involve costly maintenance. This study proposes a novel procedure based on discrete wavelet transform and principal component analysis for detecting organic contamination events from ultraviolet spectral data. Firstly, the spectrum of each observation is transformed using discrete wavelet with a coiflet mother wavelet to capture the abrupt change along the wavelength. Principal component analysis is then employed to approximate the spectra based on capture and fusion features. The significant value of Hotelling's T 2 statistics is calculated and used to detect outliers. An alarm of contamination event is triggered by sequential Bayesian analysis when the outliers appear continuously in several observations. The effectiveness of the proposed procedure is tested on-line using a pilot-scale setup and experimental data.

Evaluation of the Level of air Microbial Contamination in some ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The level of air microbial contamination in some teaching hospitals waste dump site in South Eastern Nigeria was evaluated using the standard microbiological techniques. Passive air sampling was performed using settle plates. The microbial load of the air around the hospitals waste dumpsite, showed high microbial load ...

Successful field tests of a multi-process phytoremediation system for decontamination of persistent petroleum and organic contaminants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greenberg, B.M.; Huang, X.D.; Gurska, Y.; Gerhardt, K.E.; Wang, W.; Lampi, M.A.; Zhang, C.; Khalid, A.; Isherwood, D.; Chang, P.; Wang, H.; Dixon, D.G.; Glick, B.R. [Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada)

2006-07-01

A large number of aquatic and terrestrial environments are polluted with various levels of toxicants. Metals, organics and total petroleum hydrocarbons from anthropogenic sources pose a risk to both human health and the health of ecosystems. Although these persistent contaminants are difficult to remediate, several industrial sites throughout North America are being remediated as part of land reclamation and restoration programs. This paper addressed the issue of phytoremediation for removing contaminants from soils. Phytoremediation is considered to be a viable remediation strategy because the increased biomass of plants, relative to the biomass of soil microbes in the absence of plants, allows for higher throughput. Extensive root systems can infiltrate large volumes of soil, thus promoting degradation of contaminants over a wide area. This paper described a newly developed multi-process phytoremediation system with accelerated remediation kinetics to effectively remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHC) from soils. The system combines land farming/sunlight exposure; inoculation of contaminant degrading bacteria; and, plant growth with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria which mitigates the effects of stress ethylene in plants. The primary factor for success was the interaction between the plant and the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. Several field tests were conducted following successful greenhouse tests. Results at a TPH contaminated site in Sarnia, Ontario showed that over a 2 year period, 60 to 70 per cent remediation of 15 per cent TPH was achieved. At a site in Turner Valley, Alberta, 35 per cent remediation of 1 per cent recalcitrant TPH was achieved, while a DDT contaminated site near Simcoe, Ontario had nearly 30 per cent of CHC removed in a 3 month period. 34 refs., 2 tabs., 2 figs.

Successful field tests of a multi-process phytoremediation system for decontamination of persistent petroleum and organic contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenberg, B.M.; Huang, X.D.; Gurska, Y.; Gerhardt, K.E.; Wang, W.; Lampi, M.A.; Zhang, C.; Khalid, A.; Isherwood, D.; Chang, P.; Wang, H.; Dixon, D.G.; Glick, B.R.

2006-01-01

A large number of aquatic and terrestrial environments are polluted with various levels of toxicants. Metals, organics and total petroleum hydrocarbons from anthropogenic sources pose a risk to both human health and the health of ecosystems. Although these persistent contaminants are difficult to remediate, several industrial sites throughout North America are being remediated as part of land reclamation and restoration programs. This paper addressed the issue of phytoremediation for removing contaminants from soils. Phytoremediation is considered to be a viable remediation strategy because the increased biomass of plants, relative to the biomass of soil microbes in the absence of plants, allows for higher throughput. Extensive root systems can infiltrate large volumes of soil, thus promoting degradation of contaminants over a wide area. This paper described a newly developed multi-process phytoremediation system with accelerated remediation kinetics to effectively remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHC) from soils. The system combines land farming/sunlight exposure; inoculation of contaminant degrading bacteria; and, plant growth with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria which mitigates the effects of stress ethylene in plants. The primary factor for success was the interaction between the plant and the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. Several field tests were conducted following successful greenhouse tests. Results at a TPH contaminated site in Sarnia, Ontario showed that over a 2 year period, 60 to 70 per cent remediation of 15 per cent TPH was achieved. At a site in Turner Valley, Alberta, 35 per cent remediation of 1 per cent recalcitrant TPH was achieved, while a DDT contaminated site near Simcoe, Ontario had nearly 30 per cent of CHC removed in a 3 month period. 34 refs., 2 tabs., 2 figs

Emerging organic contaminants in groundwater: A review of sources, fate and occurrence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lapworth, D.J.; Baran, N.; Stuart, M.E.; Ward, R.S.

2012-01-01

Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) detected in groundwater may have adverse effects on human health and aquatic ecosystems. This paper reviews the existing occurrence data in groundwater for a range of EOCs including pharmaceutical, personal care, ‘life-style’ and selected industrial compounds. The main sources and pathways for organic EOCs in groundwater are reviewed, with occurrence data for EOCs in groundwater included from both targeted studies and broad reconnaissance surveys. Nanogram-microgram per litre concentrations are present in groundwater for a large range of EOCs as well as metabolites and transformation products and under certain conditions may pose a threat to freshwater bodies for decades due to relatively long groundwater residence times. In the coming decades, more of these EOCs are likely to have drinking water standards, environmental quality standards and/or groundwater threshold values defined, and therefore a better understanding of the spatial and temporal variation remains a priority. - Highlights: ► First review to focus on EOCs in groundwater. ► A large range (n > 180) of EOCs are detected in groundwater. ► Significant concentrations (10 2 –10 4 ng/L) for a range of EOCs, including endocrine disruptors. ► Groundwater EOC occurrence is poorly characterised compared to other freshwater resources. - A large range of emerging organic contaminants are now being detected in groundwater as a result of recent and historical anthropogenic activities.

Treatment options for low-level radiologically contaminated ORNL filtercake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hom-Ti; Bostick, W.D.

1996-04-01

Water softening sludge (>4000 stored low level contaminated drums; 600 drums per year) generated by the ORNL Process Waste Treatment Plant must be treated, stabilized, and placed in safe storage/disposal. The sludge is primarily CaCO 3 and is contaminated by low levels of 90 Sr and 137 Cs. In this study, microwave sintering and calcination were evaluated for treating the sludge. The microwave melting experiments showed promise: volume reductions were significant (3-5X), and the waste form was durable with glass additives (LiOH, fly ash). A commercial vendor using surrogate has demonstrated a melt mineralization process that yields a dense monolithic waste form with a volume reduction factor (VR) of 7.7. Calcination of the sludge at 850-900 C yielded a VR of 2.5. Compaction at 4500 psi increased the VR to 4.2, but the compressed form is not dimensionally stable. Addition of paraffin helped consolidate fines and yielded a VR of 3.5. In conclusion, microwave melting or another form of vitrification is likely to be the best method; however for immediate implementation, the calculation/compaction/waxing process is viable

The use of passive membrane samplers to assess organic contaminant inputs at five coastal sites in west Maui, Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Pamela L.; Prouty, Nancy G.; Storlazzi, Curt; D'antonio, Nicole

2017-07-26

Five passive membrane samplers were deployed for 28 continuous days at select sites along and near the west Maui coastline to assess organic compounds and contaminant inputs to diverse, shallow coral reef ecosystems. Daily and weekly fluctuations in such inputs were captured on the membranes using integrative sampling. The distribution of organic compounds observed at these five coastal sites showed considerable variation; with high concentrations of terrestrially sourced organic compounds such as C29 sterols and high molecular weight n-alkanes at the strongly groundwater-influenced Kahekili vent site. In comparison, the coastal sites were presumably influenced more by seasonal surface and stream water runoff and therefore had marine-sourced organic compounds and fewer pharmaceuticals and personal care products. The direct correlation to upstream land-use practices was not obvious and may require additional wet-season sampling. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products as well as flame retardants were detected at all sites, and the Kahekili vent site had the highest number of detections. Planned future work must also determine the organic compound and contaminant concentrations adsorbed onto water column particulate matter, because it may also be an important vector for contaminant transport to coral reef ecosystems. The impact of contaminants per individual (such as fecundity and metabolism) as well as per community (such as species abundance and diversity) is necessary for an accurate assessment of environmental stress. Results presented herein provide current contaminant inputs to select nearshore environments along the west Maui coastline captured during the dry season, and they can be useful to aid potential future evaluations and (or) comparisons.

Volume reduction of low-level contaminated metal waste by melting: selection of method and conceptual plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Copeland, G.L.; Heestand, R.L.; Mateer, R.S.

1978-06-01

A review of the literature and prior experience led to selection of induction melting as the most promising method for volume reduction of low-level transuranic contaminated metal waste. The literature indicates that melting with the appropriate slags significantly lowers the total contamination level of the metals by preferentially concentrating contaminants in the smaller volume of slag. Surface contamination not removed to the slag is diluted in the ingot and is contained uniformly in the metal. This dilution and decontamination offers the potential of lower cost disposal such as shallow burial rather than placement in a national repository. A processing plan is proposed as a model for economic analysis of the collection and volume reduction of contaminated metals. Further development is required to demonstrate feasibility of the plan

Assessment of contaminant levels and trophic relations at a World Heritage Site by measurements in a characteristic shorebird species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwemmer, Philipp, E-mail: schwemmer@ftz-west.uni-kiel.de [Research and Technology Centre (Forschungs- und Technologiezentrum), University of Kiel, Hafentörn 1, 25761 Büsum (Germany); Covaci, Adrian, E-mail: adrian.covaci@uantwerpen.be [Toxicological Center, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk (Belgium); Das, Krishna, E-mail: krishna.das@ulg.ac.be [Laboratory for Oceanology-MARE Research Center, University of Liege, Allée de la Chimie 17, B6C, Institut de Chimie, 4000 Liege (Sart-Tilman) (Belgium); Lepoint, Gilles, E-mail: g.lepoint@ulg.ac.be [Laboratory for Oceanology-MARE Research Center, University of Liege, Allée de la Chimie 17, B6C, Institut de Chimie, 4000 Liege (Sart-Tilman) (Belgium); Adler, Sven, E-mail: sven.adler@slu.se [Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83 Umeå (Sweden); Garthe, Stefan, E-mail: garthe@ftz-west.uni-kiel.de [Research and Technology Centre (Forschungs- und Technologiezentrum), University of Kiel, Hafentörn 1, 25761 Büsum (Germany)

2015-01-15

The River Elbe is responsible for influxes of contaminants into the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site. We investigated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), oxychlordane (OxC), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (α-, β-, γ-HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in blood and feathers from Eurasian oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus; n=28) at the Elbe and compared it with a non-riverine site about 90 km further north. (1) Mean levels of all contaminants in feathers and serum were significantly higher at the river (∑PCBs: 27.6 ng/g feather, 37.0 ng/ml serum; ∑DDTs: 5.3 ng/g feather, 4.4 ng/ml serum) compared with the non-riverine site (∑PCBs: 6.5 ng/g feather, 1.2 ng/ml serum; ∑DDTs: 1.4 ng/g feather, 0.5 ng/ml serum). Mean ∑HCH and HCB levels were <1.8 ng/g in feather and <1.8 ng/ml in serum at both sites. (2) Levels of most detectable compounds in serum and feathers were significantly related, but levels were not consistently higher in either tissue. (3) There was no significant relationship between trophic level in individual oystercatchers (expressed as δ15N) or the degree of terrestrial feeding (expressed as δ13C) and contaminant loads. (4) PBDEs were not detected in significant amounts at either site. The results of this study indicate that the outflow from one of Europe′s largest river systems is associated with significant historical contamination, reflected by the accumulation of contaminants in body tissues in a coastal benthivore predator. - Highlights: • Contaminants in Oystercatchers from the Elbe river and a non-riverine site were measured. • Mean levels of contaminants were higher at the river than at the non-riverine site. • Levels of most contaminants in serum and feathers were significantly related. • No relationship between trophic level (δ15N) and contaminant level was found. • One of Europe′s largest river systems is associated

Assessment of contaminant levels and trophic relations at a World Heritage Site by measurements in a characteristic shorebird species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwemmer, Philipp; Covaci, Adrian; Das, Krishna; Lepoint, Gilles; Adler, Sven; Garthe, Stefan

2015-01-01

The River Elbe is responsible for influxes of contaminants into the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site. We investigated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), oxychlordane (OxC), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (α-, β-, γ-HCHs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in blood and feathers from Eurasian oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus; n=28) at the Elbe and compared it with a non-riverine site about 90 km further north. (1) Mean levels of all contaminants in feathers and serum were significantly higher at the river (∑PCBs: 27.6 ng/g feather, 37.0 ng/ml serum; ∑DDTs: 5.3 ng/g feather, 4.4 ng/ml serum) compared with the non-riverine site (∑PCBs: 6.5 ng/g feather, 1.2 ng/ml serum; ∑DDTs: 1.4 ng/g feather, 0.5 ng/ml serum). Mean ∑HCH and HCB levels were <1.8 ng/g in feather and <1.8 ng/ml in serum at both sites. (2) Levels of most detectable compounds in serum and feathers were significantly related, but levels were not consistently higher in either tissue. (3) There was no significant relationship between trophic level in individual oystercatchers (expressed as δ15N) or the degree of terrestrial feeding (expressed as δ13C) and contaminant loads. (4) PBDEs were not detected in significant amounts at either site. The results of this study indicate that the outflow from one of Europe′s largest river systems is associated with significant historical contamination, reflected by the accumulation of contaminants in body tissues in a coastal benthivore predator. - Highlights: • Contaminants in Oystercatchers from the Elbe river and a non-riverine site were measured. • Mean levels of contaminants were higher at the river than at the non-riverine site. • Levels of most contaminants in serum and feathers were significantly related. • No relationship between trophic level (δ15N) and contaminant level was found. • One of Europe′s largest river systems is associated

Assessment of the contaminants level in recycled aggregates and alternative new technologies for contaminants recognition and removal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lotfi, S.; Di Maio, F.; Xia, H.; Serranti, S.; Palmieri, R.; Bonifazi, G.

2015-01-01

One of the main challenging problems associated with the use of Recycled Aggregates (RA) is the level of mixed contaminants. For utilizing RA in high-grade applications, it is essential to monitor and minimise the content of the pollutants. To this extent the C2CA concrete recycling process

Environmental contamination from a ground-level release of fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stupka, R.C.; Kephart, G.S.; Rittmann, P.D.

1986-08-01

On January 11, 1985, a ground-level release of fission products, primarily 90 Sr, occurred at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. The release was detected during routine surveys and the majority of the contamination was confined to the immediate area where the release occurred. Response to the incident was complicated by a strong inversion that resulted in a buildup of 222 Rn daughter products on environmental air samples and outdoor surfaces. The cause of the release appears to have been the operation of a transfer jet that inadvertently pressurized an unblanked line leading to the 241-C-151 Diversion Box. A buildup of pressure inside the diversion box forced contaminated air through gaps in the diversion box cover blocks resulting in an unmonitored, short duration release to the environment. The source term was estimated using data obtained from environmental air samplers. The ground deposition speed was calculated using the integrated exposure (air samples) and surface contamination levels obtained from recently fallen snow. The total release was estimated to be 1.4 Ci 90 Sr and 0.02 Ci 137 Cs. Based on this source term, the maximum 50-yr dose commitment to onsite pesonnel was 50 mrem whole body and 600 mrem bone. No detectable internal deposition occurred during the incident and corrective action which followed; this was probably due to several factors: (1) prompt detection of the release; (2) localized contamination control; (3) excellent personnel protection practices; and (4) the protection offered by building ventilation systems. The theoretical maximum offsite individual would receive a potential 1-yr dose commitment of 0.01 mrem whole body and 0.2 mrem bone from this incident. The potential 50-yr dose commitment would be 0.13 mrem whole body and 2.0 mrem bone. In actuality, neither onsite or offsite individuals would be expected to receive even these small dose commitments

Occurrence, distribution and bioaccumulation behaviour of hydrophobic organic contaminants in a large-scale constructed wetland in Singapore.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qian; Kelly, Barry C

2017-09-01

This study involved a field-based investigation to assess the occurrence, distribution and bioaccumulation behaviour of hydrophobic organic contaminants in a large-scale constructed wetland. Samples of raw leachate, water and wetland plants, Typha angustifolia, were collected for chemical analysis. Target contaminants included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCP), as well as several halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) and personal care products (triclosan and synthetic musks). In addition to PCBs and OCPs, synthetic musks, triclosan (TCS) and dechlorane plus stereoisomers (syn- and anti-DPs) were frequently detected. Root concentration factors (log RCF L/kg wet weight) of the various contaminants ranged between 3.0 and 7.9. Leaf concentration factors (log LCF L/kg wet weight) ranged between 2.4 and 8.2. syn- and anti-DPs exhibited the greatest RCF and LCF values. A strong linear relationship was observed between log RCF and octanol-water partition coefficient (log K OW ). Translocation factors (log TFs) were negatively correlated with log K OW . The results demonstrate that more hydrophobic compounds exhibit higher degrees of partitioning into plant roots and are less effectively transported from roots to plant leaves. Methyl triclosan (MTCS) and 2,8-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (DCDD), TCS degradation products, exhibited relatively high concentrations in roots and leaves., highlighting the importance of degradation/biotransformation. The results further suggest that Typha angustifolia in this constructed wetland can aid the removal of hydrophobic organic contaminants present in this landfill leachate. The findings will aid future investigations regarding the fate and bioaccumulation of hydrophobic organic contaminants in constructed wetlands. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Standard Practice for Preparation of Aerospace Contamination Control Plans

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2009-01-01

1.1 This practice is intended to assist in the preparation of formal plans for contamination control, especially of aerospace critical surfaces. Requirements may be established at the systems level, either by the customer or the systems integrator, or at the subsystem level. Subsystem requirements may be imposed by the responsible subsystem supplier or they may be flowed down from the systems organization (4.7). The extent of detail and level of cleanliness required can vary with the particular application and type of hardware being built, but all aspects of contamination control must be included in a final plan. Therefore, each of the following elements must be considered for inclusion in a contamination control plan (CCP): 1.1.1 Cleanliness requirements for deliverable hardware addressing particulate, molecular, or biological contaminants or combination thereof. Specify contamination limits and any budget allocations. 1.1.2 Implementation plans to achieve, verify, and maintain the specified cleanliness re...

Analysis of Radioactivity Contamination Level of Kartini Reactor Efluen Gas to the Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suratman; Purwanto; Aminjoyo, S

1996-01-01

The analysis of radioactivity contamination level of Kartini reactor efluen gas to the environment has been done from 13-10-'95 until 8-2-'96. The aim of this research is to determine the radioactivity contamination level on the environment resulted from the release of Kartini reactor efluen gas and other facilities at Yogyakarta Nuclear Research Centre through stack. The analysis methods is the student t-test, the first count factor test and the gamma spectrometry. The gas sampling were carried out in the stack reactor, reactor room, environment and in other room for comparison. Efluen gas was sucked through a filter by a high volume vacuum pump. The filter was counted for beta, gamma and alpha activities. The radioactivity contamination level of the efluen gas passing through the stack to the environment was measured between 0.57 - 1.34 Bq/m3, which was equal to the airborne radioactivity in environment between 0.69 - 1.12 Bq/m3. This radioactivity comes from radon daughter, decay products result from the natural uranium and thorium series of the materials of the building

Estimating the fates of organic contaminants in an aquifer using QSAR.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Seung Joo; Fox, Peter

2013-01-01

The quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) model, BIOWIN, was modified to more accurately estimate the fates of organic contaminants in an aquifer. The predictions from BIOWIN were modified to include oxidation and sorption effects. The predictive model therefore included the effects of sorption, biodegradation, and oxidation. A total of 35 organic compounds were used to validate the predictive model. The majority of the ratios of predicted half-life to measured half-life were within a factor of 2 and no ratio values were greater than a factor of 5. In addition, the accuracy of estimating the persistence of organic compounds in the sub-surface was superior when modified by the relative fraction adsorbed to the solid phase, 1/Rf, to that when modified by the remaining fraction of a given compound adsorbed to a solid, 1 - fs.

EFFECT OF CONTAMINANT AND ORGANIC MATTER BIOAVAILABILITY ON THE MICROBIAL DEHALOGENATION OF SEDIMENT-BOUND CHLOROBENZENES. (R825513C007)

Science.gov (United States)

The extent of reductive dechlorination occurring in contaminated, estuarine sediments was investigated. Contaminant and organic matter bioavailability and their effect on the reductive dechlorination of sediment-bound chlorobenzenes was the main focus of the work presented her...

Organics in water contamination analyzer, phase 1

Science.gov (United States)

1986-01-01

The requirements which would result in identifying the components of an automatic analytical system for the analysis of specific organic compounds in the space station potable water supply are defined. The gas chromatographic system for such an analysis is limited to commercially available off-the-shelf hardware and includes the sample inlet, an ionization detector, capillary columns as well as computerized compound identification. The sampling system will be a special variation of the purge and trap Tenax mode using six-port valves and a 500 microliter water sample. Capillary columns used for the separating of contaminants will be bonded phase fused silica with a silicone stationary phase. Two detectors can be used: photoionization and far ultraviolet, since they are sensitive and compatible with capillary columns. A computer system evaluation and program with the principle of compound identification based on the retention index is presented.

Treatment of organic aromatic contaminants in soil with fungi and biochar

OpenAIRE

Anasonye, Festus

2017-01-01

Soils that are contaminated with organic aromatic compounds such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) have previously been treated by combustion at elevated temperatures. Although, combustion is effective, it is expensive due to high energy and equipment requirements. However, innovative technologies such as the use of fungi and/or biochar can offer an alternative option that is friendly to the envir...

Estimation of Potential Population Level Effects of Contaminants on Wildlife; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loar, J.M.

2001-01-01

The objective of this project is to provide DOE with improved methods to assess risks from contaminants to wildlife populations. The current approach for wildlife risk assessment consists of comparison of contaminant exposure estimates for individual animals to literature-derived toxicity test endpoints. These test endpoints are assumed to estimate thresholds for population-level effects. Moreover, species sensitivities to contaminants is one of several criteria to be considered when selecting assessment endpoints (EPA 1997 and 1998), yet data on the sensitivities of many birds and mammals are lacking. The uncertainties associated with this approach are considerable. First, because toxicity data are not available for most potential wildlife endpoint species, extrapolation of toxicity data from test species to the species of interest is required. There is no consensus on the most appropriate extrapolation method. Second, toxicity data are represented as statistical measures (e.g., NOAEL s or LOAELs) that provide no information on the nature or magnitude of effects. The level of effect is an artifact of the replication and dosing regime employed, and does not indicate how effects might increase with increasing exposure. Consequently, slight exceedance of a LOAEL is not distinguished from greatly exceeding it. Third, the relationship of toxic effects on individuals to effects on populations is poorly estimated by existing methods. It is assumed that if the exposure of individuals exceeds levels associated with impaired reproduction, then population level effects are likely. Uncertainty associated with this assumption is large because depending on the reproductive strategy of a given species, comparable levels of reproductive impairment may result in dramatically different population-level responses. This project included several tasks to address these problems: (1) investigation of the validity of the current allometric scaling approach for interspecies extrapolation

Accumulation of organic and inorganic contaminants in shellfish collected in estuarine waters near Pensacola, Florida: Contamination profiles and risks to human consumers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karouna-Renier, Natalie K.; Snyder, Richard A.; Allison, Jeffrey G.; Wagner, Matthew G.; Ranga Rao, K.

2007-01-01

We conducted a screening level assessment of contaminants in blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) and oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from bays and bayous in the Pensacola, FL area. Tissue samples were analyzed for 17 dioxins/furans, 12 dioxin-like PCB (DL-PCBs) congeners, mercury, and various metals. Contaminant levels were compared to screening values (SV) calculated using U.S. EPA recommendations for establishing consumption advisories. All sampling locations exceeded the SV (0.098 pg g -1 ) for dioxins/furans/DL-PCBs, based on a Florida-specific consumption rate (46 g day -1 ). Arsenic (inorganic), mercury, cadmium, and zinc levels exceeded SVs in samples from select locations, and with the exception of mercury, these locations were generally downstream of known contaminated areas. We also assessed potential human health risks from consumption of these species. Risks to human health were greatest from consumption of crab hepatopancreas, suggesting that consumption of hepatopancreas, whether directly or indirectly, from crabs collected anywhere in the Pensacola Bay region should be avoided. - Elevated levels of dioxins/furans and dioxin-like PCBs were detected in blue crabs and oysters from select locations in the Pensacola Bay region

Enhanced degradation of organic contaminants in water by peroxydisulfate coupled with bisulfite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qi, Chengdu, E-mail: qichengdu@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (SKLESPC), Beijing Key Laboratory for Emerging Organic Contaminants Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Liu, Xitao, E-mail: liuxt@bnu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Li, Yang; Lin, Chunye; Ma, Jun; Li, Xiaowan; Zhang, Huijuan [State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China)

2017-04-15

Highlights: • S(IV)/PDS system showed synergistic degradation of BPA than S(IV) and PDS. • BPA degradation involved hydroxyl and oxysulfur radicals in the S(IV)/PDS system. • Based on the identified intermediates, the BPA degradation pathway was proposed. - Abstract: In this study, the bisulfite-peroxydisulfate system (S(IV)/PDS) widely used in polymerization was innovatively applied for organic contaminants degradation in water. The addition of S(IV) into PDS system remarkably enhanced the degradation efficiency of bisphenol A (BPA, a frequently detected endocrine disrupting chemical in the environments) from 17.0% to 84.7% within 360 min. The degradation efficiency of BPA in the S(IV)/PDS system followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, with rate constant values ranging from 0.00005 min{sup −1} to 0.02717 min{sup −1} depending on the operating parameters, such as the initial S(IV) and PDS dosage, solution pH, reaction temperature, chloride and water type. Furthermore, nitrogen purging experiment, radical scavenging experiment and electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis were used to elucidate the possible mechanism. The results revealed that sulfate radical was the dominant reactive species in the S(IV)/PDS system. Finally, based on the results of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), the BPA degradation pathway was proposed to involve β-scission (C−C), hydroxylation, dehydration, oxidative skeletal rearrangement, and ring opening. This study helps to characterize the combination of PDS and inorganic S(IV), a common industrial contaminant, to generate reactive species to enhance organic contaminants degradation in water.

Application of hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) to organic chemical contaminants in food.

Science.gov (United States)

Ropkins, K; Beck, A J

2002-03-01

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a systematic approach to the identification, assessment, and control of hazards that was developed as an effective alternative to conventional end-point analysis to control food safety. It has been described as the most effective means of controlling foodborne diseases, and its application to the control of microbiological hazards has been accepted internationally. By contrast, relatively little has been reported relating to the potential use of HACCP, or HACCP-like procedures, to control chemical contaminants of food. This article presents an overview of the implementation of HACCP and discusses its application to the control of organic chemical contaminants in the food chain. Although this is likely to result in many of the advantages previously identified for microbiological HACCP, that is, more effective, efficient, and economical hazard management, a number of areas are identified that require further research and development. These include: (1) a need to refine the methods of chemical contaminant identification and risk assessment employed, (2) develop more cost-effective monitoring and control methods for routine chemical contaminant surveillance of food, and (3) improve the effectiveness of process optimization for the control of chemical contaminants in food.

Levels of organization : a deflationary account

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eronen, Markus I.

The idea of levels of organization plays a central role in the philosophy of the life sciences. In this article, I first examine the explanatory goals that have motivated accounts of levels of organization. I then show that the most state-of-the-art and scientifically plausible account of levels of

Radioactive contamination of foodstuffs: determination of permissible levels; Contamination radioactive des denrees alimentaires: determination des niveaux admissibles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ledermann, S [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Fontenay- aux-Roses (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1965-07-01

In a latent air-soil contamination situation, the population would receive 80 per cent of its contamination through foodstuffs. The supervision of this food poses many problems: sampling, radionuclide dosages, etc. It is also necessary to estimate the maximum permissible concentration of radionuclides in foodstuffs, once the maximum exposure limit for the human body has been fixed. The passage of this level to the maximum concentrations is not simple since a) each radionuclide has its own particular effect on the body; b) their concentrations vary from one foodstuff to another, and c) the average amounts of foodstuffs vary from one population to another. Two methods are given here for estimating the maximum permissible concentrations in foodstuffs, together with the first diets likely to become critical when several of them are to be considered simultaneously. The results depend on the way in which the present situation can change to become critical. This evolutionary path can only be estimated approximately. Two methods are therefore given for studying the sensitivity of the results. As an example, a numerical application of these methods using data actually available is given. The data used is naturally incomplete and this will always be true. This application test indicates however two fields in which an improvement is absolutely necessary. 1 - The obtention of multiple observations (simultaneous dosage of at least 2 radionuclides in the same foodstuff, and simultaneous dosage of at least two foodstuffs for the same radionuclide); this assumes a combined effort by the various organisms; 2 - The reaching of an agreement on the dosage methods used by the various organisms since the results actually available are not comparable. (authors) [French] Dans une situation de contamination air-sol latente, la contamination des populations se ferait a 80 pour cent par l'alimentation. Surveiller cette alimentation pose des problemes complexes: echantillonnage, dosage des

Geochemical and mineralogical investigation of uranium in multi-element contaminated, organic-rich subsurface sediment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qafoku, Nikolla P.; Gartman, Brandy N.; Kukkadapu, Ravi K.; Arey, Bruce W.; Williams, Kenneth H.; Mouser, Paula J.; Heald, Steve M.; Bargar, John R.; Janot, Noémie; Yabusaki, Steve; Long, Philip E.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Subsurface naturally reduced zones (NRZ) contain U and other potential co-contaminants. • The NRZ has a remarkable assortment of chemically complex, potential U hosts. • Micron-scale, multi-contaminant areas were discovered in NRZ. • U(IV) occurs as biogenic UO 2 (82%), or biomass – bound monomeric U(IV) (18%). • NRZs may exhibit contaminant sink-source complex behavior. - Abstract: Subsurface regions of alluvial sediments characterized by an abundance of refractory or lignitic organic carbon compounds and reduced Fe and S bearing minerals, which are referred to as naturally reduced zones (NRZ), are present at the Integrated Field Research Challenge site in Rifle, CO (a former U mill site), and other contaminated subsurface sites. A study was conducted to demonstrate that the NRZ contains a variety of contaminants and unique minerals and potential contaminant hosts, investigate micron-scale spatial association of U with other co-contaminants, and determine solid phase-bounded U valence state and phase identity. The NRZ sediment had significant solid phase concentrations of U and other co-contaminants suggesting competing sorption reactions and complex temporal variations in dissolved contaminant concentrations in response to transient redox conditions, compared to single contaminant systems. The NRZ sediment had a remarkable assortment of potential contaminant hosts, such as Fe oxides, siderite, Fe(II) bearing clays, rare solids such as ZnS framboids and CuSe, and, potentially, chemically complex sulfides. Micron-scale inspections of the solid phase showed that U was spatially associated with other co-contaminants. High concentration, multi-contaminant, micron size (ca. 5–30 μm) areas of mainly U(IV) (53–100%) which occurred as biogenic UO 2 (82%), or biomass – bound monomeric U(IV) (18%), were discovered within the sediment matrix confirming that biotically induced reduction and subsequent sequestration of contaminant U(VI) via

Development of a lab-scale contaminated organic effluents treatment process using evaporation and supercritical water oxidation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Turc, H.A.; Joussot-Dubien, C

2004-07-01

The organic liquid waste produced in the ATALANTE facility have to be treated in order to reduce the fire and contamination risks. Therefore, the Mini-DELOS process has been developed, which combines a low pressure evaporator in a shielded enclosure and a continuous supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) reactor in a glovebox. Evaporation makes it possible to evacuate the main organic stream as decontaminated distillates to an industrial incinerator. The remaining residue, concentrating the radioactivity can be converted through SCWO into a contaminated aqueous effluent, fully compatible with the existing outlets of the facility. The preliminary results of the first year of active operation of the Mini- DELOS process are here presented. (authors)

Sorption of heavy metals and radionuclides on mineral surfaces in the presence of organic co-contaminants. 1997 annual progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leckie, J.; Redden, G.

1997-01-01

'This project fits well within the overall objectives established by the Environmental Management and Science Program to promote long-term basic research that will provide the tools for more effective and lower cost remediation efforts at DOE sites where hazardous and radioactive wastes or contamination zones are present. In order to develop the necessary remediation technology it has been recognized that a fundamental understanding of the various chemical and physical factors associated with waste treatment and contaminant transport must be established. Some of the specific topics include waste pretreatment, volume reduction, immobilization, separation methods, the interactions of actinides and heavy metals with surfaces in the presence of organic residues and co-contaminants, contaminant transport in the environment, and long-term storage site assessment. This project has direct and potential application in all these areas. The interaction and partitioning of contaminant metals and radionuclides between solution and solid- surface phases is a fundamental issue for waste treatment and predicting contaminant transport in the environment. Many factors are involved in the functional relationships describing chemical reactivity and physical distribution of chemical species. These include modification of chemical behavior by the suite of chemical co-contaminants in a system. Organic complexing agents are common components of waste mixtures and include both synthetic components specifically introduced as part of processing methods, and poorly characterized compounds that were introduced separately or evolved within the highly reactive wastes. Natural organic complexing agents such as citric acid and siderophores are common in nature and represent factors that will further influence contaminant transport in soils and aquatic systems. Knowledge of the existence of a metal-organic complex cannot automatically be used to predict changes in solid-solution partitioning of the

Resuspended contaminated sediments cause sublethal stress to oysters: A biomarker differentiates total suspended solids and contaminant effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Edge, Katelyn J; Dafforn, Katherine A; Simpson, Stuart L; Ringwood, Amy H; Johnston, Emma L

2015-06-01

Resuspended contaminated sediments represent an important route of contaminant exposure for aquatic organisms. During resuspension events, filter-feeding organisms are exposed to contaminants, in both the dissolved form (at the gills) and the particulate form (in the digestive system). In addition, these organisms must manage the physical stress associated with an increase in total suspended solids (TSS). To date, few studies have experimentally compared the contributions to biological stress of contaminated and clean suspended solids. The authors mixed field-collected sediments (cellular biomarkers (lysosomal membrane stability, lipid peroxidation, and glutathione) were measured to evaluate sublethal toxicity. Lysosomal membrane stability was the most sensitive biomarker for distinguishing effects from resuspended contaminated sediments, as increasing amounts of contaminated TSS increased lysosomal membrane destabilization. The authors' results illustrate the importance of considering contaminant exposures from resuspended sediments when assessing the toxicity of contaminants to aquatic organisms. © 2015 SETAC.

Prevalence and contamination levels of listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods in Tokyo, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimojima, Yukako; Ida, Miki; Nakama, Akiko; Nishino, Yukari; Fukui, Rie; Kuroda, Sumiyo; Hirai, Akihiko; Kai, Akemi; Sadamasu, Kenji

2016-08-01

We surveyed prevalence and contamination levels of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods between 2000 and 2012 in Tokyo. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 52 (1.7%) out of 2,980 samples. Comparing the prevalence in the study period, 2.2% were positive in the former period (2000-2005) and 1.2% in the latter (2006-2012). Using the most probable number (MPN) technique, 32 samples were contaminated with fewer than 0.3 L. monocytogenes/g, 10 samples with 0.3-1.0/g and 4 samples with more than 1.0/g (the maximum was 2.3/g). The most common serovar was 1/2a, followed by 1/2b, 4b and 1/2c. We revealed that ready-to-eat foods in Tokyo were contaminated with L. monocytogenes, although the contamination levels were low.

Assessment of PCDD/Fs levels in soil at a contaminated sawmill site in Sweden – A GIS and PCA approach to interpret the contamination pattern and distribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henriksson, S.; Hagberg, J.; Bäckström, M.; Persson, I.; Lindström, G.

2013-01-01

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-furans (PCDD/Fs) were analysed in soil from a Swedish sawmill site where chlorophenols (CPs) had been used more than 40 years ago. The most contaminated area at the site was the preservation subarea where the PCDD/F WHO 2005 -TEQ level was 3450 times higher than the current Swedish guideline value of 200 ng TEQ/kg soil for land for industrial use. It was also shown that a fire which destroyed the sawmill might have affected the congener distribution at the concerned areas. To get a broader picture of the contamination both GIS (spatial interpolation analysis) and multivariate data analysis (PCA) were applied to visualize and compare PCDD/F levels as well as congener distributions at different areas at the site. It is shown that GIS and PCA are powerful tools in decisions on future investigations, risk assessments and remediation of contaminated sites. -- Highlights: •GIS and PCA visualize and compare site levels and congener patterns of dioxins. •Subareas were separated by differences in contamination levels and congener patterns. •Fire had a significant effect on the congener distribution at the site. -- The use of geostatistical and multivariate statistical methods are powerful tools to visualize the contamination pattern and distribution at a highly PCDD/Fs-contaminated site

Response of microbial activities and diversity to PAHs contamination at coal tar contaminated land

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaohui; Sun, Yujiao; Ding, Aizhong; Zhang, Dan; Zhang, Dayi

2015-04-01

Coal tar is one of the most hazardous and concerned organic pollutants and the main hazards are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The indigenous microorganisms in soils are capable to degrade PAHs, with essential roles in biochemical process for PAHs natural attenuation. This study investigated 48 soil samples (from 8 depths of 6 boreholes) in Beijing coking and chemistry plant (China) and revealed the correlation between PAHs contamination, soil enzyme activities and microbial community structure, by 16S rRNA denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). At the site, the key contaminants were identified as naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene and anthracene, and the total PAHs concentration ranged from 0.1 to 923.9 mg/kg dry soil. The total PAHs contamination level was positively correlated (pcatalase activities (0.554-6.230 mL 0.02 M KMnO4/g•h) and dehydrogenase activities (1.9-30.4 TF μg/g•h soil), showing the significant response of microbial population and degrading functions to the organic contamination in soils. The PAHs contamination stimulated the PAHs degrading microbes and promoted their biochemical roles in situ. The positive relationship between bacteria count and dehydrogenase activities (p<0.05) suggested the dominancy of PAHs degrading bacteria in the microbial community. More interestingly, the microbial community deterioration was uncovered via the decline of microbial biodiversity (richness from 16S rRNA DGGE) against total PAHs concentration (p<0.05). Our research described the spatial profiles of PAHs contamination and soil microbial functions at the PAHs heavily contaminated sites, offering deeper understanding on the roles of indigenous microbial community in natural attenuation process.

Comparative analyses of contaminant levels in bottom feeding and predatory fish using the National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kidwell, J.M. [Clement International Corp., Fairfax, VA (United States); Phillips, L.J. [Versar Inc., Springfield, VA (United States); Birchard, G.F. [George Mason Univ., Fairfax, VA (United States)

1995-06-01

Both bottom feeding and predatory fish accumulate chemical contaminants found in water. Bottom feeders are readily exposed to the greater quantities of chlorinated hydrocarbons and metals that accumulate in sediments. Predators, on the other hand, may bioaccumulate organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, and metals from the surrounding water or from feeding on other fish, including bottom feeders, which may result in the biomagnification of these compounds in their tissues. This study used National Contaminant Biomonitoring Program data produced by the Fish and Wildlife Service to test the hypothesis that differences exist between bottom feeders and predators in tissue levels of organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, and metals. 7 refs., 2 tabs.

Regional contamination versus regional dietary differences: Understanding geographic variation in brominated and chlorinated contaminant levels in polar bears

Science.gov (United States)

McKinney, M.A.; Letcher, R.J.; Aars, Jon; Born, E.W.; Branigan, M.; Dietz, R.; Evans, T.J.; Gabrielsen, G.W.; Muir, D.C.G.; Peacock, E.; Sonne, C.

2011-01-01

The relative contribution of regional contamination versus dietary differences to geographic variation in polar bear (Ursus maritimus) contaminant levels is unknown. Dietary variation between Alaska Canada, East Greenland, and Svalbard subpopulations was assessed by muscle nitrogen and carbon stable isotope (?? 15N, ?? 13C) and adipose fatty acid (FA) signatures relative to their main prey (ringed seals). Western and southern Hudson Bay signatures were characterized by depleted ?? 15N and ??13C, lower proportions of C20 and C22 monounsaturated FAs and higher proportions of C18 and longer chain polyunsaturated FAs. East Greenland and Svalbard signatures were reversed relative to Hudson Bay. Alaskan ?? 2011 American Chemical Society.

Application of groundwater residence time tracers and broad screening for micro-organic contaminants in the Indo-Gangetic aquifer system

Science.gov (United States)

Lapworth, Dan; Das, Prerona; Mukherjee, Abhijit; Petersen, Jade; Gooddy, Daren; Krishan, Gopal

2017-04-01

Groundwater abstracted from aquifers underlying urban centres across India provide a vital source of domestic water. Abstraction from municipal and private supplies is considerable and growing rapidly with ever increasing demand for water from expanding urban populations. This trend is set to continue. The vulnerability of deeper aquifers (typically >100 m below ground) used for domestic water to contamination migration from often heavily contaminated shallow aquifer systems has not been studies in detail in India. This paper focusses on the occurrence of micro-organic contaminants within sedimentary aquifers beneath urban centres which are intensively pumped for drinking water and domestic use. New preliminary results from a detailed case study undertaken across Varanasi, a city with an estimated population of ca. 1.5 million in Uttar Pradesh. Micro -organic groundwater quality status and evolution with depth is investigated through selection of paired shallow and deep sites across the city. These results are considered within the context of paired groundwater residence time tracers within the top 150m within the sedimentary aquifer system. Groundwater emerging contaminant results are compared with surface water quality from the Ganges which is also used for drinking water supply. Broad screening for >800 micro-organic compounds was undertaken. Age dating tools were employed to constrain and inform a conceptual model of groundwater recharge and contaminant evolution within the sedimentary aquifer system.

Urban community gardeners' knowledge and perceptions of soil contaminant risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Brent F; Poulsen, Melissa N; Margulies, Jared D; Dix, Katie L; Palmer, Anne M; Nachman, Keeve E

2014-01-01

Although urban community gardening can offer health, social, environmental, and economic benefits, these benefits must be weighed against the potential health risks stemming from exposure to contaminants such as heavy metals and organic chemicals that may be present in urban soils. Individuals who garden at or eat food grown in contaminated urban garden sites may be at risk of exposure to such contaminants. Gardeners may be unaware of these risks and how to manage them. We used a mixed quantitative/qualitative research approach to characterize urban community gardeners' knowledge and perceptions of risks related to soil contaminant exposure. We conducted surveys with 70 gardeners from 15 community gardens in Baltimore, Maryland, and semi-structured interviews with 18 key informants knowledgeable about community gardening and soil contamination in Baltimore. We identified a range of factors, challenges, and needs related to Baltimore community gardeners' perceptions of risk related to soil contamination, including low levels of concern and inconsistent levels of knowledge about heavy metal and organic chemical contaminants, barriers to investigating a garden site's history and conducting soil tests, limited knowledge of best practices for reducing exposure, and a need for clear and concise information on how best to prevent and manage soil contamination. Key informants discussed various strategies for developing and disseminating educational materials to gardeners. For some challenges, such as barriers to conducting site history and soil tests, some informants recommended city-wide interventions that bypass the need for gardener knowledge altogether.

Urban community gardeners' knowledge and perceptions of soil contaminant risks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brent F Kim

Full Text Available Although urban community gardening can offer health, social, environmental, and economic benefits, these benefits must be weighed against the potential health risks stemming from exposure to contaminants such as heavy metals and organic chemicals that may be present in urban soils. Individuals who garden at or eat food grown in contaminated urban garden sites may be at risk of exposure to such contaminants. Gardeners may be unaware of these risks and how to manage them. We used a mixed quantitative/qualitative research approach to characterize urban community gardeners' knowledge and perceptions of risks related to soil contaminant exposure. We conducted surveys with 70 gardeners from 15 community gardens in Baltimore, Maryland, and semi-structured interviews with 18 key informants knowledgeable about community gardening and soil contamination in Baltimore. We identified a range of factors, challenges, and needs related to Baltimore community gardeners' perceptions of risk related to soil contamination, including low levels of concern and inconsistent levels of knowledge about heavy metal and organic chemical contaminants, barriers to investigating a garden site's history and conducting soil tests, limited knowledge of best practices for reducing exposure, and a need for clear and concise information on how best to prevent and manage soil contamination. Key informants discussed various strategies for developing and disseminating educational materials to gardeners. For some challenges, such as barriers to conducting site history and soil tests, some informants recommended city-wide interventions that bypass the need for gardener knowledge altogether.

Development of a decision support system to manage contamination in marine ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Dagnino, A; Viarengo, A

2014-01-01

In recent years, contamination and its interaction with climate-change variables have been recognized as critical stressors in coastal areas, emphasizing the need for a standardized framework encompassing chemical and biological data into risk indices to support decision-making. We therefore developed an innovative, expert decision support system (Exp-DSS) for the management of contamination in marine coastal ecosystems. The Exp-DSS has two main applications: (i) to determine environmental risk and biological vulnerability in contaminated sites; and (ii) to support the management of waters and sediments by assessing the risk due to the exposure of biota to these matrices. The Exp-DSS evaluates chemical data, both as single compounds and as total toxic pressure of the mixture, to compare concentrations to effect-based thresholds (TELs and PELs). Sites are then placed into three categories of contamination: uncontaminated, mildly contaminated, and highly contaminated. In highly contaminated sites, effects on high-level ecotoxicological endpoints (i.e. survival and reproduction) are used to determine risk at the organism-population level, while ecological parameters (i.e. alterations in community structure and ecosystem functions) are considered for assessing effects on biodiversity. Changes in sublethal biomarkers are utilized to assess the stress level of the organisms in mildly contaminated sites. In Triad studies, chemical concentrations, ecotoxicological high-level effects, and ecological data are combined to determine the level of environmental risk in highly contaminated sites; chemical concentration and ecotoxicological sublethal effects are evaluated to determine biological vulnerability in mildly contaminated sites. The Exp-DSS was applied to data from the literature about sediment quality in estuarine areas of Spain, and ranked risks related to exposure to contaminated sediments from high risk (Huelva estuary) to mild risk (Guadalquivir estuary and Bay of

The pros and cons of ecological risk assessment based on data from different levels of biological organization

Science.gov (United States)

Rohr, Jason R.; Salice, Christopher J.; Nisbet, Roger M.

2016-01-01

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is the process used to evaluate the safety of manufactured chemicals to the environment. Here we review the pros and cons of ERA across levels of biological organization, including suborganismal (e.g. biomarkers), individual, population, community, ecosystem, and landscapes levels. Our review revealed that level of biological organization is often related negatively with ease at assessing cause-effect relationships, ease of high-throughput screening of large numbers of chemicals (it is especially easier for suborganismal endpoints), and uncertainty of the ERA because low levels of biological organization tend to have a large distance between their measurement (what is quantified) and assessment endpoints (what is to be protected). In contrast, level of biological organization is often related positively with sensitivity to important negative and positive feedbacks and context dependencies within biological systems, and ease at capturing recovery from adverse contaminant effects. Some endpoints did not show obvious trends across levels of biological organization, such as the use of vertebrate animals in chemical testing and ease at screening large numbers of species, and other factors lacked sufficient data across levels of biological organization, such as repeatability, variability, cost per study, and cost per species of effects assessment, the latter of which might be a more defensible way to compare costs of ERAs than cost per study. To compensate for weaknesses of ERA at any particular level of biological organization, we also review mathematical modeling approaches commonly used to extrapolate effects across levels of organization. Finally, we provide recommendations for next generation ERA, submitting that if there is an ideal level of biological organization to conduct ERA, it will only emerge if ERA is approached simultaneously from the bottom of biological organization up as well as from the top down, all while employing

The pros and cons of ecological risk assessment based on data from different levels of biological organization.

Science.gov (United States)

Rohr, Jason R; Salice, Christopher J; Nisbet, Roger M

2016-10-01

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is the process used to evaluate the safety of manufactured chemicals to the environment. Here we review the pros and cons of ERA across levels of biological organization, including suborganismal (e.g., biomarkers), individual, population, community, ecosystem and landscapes levels. Our review revealed that level of biological organization is often related negatively with ease at assessing cause-effect relationships, ease of high-throughput screening of large numbers of chemicals (it is especially easier for suborganismal endpoints), and uncertainty of the ERA because low levels of biological organization tend to have a large distance between their measurement (what is quantified) and assessment endpoints (what is to be protected). In contrast, level of biological organization is often related positively with sensitivity to important negative and positive feedbacks and context dependencies within biological systems, and ease at capturing recovery from adverse contaminant effects. Some endpoints did not show obvious trends across levels of biological organization, such as the use of vertebrate animals in chemical testing and ease at screening large numbers of species, and other factors lacked sufficient data across levels of biological organization, such as repeatability, variability, cost per study and cost per species of effects assessment, the latter of which might be a more defensible way to compare costs of ERAs than cost per study. To compensate for weaknesses of ERA at any particular level of biological organization, we also review mathematical modeling approaches commonly used to extrapolate effects across levels of organization. Finally, we provide recommendations for next generation ERA, submitting that if there is an ideal level of biological organization to conduct ERA, it will only emerge if ERA is approached simultaneously from the bottom of biological organization up as well as from the top down, all while employing

The delivery of organic contaminants to the Arctic food web: why sea ice matters.

Science.gov (United States)

Pućko, Monika; Stern, Gary A; Macdonald, Robie W; Jantunen, Liisa M; Bidleman, Terry F; Wong, Fiona; Barber, David G; Rysgaard, Søren

2015-02-15

For decades sea ice has been perceived as a physical barrier for the loading of contaminants to the Arctic Ocean. We show that sea ice, in fact, facilitates the delivery of organic contaminants to the Arctic marine food web through processes that: 1) are independent of contaminant physical-chemical properties (e.g. 2-3-fold increase in exposure to brine-associated biota), and 2) depend on physical-chemical properties and, therefore, differentiate between contaminants (e.g. atmospheric loading of contaminants to melt ponds over the summer, and their subsequent leakage to the ocean). We estimate the concentrations of legacy organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and current-use pesticides (CUPs) in melt pond water in the Beaufort Sea, Canadian High Arctic, in 2008, at near-gas exchange equilibrium based on Henry's law constants (HLCs), air concentrations and exchange dynamics. CUPs currently present the highest risk of increased exposures through melt pond loading and drainage due to the high ratio of melt pond water to seawater concentration (Melt pond Enrichment Factor, MEF), which ranges from 2 for dacthal to 10 for endosulfan I. Melt pond contaminant enrichment can be perceived as a hypothetical 'pump' delivering contaminants from the atmosphere to the ocean under ice-covered conditions, with 2-10% of CUPs annually entering the Beaufort Sea via this input route compared to the standing stock in the Polar Mixed Layer of the ocean. The abovementioned processes are strongly favored in first-year ice compared to multi-year ice and, therefore, the dynamic balance between contaminant inventories and contaminant deposition to the surface ocean is being widely affected by the large-scale icescape transition taking place in the Arctic. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Organic Contaminants and Treatment Chemicals in Steam-Water Cycles : Thermal stability, decomposition products and flow-accelerated corrosion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moed, D.H.

2015-01-01

Boiler feedwater and steam have to be of high purity, because of the susceptibility of the steam-water cycle to corrosion. Organic contaminants break down in boilers by hydrothermolysis, leading to the formation of organic acid anions, which are suspected to cause corrosion of steam-water cycle

Assessing the risk associated with the presence of emerging organic contaminants in sludge-amended soil: A country-level analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomaidi, Vasiliki S; Stasinakis, Athanasios S; Borova, Viola L; Thomaidis, Nikolaos S

2016-04-01

Greece was used as case study and the environmental risk associated with the existence of 99 emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) in sludge-amended soil was estimated using risk quotient (RQ) approach. Data on the concentration levels of EOCs in sewage sludge was collected after literature review. Chemical analyses were also conducted for 50 pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in sludge samples from Athens Sewage Treatment Plant. Risk assessment was based on both terrestrial and aquatic acute toxicity data, using both the maximum and the average measured concentrations of the target compounds. EC50/LC50 values were collected through literature review or using the ECOSAR program in cases that experimental values were not available. Triclosan seems to pose an environmental risk on the soil environment, as its RQ values exceeded 1, both in terrestrial and aquatic toxicity data based risk assessment. Calculations based on aquatic toxicity data showed that another eleven compounds had RQs higher than 1, most of them belonging to the classes of synthetic phenolic compounds and siloxanes. Tetradecamethylhexasiloxane presented the highest RQ, while high RQs were also calculated for decamethylcyclopentasiloxane and caffeine. No environmental risk for the terrestrial environment is expected due to the individual action of illicit drugs, perfluorinated compounds and benzotriazoles. The sludge source and the day of sampling affected the estimated threat due to nonylphenolic compounds; however these factors did not affect the estimated risk for siloxanes, caffeine and ofloxacin. Calculation of RQ values for the mixture of EOCs, using either the maximum or the average concentrations, far exceeded 1 (253 and 209, respectively), indicating a presumable threat for the terrestrial environment due to the baseline toxicity of these compounds. Countries that reuse sludge for agricultural purposes should include specific EOCs in national monitoring campaigns and study more thoroughly on

Treatment of heterogeneous mixed wastes: Enzyme degradation of cellulosic materials contaminated with hazardous organics and toxic and radioactive metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vanderberg, L.A.; Foreman, T.M.; Attrep, M. Jr.; Brainard, J.R.; Sauer, N.

1999-01-01

The redirection and downsizing of the US Department of Energy's nuclear weapons complex requires that many facilities be decontaminated and decommissioned (D and D). At Los Alamos National Laboratory, much of the low-level radioactive, mixed, and hazardous/chemical waste volume handled by waste management operations was produced by D and D and environmental restoration activities. A combination of technologies--air stripping and biodegradation of volatile organics, enzymatic digestion of cellulosics, and metal ion extraction--was effective in treating a radiologically contaminated heterogeneous paint-stripping waste. Treatment of VOCs using a modified bioreactor avoided radioactive contamination of byproduct biomass and inhibition of biodegradation by toxic metal ions in the waste. Cellulase digestion of bulk cellulose minimized the final solid waste volume by 80%. Moreover, the residue passed TCLP for RCRA metals. Hazardous metals and radioactivity in byproduct sugar solutions were removed using polymer filtration, which employs a combination of water-soluble chelating polymers and ultrafiltration to separate and concentrate metal contaminants. Polymer filtration was used to concentrate RCRA metals and radioactivity into <5% of the original wastewater volume. Permeate solutions had no detectable radioactivity and were below RCRA-allowable discharge limits for Pb and Cr

Bioavailability assessment of contaminants in soils via respiration and nitrification tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hund-Rinke, Kerstin; Simon, Markus

2008-01-01

For the assessment of contaminated soils ecotoxicological tests are used to estimate the bioavailability of contaminants in soil samples. Terrestrial tests reveal the habitat function of soils, and parameters applied in tests involving microorganisms include respiration activity and potential ammonium oxidation. For such tests, the threshold values needed to assess the results have already been established in guidelines ISO 17155 and ISO 15685. In this paper, we discuss about the respiration activity and potential ammonium oxidation results obtained from a wide variety of soils with different physico-chemical properties and levels of contamination. These results show that microbial respiration and potential ammonium oxidation have different sensitivities to various classes of contaminants. We demonstrated that both organic and inorganic contaminants influence potential ammonium oxidation, whereas microbial respiration is predominantly affected by biodegradable organic contaminants. These differences might be useful for more detailed assessments of soil contamination, leading to different recommended actions depending on which parameter is affected. - The paper provides a further criterion for a more detailed assessment of soil contamination, leading to different recommended actions depending on which parameter is affected

Bioavailability assessment of contaminants in soils via respiration and nitrification tests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hund-Rinke, Kerstin [Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Auf dem Aberg 1, 57392 Schmallenberg (Germany)], E-mail: kerstin.hund-rinke@ime.fraunhofer.de; Simon, Markus [Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Auf dem Aberg 1, 57392 Schmallenberg (Germany)], E-mail: markus.simon@ime.fraunhofer.de

2008-05-15

For the assessment of contaminated soils ecotoxicological tests are used to estimate the bioavailability of contaminants in soil samples. Terrestrial tests reveal the habitat function of soils, and parameters applied in tests involving microorganisms include respiration activity and potential ammonium oxidation. For such tests, the threshold values needed to assess the results have already been established in guidelines ISO 17155 and ISO 15685. In this paper, we discuss about the respiration activity and potential ammonium oxidation results obtained from a wide variety of soils with different physico-chemical properties and levels of contamination. These results show that microbial respiration and potential ammonium oxidation have different sensitivities to various classes of contaminants. We demonstrated that both organic and inorganic contaminants influence potential ammonium oxidation, whereas microbial respiration is predominantly affected by biodegradable organic contaminants. These differences might be useful for more detailed assessments of soil contamination, leading to different recommended actions depending on which parameter is affected. - The paper provides a further criterion for a more detailed assessment of soil contamination, leading to different recommended actions depending on which parameter is affected.

Sorption of Emerging Organic Wastewater Contaminants to Four Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Roberts

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Conventional onsite wastewater treatment system design relies on a septic tank and soil treatment unit (STU for treatment of wastewater and integration of the final effluent into the environment. Organic water contaminants (OWCs, chemicals found in pharmaceutical drugs, detergents, surfactants, and other personal care and cleaning products, have been observed in septic tank effluent and the environment. Sorption of OWC mass to soil is a key mechanism in the removal and retardation of many of these chemicals in effluent as it travels through an STU. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the fraction of organic carbon of soil and the equilibrium sorption partitioning coefficient of a selected group of relevant and diverse OWCs. A secondary goal is to evaluate current methods of modeling the sorption of selected OWCs in soil. Five point Freundlich isotherms were constructed from equilibrium sorption batch tests for target OWCs with four different soils. For soils with organic carbon fraction between 0.021 and 0.054, Kd values were calculated between 60 and 185 for 4-nonylphenol, 75 to 260 for triclosan, 115 to 270 for bisphenol-A, 3 to 255 for 17β-estradiol, 40 to 55 for 17α-ethynylestradiol, and 28 to 70 for estrone. An empirically derived, direct relationship between foc and Kd may be a useful approach to estimating sorption for a soil based on organic carbon content.

Campylobacter spp. and Escherichia coli contamination of broiler carcasses across the slaughter line in Danish slaughterhouses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boysen, Louise; Nauta, Maarten; Rosenquist, Hanne

2016-01-01

data confirm that less faecal contamination throughout processing, and/or less Campylobacter in the gut at the point of slaughter will lead to less Campylobacter contamination on the meat and thereby improve food safety. Exchange of information between slaughterhouses on best hygiene practices......) and after chilling (AC). Results showed distinct differences between slaughterhouses. For slaughterhouse I the contamination level was high AP and decreased AE while for slaughterhouse II the contamination level was low AP and increased AE. For slaughterhouse III the contamination level varied...... insignificantly across the processes. Results also showed differences in contamination levels of E. coli and Campylobacter between slaughterhouses. Mean counts of the two organisms increased or decreased concurrently from after plucking to after evisceration within slaughterhouses; however, after chilling counts...

Priority Environmental Chemical Contaminants in Meat

Science.gov (United States)

Brambilla, Gianfranco; Iamiceli, Annalaura; di Domenico, Alessandro

Generally, foods of animal origin play an important role in determining the exposure of human beings to contaminants of both biological and chemical origins (Ropkins & Beck, 2002; Lievaart et al., 2005). A potentially large number of chemicals could be considered, several of them deserving a particular attention due to their occurrence (contaminations levels and frequencies) and intake scenarios reflecting the differences existing in the economical, environmental, social and ecological contexts in which the “from-farm-to-fork” activities related to meat production are carried out (FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization, 2008).

Electrokinetic-enhanced bioremediation of organic contaminants: a review of processes and environmental applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, R T; Harbottle, M J; Smith, J W N; Thornton, S F

2014-07-01

There is current interest in finding sustainable remediation technologies for the removal of contaminants from soil and groundwater. This review focuses on the combination of electrokinetics, the use of an electric potential to move organic and inorganic compounds, or charged particles/organisms in the subsurface independent of hydraulic conductivity; and bioremediation, the destruction of organic contaminants or attenuation of inorganic compounds by the activity of microorganisms in situ or ex situ. The objective of the review is to examine the state of knowledge on electrokinetic bioremediation and critically evaluate factors which affect the up-scaling of laboratory and bench-scale research to field-scale application. It discusses the mechanisms of electrokinetic bioremediation in the subsurface environment at different micro and macroscales, the influence of environmental processes on electrokinetic phenomena and the design options available for application to the field scale. The review also presents results from a modelling exercise to illustrate the effectiveness of electrokinetics on the supply electron acceptors to a plume scale scenario where these are limiting. Current research needs include analysis of electrokinetic bioremediation in more representative environmental settings, such as those in physically heterogeneous systems in order to gain a greater understanding of the controlling mechanisms on both electrokinetics and bioremediation in those scenarios. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Monitoring priority substances, other organic contaminants and heavy metals in a volcanic aquifer from different sources and hydrological processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Estevez, Esmeralda; Cabrera, María del Carmen; Fernández-Vera, Juan Ramón; Molina-Díaz, Antonio; Robles-Molina, José; Palacios-Díaz, María del Pino

2016-05-01

Irrigation with reclaimed water (R) is necessary to guarantee the sustainability of semi-arid areas. Results obtained during a two years monitoring network (2009-2011) in Gran Canaria are presented, including the analysis of chemical parameters, N and S isotopes, priority substances (2008/105/EC, 2013/39/EU), other organic contaminants and heavy metals in groundwater and R used to irrigate a golf course. The aims of this work are to evaluate the contamination in a volcanic aquifer, relate the presence of organic contaminants and heavy metals with the hydrogeochemistry and identify pollution sources in the area. No priority substance exceeded the EU thresholds for surface water, although seventeen were detected in R. The most frequent compounds were hexachlorobenzene, chlorpyrifos ethyl, fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene. These compounds were detected at low concentration, except chlorpyrifos. Chlorpyrifos ethyl, terbuthylazine, diuron, terbutryn, procymidone, atrazine and propazine exceeded the European threshold concentration for pesticides in groundwater (100ngL(-1)). Therefore, the priority substances chlorpyrifos ethyl and diuron must be included in monitoring studies. The priority pesticides chlorfenvinphos and diazinon were always detected in R but rarely in groundwater. Besides, the existence of contaminants not related to the current R irrigation has been identified. Absence of environmental problems related to heavy metals can be expected. The relationship among contaminant presence, hydrogeochemistry, including the stable isotopic prints of δ(18)O, δ(15)N and δ(34)S and preferential recharge paths has been described. The coastal well shows high values of EC, nitrate, a variable chemistry, and 50% of organic contaminants detected above 100ngL(-1). The well located in the recharge area presents a stable hydrochemistry, the lowest value of δ(15)N and the lowest contaminants occurrence. The area is an example of a complex volcanic media with several

Belted kingfishers as ecological monitors of contamination: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landrum, C.L.

1993-03-01

Aquatic systems serve as transport pathways and reservoirs for most of the contaminants known to be present on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). Organisms that live in aquatic systems accumulate some of these contaminants from their food and directly from the water or sediment. A wide array of terrestrial organisms feeds on aquatic organisms and may accumulate contaminants from aquatic prey. The belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) is a piscivorous and territorial avian species that may be a suitable monitor of contaminant accumulation at specific sites on the ORR. A kingfisher collected on White Oak Lake in 1991 had a 137 Cs concentration of 568 pCi/g in muscle tissue, which exceeds levels found in any other waterfowl collected from the lake. An investigation into the efficacy of using the kingfisher as an ecological indicator of aquatic contaminants on the ORR was initiated in late August 1992. The primary objective of this study was to acquire information concerning the ecology of the kingfisher to determine how the species could be used within the framework of the Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). A second important objective of the study was to examine the possible somatic and reproductive effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Hg, and various radioactive contaminants on piscivorous birds by reviewing pollution ecology studies conducted on those species

Belted kingfishers as ecological monitors of contamination: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Landrum, C.L. [North Texas Univ., Denton, TX (United States). Dept. of Biology; Ashwood, T.L.; Cox, D.K. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

1993-03-01

Aquatic systems serve as transport pathways and reservoirs for most of the contaminants known to be present on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). Organisms that live in aquatic systems accumulate some of these contaminants from their food and directly from the water or sediment. A wide array of terrestrial organisms feeds on aquatic organisms and may accumulate contaminants from aquatic prey. The belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) is a piscivorous and territorial avian species that may be a suitable monitor of contaminant accumulation at specific sites on the ORR. A kingfisher collected on White Oak Lake in 1991 had a {sup 137}Cs concentration of 568 pCi/g in muscle tissue, which exceeds levels found in any other waterfowl collected from the lake. An investigation into the efficacy of using the kingfisher as an ecological indicator of aquatic contaminants on the ORR was initiated in late August 1992. The primary objective of this study was to acquire information concerning the ecology of the kingfisher to determine how the species could be used within the framework of the Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). A second important objective of the study was to examine the possible somatic and reproductive effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), Hg, and various radioactive contaminants on piscivorous birds by reviewing pollution ecology studies conducted on those species.

Measurement of contamination by radioisotopes for medical examination and treatment in medical organizations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamada, Masahiko

1975-01-01

For safety control of radioactive contamination by medical examination and treatment in medical organizations, establishment of a Health and Physics Department is desired. It is necessary to dispose of radiopharmaceuticals according to the classification of safety and to separate the use of non-sealed nuclides from the radiotherapy room. In relation to radioactive air pollution, attention should be paid to the sampling test of hood, management of 133 Xe using room, and air pollution in the disposal storage room and patient urine storage room. Concerning the disposal of liquid waste, it is most important to devise entirely different method of disposal according to the level differences in the amount of diagnostic use and the therapeutic dose. The method of use is most important also for the decision of the size of storage tank. For sampling and monitoring it is advisable to use up to the 10th rank nuclide for safety counting in consideration of physicochemical conditions. (Chiba, N.)

Effects of low-level radioactive soil contamination and sterilization on the degradation of radiolabeled wheat straw

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niedrée, Bastian; Vereecken, Harry; Burauel, Peter

2012-01-01

After the explosion of reactor 4 in the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl, huge agricultural areas became contaminated with radionuclides. In this study, we want to elucidate whether 137 Cs and 90 Sr affect microorganisms and their community structure and functions in agricultural soil. For this purpose, the mineralization of radiolabeled wheat straw was examined in lab-scale microcosms. Native soils and autoclaved and reinoculated soils were incubated for 70 days at 20 °C. After incubation, the microbial community structure was compared via 16S and 18S rDNA denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The radioactive contamination with 137 Cs and 90 Sr was found to have little effect on community structure and no effect on the straw mineralization. The autoclaving and reinoculation of soil had a strong influence on the mineralization and the community structure. Additionally we analyzed the effect of soil treatment on mineralization and community composition. It can be concluded that other environmental factors (such as changing content of dissolved organic carbon) are much stronger regulating factors in the mineralization of wheat straw and that low-level radiation only plays a minor role. - Highlights: ► We observed the impact of contamination with Cs-137 and Sr-90 on soil functions. ► Microbial community was altered slightly. ► Mineralization of wheat straw was not affected. ► Microbes growing on applied straw compete for nutrients with soil microbes.

Impact of organic carbon and nutrients mobilized during chemical oxidation on subsequent bioremediation of a diesel-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutton, Nora B; Grotenhuis, Tim; Rijnaarts, Huub H M

2014-02-01

Remediation with in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) impacts soil organic matter (SOM) and the microbial community, with deleterious effects on the latter being a major hurdle to coupling ISCO with in situ bioremediation (ISB). We investigate treatment of a diesel-contaminated soil with Fenton's reagent and modified Fenton's reagent coupled with a subsequent bioremediation phase of 187d, both with and without nutrient amendment. Chemical oxidation mobilized SOM into the liquid phase, producing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations 8-16 times higher than the untreated field sample. Higher aqueous concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous species were also observed following oxidation; NH4(+) increased 14-172 times. During the bioremediation phase, dissolved carbon and nutrient species were utilized for microbial growth-yielding DOC concentrations similar to field sample levels within 56d of incubation. In the absence of nutrient amendment, the highest microbial respiration rates were correlated with higher availability of nitrogen and phosphorus species mobilized by oxidation. Significant diesel degradation was only observed following nutrient amendment, implying that nutrients mobilized by chemical oxidation can increase microbial activity but are insufficient for bioremediation. While all bioremediation occurred in the first 28d of incubation in the biotic control microcosm with nutrient amendment, biodegradation continued throughout 187d of incubation following chemical oxidation, suggesting that chemical treatment also affects the desorption of organic contaminants from SOM. Overall, results indicate that biodegradation of DOC, as an alternative substrate to diesel, and biological utilization of mobilized nutrients have implications for the success of coupled ISCO and ISB treatments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contaminated water treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Gormly, Sherwin J. (Inventor); Flynn, Michael T. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

Method and system for processing of a liquid ("contaminant liquid") containing water and containing urine and/or other contaminants in a two step process. Urine, or a contaminated liquid similar to and/or containing urine and thus having a relatively high salt and urea content is passed through an activated carbon filter to provide a resulting liquid, to remove most of the organic molecules. The resulting liquid is passed through a semipermeable membrane from a membrane first side to a membrane second side, where a fortified drink having a lower water concentration (higher osmotic potential) than the resulting liquid is positioned. Osmotic pressure differential causes the water, but not most of the remaining inorganic (salts) contaminant(s) to pass through the membrane to the fortified drink. Optionally, the resulting liquid is allowed to precipitate additional organic molecules before passage through the membrane.

Experimental study on source efficiencies for estimating surface contamination level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichiji, Takeshi; Ogino, Haruyuki

2008-01-01

Source efficiency was measured experimentally for various materials, such as metals, nonmetals, flooring materials, sheet materials and other materials, contaminated by alpha and beta emitter radioactive nuclides. Five nuclides, 147 Pm, 60 Co, 137 Cs, 204 Tl and 90 Sr- 90 Y, were used as the beta emitters, and one nuclide 241 Am was used as the alpha emitter. The test samples were prepared by placing drops of the radioactive standardized solutions uniformly on the various materials using an automatic quantitative dispenser system from Musashi Engineering, Inc. After placing drops of the radioactive standardized solutions, the test materials were allowed to dry for more than 12 hours in a draft chamber with a hood. The radioactivity of each test material was about 30 Bq. Beta rays or alpha rays from the test materials were measured with a 2-pi gas flow proportional counter from Aloka Co., Ltd. The source efficiencies of the metals, nonmetals and sheet materials were higher than 0.5 in the case of contamination by the 137 Cs, 204 Tl and 90 Sr- 90 Y radioactive standardized solutions, higher than 0.4 in the case of contamination by the 60 Co radioactive standardized solution, and higher than 0.25 in the case of contamination by the alpha emitter the 241 Am radioactive standardized solution. These values were higher than those given in Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) documents. In contrast, the source efficiencies of some permeable materials were lower than those given in JIS documents, because source efficiency varies depending on whether the materials or radioactive sources are wet or dry. This study provides basic data on source efficiency, which is useful for estimating the surface contamination level of materials. (author)

Levels of contamination for various pollutants present in Belgian human plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wouwe, N. Van; Goeyens, L. [Scientific Inst. of Public Health, Brussels (Belgium); Covaci, A. [Toxicological Center, Univ. of Antwerp, Wilrijk (Belgium); Kannan, K. [Wadsworth Center, New York State Dept. of Health, Albany, NY (United States); Gordon, J.; Chu, A. [Xenobiotic Detection System Inc., Durham, NC (United States); Eppe, G.; Pauw, E. De [Center of Analysis of residues in Traces (CART), Univ. of Liege (Belgium)

2004-09-15

During the last century, numerous compounds, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), were banned because of their bioaccumulative and toxic properties, while other compounds, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), appeared on the market and consequently in the environment. The experiences gained from accidents involving PBBs, PCBs or PCDD/Fs are useful to conduct scientific investigations focused on preventing similar catastrophies with the newly introduced compounds. Several studies have reported potential increase in the concentration of PBDEs in food and wildlife. Monitoring the levels of toxic chemicals is therefore useful to understand the exposure pathways, sources and trends. The aim of the paper is to present actual contamination's levels of various pollutants in human plasma from Belgium. Several classes of pollutants, such PCDD/Fs, PCBs and OCPs were determined in 20 human plasmas. In addition, perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and related fluorochemicals, which are of current concern, were measured. Although anticipated, concentrations of PBDEs in the same samples were not yet determined. Through this study, a good approximation of the contamination level in Belgian human is given, allowing thus comparison with concentrations observed in other countries.

Hydrophobic organic contaminants in surficial sediments of Baltimore Harbor: Inventories and sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashley, J.T.F.; Baker, J.E.

1999-01-01

The heavily urbanized and industrialized Baltimore Harbor/Patapsco River/Back River system is one of the most highly contaminated regions of the Chesapeake Bay. In June 1996, surficial sediments were collected at 80 sites throughout the subestuarine system, including historically undersampled creek sand embayments. The samples were analyzed for a suite of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) consisting of 32 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 113 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners. Total PAH and total PCB concentrations ranged from 90 to 46,200 and 8 to 2,150 ng/g dry weight, respectively. There was enormous spatial variability in the concentrations of HOCs, which was not well correlated to grain size or organic carbon content, suggesting nonequilibrium partitioning and/or proximity to sources as important factors explaining the observed spatial variability. High concentrations of both classes of HOCs were localized around major urban stormwater runoff discharges. Elevated PAH concentrations were also centered around the Sparrow's Point Industrial Complex, most likely a result of the pyrolysis of coal during the production of steel. All but 1 of the 80 sites exceeded the effects range-low (ERL) for total PCBs and, of those sites, 40% exceeded the effects range-medium (ERM), suggesting toxicity to marine benthic organisms would frequently occur. Using principal component analysis, differences in PAH signatures were discerned. Higher molecular weight PAHs were enriched in signatures from sediments close to suspected sources (i.e., urban stormwater runoff and steel production complexes) compared to those patterns observed at sites further from outfalls or runoff. Due to varying solubilities and affinities for organic matter of the individual PAHs, partitioning of the heavier weight PAHs may enrich settling particles with high molecular weight PAHs. Lower molecular weight PAHs, having lower affinity for particles, may travel from the source to a

Surfactant-modified zeolites as permeable barriers to organic and inorganic groundwater contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, R.S.; Sullivan, E.J.

1995-01-01

We have shown in laboratory experiments that natural zeolites treated with hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) are effective sorbents for nonpolar organics, inorganic cations, and inorganic anions. Due to their low cost (∼$0.75/kg) and granular nature, HDTMA-zeolites appear ideal candidates for reactive, permeable subsurface barriers. The HDTMA-zeolites are stable over a wide range of pH (3-13), ionic strength (1 M Cs + or Ca 2+ ), and in organic solvents. Surfactant-modified zeolites sorb nonpolar organics (benzene, toluene, xylene, chlorinated aliphatics) via a partitioning mechanism, inorganic cations (Pb 2+ ) via ion exchange and surface complexation, and inorganic anions (CrO 4 2- , SeO 4 2- , SO 4 2- ) via surface precipitation.The goal of this work is to demonstrate the use of surfactant-modified zeolite as a permeable barrier to ground water contaminants

Detection of PPCPs in marine organisms from contaminated coastal waters of the Saudi Red Sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Aasim M; Rønning, Helene Thorsen; Sydnes, Leiv K; Alarif, Walied M; Kallenborn, Roland; Al-Lihaibi, Sultan S

2018-04-15

The occurrence of PPCPs in macroalgae, barnacle and fish samples from contaminated coastal waters of the Saudi Red Sea is reported. Solvent extraction followed by solid phase extraction was applied to isolate the compounds, and their quantification was carried out by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Atenolol, ranitidine, chlorpheniramine, DEET, and atrazine were detected in one or more macroalgae at caffeine, methylparaben, and carbamazepine were present atmaximum concentrations of 41.3, 44.3, and 1.7ng/g (on a dry weight basis=dw), respectively. Eleven PPCPs were detected in the barnacle samples at concentrations between contaminated waters where a continuous supply of non-persistent contaminants such as PPCPs is available for long-term exposure of local benthic organisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of compost for effective bioremediation of organic contaminants and pollutants in soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Kästner, Matthias; Miltner, Anja

2016-04-01

Soils contaminated with hazardous chemicals worldwide are awaiting remediation activities; bioremediation is often considered as a cost-effective remediation approach. Potential bioapproaches are biostimulation, e.g. by addition of nutrients, fertiliser and organic substrates, and bioaugmentation by addition of compound-degrading microbes or of organic amendments containing active microorganisms, e.g. activated sludge or compost. In most contaminated soils, the abundance of the intrinsic metabolic potential is too low to be improved by biostimulation alone, since the physical and chemical conditions in these soils are not conducive to biodegradation. In the last few decades, compost or farmyard manure addition as well as composting with various organic supplements have been found to be very efficient for soil bioremediation. In the present minireview, we provide an overview of the composting and compost addition approaches as 'stimulants' of natural attenuation. Laboratory degradation experiments are often biased either by not considering the abiotic factors or by focusing solely on the elimination of the chemicals without taking the biotic factors and processes into account. Therefore, we first systemise the concepts of composting and compost addition, then summarise the relevant physical, chemical and biotic factors and mechanisms for improved contaminant degradation triggered by compost addition. These factors and mechanisms are of particular interest, since they are more relevant and easier to determine than the composition of the degrading community, which is also addressed in this review. Due to the mostly empirical knowledge and the nonstandardised biowaste or compost materials, the field use of these approaches is highly challenging, but also promising. Based on the huge metabolic diversity of microorganisms developing during the composting processes, a highly complex metabolic diversity is established as a 'metabolic memory' within developing and mature

131I levels in cow's milk following ingestion of contaminated alfalfa or sudan grass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, S.C.; Stanley, R.E.; Barth, D.S.

1975-08-01

A dry aerosol, consisting of submicrometer diatomaceous earth particles tagged with 131 I, was released over two different types of growing forage (alfalfa and Sudan grass) at the Experimental Dairy Farm on the Nevada Test Site. Following deposition of the aerosol, the two forage types were chopped and fed to different groups of lactating dairy cows. The dual objectives of the study were to evaluate the relationship of 131 I secretion in milk to the ingestion of different types of contaminated forage and to obtain a further indication of the possible influence on milk radioiodine levels of changing the particle size of the contaminant. The ratios of the peak activity concentrations measured in the milk to the peak activity concentrations in the forage were computed to be 0.0145 for the cows fed contaminated alfalfa and 0.0082 for those fed contaminated Sudan grass. Comparison of the results from this study with those from earlier studies indicates the major effect on activity levels in the milk can be related to forage type. Ingestion of Sudan grass by the cow reduces the transfer of radioiodine to milk by one half compared to ingestion of alfalfa. (U.S.)

Acceptable contamination levels in solar grade silicon: From feedstock to solar cell

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofstetter, J.; Lelievre, J.F.; Canizo, C.; Luque, A. del

2009-01-01

Ultimately, alternative ways of silicon purification for photovoltaic applications are developed and applied. There is an ongoing debate about what are the acceptable contamination levels within the purified silicon feedstock to specify the material as solar grade silicon. Applying a simple model and making some additional assumptions, we calculate the acceptable contamination levels of different characteristic impurities for each fabrication step of a typical industrial mc-Si solar cell. The acceptable impurity concentrations within the finished solar cell are calculated for SRH recombination exclusively and under low injection conditions. It is assumed that during solar cell fabrication impurity concentrations are only altered by a gettering step. During the crystallization process, impurity segregation at the solid-liquid interface and at extended defects are taken into account. Finally, the initial contamination levels allowed within the feedstock are deduced. The acceptable concentration of iron in the finished solar cell is determined to be 9.7x10 -3 ppma whereas the concentration in the silicon feedstock can be as high as 12.5 ppma. In comparison, the titanium concentration admitted in the solar cell is calculated to be 2.7x10 -4 ppma and the allowed concentration of 2.2x10 -2 ppma in the feedstock is only two orders of magnitude higher. Finally, it is shown theoretically and experimentally that slow cooling rates can lead to a decrease of the interstitial Fe concentration and thus relax the purity requirements in the feedstock.

Global warming and environmental contaminants in aquatic organisms: the need of the etho-toxicology approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Manciocco, Arianna; Calamandrei, Gemma; Alleva, Enrico

2014-04-01

Environmental contaminants are associated with a wide spectrum of pathological effects. Temperature increase affects ambient distribution and toxicity of these chemicals in the water environment, representing a potentially emerging problem for aquatic species with short-, medium- and long-term repercussions on human health through the food chain. We assessed peer-reviewed literature, including primary studies, review articles and organizational reports available. We focused on studies concerning toxicity of environmental pollutants within a global warming scenario. Existing knowledge on the effects that the increase of water temperature in a contaminated situation has on physiological mechanisms of aquatic organisms is presented. Altogether we consider the potential consequences for the human beings due to fish and shellfish consumption. Finally, we propose an etho-toxicological approach to study the effects of toxicants in conditions of thermal increase, using aquatic organisms as experimental models under laboratory controlled conditions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incineration method for plutonium recovery from alpha contaminated organic compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yahata, Taneaki; Abe, Jiro; Kato, Michiharu; Kurihara, Masayoshi

1985-01-01

An incineration method for plutonium recovery from α contaminated organic compounds in a flow of controlled oxygen gas is stated. The species of such thermal decomposition products as hydrocarbons, free carbon, carbon monoxide and hydrogen were determined by mass spectrography. The mixture of the products which are the source of tar or soot was converted to CO 2 and H 2 O in contact with copper oxide catalyst without flaming. This incineration method is composed of two stages. The first stage is the decomposition of organic compounds in the streams of gas mixtures containing oxygen in low ratios. The second stage is the incineration of the decomposition products by catalytic reaction in the streams of gas with higher oxygen ratios. Plutonium was recovered as the form of plutonium dioxide from the incineration residues of the first stage. The behavior of oil was examined as a representative of liquid organic compounds. It was found to evaporate below ca. 500 0 C, but was completely incinerated by the catalytic reaction with copper oxide catalyst in the flow of gas with controlled oxygen amount and was changed to CO 2 and H 2 O. (author)

Bioavailability of caesium-137 from chernozem soils with high and low levels of radioactive contamination

Science.gov (United States)

Paramonova, Tatiana; Shamshurina, Eugenia; Machaeva, Ekaterina; Belyaev, Vladimir

2014-05-01

Bioavailability of Cs-137 in "soil-plant" system of radioactively contaminated terrestrial ecosystems is the most important factor in the understanding of ecological situation. There are many factors affecting the features of Cs-137 biogeochemical cycle: period since an accident, type and intensity of radioactive fallout, general properties of landscape and the specifics of soil and plant covers, etc. In order to evaluate the importance of soil contamination level for the process of Cs-137 translocation from soil to plant the research in forest-steppe areas of Russia with similar natural properties, but contrasting high (Tula region) and low (Kursk region) levels of radioactive Chernobyl fallout (about 25 years after accident) was conducted. Soil cover of both sites is presented by chernozems with bulk density 1.1-1.2 g/cm3, 6-7% humus and neutral pH 6.5-7.2; plant cover under investigation consist of dry and wet meadows with bioproductivity 1.6-2.5 kg/m2 and 85-90% of biomass concentrated underground, that is typical for Russian forest-steppe landscapes. At the same time levels of soil regional contamination with Cs-137 differ by an order - 620-710 Bq/kg (210-250 kBq/m2) in Tula region and 30-55 Bq/kg (10-20 kBq/m2) in Kursk region. At a higher level of soil radioactive contamination specific activity of Cs-137 in vegetation of meadows is noticeably increased (103-160 Bq/kg in Tula region versus 12-14 Bq/kg in Kursk region) with correlation coefficient r 0.87. Increasing of Cs-137 in the underground parts of plants plays a decisive role in this process, while the specific radionuclide's activity in the aboveground parts of different sites is almost invariant (and ubiquitously roots contain 2-5 times more Cs-137 than shoots). The values of transfer factors for Cs-137 (the ratio of the specific Cs-137 activities in the plant tissue and in the soil) at various levels of soil radioactive contamination vary within a relatively narrow range 0.1-0.4, that confirms the

Adsorption of ionizable organic contaminants on multi-walled carbon nanotubes with different oxygen contents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xiaona; Zhao Huimin; Quan Xie; Chen Shuo; Zhang Yaobin; Yu Hongtao

2011-01-01

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), which are considered to be promising candidates for the adsorption of toxic organics, are released into aqueous environment with their increasing production and application. In this study, the adsorption behaviors of five structurally related ionizable organic contaminants namely perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 4-n-nonylphenol (4-NP) onto MWNTs with different oxygen contents (3.84-22.85%) were investigated. The adsorption kinetics was investigated and simulated with pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption isotherms were found to be fitted with Freundlich model and influenced by both the properties of organic chemicals and the oxygen contents of MWNTs. As adsorption capacity decreases dramatically with the increasing of oxygen contents, the MWNTs with the lowest oxygen contents possess the highest adsorption capacity among four MWNTs. For the MWNTs with the oxygen contents of 3.84%, the adsorption affinity related with hydrophobic interaction and π-electron polarizability decreased in the order of 4-NP > PFOSA > PFOS > 2,4-D > PFOA. Furthermore, the adsorption characters of five contaminants were affected by solution pH and solute pK a considering electrostatic repulse force and hydrogen bonding, which showed the adsorption of MWNTs with lower oxygen content is much sensitive to solution chemistry.

The learning organization and the level of consciousness

OpenAIRE

Chiva Gómez, Ricardo

2017-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze learning organization by comparing with other types of organizations. This typology is based on the levels of consciousness and relates each type of organization with a level of learning and an organizational structure. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper based on the concept of levels of consciousness. Findings – The paper proposes that learning organization requires the highest level of consciousness. O...

Contaminant levels in Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the 13-year period from 1999 to 2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Nøstbakken, Ole Jakob; Hove, Helge T; Duinker, Arne; Lundebye, Anne-Katrine; Berntssen, Marc H G; Hannisdal, Rita; Lunestad, Bjørn Tore; Maage, Amund; Madsen, Lise; Torstensen, Bente E; Julshamn, Kåre

2015-01-01

Environmental pollutants such as dioxins and PCBs, heavy metals, and organochlorine pesticides are a global threat to food safety. In particular, the aquatic biota can bioaccumulate many of these contaminants potentially making seafood of concern for chronic exposure to humans. The main objective was to evaluate trends of contaminant levels in Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon in light of the derived tolerable intakes. Through an EU-instigated surveillance programme, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) has between 1999 and 2011 collected more than 2300 samples of Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) for contaminant analyses. The fillets of these fish were homogenised and analysed for dioxins, PCBs, heavy metals and organochlorine pesticides. The levels of the contaminants mercury, arsenic, dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs and DDT in Norwegian farmed salmon fillet have decreased during our period of analyses. The levels of cadmium, lead and several organochlorine pesticides were too close to the limit of quantification to calculate time trends. For PCB6 and quantifiable amounts of pesticides, except DDT, stable levels were observed. The contaminant levels in Norwegian farmed salmon have generally decreased between 1999 and 2011. Excluding other dietary sources, the levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in 2011 allowed consumption of up to 1.3kg salmon per week to reach the tolerable weekly intake. The group of contaminants which was the limiting factor for safe consumption of Norwegian farmed salmon, based on currently established TWI values, is the sum of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Evidence of micropore filling for sorption of nonpolar organic contaminants by condensed organic matter.

Science.gov (United States)

Ran, Yong; Yang, Yu; Xing, Baoshan; Pignatello, Joseph J; Kwon, Seokjoo; Su, Wei; Zhou, Li

2013-01-01

Although microporosity and surface area of natural organic matter (NOM) are crucial for mechanistic evaluation of the sorption process for nonpolar organic contaminants (NOCs), they have been underestimated by the N adsorption technique. We investigated the CO-derived internal hydrophobic microporosity () and specific surface area (SSA) obtained on dry samples and related them to sorption behaviors of NOCs in water for a wide range of condensed NOM samples. The is obtained from the total CO-derived microporosity by subtracting out the contribution of the outer surfaces of minerals and NOM using N adsorption-derived parameters. The correlation between or CO-SSA and fractional organic carbon content () is very significant, demonstrating that much of the microporosity is associated with internal NOM matrices. The average and CO-SSA are, respectively, 75.1 μL g organic carbon (OC) and 185 m g OC from the correlation analysis. The rigid aliphatic carbon significantly contributes to the microporosity of the Pahokee peat. A strong linear correlation is demonstrated between / and the OC-normalized sorption capacity at the liquid or subcooled liquid-state water solubility calculated via the Freundlich equation for each of four NOCs (phenanthrene, naphthalene, 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene, and 1,2-dichlorobenzene). We concluded that micropore filling ("adsorption") contributes to NOC sorption by condensed NOM, but the exact contribution requires knowing the relationship between the dry-state, CO-determined microporosity and the wet-state, NOC-available microporosity of the organic matter. The findings offer new clues for explaining the nonideal sorption behaviors of NOCs. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Organization-level predictors of sustained social movement participation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tesdahl, Eric A; Speer, Paul W

2015-03-01

Long-term sustained participation represents one of the most important resources available to community organizations and social movement organizations (SMOs). The participatory literature on community and SMOs has identified a host of individual-level factors that influence participation beyond initial engagement, and has more recently identified contextual factors that influence participation. This study builds upon current understandings of participation in SMOs by examining how sustained participation in movement activities is affected by two qualities of SMO settings: repertoire of organizational activity, and equality of staff contact with organization members to cultivate and facilitate individual participation. To this end, we employ multi-level regression techniques to examine longitudinal data on participation within 50 local chapters of a national congregation-based community organizing federation. We find that the conduct of organizational activities previously shown to increase levels of participation among individual persons does not necessarily lead to increases in aggregate or organization-level participation. Further, we find that conditions of unequal staff contact among organization members represent a notable drag on organization-level participation over time. Our findings suggest that organizers and organizational leaders may well see greater levels of participation in their organizations by simply re-distributing resources and opportunities more equitably within their organizations.

Mining level of control in medical organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Çalimli, Olgu; Türkeli, Serkan; Eken, Emir Gökberk; Gönen, Halil Emre

2014-01-01

In literature of strategic management, there are three layers of control defined in organizational structures. These layers are strategic, tactical and operational, in which resides senior, medium level and low level managers respectively. In strategic level, institutional strategies are determined according to senior managers' perceived state of organization. In tactical level, this strategy is processed into methods and activities of a business management plan. Operational level embodies actions and functions to sustain specified business management plan. An acknowledged lead organization in Turkish medical area is examined using case study and data mining method in the scope of this paper. The level of decisions regarded in managerial purposes evaluated through chosen organization's business intelligence event logs report. Hence specification of management level importance of medical organizations is made. Case study, data mining and descriptive statistical method of taken case's reports present that positions of "Chief Executive Officer", "Outpatient Center Manager", "General Manager", monitored and analyzed functions of operational level management more frequently than strategic and tactical level. Absence of strategic management decision level research in medical area distinguishes this paper and consequently substantiates its significant contribution.

Regional variation and possible sources of brominated contaminants in breast milk from Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, Yukiko; Ito, Yoshiko; Harada, Kouji H.; Hitomi, Toshiaki; Koizumi, Akio; Haraguchi, Koichi

2012-01-01

This study focuses on the regional trends and possible sources of brominated organic contaminants accumulated in breast milk from mothers in southeastern (Okinawa) and northwestern (Hokkaido) areas of Japan. For persistent brominated flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs; major components, BDE-47 and BDE-153) were distributed at higher levels in mothers from Okinawa (mean, 2.1 ng/g lipid), while hexabromobenzene (HeBB) and its metabolite 1,2,4,5-tetrabromobenzene were more abundantly detected in mothers from Hokkaido (0.86 and 2.6 ng/g lipid), suggesting that there are regional differences in their exposure in Japan. We also detected naturally produced brominated compounds, one of which was identified as 2′-methoxy-2,3′,4,5′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (2′-MeO-BDE68) at higher levels in mothers from Okinawa (0.39 ng/g lipid), while the other was identified as 3,3′,4,4′-tetrabromo-5,5′-dichloro-2,2′-dimethyl-1,1′-bipyrrole in mothers from Hokkaido (0.45 ng/g lipid). The regional variation may be caused by source differences, i.e. southern seafood for MeO-PBDEs and northern biota for halogenated bipyrroles in the Japanese coastal water. - Highlights: ► In this study, we detected brominated organic contaminants in Japanese breast milk. ► Naturally produced brominated organic contaminants were also detected. ► Northern and southern Japan showed regional differences in these contaminants. ► Exposure to the contaminants is suggested to arise from different specific sources. - Brominated organic contaminants were detected in Japanese breast milk.

Environmental contamination in Antarctic ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

Bargagli, R

2008-08-01

Although the remote continent of Antarctica is perceived as the symbol of the last great wilderness, the human presence in the Southern Ocean and the continent began in the early 1900s for hunting, fishing and exploration, and many invasive plant and animal species have been deliberately introduced in several sub-Antarctic islands. Over the last 50 years, the development of research and tourism have locally affected terrestrial and marine coastal ecosystems through fuel combustion (for transportation and energy production), accidental oil spills, waste incineration and sewage. Although natural "barriers" such as oceanic and atmospheric circulation protect Antarctica from lower latitude water and air masses, available data on concentrations of metals, pesticides and other persistent pollutants in air, snow, mosses, lichens and marine organisms show that most persistent contaminants in the Antarctic environment are transported from other continents in the Southern Hemisphere. At present, levels of most contaminants in Antarctic organisms are lower than those in related species from other remote regions, except for the natural accumulation of Cd and Hg in several marine organisms and especially in albatrosses and petrels. The concentrations of organic pollutants in the eggs of an opportunistic top predator such as the south polar skua are close to those that may cause adverse health effects. Population growth and industrial development in several countries of the Southern Hemisphere are changing the global pattern of persistent anthropogenic contaminants and new classes of chemicals have already been detected in the Antarctic environment. Although the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty provides strict guidelines for the protection of the Antarctic environment and establishes obligations for all human activity in the continent and the Southern Ocean, global warming, population growth and industrial development in countries of the Southern

EFFICIENCY OF THE EARTHWORM Eisenia fetida UNDER THE EFFECT OF ORGANIC MATTER FOR BIOREMEDIATION OF SOILS CONTAMINATED WITH CADMIUM AND CHROMIUM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. R. Mostafaii

Full Text Available Abstract The use of earthworms to bioremediate soil results in decreasing the pollutant concentration through a bioaccumulation mechanism of the contaminants in the earthworm's body. The present work is an empirical study that was carried out on soils contaminated with chromium and cadmium. Organic matter in the amount of 5% and 9% of soil weight was added. Chromium and cadmium concentrations in soil and in the body of worms were measured at two time periods of 21 and 42 days. According to the results, increasing from 5% to 9% the organic material of the soil contaminated with chromium at the initial concentration of 0.06 mg/g, the removal efficiency decreased by 5%. In 0.1 mg/g concentration the bioremediation efficiency decreased by 20%, showing that the earthworms probably have more tendency to consume the organic material and low tendency for consuming the soil contaminated by metal. Results showed that, considering the increased mortality of worms in the soil at a concentration of 0.08 mg/g of chromium, using this method is not recommended. For cadmium we require more study, though we can say that the organic material had no influence on the bioremediation of the soil.

Atmospheric contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruetter, Juerg

1997-01-01

It is about the levels of contamination in center America, the population's perception on the problem, effects of the atmospheric contamination, effects in the environment, causes of the atmospheric contamination, possibilities to reduce the atmospheric contamination and list of Roeco Swisscontac in atmospheric contamination

A review of metal (Pb and Zn) sensitive and pH tolerant bioassay organisms for risk screening of metal-contaminated acidic soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, E.Emily V.; Dave, Göran; Murimboh, John D.

2013-01-01

To improve risk estimates at the screening stage of Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA), short duration bioassays tailored to undisturbed soil cores from the contaminated site could be useful. However, existing standardized bioassays use disturbed soil samples and often pH sensitive organisms. This is a problem as naturally acidic soils are widespread. Changing soil properties to suit the test organism may change metal bioavailability, leading to erroneous risk estimates. For bioassays in undisturbed soil cores to be effective, species able to withstand natural soil properties must be identified. This review presents a critical examination of bioassay species' tolerance of acidic soils and sensitivity to metal contaminants such as Pb and Zn. Promising organisms include; Dendrobaena octaedra, Folsomia candida, Caenorhabditis elegans, Oppia nitens, Brassica rapa, Trifolium pratense, Allium cepa, Quercus rubra and Acer rubrum. The MetSTICK test and the Bait lamina test were also identified as suitable microorganism tests. -- Highlights: •Risk screening of metal contaminated soils should consider metal bioavailability. •Metal bioavailability is dependent on soil properties such as pH. •Many standardized bioassay organisms are sensitive to acidic soils. •This review identifies acid tolerant and metal sensitive bioassays and species. •The identified tests can improve risk screening of acidic metal contaminated soil. -- This review identifies bioassay species able to withstand naturally acidic soils while being sensitive to metal contaminants

Short-Term and Long-Term Biological Effects of Chronic Chemical Contamination on Natural Populations of a Marine Bivalve.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marine Breitwieser

Full Text Available Understanding the effects of chronic chemical contamination on natural populations of marine organisms is complex due to the combined effects of different types of pollutants and environmental parameters that can modulate the physiological responses to stress. Here, we present the effects of a chronic contamination in a marine bivalve by combining multiple approaches that provide information on individual and population health. We sampled variegated scallops (Mimachlamys varia at sites characterized by different contaminants and contamination levels to study the short and long-term (intergenerational responses of this species to physiological stress. We used biomarkers (SOD, MDA, GST, laccase, citrate synthase and phosphatases as indicators of oxidative stress, immune system alteration, mitochondrial respiration and general metabolism, and measured population genetic diversity at each site. In parallel, concentration of 14 trace metals and 45 organic contaminants (PAHs, PCBs, pesticides in tissues were measured. Scallops were collected outside and during their reproductive season to investigate temporal variability in contaminant and biomarker levels. Our analyses revealed that the levels of two biomarkers (Laccase-type phenoloxidase and malondialdehyde were significantly correlated with Cd concentration. Additionally, we observed significant seasonal differences for four of the five biomarkers, which is likely due to the scallop reproductive status at time of sampling. As a source of concern, a location that was identified as a reference site on the basis of inorganic contaminant levels presented the same level of some persistent organic pollutants (DDT and its metabolites than more impacted sites. Finally, potential long-term effects of heavy metal contamination were observed for variegated scallops as genetic diversity was depressed in the most polluted sites.

Short-Term and Long-Term Biological Effects of Chronic Chemical Contamination on Natural Populations of a Marine Bivalve.

Science.gov (United States)

Breitwieser, Marine; Viricel, Amélia; Graber, Marianne; Murillo, Laurence; Becquet, Vanessa; Churlaud, Carine; Fruitier-Arnaudin, Ingrid; Huet, Valérie; Lacroix, Camille; Pante, Eric; Le Floch, Stéphane; Thomas-Guyon, Hélène

2016-01-01

Understanding the effects of chronic chemical contamination on natural populations of marine organisms is complex due to the combined effects of different types of pollutants and environmental parameters that can modulate the physiological responses to stress. Here, we present the effects of a chronic contamination in a marine bivalve by combining multiple approaches that provide information on individual and population health. We sampled variegated scallops (Mimachlamys varia) at sites characterized by different contaminants and contamination levels to study the short and long-term (intergenerational) responses of this species to physiological stress. We used biomarkers (SOD, MDA, GST, laccase, citrate synthase and phosphatases) as indicators of oxidative stress, immune system alteration, mitochondrial respiration and general metabolism, and measured population genetic diversity at each site. In parallel, concentration of 14 trace metals and 45 organic contaminants (PAHs, PCBs, pesticides) in tissues were measured. Scallops were collected outside and during their reproductive season to investigate temporal variability in contaminant and biomarker levels. Our analyses revealed that the levels of two biomarkers (Laccase-type phenoloxidase and malondialdehyde) were significantly correlated with Cd concentration. Additionally, we observed significant seasonal differences for four of the five biomarkers, which is likely due to the scallop reproductive status at time of sampling. As a source of concern, a location that was identified as a reference site on the basis of inorganic contaminant levels presented the same level of some persistent organic pollutants (DDT and its metabolites) than more impacted sites. Finally, potential long-term effects of heavy metal contamination were observed for variegated scallops as genetic diversity was depressed in the most polluted sites.

Organic farming at the farm level

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Brian H.; Madsen, Niels; Ørum, Jens Erik

as part of a larger project entitled “Economic analyses of the future development of organic farming – effects at the field, farm, sector and macroeconomic level”. The project links effects at the field-level with analyses at the farm level. These effects are then used in sector and macroeconomic analyses......, which are described in other reports from Food and Resource Economic Institute (Jacobsen, 2005 and Andersen et al., 2005). This gives coherent results from the field to the macroeconomic level regarding changes in technology and legislation.......The purpose of this report is to present possible impacts of new technology and changes in legislation on the profitability of different types of organic farms. The aim is also to look at both the current and future trends in the organic area in Denmark. The farm level analyses are carried out...

The influence of soil organic carbon on interactions between microbial parameters and metal concentrations at a long-term contaminated site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muhlbachova, G. [Crop Research Institute, Drnovska 507, 161 06 Prague 6, Ruzyne (Czech Republic); Sagova-Mareckova, M., E-mail: sagova@vurv.cz [Crop Research Institute, Drnovska 507, 161 06 Prague 6, Ruzyne (Czech Republic); Omelka, M. [Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Dept. of Probability and Mathematical Statistics, Prague 8, Karlin (Czech Republic); Szakova, J.; Tlustos, P. [Czech University of Life Sciences, Department of Agroenvironmental Chemistry and Plant Nutrition, Prague 6, Suchdol (Czech Republic)

2015-01-01

The effects of lead, zinc, cadmium, arsenic and copper deposits on soil microbial parameters were investigated at a site exposed to contamination for over 200 years. Soil samples were collected in triplicates at 121 sites differing in contamination and soil organic carbon (SOC). Microbial biomass, respiration, dehydrogenase activity and metabolic quotient were determined and correlated with total and extractable metal concentrations in soil. The goal was to analyze complex interactions between toxic metals and microbial parameters by assessing the effect of soil organic carbon in the relationships. The effect of SOC was significant in all interactions and changed the correlations between microbial parameters and metal fractions from negative to positive. In some cases, the effect of SOC was combined with that of clay and soil pH. In the final analysis, dehydrogenase activity was negatively correlated to total metal concentrations and acetic acid extractable metals, respiration and metabolic quotient were to ammonium nitrate extractable metals. Dehydrogenase activity was the most sensitive microbial parameter correlating most frequently with contamination. Total and extractable zinc was most often correlated with microbial parameters. The large data set enabled robust explanation of discrepancies in organic matter functioning occurring frequently in analyzing of contaminated soil processes. - Highlights: • Soil organic carbon affected all interactions between metals and microorganisms. • Soil organic carbon adjustment changed correlations from positive to negative. • Ammonium nitrate extractable metals were the most influencing fraction. • Dehydrogenase activity was the most affected soil parameter. • Zinc was the most toxic metal among studied metals.

The influence of soil organic carbon on interactions between microbial parameters and metal concentrations at a long-term contaminated site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muhlbachova, G.; Sagova-Mareckova, M.; Omelka, M.; Szakova, J.; Tlustos, P.

2015-01-01

The effects of lead, zinc, cadmium, arsenic and copper deposits on soil microbial parameters were investigated at a site exposed to contamination for over 200 years. Soil samples were collected in triplicates at 121 sites differing in contamination and soil organic carbon (SOC). Microbial biomass, respiration, dehydrogenase activity and metabolic quotient were determined and correlated with total and extractable metal concentrations in soil. The goal was to analyze complex interactions between toxic metals and microbial parameters by assessing the effect of soil organic carbon in the relationships. The effect of SOC was significant in all interactions and changed the correlations between microbial parameters and metal fractions from negative to positive. In some cases, the effect of SOC was combined with that of clay and soil pH. In the final analysis, dehydrogenase activity was negatively correlated to total metal concentrations and acetic acid extractable metals, respiration and metabolic quotient were to ammonium nitrate extractable metals. Dehydrogenase activity was the most sensitive microbial parameter correlating most frequently with contamination. Total and extractable zinc was most often correlated with microbial parameters. The large data set enabled robust explanation of discrepancies in organic matter functioning occurring frequently in analyzing of contaminated soil processes. - Highlights: • Soil organic carbon affected all interactions between metals and microorganisms. • Soil organic carbon adjustment changed correlations from positive to negative. • Ammonium nitrate extractable metals were the most influencing fraction. • Dehydrogenase activity was the most affected soil parameter. • Zinc was the most toxic metal among studied metals

Carbon tetrachloride contamination, 200 West Area, Hanford Site: Arid Site Integrated Demonstration for remediation of volatile organic compounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Last, G.V.; Rohay, V.J.

1991-01-01

The Arid State Integrated Demonstration is a US Department of Energy (DOE) program targeted at the acquisition, development, demonstration, and deployment of technologies for evaluation and cleanup of volatile organic and associated contaminants in soils and ground waters. Several DOE laboratories, universities, and industry will participate in the program. Candidate technologies will be demonstrated in the areas of site characterization; performance prediction, monitoring, and evaluations; contaminant extraction and ex situ treatment; in situ remediations; and site closure and monitoring. The performance of these demonstrated technologies will be compared to baseline technologies and documented to promote the transfer of new technologies to industry for use at DOE facilities. The initial host site is the Hanford Site's 200 West Area. The location of the demonstration contains primarily carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ), chloroform, and a variety of associated mixed waste contaminants. Chemical processes used to recover and purify plutonium at Hanford's plutonium finishing plant (Z Plant) resulted in the production of actinide-bearing waste liquid. Both aqueous and organic liquid wastes were generated, and were routinely discharged to subsurface disposal facilities. The primary radionuclide in the waste streams was plutonium, and the primary organic was CCl 4 . This paper contains brief descriptions of the principal CCl 4 waste disposal facilities in Hanford's 200 West Area, associated hydrogeology, existing information on the extent of soil and ground-water contamination, and a conceptual outline of suspected subsurface CCl 4 distributions

Bioremediation of Heavy Metals and Organic Toxicants by Composting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allen V. Barker

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Hazardous organic and metallic residues or by-products can enter into plants, soils, and sediments from processes associated with domestic, municipal, agricultural, industrial, and military activities. Handling, ingestion, application to land or other distributions of the contaminated materials into the environment might render harm to humans, livestock, wildlife, crops, or native plants. Considerable remediation of the hazardous wastes or contaminated plants, soils, and sediments can be accomplished by composting. High microbial diversity and activity during composting, due to the abundance of substrates in feedstocks, promotes degradation of xenobiotic organic compounds, such as pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs. For composting of contaminated soils, noncontaminated organic matter should be cocomposted with the soils. Metallic pollutants are not degraded during composting but may be converted into organic combinations that have less bioavailability than mineral combinations of the metals. Degradation of organic contaminants in soils is facilitated by addition of composted or raw organic matter, thereby increasing the substrate levels for cometabolism of the contaminants. Similar to the composting of soils in vessels or piles, the on-site addition of organic matter to soils (sheet composting accelerates degradation of organic pollutants and binds metallic pollutants. Recalcitrant materials, such as organochlorines, may not undergo degradation in composts or in soils, and the effects of forming organic complexes with metallic pollutants may be nonpermanent or short lived. The general conclusion is, however, that composting degrades or binds pollutants to innocuous levels or into innocuous compounds in the finished product.

A novel modeling tool with multi-stressor functionality for organic contaminant transport and fate in the Baltic Sea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Undeman, E., E-mail: emma.undeman@itm.su.se [Baltic Nest Institute, Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, 11418 Stockholm (Sweden); Gustafsson, E., E-mail: erik.gustafsson@su.se [Baltic Nest Institute, Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Gustafsson, B.G., E-mail: bo.gustafsson@su.se [Baltic Nest Institute, Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden)

2014-11-01

The coupled physical–biogeochemical model BALTSEM, previously used to assess nutrient/carbon cycles and eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, has been expanded to include algorithms for calculations of organic contaminant environmental transport and fate. This novel model version (BALTSEM-POP) is evaluated for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in Baltic Sea surface water and sediment. Modeled dissolved concentrations are usually within a factor of 2–4 of observed concentrations, however with larger deviations for furans. Calculated concentrations in particulate organic matter are less accurate (within factors of 1–700), likely due to errors in estimated pelagic biomass, particulate matter–water partitioning, and large natural variability in field data. Concentrations in sediments are usually predicted within a factor of 6. The good performance of the model illustrates its usefulness for exploration of contaminant fate in response to variations in nutrient input and climatic conditions in the Baltic Sea marine environment. - Highlights: • A new model for organic chemical transport and fate in the Baltic Sea is presented. • Physical and biogeochemical processes are linked to organic contaminant transport. • The model is evaluated for PCBs, HCB and PCDD/Fs. • The model can predict dissolved concentrations within a factor of ca 2–4. • Predictions for concentrations in particulate matter and sediment are less accurate.

A national-scale assessment of micro-organic contaminants in groundwater of England and Wales.

Science.gov (United States)

Manamsa, Katya; Crane, Emily; Stuart, Marianne; Talbot, John; Lapworth, Dan; Hart, Alwyn

2016-10-15

A large variety of micro-organic (MO) compounds is used in huge quantities for a range of purposes (e.g. manufacturing, food production, healthcare) and is now being frequently detected in the aquatic environment. Interest in the occurrence of MO contaminants in the terrestrial and aquatic environments continues to grow, as well as in their environmental fate and potential toxicity. However, the contamination of groundwater resources by MOs has a limited evidence base compared to other freshwater resources. Of particular concern are newly 'emerging contaminants' such as pharmaceuticals and lifestyle compounds, particularly those with potential endocrine disrupting properties. While groundwater often has a high degree of protection from pollution due to physical, chemical and biological attenuation processes in the subsurface compared to surface aquatic environments, trace concentrations of a large range of compounds are still detected in groundwater and in some cases may persist for decades due to the long residence times of groundwater systems. This study provides the first national-scale assessment of micro-organic compounds in groundwater in England and Wales. A large set of monitoring data was analysed to determine the relative occurrence and detected concentrations of different groups of compounds and to determine relationships with land-use, aquifer type and groundwater vulnerability. MOs detected including emerging compounds such as caffeine, DEET, bisphenol A, anti-microbial agents and pharmaceuticals as well as a range of legacy contaminants including chlorinated solvents and THMs, petroleum hydrocarbons, pesticides and other industrial compounds. There are clear differences in MOs between land-use types, particularly for urban-industrial and natural land-use. Temporal trends of MO occurrence are assessed but establishing long-term trends is not yet possible. Copyright © 2016 British Geological Survey, NERC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification of specific organic contaminants in different units of a chemical production site.

Science.gov (United States)

Dsikowitzky, L; Botalova, O; al Sandouk-Lincke, N A; Schwarzbauer, J

2014-07-01

Due to the very limited number of studies dealing with the chemical composition of industrial wastewaters, many industrial organic contaminants still escape our view and consequently also our control. We present here the chemical characterization of wastewaters from different units of a chemical complex, thereby contributing to the characterization of industrial pollution sources. The chemicals produced in the investigated complex are widely and intensively used and the synthesis processes are common and applied worldwide. The chemical composition of untreated and treated wastewaters from the chemical complex was investigated by applying a non-target screening which allowed for the identification of 39 organic contaminants. According to their application most of them belonged to four groups: (i) unspecific educts or intermediates of industrial syntheses, (ii) chemicals for the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, (iii) educts for the synthesis of polymers and resins, and (iv) compounds known as typical constituents of municipal sewage. A number of halogenated compounds with unknown toxicity and with very high molecular diversity belonged to the second group. Although these compounds were completely removed or degraded during wastewater treatment, they could be useful as "alarm indicators" for industrial accidents in pharmaceutical manufacturing units or for malfunctions of wastewater treatment plants. Three potential branch-specific indicators for polymer manufacturing were found in the outflow of the complex. Among all compounds, bisphenol A, which was present in the leachate water of the on-site waste deposit, occurred in the highest concentrations of up to 20 000 μg L(-1). The comparison of contaminant loads in the inflow and outflow of the on-site wastewater treatment facility showed that most contaminants were completely or at least significantly removed or degraded during the treatment, except two alkylthiols, which were enriched during the treatment process

The cost and benefit analysis of a contaminated area remediation: case study of dose level selection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauria, D.C. [Instituto de Radioproteccion e Dosimetria- IRD/CNEN, Av. Salvador Allende s/n, Barra de Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro- RJ (Brazil)]. e-mail: dejanira@ird.gov.br

2006-07-01

In recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the radiological impact of non-nuclear industries that extract and/or process ores and minerals containing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). Without radiological rules, these industrial activities may result in significant radioactive contamination of installations and sites. Depending on the potential hazardous to the environment and public health, the radioactive contaminated sites may require remediation. The extent of the site cleanup is a function of the size, localization, complexity, potential risks and on possible future uses envisioned for the site. Since worker and public health, public anxiety and economics factors are involved; the selection of an appropriate dose level can be quite complicated. This paper discusses the selection of a dose level criterion to remedy a site, which was contaminated by wastes from monazite processing. The site is located in the Sao Paulo city; the most densely populated Brazilian City. In its 60,000 square meters of area, a preliminary survey showed contaminated zones covering an area of 6,500 square meters. In some places, contamination was found below the superficial layer of the soil, being the radionuclide vertical distribution not uniform. The {sup 228} Ra soil activity concentration reached values up to 33,000 Bq/kg while those for {sup 226} Ra reached values up to 6,700 Bq/kg. Based on pathway analysis model and considering both the current land use and a hypothetical residential scenario, the residual contamination levels of radionuclides in soil have been derived for dose values of 10 mSv/y (dose level for intervention), 5 mSv/y, 3 mSv/y, 1 mSv/y (dose limit for practices) and 0.3 mSv/y (dose constraint for practices). An optimized value o f annual dose of about 5 mSv/y would be a good option for intervention level, but taking into account the public concern and anxiety, the site location and size, and the remediation costs, it is suggested

The cost and benefit analysis of a contaminated area remediation: case study of dose level selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauria, D.C.

2006-01-01

In recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the radiological impact of non-nuclear industries that extract and/or process ores and minerals containing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM). Without radiological rules, these industrial activities may result in significant radioactive contamination of installations and sites. Depending on the potential hazardous to the environment and public health, the radioactive contaminated sites may require remediation. The extent of the site cleanup is a function of the size, localization, complexity, potential risks and on possible future uses envisioned for the site. Since worker and public health, public anxiety and economics factors are involved; the selection of an appropriate dose level can be quite complicated. This paper discusses the selection of a dose level criterion to remedy a site, which was contaminated by wastes from monazite processing. The site is located in the Sao Paulo city; the most densely populated Brazilian City. In its 60,000 square meters of area, a preliminary survey showed contaminated zones covering an area of 6,500 square meters. In some places, contamination was found below the superficial layer of the soil, being the radionuclide vertical distribution not uniform. The 228 Ra soil activity concentration reached values up to 33,000 Bq/kg while those for 226 Ra reached values up to 6,700 Bq/kg. Based on pathway analysis model and considering both the current land use and a hypothetical residential scenario, the residual contamination levels of radionuclides in soil have been derived for dose values of 10 mSv/y (dose level for intervention), 5 mSv/y, 3 mSv/y, 1 mSv/y (dose limit for practices) and 0.3 mSv/y (dose constraint for practices). An optimized value o f annual dose of about 5 mSv/y would be a good option for intervention level, but taking into account the public concern and anxiety, the site location and size, and the remediation costs, it is suggested the

A model compound study: The ecotoxicological evaluation of five organic contaminants employing a battery of marine bioassays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macken, Ailbhe; Giltrap, Michelle; Foley, Barry; McGovern, Evin; McHugh, Brendan; Davoren, Maria

2008-01-01

This paper describes the ecotoxicological evaluation of five organic contaminants frequently detected in marine sediments (tributyltin, triphenyltin, benzo[a]pyrene, fluoranthene, and PCB 153) using three marine species (Vibrio fischeri, Tetraselmis suecica, and Tisbe battagliai). The sensitivity of each species varied for all compounds. The triorganotins were consistently the most toxic to all species. The applicability of each test system to assess the acute toxicity of environmental contaminants and their use in Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) is discussed. Suitability of the Microtox and T. battagliai tests for employment in TIE studies were further assessed through spiking experiments with tributyltin. Results demonstrated that the most effective treatment to remove organotin toxicity from the sample was the C 18 resin. The results of this study have important implications for risk assessment in estuarine and coastal waters in Ireland, where, at present the monitoring of sediment and water quality is predominantly reliant on chemical analysis alone. - Ecotoxicological evaluation of five organic marine sediment contaminants was conducted and the suitability of the test species for marine porewater TIE discussed

A model compound study: The ecotoxicological evaluation of five organic contaminants employing a battery of marine bioassays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macken, Ailbhe [Radiation and Environmental Science Centre, Focas Institute, DIT, Kevin Street, Dublin 8 (Ireland)], E-mail: ailbhe.macken@dit.ie; Giltrap, Michelle [Radiation and Environmental Science Centre, Focas Institute, DIT, Kevin Street, Dublin 8 (Ireland); Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway (Ireland)], E-mail: michelle.giltrap@marine.ie; Foley, Barry [School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, DIT, Kevin Street, Dublin 8 (Ireland)], E-mail: barry.foley@dit.ie; McGovern, Evin [Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway (Ireland)], E-mail: evin.mcgovern@marine.ie; McHugh, Brendan [Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Co. Galway (Ireland)], E-mail: brendan.mchugh@marine.ie; Davoren, Maria [Radiation and Environmental Science Centre, Focas Institute, DIT, Kevin Street, Dublin 8 (Ireland)], E-mail: maria.davoren@dit.ie

2008-06-15

This paper describes the ecotoxicological evaluation of five organic contaminants frequently detected in marine sediments (tributyltin, triphenyltin, benzo[a]pyrene, fluoranthene, and PCB 153) using three marine species (Vibrio fischeri, Tetraselmis suecica, and Tisbe battagliai). The sensitivity of each species varied for all compounds. The triorganotins were consistently the most toxic to all species. The applicability of each test system to assess the acute toxicity of environmental contaminants and their use in Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) is discussed. Suitability of the Microtox and T. battagliai tests for employment in TIE studies were further assessed through spiking experiments with tributyltin. Results demonstrated that the most effective treatment to remove organotin toxicity from the sample was the C{sub 18} resin. The results of this study have important implications for risk assessment in estuarine and coastal waters in Ireland, where, at present the monitoring of sediment and water quality is predominantly reliant on chemical analysis alone. - Ecotoxicological evaluation of five organic marine sediment contaminants was conducted and the suitability of the test species for marine porewater TIE discussed.

Accumulation patterns of lipophilic organic contaminants in surface sediments and in economic important mussel and fish species from Jakarta Bay, Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwiyitno; Dsikowitzky, Larissa; Nordhaus, Inga; Andarwulan, Nuri; Irianto, Hari Eko; Lioe, Hanifah Nuryani; Ariyani, Farida; Kleinertz, Sonja

2016-01-01

Non-target screening analyses were conducted in order to identify a wide range of organic contaminants in sediment and animal tissue samples from Jakarta Bay. High concentrations of di-iso-propylnaphthalenes (DIPNs), linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected in all samples, whereas phenylmethoxynaphthalene (PMN), DDT and DDT metabolites (DDX) were detected at lower concentrations. In order to evaluate the uptake and accumulation by economic important mussel (Perna viridis) and fish species, contaminant patterns of DIPNs, LABs and PAHs in different compartments were compared. Different patterns of these contaminant groups were found in sediment and animal tissue samples, suggesting compound-specific accumulation and metabolism processes. Significantly higher concentrations of these three contaminant groups in mussel tissue as compared to fish tissue from Jakarta Bay were found. Because P. viridis is an important aquaculture species in Asia, this result is relevant for food safety. - Highlights: • Analyses of surface sediment and animal tissue samples from a tropical coastal system • Non-target screening enabled identification of a wide range of organic contaminants. • Comparison of contaminant patterns in surface sediments and animal tissue samples • Results illustrate compound-specific accumulation and metabolism processes. • Higher concentrations of all contaminants in mussel tissue as compared to fish tissue

Impact of fresh organic matter incorporation on PAH fate in a contaminated industrial soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pernot, Audrey; Ouvrard, Stéphanie; Leglize, Pierre; Watteau, Françoise; Derrien, Delphine

2014-01-01

The impacts of fresh organic matter (OM) incorporation in an industrial PAH-contaminated soil on its structure and contaminant concentrations (available and total) were monitored. A control soil and a soil amended with the equivalent of 10 years maize residue input were incubated in laboratory-controlled conditions over 15 months. The structure of the amended soil showed an aggregation process trend which is attributable to (i) the enhanced microbial activity resulting from fresh OM input itself and (ii) the fresh OM and its degradation products. Initially the added organic matter was evenly distributed among all granulodensimetric fractions, and then rapidly degraded in the sand fraction, while stabilizing and accumulating in the silts. PAH degradation remained slight, despite the enhanced microbial biomass activity, which was similar to kinetics of the turnover rate of OM in an uncontaminated soil. The silts stabilized the anthropogenic OM and associated PAH. The addition of fresh OM tended to contribute to this stabilization process. Thus, in a context of plant growth on this soil two opposing processes might occur: rhizodegradation of the available contaminant and enhanced stabilization of the less available fraction due to carbon input. - Highlights: • Fresh OM input in an industrial soil leads to aggregation. • TC and δ 13 C increase in fine silts. • Fine silts store both the natural and anthropogenic OM. • PAH concentration and availability are not impacted by an addition of OM

Impact of fresh organic matter incorporation on PAH fate in a contaminated industrial soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pernot, Audrey [Université de Lorraine, LSE, UMR 1120, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54518 (France); INRA, LSE, UMR 1120, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54518 (France); Université de Lorraine, LIEC, UMR 7360, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54506 (France); CNRS, LIEC, UMR 7360, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54506 (France); Ouvrard, Stéphanie, E-mail: stephanie.ouvrard@univ-lorraine.fr [Université de Lorraine, LSE, UMR 1120, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54518 (France); INRA, LSE, UMR 1120, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54518 (France); Leglize, Pierre [Université de Lorraine, LSE, UMR 1120, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54518 (France); INRA, LSE, UMR 1120, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54518 (France); Watteau, Françoise [Université de Lorraine, LSE, UMR 1120, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54518 (France); INRA, LSE, UMR 1120, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54518 (France); CNRS, UMS 3562, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, F-54501 (France); Derrien, Delphine [INRA, BEF, UR 1138, Centre Nancy-Lorraine, Champenoux, F-54280 (France); and others

2014-11-01

The impacts of fresh organic matter (OM) incorporation in an industrial PAH-contaminated soil on its structure and contaminant concentrations (available and total) were monitored. A control soil and a soil amended with the equivalent of 10 years maize residue input were incubated in laboratory-controlled conditions over 15 months. The structure of the amended soil showed an aggregation process trend which is attributable to (i) the enhanced microbial activity resulting from fresh OM input itself and (ii) the fresh OM and its degradation products. Initially the added organic matter was evenly distributed among all granulodensimetric fractions, and then rapidly degraded in the sand fraction, while stabilizing and accumulating in the silts. PAH degradation remained slight, despite the enhanced microbial biomass activity, which was similar to kinetics of the turnover rate of OM in an uncontaminated soil. The silts stabilized the anthropogenic OM and associated PAH. The addition of fresh OM tended to contribute to this stabilization process. Thus, in a context of plant growth on this soil two opposing processes might occur: rhizodegradation of the available contaminant and enhanced stabilization of the less available fraction due to carbon input. - Highlights: • Fresh OM input in an industrial soil leads to aggregation. • TC and δ{sup 13}C increase in fine silts. • Fine silts store both the natural and anthropogenic OM. • PAH concentration and availability are not impacted by an addition of OM.

Organization of work for prevention of propagation of radioactive contamination, for decontamination of the premise surfaces and individual protective means in case of radiation accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klochkov, V.N.; Vas'kin, A.G.; Filatova, V.M.

1995-01-01

Radiation accident results in radioactive contamination of the surface, clothes and other property. If proper measures are taken, it will prevent propagation of contamination. Decontamination of surfaces - is a complicated and tedious process. The paper has examined the measures of organization and technical aspects of prevention of propagation of radioactive contamination. Methods of decontamination of internal surfaces of premises are demonstrated, organization of the individual protective means is determined. 9 refs

Containing and discarding method for radiation contaminated materials and radiation contaminated material containing composite member

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akagawa, Katsuhiko.

1995-01-01

A container for high level radiation contaminated materials is loaded in an outer container in a state of forming a gap between the outer container and a container wall, low level radiation contaminated materials are filled to the gap between the container of the radiation contaminated materials and the container wall, and then the outer container is sealed. In addition, the thickness of the layer of the low level radiation contaminated materials is made substantially uniform. Then, since radiation rays from the container of the radiation contaminated materials are decayed by the layer of the low level radiation contaminated materials at the periphery of the container and the level of the radiation rays emitted from the outer container is extremely reduced than in a case where the entire amount of high level radiation contaminated materials are filled, the level is suppressed to an extent somewhat higher than the level in the case where the entire amount of the low level radiation contaminated materials are filled. Accordingly, the management corresponds to that for the low level radiation contaminated materials, and the steps for the management and the entire volume thereof are reduced than in a case where the high level radiation contaminated materials and the low level radiation contaminated materials are sealed separately. (N.H.)

Spatial variation of mercury levels in nesting Bonelli's eagles from Southwest Portugal: effects of diet composition and prey contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palma, Luis; Beja, Pedro; Tavares, Paula C.; Monteiro, Luis R.

2005-01-01

Mercury (Hg) was determined in adult Bonelli's eagles (Hieraaetus fasciatus) and their avian prey, from samples of feathers collected between 1992 and 2001 at the nesting sites of 21 pairs in Southwest Portugal. Eagle Hg levels showed great variation, reflecting primarily differences in diet composition and food chain biomagnification. Concentrations were positively correlated with the dietary proportion of insectivorous and omnivorous birds (e.g. egrets, corvids and thrushes), with very low levels for pairs feeding mainly on herbivores (e.g. rabbits, pigeons and partridges). Differences in prey contamination among breeding territories added to dietary effects in determining variation of Hg levels in eagles, shaping a spatial pattern that was largely consistent with a source of contamination in a coal-burning power-plant lying upwind of the study area. Despite this presumed contamination, Hg levels seemed to be of little concern to this eagle population, though there might be subtle deleterious effects on the reproductive output of a few pairs. This study emphasizes the need to account for dietary effects when biomonitoring Hg contamination using birds of prey. - The effects of diet composition and prey contamination added up to determine the spatial variation of Hg levels in breeding Bonelli's eagles

Flotation separation of uranium from contaminated soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misra, M.; Mehta, R.; Garcia, H.; Chai, C.D.; Smith, R.W.

1995-01-01

The volume of low-level contaminated soil at the Department of Energy's Nuclear Weapon Sites are in the order of several million tons. Most of the contaminants are uranium, plutonium, other heavy metals and organic compounds. Selected physical separation processes have shown demonstrated potential in concentrating the radionuclides in a small fraction of the soil. Depending upon the size, nature of bonding and distributions of radionuclides, more than 90% of the radionuclide activity can be concentrated in a small volume of fraction of the soil. The physico-chemical separation processes such as flotation in a mechanical and microbubble tall column cell have shown promising applications in cleaning up the high volume contaminated soil

Heavy metal(loid)s and organic contaminants in groundwater in the Pearl River Delta that has undergone three decades of urbanization and industrialization: Distributions, sources, and driving forces.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Guanxing; Zhang, Ming; Liu, Chunyan; Li, Liangping; Chen, Zongyu

2018-09-01

Urbanization and industrialization have increased groundwater resource demands, and may drive the change of heavy metal(loid)s and organic chemicals in groundwater in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), southern China. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the distributions, sources, and driving forces of heavy metal(loid)s and organic chemicals in groundwater in the PRD is vital for water resource management in this region. In this study, eight heavy metal(loid)s and fifty-five organic chemicals in groundwater across the PRD were investigated. The results show that undrinkable groundwater related to heavy metal(loid)s was mainly due to high concentrations of Fe (19.3%) and As (6.8%). Eighteen organic contaminants were detected in groundwater in the PRD, where the most frequently detected organic contaminant was naphthalene, and its detection rate was 2.51%. In 5.3% of all groundwater samples, one or more organic contaminants were found. All detected organic contaminants, except ones without allowable limits, in groundwater were at concentrations below allowable limits of China. The mean concentrations of heavy metal(loid)s in granular aquifers were higher than those in fissured and karst aquifers, especially for Fe and As. Except Se, the mean concentrations of other heavy metal(loid)s and the frequency of detection of organic contaminants in groundwater in urbanized and peri-urban areas were higher than those in non-urbanized areas, especially for Hg, Co, and organic contaminants. Fe, As, and Se in groundwater mainly originated from the release of Fe/As/Se rich sediments. The former two were driven by reduction reactions, while the latter was driven by oxidation resulting from the infiltration of NO 3 - . In contrast, other five heavy metal(loid)s and organic contaminants in groundwater mainly originated from the anthropogenic sources, such as the infiltration of industrial sewage. It is evident that urbanization and industrialization are two powerful driving forces for

Hazard identification of contaminated sites. Ranking potential toxicity of organic sediment extracts in crustacean and fish

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karlsson, J.; Sundberg, H.; Aakerman, G.; Grunder, K.; Eklund, B.; Breitholtz, M. [Dept. of Applied Environmental Science (ITM), Stockholm Univ. (Sweden)

2008-09-15

Background, aim, and scope: It is well known that contaminated sediments represent a potential long-term source of pollutants to the aquatic environment. To protect human and ecosystem health, it is becoming common to remediate contaminated sites. However, the great cost associated with, e.g., dredging in combination with the large numbers of contaminated sites makes it crucial to pinpoint those sites that are in greatest need of remediation. In most European countries, this prioritization process has almost exclusively been based on chemical analyses of known substances; only seldom toxicity data has been considered. The main objective of the current study was therefore to develop a tool for hazard identification of sediment by ranking potential toxicity of organic sediment extracts in a crustacean and a fish. A secondary objective was to investigate the difference in potential toxicity between compounds with different polarities. Materials and methods Early life stages of the crustacean Nitocra spinipes and the fish Oncorhynchus mykiss, which represent organisms from different trophic levels (primary and secondary consumer) and with different routes of exposure (i.e. ingestion through food, diffusive uptake, and maternal transfer), were exposed to hexane and acetone fractions (semi-polar compounds) of sediment from five locations, ranging from heavily to low contaminated. Preliminary tests showed that the extracts were non-bioavailable to the crustacean when exposed via water, and the extracts were therefore loaded on silica gel. Rainbow trout embryos were exposed using nano-injection technique. Results and discussion Clear concentration-response relationships of both mortality and larval development were observed in all tests with N. spinipes. Also for rainbow trout, the observed effects (e.g., abnormality, hemorrhage, asymmetric yolk sac) followed a dose-related pattern. Interestingly, our results indicate that some of the locations contained toxic semi

Organic Contaminants Library for the Sample Analysis at Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, P.; Garcia-Sanchez, R.; Canham, J.; Mahaffy, P. R.

2012-12-01

A library containing mass spectra for Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) materials has been developed with the purpose of contamination identification and control. Based on analysis of the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometric (GCMS) data through thermal desorption, organic compounds were successfully identified from material samples, such as polymers, paints and adhesives. The library contains the spectra for all the compounds found in each of these analyzed files and is supplemented by a file information spreadsheet, a spreadsheet-formatted library for easy searching, and a Perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA) based normalization protocol to make corrections to SAM data in order to meet the standard set by commercial libraries. An example of the library in use can be seen in Figure 1, where the abundances match closely, the spectral shape is retained, and the library picks up on it with an 88% identification probability. Of course, there are also compounds that have not been identified and are retained as unknowns. The library we have developed, along with its supplemental materials, is useful from both organizational and practical viewpoints. Through them we are able to organize large volumes of GCMS data, while at the same time breaking down the components that each material sample is made of. This approach in turn allows us straightforward and fast access to information that will be critical while performing analysis on the data recorded by the SAM instrumentation. In addition, the normalization protocol dramatically increased the identification probability. In SAM GCMS, PFTBA signals were obfuscated, resulting in library matches far away from PFTBA; by using the normalization protocol we were able to transform it into a 92% probable spectral match for PFTBA. The project has demonstrated conclusively that the library is successful in identifying unknown compounds utilizing both the Automated Mass Spectral Deconvolution & Identification System (AMDIS) and the Ion

Effects of industrial processing on essential elements and regulated and emerging contaminant levels in seafood.

Science.gov (United States)

Rasmussen, Rie Romme; Søndergaard, Annette Bøge; Bøknæs, Niels; Cederberg, Tommy Licht; Sloth, Jens Jørgen; Granby, Kit

2017-06-01

Mitigation of contaminants in industrial processing was studied for prawns (cooked and peeled), Greenland halibut (cold smoked) and Atlantic salmon (cold smoked and trimmed). Raw prawns had significantly higher cadmium, chromium, iron, selenium and zinc content in autumn than in spring, while summer levels typically were intermediate. Peeling raw prawns increased mercury concentration but reduced the concentration of all other elements including inorganic arsenic, total arsenic, chromium, zinc, selenium but especially cadmium, copper and iron (p processing was observed. Non-toxic organic arsenic in raw Greenland halibut (N = 10) and salmon (N = 4) did not transform to carcinogenic inorganic arsenic during industrial cold smoking. Hence inorganic arsenic was low (Processing salmon did not significantly change any levels (calculated both per wet weight, dry weight or lipid content). Cold smoking decreased total arsenic (17%) and increased PCB congeners (10-22%) in Greenland halibut (wet weight). However PFOS, PCB and PBDE congeners were not different in processed Greenland halibut when corrected for water loss or lipid content. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Plant-associated bacterial degradation of toxic organic compounds in soil.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

McGuinness, Martina

2009-08-01

A number of toxic synthetic organic compounds can contaminate environmental soil through either local (e.g., industrial) or diffuse (e.g., agricultural) contamination. Increased levels of these toxic organic compounds in the environment have been associated with human health risks including cancer. Plant-associated bacteria, such as endophytic bacteria (non-pathogenic bacteria that occur naturally in plants) and rhizospheric bacteria (bacteria that live on and near the roots of plants), have been shown to contribute to biodegradation of toxic organic compounds in contaminated soil and could have potential for improving phytoremediation. Endophytic and rhizospheric bacterial degradation of toxic organic compounds (either naturally occurring or genetically enhanced) in contaminated soil in the environment could have positive implications for human health worldwide and is the subject of this review.

Allowable residual-contamination levels for decommissioning facilities in the 100 areas of the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, W.E. Jr.; Napier, B.A.

1983-07-01

This report contains the results of a study sponsored by UNC Nuclear Industries to determine Allowable Residual Contamination Levels (ARCL) for five generic categories of facilities in the 100 Areas of the Hanford Site. The purpose of this study is to provide ARCL data useful to UNC engineers in conducting safety and cost comparisons for decommissioning alternatives. The ARCL results are based on a scenario/exposure-pathway analysis and compliance with an annual dose limit for three specific modes of future use of the land and facilities. These modes of use are restricted, controlled, and unrestricted. The information on ARCL values for restricted and controlled use provided by this report is intended to permit a full consideration of decommissioning alternatives. ARCL results are presented both for surface contamination remaining in facilities (in dpm/100 cm 2 ), and for unconfined surface and confined subsurface soil conditions (in pCi/g). Two confined soil conditions are considered: contamination at depths between 1 and 4 m, and contamination at depths greater than or equal to 5 m. A set of worksheets are presented in an appendix for modifying the ARCL values to accommodate changes in the radionuclide mixture or concentrations, to consider the impacts of radioactive decay, and to predict instrument responses. Finally, a comparison is made between the unrestricted release ARCL values for the 100 Area facilities and existing decommissioning and land disposal regulations. For surface contamination, the comparison shows good agreement. For soil contamination, the comparison shows good agreement if reasonable modification factors are applied to account for the differences in modeling soil contamination and licensed low-level waste

Comparison of Passive Samplers for Monitoring Dissolved Organic Contaminants in Water Column Deployments NAC/SETAC 2012

Science.gov (United States)

Nonionic organic contaminants (NOCs) are difficult to measure in the water column due to their inherent chemical properties resulting in low water solubility and high particle activity. Traditional sampling methods require large quantities of water to be extracted and interferen...

The level of Escherichia coli contamination in foods and drinks sold at canteens campus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dewi Susanna

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Bacterial contamination is a common phenomenon in foods served in campus canteens and my cause physical illness which will affect academic activity. The aim of this study was to rank the level of Escherichia coli contamination in food and drink in campus canteens.Methods: Forty nine (49 foods and 24 types of drink were examined using conventional agar broth method for calculation of most probable number (MPN. The steps of the mothod were presumptive test for coliforms, fecal coliforms and E. coli, confirmes test for coliforms, fecal coli and E. coli and then completed test for E. coli. An analysis for contamination by E. coli in meals, utensils, and on the hands of the server was also undertaken. The data analyzed in percentage and rank all type of foods and drinks, also rank based on the location.Results: Almost all type of meals was contaminated. Meals with chili sauce were the most risky from the contamination of E. coli (90.15 %, then followed by dry meals (38.89%, while the wet meals were the the most unrisky meals. In  drinks, the highest was lacy juice, followed by jambu (guava juice, then Sirsak and Orange juices on the third rank, while the mango juice was the lowest contamination. Melon juice, cappucino and fruit-coctail did not have E. coli  contamination.Conclusion: The contamination in the top three rank of contamination could be from the utensils used and foodhandler. (Med J Indones 2011; 20:66-70Keywords: campus, canteen, drink, Escherichia coli, food

Monitoring priority substances, other organic contaminants and heavy metals in a volcanic aquifer from different sources and hydrological processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Estevez, Esmeralda; Cabrera, María del Carmen; Fernández-Vera, Juan Ramón; Molina-Díaz, Antonio; Robles-Molina, José; Palacios-Díaz, María del Pino

2016-01-01

Irrigation with reclaimed water (R) is necessary to guarantee the sustainability of semi-arid areas. Results obtained during a two years monitoring network (2009–2011) in Gran Canaria are presented, including the analysis of chemical parameters, N and S isotopes, priority substances (2008/105/EC, 2013/39/EU), other organic contaminants and heavy metals in groundwater and R used to irrigate a golf course. The aims of this work are to evaluate the contamination in a volcanic aquifer, relate the presence of organic contaminants and heavy metals with the hydrogeochemistry and identify pollution sources in the area. No priority substance exceeded the EU thresholds for surface water, although seventeen were detected in R. The most frequent compounds were hexachlorobenzene, chlorpyrifos ethyl, fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene. These compounds were detected at low concentration, except chlorpyrifos. Chlorpyrifos ethyl, terbuthylazine, diuron, terbutryn, procymidone, atrazine and propazine exceeded the European threshold concentration for pesticides in groundwater (100 ng L"−"1). Therefore, the priority substances chlorpyrifos ethyl and diuron must be included in monitoring studies. The priority pesticides chlorfenvinphos and diazinon were always detected in R but rarely in groundwater. Besides, the existence of contaminants not related to the current R irrigation has been identified. Absence of environmental problems related to heavy metals can be expected. The relationship among contaminant presence, hydrogeochemistry, including the stable isotopic prints of δ"1"8O, δ"1"5N and δ"3"4S and preferential recharge paths has been described. The coastal well shows high values of EC, nitrate, a variable chemistry, and 50% of organic contaminants detected above 100 ng L"−"1. The well located in the recharge area presents a stable hydrochemistry, the lowest value of δ"1"5N and the lowest contaminants occurrence. The area is an example of a complex volcanic media with

Monitoring priority substances, other organic contaminants and heavy metals in a volcanic aquifer from different sources and hydrological processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Estevez, Esmeralda, E-mail: eestevez@proyinves.ulpgc.es [Dpt. Física (GEOVOL), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (Spain); Agrifood and Phytopathological Laboratory (Cabildo de Gran Canaria), 35413 Arucas, Canary Islands (Spain); Cabrera, María del Carmen, E-mail: mcarmen.cabrera@ulpgc.es [Dpt. Física (GEOVOL), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands (Spain); IMDEA Water Institute, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid (Spain); Fernández-Vera, Juan Ramón, E-mail: jrfernandezv@grancanaria.com [Agrifood and Phytopathological Laboratory (Cabildo de Gran Canaria), 35413 Arucas, Canary Islands (Spain); Molina-Díaz, Antonio, E-mail: amolina@ujaen.es [Analytical Chemistry Research Group, Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Jaen, 23071 Jaen (Spain); Robles-Molina, José, E-mail: jroblesmol@gmail.com [Analytical Chemistry Research Group, Department of Physical and Analytical Chemistry, University of Jaen, 23071 Jaen (Spain); Palacios-Díaz, María del Pino, E-mail: mp.palaciosdiaz@ulpgc.es [Dpt. de Patología Animal, Producción Animal, Bromatología y Tecnología de los Alimentos (GEOVOL), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Canary Islands (Spain)

2016-05-01

Irrigation with reclaimed water (R) is necessary to guarantee the sustainability of semi-arid areas. Results obtained during a two years monitoring network (2009–2011) in Gran Canaria are presented, including the analysis of chemical parameters, N and S isotopes, priority substances (2008/105/EC, 2013/39/EU), other organic contaminants and heavy metals in groundwater and R used to irrigate a golf course. The aims of this work are to evaluate the contamination in a volcanic aquifer, relate the presence of organic contaminants and heavy metals with the hydrogeochemistry and identify pollution sources in the area. No priority substance exceeded the EU thresholds for surface water, although seventeen were detected in R. The most frequent compounds were hexachlorobenzene, chlorpyrifos ethyl, fluorene, phenanthrene and pyrene. These compounds were detected at low concentration, except chlorpyrifos. Chlorpyrifos ethyl, terbuthylazine, diuron, terbutryn, procymidone, atrazine and propazine exceeded the European threshold concentration for pesticides in groundwater (100 ng L{sup −1}). Therefore, the priority substances chlorpyrifos ethyl and diuron must be included in monitoring studies. The priority pesticides chlorfenvinphos and diazinon were always detected in R but rarely in groundwater. Besides, the existence of contaminants not related to the current R irrigation has been identified. Absence of environmental problems related to heavy metals can be expected. The relationship among contaminant presence, hydrogeochemistry, including the stable isotopic prints of δ{sup 18}O, δ{sup 15}N and δ{sup 34}S and preferential recharge paths has been described. The coastal well shows high values of EC, nitrate, a variable chemistry, and 50% of organic contaminants detected above 100 ng L{sup −1}. The well located in the recharge area presents a stable hydrochemistry, the lowest value of δ{sup 15}N and the lowest contaminants occurrence. The area is an example of a complex

Quantification of mold contamination in multi-level buildings using the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index

Science.gov (United States)

The goal of this study was to evaluate the possible use of the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) to quantify mold contamination in multi-level, office buildings. Settled-dust samples were collected in multi-level, office buildings and the ERMI value for each sample de...

Analytical strategies for organic food packaging contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanchis, Yovana; Yusà, Vicent; Coscollà, Clara

2017-03-24

In this review, we present current approaches in the analysis of food-packaging contaminants. Gas and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry detection have been widely used in the analysis of some relevant families of these compounds such as primary aromatic amines, bisphenol A, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and related compounds, UV-ink photoinitiators, perfluorinated compounds, phthalates and non-intentionally added substances. Main applications for sample treatment and different types of food-contact material migration studies have been also discussed. Pressurized Liquid Extraction, Solid-Phase Microextraction, Focused Ultrasound Solid-Liquid Extraction and Quechers have been mainly used in the extraction of food contact material (FCM) contaminants, due to the trend of minimising solvent consumption, automatization of sample preparation and integration of extraction and clean-up steps. Recent advances in analytical methodologies have allowed unequivocal identification and confirmation of these contaminants using Liquid Chromatography coupled to High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS) through mass accuracy and isotopic pattern applying. LC-HRMS has been used in the target analysis of primary aromatic amines in different plastic materials, but few studies have been carried out applying this technique in post-target and non-target analysis of FCM contaminants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Study of the contamination of components of the marine environment by soluble and insoluble forms of radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraizier, A.; Ancellin, J.C.

1975-01-01

The experimental contamination of various physical components and organisms of the marine environment was carried out using radionuclides such as 137 Cs, 51 Cr, 60 Co, 106 Ru and 59 Fe. The relationships between the physico-chemical states of the radionuclides, the variations in the environmental conditions, and the properties of the experimental samples were clarified. Marine organisms were more readily contaminated by the insoluble forms of 106 Ru and 59 Fe than by the soluble forms. It appears that the physiology of the marine organisms can have a bearing on the degree and evolution of the contamination whatever the physico-chemical state of the radionuclides may be, but in certain circumstances the contamination level is independent of the variations in environmental conditions and the related variations in the physiology of the organism. (author)

Methods to assess bioavailability of hydrophobic organic contaminants: Principles, operations, and limitations.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xinyi; Mayer, Philipp; Gan, Jay

2013-01-01

Many important environmental contaminants are hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs), which include PCBs, PAHs, PBDEs, DDT and other chlorinated insecticides, among others. Owing to their strong hydrophobicity, HOCs have their final destination in soil or sediment, where their ecotoxicological effects are closely regulated by sorption and thus bioavailability. The last two decades have seen a dramatic increase in research efforts in developing and applying partitioning based methods and biomimetic extractions for measuring HOC bioavailability. However, the many variations of both analytical methods and associated measurement endpoints are often a source of confusion for users. In this review, we distinguish the most commonly used analytical approaches based on their measurement objectives, and illustrate their practical operational steps, strengths and limitations using simple flowcharts. This review may serve as guidance for new users on the selection and use of established methods, and a reference for experienced investigators to identify potential topics for further research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of predicted climatic changes on distribution of organic contaminants in brackish water mesocosms.

Science.gov (United States)

Ripszam, M; Gallampois, C M J; Berglund, Å; Larsson, H; Andersson, A; Tysklind, M; Haglund, P

2015-06-01

Predicted consequences of future climate change in the northern Baltic Sea include increases in sea surface temperatures and terrestrial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) runoff. These changes are expected to alter environmental distribution of anthropogenic organic contaminants (OCs). To assess likely shifts in their distributions, outdoor mesocosms were employed to mimic pelagic ecosystems at two temperatures and two DOC concentrations, current: 15°C and 4 mg DOCL(-1) and, within ranges of predicted increases, 18°C and 6 mg DOCL(-1), respectively. Selected organic contaminants were added to the mesocosms to monitor changes in their distribution induced by the treatments. OC partitioning to particulate matter and sedimentation were enhanced at the higher DOC concentration, at both temperatures, while higher losses and lower partitioning of OCs to DOC were observed at the higher temperature. No combined effects of higher temperature and DOC on partitioning were observed, possibly because of the balancing nature of these processes. Therefore, changes in OCs' fates may largely depend on whether they are most sensitive to temperature or DOC concentration rises. Bromoanilines, phenanthrene, biphenyl and naphthalene were sensitive to the rise in DOC concentration, whereas organophosphates, chlorobenzenes (PCBz) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were more sensitive to temperature. Mitotane and diflufenican were sensitive to both temperature and DOC concentration rises individually, but not in combination. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pollen Contaminated With Field-Relevant Levels of Cyhalothrin Affects Honey Bee Survival, Nutritional Physiology, and Pollen Consumption Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolezal, Adam G; Carrillo-Tripp, Jimena; Miller, W Allen; Bonning, Bryony C; Toth, Amy L

2016-02-01

Honey bees are exposed to a variety of environmental factors that impact their health, including nutritional stress, pathogens, and pesticides. In particular, there has been increasing evidence that sublethal exposure to pesticides can cause subtle, yet important effects on honey bee health and behavior. Here, we add to this body of knowledge by presenting data on bee-collected pollen containing sublethal levels of cyhalothrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, which, when fed to young honey bees, resulted in significant changes in lifespan, nutritional physiology,and behavior. For the first time, we show that when young, nest-aged bees are presented with pollen containing field-relevant levels of cyhalothrin, they reduce their consumption of contaminated pollen. This indicates that, at least for some chemicals, young bees are able to detect contamination in pollen and change their behavioral response, even if the contamination levels do not prevent foraging honey bees from collecting the contaminated pollen.

Modeling the pH-mediated extraction of ionizable organic contaminants to improve the quality of municipal sewage sludge destined for land application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkatesan, Arjun K.; Halden, Rolf U.

2016-01-01

A model was developed to assess the impact of adding acids and bases to processed municipal sewage sludge (MSS) to mobilize contaminants, facilitating their removal from sludge by flushing prior to land application. Among 312 organic contaminants documented to occur in U.S. MSS, 71 or 23% were identified as ionizable organic contaminants (IOCs), contributing a disproportionately large fraction of 82% of the total mass of sludge-borne contaminants. Detected IOCs included 57 pharmaceuticals and personal care products, 12 perfluorinated compounds, one surfactant and one pesticide. Annually, about 2000 t of IOCs were estimated to be released to U.S. soils via land-application of MSS. A partitioning model developed to assess the impact of pH on hydrophobic sorption revealed that between 36 and 85% of the mass of individual classes of IOCs potentially could be desorbed from MSS via pH adjustment and flushing. Thus, modeling results suggest that a sequential pH treatment [acidic (~ pH 2) followed by basic (~ pH 12) treatment] has the potential to reduce the burden of harmful IOCs in MSS applied on U.S. land by up to 40 ± 16 t annually. This approach may serve as a cost-effective treatment process that can be implemented easily in existing sludge treatment infrastructure in the U.S. and worldwide, serving to significantly improve the quality of MSS destined for land application. - Highlights: • Sorption model predicts the leachability of ionizable organics from sludge. • Ionic organics make up 82% of total contaminant mass in U.S. sludge. • 36–85% of ionic organic pollutants are removable by pH treatment. • Proposed sludge treatment promises cost-effective risk reduction.

Modeling the pH-mediated extraction of ionizable organic contaminants to improve the quality of municipal sewage sludge destined for land application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venkatesan, Arjun K.; Halden, Rolf U., E-mail: halden@asu.edu

2016-04-15

A model was developed to assess the impact of adding acids and bases to processed municipal sewage sludge (MSS) to mobilize contaminants, facilitating their removal from sludge by flushing prior to land application. Among 312 organic contaminants documented to occur in U.S. MSS, 71 or 23% were identified as ionizable organic contaminants (IOCs), contributing a disproportionately large fraction of 82% of the total mass of sludge-borne contaminants. Detected IOCs included 57 pharmaceuticals and personal care products, 12 perfluorinated compounds, one surfactant and one pesticide. Annually, about 2000 t of IOCs were estimated to be released to U.S. soils via land-application of MSS. A partitioning model developed to assess the impact of pH on hydrophobic sorption revealed that between 36 and 85% of the mass of individual classes of IOCs potentially could be desorbed from MSS via pH adjustment and flushing. Thus, modeling results suggest that a sequential pH treatment [acidic (~ pH 2) followed by basic (~ pH 12) treatment] has the potential to reduce the burden of harmful IOCs in MSS applied on U.S. land by up to 40 ± 16 t annually. This approach may serve as a cost-effective treatment process that can be implemented easily in existing sludge treatment infrastructure in the U.S. and worldwide, serving to significantly improve the quality of MSS destined for land application. - Highlights: • Sorption model predicts the leachability of ionizable organics from sludge. • Ionic organics make up 82% of total contaminant mass in U.S. sludge. • 36–85% of ionic organic pollutants are removable by pH treatment. • Proposed sludge treatment promises cost-effective risk reduction.