The snow vole (Chionomys nivalis) as an appropriate environmental bioindicator in alpine ecosystems

The snow vole (Chionomys nivalis, Martins, 1842) is a common species in the Bulgarian high mountains. Its populations are distributed in different altitudes, regions, and keep stable population density. This is the reason the species has been tested as a bioindicator for environmental quality in alpine ecosystems. The cumulative environmental impact in snow vole populations was evaluated using cytogenetical, hematological, ecotoxicological, radiometrical, ecophysiological, and morphophysiological indices. Standard karyotype, chromosomal aberrations, and other diversions have been observed. These investigations reveal that the snow vole is one of the most appropriate species that can be used as a biomonitor for environmental assessment in mountain areas.     

Perfluorinated contaminants in fur seal pups and penguin eggs from South Shetland, Antarctica

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have emerged as a new class of global environmental pollutants. In this study, the presence of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in penguin eggs and Antarctic fur seals was reported for the first time. Tissue samples from Antarctic fur seal pups and penguin eggs were collected during the 2003/04 breeding season. Ten PFC contaminants were determined in seal and penguin samples. The PFC concentrations in seal liver were in the decreasing order, PFOS > PFNA > PFHpA > PFUnDA while in Adélie penguin eggs were PFHpA > PFUnDA > PFDA > PFDoDA, and in Gentoo penguin eggs were PFUnDA > PFOS > PFDoDA > PFHpA. The PFC concentrations differed significantly between seals and penguins (p < 0.005) and a species-specific difference was found between the two species of penguins (p < 0.005). In our study we found a mean concentration of PFOS in seal muscle and liver samples of 1.3 ng/g and 9.4 ng/g wet wt, respectively, and a mean concentration in Gentoo and Adélie penguin eggs of 0.3 ng/g and 0.38 ng/g wet wt, respectively. PFCs detected in penguin eggs and seal pups suggested oviparous and viviparous transfer of PFOS to eggs and off-springs.     

The Italian wall lizard (Podarcis sicula) as a bioindicator of oil field activity

The aim of this study was to develop and to validate a methodology based on biomarker responses and residue analysis on the terrestrial lizard Podarcis sicula to assess the ecotoxicological effects associated with on-shore oil extraction. The oil treatment plant investigated is located in Val d'Agri (southern Italy). Italian wall lizards were sampled on four stations along a transect determined on the basis of prevailing winds downwind of the oil plant. Cytochrome P450 1A1 activities (EROD and BPMO), AChE activity, PAH bile metabolites and contaminant levels (PAHs and trace elements) were measured. Major results in the evaluation of toxicological impact of oil field activity in the Italian wall lizards were obtained for Cd, Hg, total and carcinogenic PAH levels, and PAH metabolites in bile. Results obtained validate, for the first time, P. sicula as a terrestrial bioindicator for the assessment of the toxicological impact of on-shore extraction activity.     

Mammalian hair as an accumulative bioindicator of metal bioavailability in Australian terrestrial environments

The current study represents the first investigation of the suitability of marsupial and eutherian mammalian hair as indicator tissue for metal exposure and accumulation within contaminated Australian terrestrial ecosystems. A soil metal contamination gradient was established across 22 sites at increasing distances from a decommissioned Lead/Zinc smelter in NSW, Australia. Within each site, soil and small mammal populations were sampled. An Australian native marsupial, the insectivorous Brown Antechinus, Antechinus stuartii: Dasyuridae, and introduced rodents, the omnivorous Brown or Norway Rat, Rattus norvegicus: Muridae and the Black Rat, Rattus rattus: Muridae were assessed for hair concentrations of Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn). Metals in soil were most elevated at sites within close proximity to the smelter, with soil metal concentrations decreasing with distance from the smelter. The non-essential metals Pb and Cd were accumulated in hair, both metals exhibiting positive linear relationships with environmental exposure (soil metal concentrations). When the variables of weight and snout-vent length were considered, no further contribution in terms of explaining the variability in hair Cd or Pb was observed for all species examined. The essential metals Cu and Zn were regulated in hair, remaining similar across the metal contamination gradient. A significant negative correlation between snout-vent length and hair Cu concentration was found for the Brown Rat; greater hair Cu concentrations were found in smaller individuals of this species. Accumulation of Pb to hair was similar among species while concentrations of Cd in Brown Rat hair were higher than both Black Rat and Brown Antechinus hair. As each of the three aforementioned species exhibit similar bioaccumulation relationships for Pb, we suggest that sampling hair from introduced rodents (pest species) may provide a suitable proxy for the assessment of Pb bioavailability for a range of small mammals within Australian urban remnants.     

Skipjack tuna as a bioindicator of contamination by perfluorinated compounds in the oceans

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) have emerged as global environmental contaminants. Studies have reported the widespread occurrence of PFCs in biota from marine coastal waters and in remote polar regions. However, few studies have reported the distribution of PFCs in biota from offshore waters and open oceans. In this study, concentrations of nine PFCs were determined in the livers of 60 skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) collected from offshore waters and the open ocean along the Pacific Rim, including the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Western North Pacific Ocean, during 1997-1999. At least one of the nine PFCs was found in every tuna sample analyzed. Overall, perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) were the predominant compounds found in livers of tuna at concentrations of <1-58.9 and <1-31.6 ng/g, wet wt, respectively. Long-chain perfluorocarboxylates such as perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoDA) were common in the tuna livers. In livers of tuna from several offshore and open-ocean locations, concentrations of PFUnDA were greater than the concentrations of PFOS. The profiles and concentrations of PFCs in tuna livers suggest that the sources in East Asia are dominated by long-chain perfluorocarboxylates, especially PFUnDA. High concentrations of PFUnDA in tuna may indicate a shift in sources of PFCs in East Asia. The spatial distribution of PFOS in skipjack tuna reflected the concentrations previously reported in seawater samples from the Pacific and Indian Oceans, suggesting that tuna are good bioindicators of pollution by PFOS. Despite its predominance in ocean waters, PFOA was rarely found in tuna livers, indicative of the low bioaccumulation potential of this compound. Our study establishes baseline concentrations of PFCs in skipjack tuna from the oceans of the Asia-Pacific region, enabling future temporal trend studies of PFCs in oceans.     

The state of the art with regard to environmental design of housing in South Africa

Local experience regarding the effect of building design and materials on indoor climate is reviewed. In most parts of South Africa, the correct use of materials, particularly of high mass, and careful attention to orientation and shading, will create a satisfactory indoor climate in most buildings, with little or no artificial heating or cooling.Efforts to reduce initial capital costs have sometimes produced structures of inferior thermal performance that creates condensation problems in low income housing in the winter rainfall area. Measures proposed to alleviate this problem are discussed.An experiment is under way to evaluate and demonstrate a range of cost-effective improvements in building design which will reduce winter heating requirements in low income housing.     

The environmental state of rivers in the Balkans—A review within the DPSIR framework

Fifteen major Balkan rivers with over 80% of the inflows in Eastern Mediterranean were examined for their environmental state within the DPSIR framework. Physicogeographic and hydrochemical conditions differ substantially among river basins, which may be roughly classified into three main zones. Despite strong fragmentation, most of the rivers are liable to flash floods and have low summer flow. Decreasing precipitation and (mis)management caused a dramatic discharge reduction over the last decades. Wars, political instability, economical crises over the past decades, combined with administrative and structural constraints, poor environmental planning and inspection and, frequently, a lack of environmental awareness imposed significant pressures on rivers. Large wetland areas were drained in favour of widespread intensive agriculture. The treatment of municipal wastewaters is barely adequate in Greece and insufficient elsewhere, while management and treatment of mining and industrial wastewaters is overall poor. In general, lowland river sections are hydro-morphologically modified and are at the greatest pollution risk, while upstream areas mostly retain their natural conditions. Nutrient concentrations in a number of central and eastern Balkan rivers often exceed quality standards, whereas pesticides and heavy metals, partly of geochemical origin, occasionally exceed quality standards. Reservoirs retain vast masses of sediments, thus adversely affecting delta evolution, while dam operation disturbs the seasonal hydrological and hydrochemical regimes. Almost all Balkan countries face daunting water resource challenges because of urgently needed investments in water supply, sanitation, irrigation, and hydroelectricity. International treaties and designations and European Union Directives have mobilized pollution mitigation and conservation efforts. However, the application of environmental legislation has proved in a number of cases inadequate. Constraints arise from long-standing top-down planning traditions, inadequate planning of national environmental policies, poor administrative capacities, and heavy investment requirements, often combined with a lack of environmental awareness.     

Reflections on the state of research: indoor environmental quality

More than 30 years after the First International Indoor Climate Symposium, ten researchers from the USA, Slovakia, Sweden, and Denmark gathered to review the current status of indoor environmental research. We initiated our review with discussions during the 1-day meeting and followed that with parallel research and writing efforts culminating with internal review and revision cycles. In this paper, we present our choices for the most important research findings on indoor environmental quality from the past three decades followed by a discussion of the most important research questions in our field today. We then continue with a discussion on whether there are research areas for which we can 'close the book' and say that we already know what is needed. Finally, we discuss whether we can maintain our identity in the future or it is time to team up with new partners. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: In the early years of this field, the accumulated knowledge was small and it was possible for any researcher to acquire a complete understanding. To do so has become impossible today as what we know has grown to exceed the learning capacity of any person. These circumstances challenge us to work collectively to synthesize what we do know and to define clearly what remains to be learned. If we fail to do these things well, we risk repeating research without memory, an inefficiency that we cannot afford.     

Introduction of the land snail Eobania vermiculata as a bioindicator organism of terrestrial pollution using a battery of biomarkers

The present study aimed to enrich the group of sentinel organisms of terrestrial pollution biomonitoring, by investigating the efficacy of the land snail Eobania vermiculata. For this reason, a package of biomarkers was performed on land snails E. vermiculata collected from polluted areas in the field or treated with heavy metals in the laboratory. The biomarkers used were neutral red lysosomal retention assay of the haemocytes, acetylcholinesterase activity in the digestive gland and the haemolymph, and metallothionein content of the digestive gland. Moreover, the morphometric changes in the lysosomal system and the morphometric alterations of the neutral lipids were also investigated. In addition, the content of cadmium, lead and copper was evaluated in the digestive gland of the snails. The results revealed appreciable alterations in the biomarker values both in field- and laboratory-conditions, accompanied by significant correlations among the biomarkers. Therefore, this exploratory study suggests the utility of E. vermiculata as a sentinel organism for biomonitoring the biologic impact of terrestrial pollution, and supports the package's efficacy of the selected biomarkers.     

西安地铁二号线施工与环境保护及其应对措施

根据自身地铁施工中所遇到的相关环境保护问题,并结合西安地铁二号线施工对环境影响的特点,分析研究了环境对施工的制约与施工对环境的冲击,并提出城市地铁施工的环境保护措施,以做好地铁施工的环境保护工作。     

Measuring insularity as a state of nature

In this paper we construct a composite index that measures insularity for countries that are islands and for those that have islands. By collecting available physical data for all islands in the world, be they states or regions, we provide a novel data set of insularity along different dimensions. Three of these contribute to making insularity more or less severe: the degree of land dispersion, the remoteness and the average size of the island. We aggregate this information, weighting it by the share of insular land at the country level, and compute a measure of insularity that ranges between 0 and 100. We find that the greater burden linked to insularity is borne by islands with no territorial sovereignty.     

Modern environmental deterioration as a natural process

The ubiquity and intensity of pollution effects are now sufficiently great to reveal major causes of environmental deterioration. The conflict between practical human economics and stable social and ecological systems runs deeper than usually thought. Economic growth and population growth are currently coupled, a condition derived from early human evolution and social development. Environmental deterioration arising from population growth and economic expansion is then a natural process. Further, it seems that pollution effects must increase faster than either economy or population in highly technological societies.

The assertion, by some economists, that modern capitalism and individual freedom are indissolubly linked is probably not true and new steady‐state, planned economies could be designed without sacrificing individual freedom. Further, it is conceivable that these new economies could incorporate more acceptable and more stable distributions of wealth and opportunity and thereby enhance human freedom and achievement.

The technological difficulties to be encountered in the transition to a global steady‐state economy are great and we cannot be sure that the human and natural resources required are now sufficiently available. However, in theory, the earliest alterations in economy need not be particularly radical. The growth industries of the near future would be those concerned with human services and the manufacture of intellectual and cultural goods. Heavy manufacturing would effect its own reduction by constructing products of great duration. All manufacturing industries would ultimately come to physical (not economic) equilibrium with recycling industries.

It is far more difficult to see how the present world of separate nations, competing national economies, and diverse political systems will achieve the sweeping series of social policy decisions required for the perpetuation of western technological civilization.     

Diversity and overlap as measures of environmental quality

It is argued that indices of diversity (information function H) and overlap (percentage similarity PS) can be used together to assess environmental quality. The method is tested using data on demersal fishes from nine Massachusetts estuaries and embayments. Annual diversity ranged from H (log_e) = 0.4–2.4, with low diversities in areas of apparent high pollution and higher diversities in areas of lesser pollution. Where annual diversity is low, little seasonal change is reflected in a high PS from season to season; where annual diversity is high, a relatively lower PS indicates a greater degree of change. For their calculation, both H and PS require the number of individuals in each species in a sample. This data should be considered important in the conduct of faunal surveys that contribute to an environmental impact statement.     

Potential of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) as a bioindicator of manganese arising from the use of methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl in unleaded gasoline

Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) is an organic manganese (Mn) compound currently added to unleaded gasoline in Canada. It has been suggested that the combustion of MMT containing Mn could cause various deleterious health effects in animals and humans at very high concentrations. This study evaluates the potential of dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) as bioindicators of Mn environmental contamination. Samples were picked at three different distances from a highway: a highly exposed site (E++), a lightly exposed site (E+) and a control site (E), located respectively at 10, 50 and 100 m. The total Mn, Mg, Ca, Al, Fe and Zn concentrations were measured in the soils and in the plants (flower, stem, leaves and root) by neutron activation analysis. Exchangeable Mn was measured in soils by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Mn concentrations of the different parts of the plant and exchangeable Mn in soils were not correlated with distance from the roadway and, thus, do not seem to be a sensitive indicator of Mn contamination. Soil Mn concentrations were correlated with distance from the roadway. This suggests the hypothesis that the environmental fate of Mn from MMT sources could be associated with an increased total Mn in soil but does not lead to an increase in exchangeable Mn.     

Relocation of state agencies as a strategy for urban development: The Swedish case

The late seventies and early eighties are regarded as a period of economic crisis in Swedish public housing. This notion is discussed in terms of objective and subjective crisis. The economic development of the aggregate of municipal housing companies (MHCs) is analyzed over the period 1971–87 by means of a number of economic ratios. No evidence of objective economic crisis is found. The subjective crisis was seemingly triggered by market and political change, and later subjective recovery was the effect of internal organizational change. It is claimed that the economically stable conditions of public housing make economic crisis—unless politically initiated—unlikely. On the other hand the rent negotiation system and the accounting practices of MHCs will give evidence of economic crisis at any time. Moreover, a cycle of subjective crisis and recovery may be the effect of intrinsic myths and mechanisms of non‐profit housing in general.     

Project stakeholder analysis as an environmental interpretation process

International projects face a variety of pressures from their uncertain and complex external stakeholder environments. In order to reduce uncertainty, a project management team builds up interpretations about their environment by conducting stakeholder analysis. This study aims to examine the interpretation processes, through which project management teams come to know their external stakeholder environment. The point of departure for the study is Daft and Weick’s (1984) typology about organizational interpretation modes. The paper identifies and describes distinctive interpretation modes of external stakeholder environments in four international projects. The interpretation modes differ in their stakeholder analysis characteristics. The project managers’ beliefs about the stakeholder environment and the project’s intrusiveness towards its stakeholder environment are hypothesized to be associated with the identified differences in the interpretation modes.     

Pet dogs as sentinels for environmental contamination.

The presence of environmental contaminants in air, water and food may pose significant health risks to the exposed human population. However, problems associated with assessing chronic exposure to low doses of environmental chemicals, multiple exposure routes, diseases with long latency periods, and non-specific health outcomes make it difficult to conduct the appropriate human epidemiologic studies. It may be useful to complement human epidemiology with animal studies. Animals monitored or evaluated in situ for the appropriate suite of endpoints can provide information about both exposure levels and potential adverse health effects. Animals have served as sentinel indicators for health effects associated with a number of environmental exposures, including pesticides and asbestos. Pet dogs may be particularly valuable sentinels because they share the human environment. In addition, dogs respond to many toxic insults in ways analogous to humans, they have physiologically compressed life spans, and they are free from some important lifestyle risk factors for disease. An example of how pet dogs may be used as sentinels for potential human health hazards involves a study of the genotoxic effects resulting from exposure to a mixture of chemicals from nearby Superfund sites. We conducted a cross-sectional study of exposed dogs (living in the community with the Superfund sites) and controls (living in a nearby community). The pet owners completed a questionnaire, and we collected a blood sample from each dog. The blood samples were analyzed for standard clinical parameters and assays for possible genotoxic effects (peripheral blood lymphocyte micronucleus frequency and lymphocyte subtyping). Pet dogs living near the Superfund sites had a higher micronucleus frequency than control animals, suggesting that the dogs may have been exposed to environmental contaminants from these sites.     

The evolution of environmental temperature

With the advent of central heating, it became necessary to establish numerical criteria for indoor comfort and a basis for calculation. The paper traces the development of indices of personal warmth and the evolution of methods of heat loss calculation. Both were originally based on air temperature, but the realisaion of the significance of radiation led on the one hand to equivalent and resultant temperature as indices of warmth, and on the other to environmental and sol-air temperature for calculation purposes. There was a natural desire to use one index for both purposes. The paper traces the steps towards this, for which there was no theoretical justification. It is finally observed that for both purposes, separate treatment of radiation and convection may be preferable.     

The computerization of environmental design

Across North America, the need for planning and design to address emerging environmental and development problems is evident to all observers. Landscape architects, planners and architects often have the skills to act on the complex information affecting the development and protection of urban, suburban and rural environments. Creatively these professions generate recommendations for change which can improve the world that our children will inherit.     

Investigation of the significance of heavy metal contents of blackbird feathers

The lead, cadmium and zinc in untreated blackbird (Turdus merula L.) feathers is predominantly of exogenous origin. The endogenous concentration is of minor importance. The degree of surface metal pollution depends on exposure time. The exogenous fraction of heavy metals cannot be completely removed by washing procedures. The difference between washed and unwashed feathers is demonstrated by SEM micrographs.