Daily forecasting of air pollution potential

Experimental forecasts performed at the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium during the winters 1979–1980 and 1980–1981 are described and analysed. These forecasts are based on the evaluation of an air pollution potential index which uses three important meteorological parameters : wind speed, vertical stability and temperature.These meteorological forecasts combine numerical forecasts at the 850 mbar level with a semi-climatological scheme giving air temperatures associated with the air mass characteristics. The meteorological index is converted into potential air pollution levels by means of a relation deduced from a linear regression using SO₂ measurements from the previous winter. The results of the two seasons of experimental forecasts are very encouraging.     

Toxicity potential of disinfection agent in tannery wastewater

Wastewater from a tannery was investigated using chemical-specific analyses and assessment of the acute toxicity of the whole effluent over a 2-year period. The wastewater samples were overloaded with organic and inorganic compounds, and measured concentrations of the chemical parameters as well as dilution factors estimating acute toxicity, frequently exceeded the permissible limits for the discharge of wastewater from a tannery into the receiving stream. In the later part of the monitoring programme, the toxicity of the samples was significantly increased in comparison to the previous samples. The agent for hide disinfection was assumed to be the reason for the increased toxicity of the wastewater samples, and the extremely high acute and chronic toxicity of the agent to bacteria, algae, daphnids, and fish confirmed this suspicion. The most sensitive species was Daphnia magna; the 48 h EC50 was 0.70 x 10(-5)v/v% and the 21d IC25 was 0.40 x 10(-6)v/v% of the agent. After withdrawal of this highly toxic agent for hide disinfection from the technological process in the tannery, the toxicity of the wastewater declined to the previous level.     

我国建材工业的环境状况及污染物减排潜力分析

建材工业是以窑炉生产为主的产业,从矿山开采到成品出厂对环境的污染较为严重。文章阐述了我国建材工业的污染物排放、污染治理以及取得的成效,并提出了面临的主要环境问题,最后对今后的减排潜力进行了分析。     

Occurrence, properties and pollution potential of environmental minerals in acid mine drainage

This paper describes the occurrences, the mineralogical assemblages and the environmental relevance of the AMD-precipitates from the abandoned mine of Valdarcas, Northern Portugal. At this mining site, these precipitates are particularly related with the chemical speciation of iron, which is in according to the abundance of mine wastes enriched in pyrrhotite and pyrite. The more relevant supergene mineralogical assemblages include the following environmental minerals: soluble metal-salts, mainly sulphates, revealing seasonal behaviour, iron-hydroxysulphates and iron-oxyhydroxides, both forming ochre precipitates of poorly and well-crystalline minerals.Pollution potential of the most highly water soluble salts was analysed in order to evaluate the environmental effect of their dissolution by rainfall. Laboratory experiments, carried out with iron and aluminium sulphates, demonstrated the facility to release metals, sulphate and acidity upon dissolution. Regarding the ochre precipitates, composed by several less soluble iron (III)-minerals, the spatial distribution on the nearby aqueous system as well as the proportion of Jarosite, Schwertmannite and Goethite in the mixtures gave information about the halo's contamination promoted by the AMD emerging from the waste-dumps.     

Submerged yeast fermentation of acid cheese whey for protein production and pollution potential reduction

Bench-scale batch bioreactors were used to study the effectiveness of cheese whey fermentation for single-cell protein production using the yeast Kluyveromyces fragilis in reducing the pollution potential of whey as measured by solids, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nitrogenous compounds concentrations. The four principal phases (lag, exponential, stationary and death) encountered in the history of a microbial culture grown under batch conditions were clearly recognized in the growth, temperature and dissolved oxygen curves. The lactose concentration and soluble COD displayed three distinct phases corresponding to the lag, exponential and stationary phases of the yeast growth. The minimum dissolved oxygen and maximum temperature observed in this study (at an air flow of 3 VVM, a mixing speed of 400 rpm and an ambient temperature) were 2.49 mg/L and 31.6 degrees C, respectively. About 99% of lactose (90.6% of soluble COD) was utilized after 28 h. The total COD continued to decline due to cell death resulting in a reduction of 42.98%. The total nitrogen concentration remained unchanged while the organic nitrogen increased during the exponential phase and then declined during the death phase. The ash content remained unchanged while a substantial reduction (56%) of the volatile solids was observed. These results indicated that sufficient oxygen for yeast growth was present in the medium and no cooling system was needed for this type of fermenter under similar experimental conditions. Recovering the yeast biomass with ultrafiltration reduced the total COD by 98% of its initial value in the raw whey.     

我国砖瓦工业节能减排潜力与对策

1 我国砖瓦工业能源、资源消耗 1.1 制砖企业基本概况 墙体材料是房屋建筑材料中的主体材料,其发展受地域的气候、资源、能源、建筑、经济和社会等多种条件制约,在我国,砖瓦占据墙体体材料的主导地位.随着国民经济的持续快速发展,砖瓦总量仍呈上升势头.     

Environmental exposure to thallium

This paper reviews recent data and findings concerning the sources of thallium in the environment and its current environmental levels and exposures, particularly with respect to human exposure. Special emphasis is given to some recent cases of environmental thallium pollution that were recognized around several cement factories in the Federal Republic of Germany. Contaminated food grown in these areas gave rise to a significantly increased thallium exposure of the population living there. Recent studies show that the thallium level in human urine normally is below 1 micrograms/g creatinine and that the normal concentration range of thallium in human air is approximately 5-10 ng/g. These data allow to recognize even minor undue exposure to thallium in the work and general environment.     

The distribution of outdoor shooting ranges in Ontario and the potential for lead pollution of soil and water

The distribution of outdoor shotgun shooting ranges in Ontario was determined to assess their potential for contributing to lead contamination of soil and water. Provincial soil maps were used to identify the soil type(s) occurring on each range, and to record their soil pH, organic matter content and clay content. Topographic maps (scale 1:50000) were used to identify any surface waters that existed on each range. At least 211 active shooting ranges exist in Ontario, of which 135 cater to shotgun sports. This number far exceeds earlier estimates. Soil pH data existed for 67 ranges, of which 50 had soil pH values >or=6.0, and 17 had pH values less than 6.0. Data for organic matter and or clay content were available for only 59 ranges. Approximately 10% of the ranges are on soils with low levels of both clay and organic matter. Seven of these ranges had a combination of low pH, and low clay and organic matter content, suggesting that they have a high potential for lead dissolution and mobilization. Surface waters that could potentially receive shot fall-out occurred on 94% of the ranges surveyed, although the precise location of the water with respect to the shot fall area at each range could not be determined. The majority of shooting ranges in the province occur on luvisolic soils: most of the ranges with a higher potential for lead solubilization occur on podzolic and brunisolic soils. This indirect approach to assessing the potential for lead pollution and mobility at shooting ranges allows a large number of ranges to be examined quickly, so that ranges with a high potential for lead contamination of soil and water can be selected for on-site measurements. This broad scale approach has allowed for the first time the point loading of metallic lead into the Ontario environment from shooting ranges to be determined, as well as the locations of ranges that may warrant investigation of lead pollution.     

Mitochondrial membrane potential is a suitable candidate for assessing pollution toxicity in fish

Fish inhabiting polluted estuaries are highly exposed to severe stress characterized by an oxidant-antioxidant imbalance. The aim of the study was to explore the use of stress parameters such as adenosine triphosphate/adenosine diphosphate (ATP/ADP) ratio, mitochondrial membrane potential (?ψm) and total protein expression patterns as biomarkers against oxidant exposures in hepatocytes of Mugil cephalus living in either a contaminated (Test; Ennore) or uncontaminated (Control; Kovalam) estuary. Earlier, the pollutant stress impact was determined through light and electron microscopy studies. The ATP/ADP ratio was measured using high performance liquid chromatography; ?ψm by fluorescent probe 5, 5′, 6, 6′-tetrachloro-1, 1′, 3, 3′-tetraethyl benzimidazolcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1) dye and total protein expression patterns by protein profiling. The preponderance of stress impact was confirmed through microscopy studies that featured cytological alterations, disturbances in the surface morphology and in the cell organelles at the ultrastructural levels. Hepatocytes of test fish demonstrated a decrease in ATP and an increase in ADP and thereby alteration in ATP/ADP ratio (p < 0.05; 20.75%). A significant disturbance (p < 0.05; 26.57%) in ?ψm with a ratio of J-aggregates/JC-1 monomer of 1 was observed for test fish hepatocytes compared to control group with a J-aggregates/JC-1 monomer ratio of 1.5. Quantitative assessment of protein expression levels also revealed enhanced induction of both low and high molecular weight proteins in test fish hepatocytes. The findings highlight the use of these parameters as the highly sensitive biomarkers in response to contaminant exposure compared to the routinely used antioxidant and oxidant stress parameters in biomonitoring programs. Among the measured parameters, the determination of ?ψm may be suggested as a novel candidate as a biomarker because of its greater specificity and rapid quantitative risk assessment of pollutant exposures.     

Environmental concerns related to high thallium levels in soils and thallium uptake by plants in southwest Guizhou, China

Thallium (Tl) contamination in soils poses a significant threat to human health due to the high toxicity of Tl and its ready assimilation by crops. This study is focused on high concentrations of Tl in soils in the Lanmuchang area of southwest Guizhou, China, which is related to natural processes of Tl-rich sulfide mineralization. Thallium contents range from 40 to 124 mg/kg in soils originating from the mining area, from 20 to 28 mg/kg in slope wash materials, from 14 to 62 mg/kg in alluvial deposits downstream, from 1.5 to 6.9 mg/kg in undisturbed natural soils and <0.2 to 0.5 mg/kg Tl in soils from the background area. These values indicate that both the erosion of natural soils from the Tl mineralized area and the mining activity are responsible for the distribution of high Tl concentrations in soils. Two other important toxic metals of interest, mercury and arsenic, also show high contents in soils, and are generally higher than Tl concentrations. Thallium concentration in plants exhibit species-dependent preferences. Thus, the enrichment of Tl in the edible parts of crop species decreases in the following order: green cabbage>carrot>chili>Chinese cabbage>rice>corn. The highest level of Tl in green cabbage is up to 500 mg/kg as dry wt., surpassing the values of Tl in the soils in which the green cabbages grow. In contrast, Hg and As are relatively less concentrated in local plants. The average daily uptake of Tl by the villagers of the Lanmuchang area through consumption of locally planted crops has been estimated to be 1.9 mg/person, which is 50 times the daily ingestion of individuals from the Tl-free background area. The daily ingestion of As and Hg from the study area are 0.03 and 0.01 mg, respectively. This indicates that Tl in the contaminated soils related to the natural Tl mineralization is being readily transferred to the human body through the food chain, and poses a significant threat to the health of the local villagers. Arsenic may pose a lesser health hazard, but mercury has an insignificant health risk. This study illustrates a real environmental concern related to land use and human health in areas containing high contents of Tl in soils associated with the natural occurrence of Tl-rich sulfides and coals, with or without mining activities. Thallium contamination in soils should be a critical parameter for proper land use and health related environmental planning and regulations.     

涂料的微生物毒性检测与毒性管理程序探讨

从涂料毒性、国际现行的毒性检测体系、微生物检测及毒性分级、国外管理程序分析及展望四个方面论述涂料的毒性与管理问题，提出了建立符合我国国情的毒性管理程序的探讨性建议。     

Arsenic binding mechanisms on natural red earth: a potential substrate for pollution control

Natural red earth (hereafter NRE) was used as a novel adsorbent to examine its retention behaviour in different inorganic arsenic species (As (III) and As (V)) that are abundant in natural water. Adsorption isotherms were constructed at pH approximately 5.5 for As(III) and As(V) in 0.01 M NaNO(3) at 298K for 5 g/L NRE system. The initial arsenic [As(III) or As(V)] concentrations varied between approximately 10(-5) and approximately 10(-4) M. The experimental data were quantified using single site or stepwise Langmuir models. Sorption maximum, was observed at approximately 0.173 mM of As(V). To reach the maximum surface coverage of red earth at pH approximately 5.5 As(III) requires approximately 0.308 mM of initial loading. When compared to As (III), As(V) shows strong affinity for NRE surface sites. This study suggests the potential of NRE as a starting material in decontaminating water polluted with As species.     

Indium and thallium background contents in soils in China

The background values of indium and thallium in China are investigated. The distributive character of these elements in different soil types and 34 provinces (cities) are studied. Some conclusions can be obtained based on these results.     

Cities and pollution

A study of air, water, noise and land pollution in Greater Manchester is described. Trends, generally downwards, in overall pollution levels are reviewed and the determinants of these levels discussed. The large variation in these determinants between the 71 local authorities which comprised Greater Manchester before reorganisation in April 1974 is reflected in the prevailing pollution levels. The differences in smoke and sulphur dioxide concentrations, average river and canal quality, traffic density (a measure of air and noise pollution from motor vehicles) and the proportion of land polluted by wastes are analysed. Disadvantaged areas, which experience the highest levels of most pollutants, are characterised by high population density, by high industrial activity and by low affluence. They generally appear to be affected by pollution exported by more affluent areas. It is recommended that increased attention be paid to the role of land use planning in controlling pollution and to the development of broader‐based systems of environmental inspection. The need for increased monitoring of pollution levels in the disadvantaged areas is stressed.     

Fireworks pollution and health

This paper discusses the adverse health effects of air and noise pollution caused by fireworks episodes on Oahu, Hawaii. During such episodes the level of suspended particulates can increase by an average of 300 percent above pre‐fireworks levels. The 24‐hour Hawaii air quality standard can be exceeded by 170 percent. Significantly the lung‐penetrating paxticles of < 4.7 μm may increase by 700 percent due to fireworks smoke. Noise levels can reach 117 dBA exceeding all noise codes. An increase of 113 percent in treated respiratory illness during a fireworks episode was statistically significant, but an 8 percent decline in pulmonary function was not.     

Toxicity and the smoke problem

The production and toxicological effects of selected, major fire gases are reviewed. These gases include carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, carbon dioxide, irritants and oxygen depletion, among others. The measurement of the toxicity of smoke is discussed relative to the parameters which need to be measured, in addition to some selected, existing test methods. These test methods are reviewed relative to their relevance to “real” fires, utility and appropriateness as standard tests.     

土壤污染现状分析及治理对策研究

结合国内外的研究结果,对我国城市与农村两种土壤污染现状及其污染原因进行了分析比较,并总结出城市、农业土壤污染的治理对策,从而为土壤污染检测奠定了理论基础。     

水污染防治与水安全问题

水污染与水安全 全世界有半数以上的国家和地区缺乏饮用水．特别是发展中国家,大约有70％．共计约17亿人喝不上洁净水。中国也有很多人口不能引用洁净水．特别是边远地区的人们．水污染已经成为中国主要的水环境和安全问题。     

Toxicity and potential risk assessment of a river polluted by acid mine drainage in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (SW Spain)

Metal contamination from acid mine drainage (AMD) is a serious problem in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, where the Iberian Pyrite Belt is located. This zone contains original sulfide reserves of about 1700 Mt distributed among more than 50 massive sulfide deposits. Weathering of these minerals releases to the waters significant quantities of toxic elements, which severely affect the sediments and surface waters of the region. The main goal of this paper is to evaluate the toxicity and the potential risk associated with the mining areas using Microtox test and different factors which assess the degree of contamination of the sediments and waters. For this, a natural stream polluted by AMD-discharge from an abandoned mine has been studied. The results show that elevated concentrations of Cu, As and Zn involve an important potential risk on the aquatic environment, associated both with sediments and waters. Microtox test informs that the sediments are extremely or very toxic, mainly related to concentrations of Fe, As, Cr, Al, Cd, Cu and Zn. Pollution is mainly transferred to the sediments increasing their potential toxicity. A natural creek affected by AMD can store a huge amount of pollution in its sediments while exhibiting a not very low water pH and low water metal concentration.     

天空颜色与大气污染

自然界中绚丽多彩的晚霞和日出东方时的壮丽景象,是任何一位艺术家都难以描绘的.但是,很少有人知道,我们如今目睹的大部分颜色是污染造成的.城市的落日和空气清新的乡村落日是不同的. 在非常洁净、未受污染的大气中,落日的颜色特点鲜明.太阳是灿烂的黄色,同时邻近的天空呈现出橙色和黄色.当落日缓缓地消失在地平线下面时,天空的颜色便逐渐从橙色变为蓝色.即使太阳消失以后,贴近地平线的云层仍会继续反射着太阳的光芒.因为天空的蓝色和云层反射的红色太阳光融合在一起,所以较高天空中的薄云呈现出红紫色.