PM₁₀ particles were collected over three sites in France. The first one, Montagney was a rural site that was considered as a reference site. The second site Saclay, close to a highway, was used to study the influence of the traffic. The third site was Dunkerque, one of the most industrial areas in France for the production of steel, aluminium and petroleum refinement. More than 50 element concentrations were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Comparisons between Saclay and Montagney shown that some elements, considered as crustal elements had similar concentration variations and weak (close to 1) enrichment factors. Elements with enrichment factors higher than 10 shown in Montagney correlated variations, with a Winter maximum, that should be due to Winter heating sources. Over Saclay, most of elements with high enrichment factors were attributed to the dense traffic of the highway. This is particularly true for Mn, Fe, Zn, Ba, Sb, Cu. Some additional elements correlated also, without a particular origin that can be ascertained. In Dunkerque, the most important industry is steel production. Correlation studies shown that Tl, Cs, Ba, Ag, Cu, Rb, Se, Mn, Pb concentration variations were closely associated to the Fe concentration variations. The second polluting industry is aluminium production. Correlation studies allowed to associate Ni, Y, Co, V, rare earth elements, Ti, Sr, Th, U, Ca, Sc, concentration variations to the aluminium concentration variations. A third important industry is petroleum refinement. The only element observed here and that is suspected to be emitted more specifically is La, used in cracking processes. An important enrichment of La with respect to Ce is observed. A strong decrease of the ratio Cl/Na was observed over the three sites, between the beginning of the experiment in Autumn 2005, and its end in Spring 2006. This was attributed to a release of gaseous HCl, produced by acidification of aerosols by other pollutants like NO x and SO x , that should have been oxidized to NO₂ and SO₃, then dissolved in the aerosols. The effects responsible for the loss of Cl, represents a large surface and long-term pollution event over the North of France. This work allowed a characterization of the heavy metal concentrations of the aerosol that will sustain results published in a companion paper, and that concerned the bio-accumulation of metals by Scleropodium purum, simultaneously exposed in the same sites.

The estuarine and coastal system plays an important role of sedimentation deposition which acts as sink of particle associated contaminants such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Sediments conserve important information about past conditions of its aquatic environments. The chronology was developed by using the accumulation rates determined previously from ²¹⁰Pb analyses of the same core. Then, the concentrations of Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn were determined in dated (²¹⁰Pb chronology) sediment cores from four stations (W₀, W₂, W₆, W₉) around the Daya Bay of Guangdong Province (China), where the first nuclear power station of China has been running from 1994. Based on sediment flux (g·cm⁻²·year⁻¹) obtained from the chronologies of ²¹⁰Pbex, the flux of heavy metals were calculated. The increasing of both sediment flux and pollution concentration resulted in the increasing of heavy metals flux (mg·cm⁻²·year⁻¹) from last century. The experimental data showed that the average values of heavy metals are 18.6, 0.035, 32.9, 38.1, 10.6, 74.9, 4.1, 29.1 x 10³ and 543 mg/kg for As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu, Zn, Co, Fe and Mn, respectively. The concentration of As, Pb, Zn, total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in cores are clearly higher than those of natural abundance. Those results indicate that there is pollutant of As, Pb, Zn, TOC and TN in the studying area. The significant relationships between organic C and As, Cr, Pb, Zn, N indicated that such metals are mainly delivered to Daya Bay sediments from a common source.

To increase the phytoextraction efficiency of heavy metals and to reduce the potential negative effects of mobilized metals on the surrounding environment are the two major objectives in a chemically enhanced phytoextraction process. In the present study, a biodegradable chelating agent, NTA, was added in a hot solution at 90°C to soil in which beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L., white bean) were growing. The concentrations of Cu, Zn and Cd, and the total phytoextraction of metals by the shoots of the plant from a 1 mmol kg-¹ hot NTA application exceeded those in the shoots of plants treated with 5 mmol kg-¹ normal NTA and EDTA solutions (without heating treatment). A significant correlation was found between the concentrations of metals in the shoots of beans and the relative electrolyte leakage rate of root cells, indicating that the root damage resulting from the application of a hot solution might play an important role in the process of chelate-enhanced metal uptake in plants. The application of hot NTA solutions did not significantly increase metal solubilization in soil in comparison with a normal application of solution of the same dosage. Therefore, the application of a hot NTA solution may provide a more efficient alternative in chemical-enhanced phytoextraction, although further studies of techniques of application in fields are sill required.

This paper contributes to increase the knowledge of the contents and sources of heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) to agricultural soils in Castellón province (Spain), a representative area of the European Mediterranean region. The surface horizons of 77 agricultural soils under vegetable crops were sampled and heavy metals were analysed by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) after microwave extraction using the USEPA 3051A method. Mean heavy metal contents were similar to those obtained in other areas of this region. However, heavy metal contents (e.g. Cr, Pb) in some soils were above the maximum limit set in the 86/278/CEE Directive. Multivariate analysis (correlation analysis and principal component analysis - PCA) was performed so as to identify the sources of heavy metals to soils. Co, Fe and Ni were highly correlated amongst them (r > 0.800; p < 0.01), whereas Cr and Mn were less correlated with Co, Fe and Ni (r > 0.500; p < 0.01). Other relationships among heavy metals (i.e. Cu, Pb and Zn) were also identified, although correlation coefficients were not so high as those among Co, Fe and Ni (r < 0.500; p < 0.01). Contents of Co, Fe, Mn and Ni were interpreted to be mainly associated with parent rocks corresponding to the first principal component (PC1). On the other hand, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were interpreted to be mainly related to anthropogenic activities and comprised the second (Pb and Zn) and the third (Cd and Cu) principal components (PC2 and PC3, respectively), designated as anthropogenic components. Remarkably, Cr appears to be related in the study area to both the lithogenic and the anthropogenic components. Lithogenic elements were highly correlated with soil properties. Positive relationships with CEC (r > 0.200; p < 0.05) and clay (r > 0.400; p < 0.01), and negative relationships with carbonates (r > -0.400; p < 0.01) and sand (r > -0.300; p < 0.01) were observed. Anthropogenic elements were less correlated with soils properties, since these elements are generally more mobile because they form more soluble chemical species associated to anthropogenic sources. Particularly, no correlation was found between Cd and Zn and soil properties. These findings extend results achieved in other parts of the region, highlighting the need to set soil quality standards in order to declare soils affected by anthropogenic pollution, particularly in the case of anthropogenic metals such as Cd, Cu and Pb, and also Cr and Zn in some areas. Further knowledge from other areas in this region would improve the basis for proposing such standards at regional level, which is a priority objective in Europe according to the European Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection.

Investigation of pollution sources and their impacts on ecosystems is important, not only for better understanding the responses of an ecosystem to pollutants, but also for making practicable prevention and control plans. In this study, ecological quality of three areas which received different source pollutants in Shanghai coast were evaluated and compared in four seasons using Shannon-Wiener index (H'), a benthic diversity index as an indicator of ecological quality of coastal waters. The genotoxicity and physical-chemical variables of water samples were also analyzed. The H' value indicated the ecological quality of Shanghai coastal waters was seriously impacted, and the ecological quality of two areas receiving waste discharges were significantly worse than that of the natural protection zone but not significantly different in four seasons. The positive genotoxic response was detected in most samples from two discharge zones but not detected in the samples from the natural protection zone. However, no significant difference was observed in water quality variables in the different coastal areas. Our study suggested that the point source pollution had significantly contributed to the genotoxicity of the coastal waters and impaired benthic assemblages, while the deterioration of ecological quality status was also critically impacted by the stressors from other sources.

We determined the concentrations and residue patterns of 20 persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), hexachlorobenzene, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), chlordane-related compounds (CHLs), mirex, dieldrin, endrin, and aldrin, in muscle of rainbow trout from Lake Mashu, Japan. Total concentrations of OCPs varied from 1.0 to 132 ng g-¹ lipid weight. α-HCH was the most prevalent OCP contaminant in the fish muscle. Using the daily fish consumption in Japan (95.2 g), the mean weight of a Japanese adult (50.0 kg), and residual pesticide concentrations, we calculated the estimated daily intakes of γ-HCH, DDTs, CHLs, and dieldrin for humans to be 0.39, 0.48, 0.68, and 0.08 ng kg-¹ day-¹, respectively. Judging from acceptable daily intakes established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, we believe that these OCP levels would not adversely affect human health.

The Paraíba do Sul river is located in one of the most developed part of Brazil and receives many organic and industrial effluents directly affecting the ichthyofauna. Concentration of four heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Zn and Pb) were determined in two tissues (muscle and gonads) of three abundant fish species from different trophic levels (Oligosarcus hepsetus--carnivore, Geophagus brasiliensis--omnivore and Hypostomus luetkeni--detritivore) between November 2002 and April 2003. The aim was to test the hypothesis that the trophic level and the proximity from impacted areas influence levels of contamination and to assess if these species are indicators of large-scale habitat quality. Levels of heavy metals were detected by Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence with Synchrotron Radiation (SR-TXRF) at the Brazilian National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (LNLS). Generally, gonads showed higher metal concentration than muscles, except for Cr. All examined metals, but Cu, exceeded the maximum permitted concentration (mpc) by the Brazilian legislation for human consumption in at least one tissue. O. hepsetus (carnivore) showed the highest contamination levels, followed by G. brasiliensis (omnivore) and H. luetkeni (detritivore). The middle-upper segment, which encompasses large urban areas, showed the highest levels of metal contamination in most cases. O. hepsetus showed the highest levels of contamination in muscles for Pb in the middle-upper river segment (7.98 ± 3.73; mpc = 2.0 μg g-¹) and for Cr in the upper (5.53 ± 0.05; mpc = 0.10 μg g-¹) and middle-upper (4.20 ± 0.85; mpc = 0.10 μg g-¹) segments, which indicates that human population should avoid to consume these fishes species from these segments of the Paraíba do Sul river.

Stability and transport of As species in soils were investigated in three contaminated Central European regions in the Czech Republic; one of them represents naturally contaminated area, the others are results of a former mining activity. Total As content varied from 60 to <18,000 ppm depending on locality and sampling layer. Sequential extraction procedure (SEP) enabled to distinguish five main fractions of As in soils based on different chemical and binding properties. Non-specifically and weakly sorbed As, as well as As remained in solid rests of samples did not exceed 10% of total As; specifically bounded As varied from 5 to 15%. The substantial portion of As was bound to hydrated Fe oxides (HFO) in amorphous and poorly-crystalline forms (10-30% of the total As) and/or to a well-crystallized forms of the same phases (50-80%). As sorption on HFO surface, particularly on well-crystallized phases represented the most significant and stable As bond in soils. Model leaching experiments illustrated the increased mobility of As species at pH [almost equal to] 7.0 in the soil-groundwater-surface water systems.

The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in treated wastewater is gaining attention due to their potential environmental impact. An analytical method was developed to quantify estrogen compounds in samples from a concentrated wastewater matrix typical of water recycling systems used in space. The method employed conventional HPLC with UV detection. Solid phase extraction (SPE) was used to isolate the compounds of interest from wastewater. Spike-recovery tests in clean and wastewater matrices were used to test the extraction process. The results of these experiments suggest that deconjugation is the most predominant reaction occurring in the systems, as effluent concentrations of free estrogens typically exceeded influent concentrations. Despite the long retention times of the system or the near infinite solids retention time, free estrogens were not removed from graywater representative of space waste streams. For a closed-loop wastewater treatment system, these compounds may accumulate to levels requiring other removal mechanisms (i.e., reverse osmosis).

In 1997, total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) remediation started at a former Air Force Base, which operated from 1940 to 1991. TPH had been released to soil and groundwater at the site by military activities. The TPH was 70% jet fuel and the affected area covered 28 ha. Remediation involved a combination of technologies, including removal of volatile organic compounds using soil vapor extraction and air sparging, free product vacuum recovery and aerobic biodegradation of organics with oxygen supplied by the air sparging system, along with nutrient addition. The primary remedial method was found to be biodegradation, which has removed 93% of the contaminants from the site to date. A significant aspect of the remedial action was performance monitoring, including documentation of remediation efficiency. The goal of the research was to assess the relative accuracy of methods commonly used for monitoring in situ TPH remediation. Two such methods were selected for the research: monitoring change in soil TPH concentration (specified as non-polar extractable substances) and monitoring respiration activity in soil with a subsequent stoichiometric mass balance to estimate the mass of TPH destroyed. The study demonstrated that both of the methods provided comparable results regarding the effectiveness of in situ TPH remediation, despite the fact that their methodologies are very different.