From 1990 to 1994, a total of 21 sediment cores and 37 grab sediment samples were collected from the Milwaukee Harbor Estuary. Each sediment core was sectioned and dated using ²¹⁰Pb and¹³⁷ Cs radioisotope techniques. A total of 305 samples were analyzed for sixteen polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs). Grain size distribution, porosity, and total organic carbon content as measured by loss on ignition were also determined. The results provide a historical overview of the impact of industrialization in the Milwaukee area. Although highly variable, the concentration profile of PAHs show, in general, peaks in the 1950's through 1980's. The PAH concentrations have declined since then for most sediment cores. The current levels of total PAHs in most surface sediment samples range from 25 to 200 ppm. A few cores, some of which were collected in 1994, have an elevated PAH concentration at the surface. Toxicity of the surface sediments was evaluated by comparing with the benchmark values developed by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The most heavily contaminated area was found in the Kinnickinnic River between the Becher Street Bridge and the Wisconsin Wrecking Company Wharf. The highest total PAH concentration determined from seven vibra cores collected in this area ranges from 380 to 1000 ppm. The former Wisconsin Solvay Coke Company may have been a major point source of PAHs until the 1970's. Highway traffic and various industrial discharges also contribute to the sediment PAHs in this area.

Arsenic, an environmental pollutant, is present in minute but invariable amounts in food, drinking water and ambient air. Izmir is founded on a land of long extinct volcanoes, with vast areas of lava ground suitable for agriculture. It is located at close vicinity to high thermal activity, e.g., hot springs and thermal baths. In the present study, total arsenic level in breast milk was assessed in randomly chosen 35 lactating women of different socioeconomic levels who live downtown in Izmir and in milk of 36 cows grazing on shoulder grass of highways with heavy traffic. Total arsenic was assessed on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA-680 Shimadzu). Mean (± SEM) arsenic was found to be 4.219 ± 0.079 µg L⁻¹ in breast milk, and 4.932 ± 0.38 µg L⁻¹ in cow's milk. Conclusion: in Izmir, arsenic contamination of breast milk was not found so as to be considered noxious for suckling infants, whereas was found relatively higher in cow's milk. It would be prudent to remember breast and cow's milk arsenic contamination in breast fed or milk fed babies living in areas with higher thermal activity or in regions where ground water is with high arsenic content.