In order to infer changes in sediments and mollusk assemblages for the last century, we used biogeochemical data from two 210Pb dated cores collected in Sagua La Grande estuary, Cuban Archipelago. We found evidences of cumulative anthropogenic disturbance during the last century, causing considerable depletion of mollusk assemblage diversity and enhancement of the dominance of deposit feeding species. The sequence of impacts assessed was i) eutrophication due to nutrient releases from urban settlements, ii) habitat alteration due to water channeling and damming, and iii) mercury pollution. These successive impacts caused a steady diversity depletion from ca. 70 mollusk species in 1900 to less than five in 2010. Only two species persisted in the estuary: Nuculana acuta and Finella dubia. Hurricanes did not impact the molluscan fauna in the long term. The effects of the anthropogenic impacts suggest that the resilience of this estuarine system is compromised.

This study reports the concentrations of the priority pesticides (PPs) in 14 surface sediments and 21 layers of a sediment core from Óbidos Lagoon, a shallow Portuguese coastal lagoon. Results show that the PPs are confined to the upper part of the lagoon that receives most of the inputs from surface runoff of the surrounding agricultural fields and from small tributaries. Past and recent applied PPs were registered in sediments, aluminum normalized concentrations varying between 0.05×10−7 and 6.85×10−7. The PP risk assessment based on sediment quality guidelines like the “Probable Effect Level” (PEL) shows no biological effects in either sediments or aquatic organisms of Óbidos Lagoon, except for dieldrin, lindane, DDT, heptachlor epoxide and its parent compound heptachlor.

Parallel studies on organic and elemental carbon in PM1 and PM2.5 aerosols and in wet deposition in various forms of its occurrence were conducted in the urbanised coastal zone of the Baltic Sea. The carbon load introduced into the sea water was mainly affected by the form of precipitation. Dry deposition load of carbon was on average a few orders of magnitude smaller than wet deposition. The suspended organic carbon was more effectively removed from the air with rain than snow, while an inverse relationship was found for elemental carbon. However the highest flux of water insoluble organic carbon was recorded in precipitation of a mixed nature. The atmospheric cleaning of highly dissolved organic carbon was observed to be the most effective on the first day of precipitation, while the hydrophobic elemental carbon was removed more efficiently when the precipitation lasted longer than a day.

The levels of natural radioactivity have been investigated in some Saudi Arabian Gulf coastal areas. Sampling sites were chosen according to the presence of nearby non-nuclear industrial activities such as, the two main water desalination plants in Al Khobar and Al Jubail, and Maaden phosphate complex in Ras Al Khair, to ensure that effluents discharges into the Arabian Gulf didn't enhance radioactivity in seawater and shore sediments. Seawater samples were analyzed for radium isotopes (Ra-226 & Ra-228) and measured by gamma spectrometry using high purity germanium detector, after radiochemical separation of the isotopes by co-precipitation with MnO2. Shore sediment samples were analyzed for 226Ra, 228Ra (232Th), 4°K and 137Cs using gamma sepectrometry. A small variation was observed in the activity concentrations of the investigated radioisotopes, and the activity levels were comparable to those reported in literature. Quality assurance and methods validation were established through the efficiency calibration of the detectors, the estimation of uncertainties, the use of blanks, the analysis of standard reference materials and the intercomparison and proficiency tests. Radiological hazards were assessed, and the annual effective dose had an average value of 0.02mSv. On the basis of the current results, we may conclude that any radiological hazards to the public visiting these shores are not expected.

The present study aimed to geochemical speciation of metals in the surface sediments of the northern Persian Gulf. Metal contents in the sediment were observed in the order: Al>Fe>Cr>Ni>V>Zn>Cu>Co>As>Pb>Cd. The results of sequential extraction procedure revealed that all metals were predominantly associated with the residual fraction. Among the metals, Cu and As exhibited higher bioavailability. The risk assessment code (RAC) indicated that Cu, As and Cd had medium environmental risk at some sampling sites. Based on enrichment factor (EF), Cd and As had moderate to significant enrichment.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) is a powerful instrument aimed at reducing spread of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens (HAOPs). As BWMC is expected to enter into force soon, shipping companies will start seeking exemptions for ballast water management in accordance with BWMC Regulation A-4. However, without scientifically robust risk assessment (RA) and consistent rules, the exemptions may introduce a new form of risk within a convention generally designed to reduce risks. This paper describes an adaptive system for granting exemptions, consisting of six major components: target species selection procedure, port-to-port RA, monitoring, information support, administrative decision and review process. The system is based on key principles defined in the IMO guidelines for RA and is designed to continuously accumulate evolving experience on granting exemptions. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the control of the spread of HAOPs, without placing an unnecessary burden on the shipping industry.

Fungal growth within the structure of buildings or in ventilation filters generates “hidden contamination”, which cannot be detected only through visual inspection. At the beginning of development, the fungi release fungal volatile organic compounds (FVOCs) into the atmosphere, which can originate from metabolic pathways or from the enzymatic degradation of materials. This study analyzed the air quality of a public referral hospital in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil in terms of FVOCs, to establish ways to improve methods of monitoring and control of specific sectors in the hospital. For that, we created and validated a protocol for detection of FVOCs, using GC/MS, while fungal samples were identified by analysis of macro and micromorphology. In total, 48 samples (60.5% positive) were analyzed for FVOCs; 7 were detected in at least one of the sectors analyzed, with 2-heptanone (179.5 μg/m3) and 2-methyl-1-propanol (121.5 μg/m3) as the most abundant. With respect to fungal findings, 24 samples were analyzed, with a high number of colony-forming units per cubic meter (CFU/m3) observed in all sectors. The airborne fungal spectrum revealed the existence of 19 genera, composed predominantly by hyaline filamentous deuteromycetes. Analysis with periodic monitoring is still needed to allow improvement in the data quality. Also, further discussion on the subject in the academic and legislative environment is needed to contribute to the systematic study of aerobiology.

Knowledge of the levels of pollutants to which the occupants of a residential home are exposed is important, because of the potential adverse effect of the pollutants on the occupants' health. This study presents the first indoor-to-outdoor ratio (IOR) prediction models for CO2, NO2, and the lung-deposited nanoparticles (defined as particulate matters of 10–1000 nm in diameter). The IORs of CO2, NO2, and the lung-deposited nanoparticles (LDN) were measured in 20 residential homes in Seoul, South Korea, and meteorological information, building characteristics, and information relating to occupants' indoor activities were collected as predictor candidates. A correlation analysis and a multistep multivariate linear regression analysis were performed to develop the IOR models. Based on the analysis, the selected predictors of the IOR for a home are the number of occupants, the type of stove, and the number of cooking activities for CO2, the temperature and number of cooking activities for NO2, and the number of occupants and floor level on which the home is located for LDN. The accuracies of the models were examined in terms of R2, and were found to be 0.70, 0.54, and 0.79 for CO2, NO2, and LDN models, respectively.

Atmospheric particles were investigated from a haze episode in autumn 2012 in Beijing that was caused by transported pollutants emitted from biomass burning during the crop harvest season in the North China Plain. Four samples from haze and one sample from clean atmosphere were collected in sequence by a multiple-stage cascade impactor. Based on morphology and elemental compositions, the particles were classified into five types: accumulation-mode secondary particles with and without coating, naked and core–shell soot, and other particles. The ratios of accumulation-mode secondary particles to soot containing particles were 4.0, 2.3, 1.7, 1.8, and 5.5, i.e., secondary particles in haze were proportionally less abundant than those in clean air, which was caused by the different dominant secondary formation mechanisms during hazy and clean periods. Meanwhile, the ratios of particles with coating to those without coating were 0.5, 1.0, 0.7, 0.6, and 0.2, implying that the particles in haze were likely more hygroscopic than those in clean air. In haze, the size distributions of particles were multi-modal, with main modes of approximately 0.55–0.85 μm, suggesting that the particles were from multiple sources due to the transported biomass burning plumes mixed with urban air. The size distribution was unimodal in clean air, and the mode was approximately 0.35 μm, with a mean equivalent diameter of 0.45 μm. The core–shell ratio distribution for soot particles collected in haze induced by biomass-burning aerosols was quite different from those in clean air, and soot particles were more aged in haze samples.