Selective extraction techniques followed by batch adsorption experiments and statistical analyses were employed to investigate the adsorption behavior of bisphenol A (BPA) onto the natural surface coatings samples (NSCSs) and surficial sediments (SSs) and estimate the relative contribution of components (i.e. Fe oxides, Mn oxides, organic materials and residues) to the total BPA adsorption. The results indicate that nonlinear Langmuir model can describe the adsorption behavior of BPA on the NSCSs and SSs before and after extraction treatments. The removal of Mn oxides from the NSCSs and SSs caused a significant increase in BPA adsorption, which implied that Mn oxides inhibited BPA adsorption onto solid matrix, and Fe oxides played a positive role in BPA adsorption onto the NSCSs and SSs. However, the removal of organic materials (OMs) led to a dramatic decrease in BPA adsorption, suggesting considerable amounts of BPA adsorbed onto OMs in the NSCSs and SSs. This study may provide important insights into the understanding of the transport and ultimate fate of BPA in the aquatic environments.

The exact contribution of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to a company as well as to its stakeholders should be measurable in order to be evaluated correctly. The difficult task of measuring the results of CSR has been a matter of significant research both by academics and by practitioners. Some of the literature on corporate social responsibility combines CSR with stakeholder theory introducing corporate social performance. The literature has attempted to describe emerging models of the issues that lead to a coherent model of what would represent corporate social performance. However, it is the case that social aspects are “soft” in nature, therefore being difficult to quantify. Innovated methods of performance measurement such as that of Balanced Scorecard has lately been introduced in some companies in their attempt to include non-financial indicators to give a more balanced and forecasting power to the traditional financial performance assessment system, but the view of corporate social responsibility is rarely taken into account. Furthermore, management frameworks that try to cover social and environmental aspects, such as Global Reporting Initiative, by providing a number of related performance measures, are not able to connect them with corporate strategy and are poor evaluators of cause-effect relationships. In the present paper, a CSR performance measurement framework based on the adoption of the Balanced Scorecard approach is presented. For the development of the proposed framework, the existing assessment of CSR and Corporate Sustainability actions of the Greek companies of different sectors was analysed in order to identify common practices in CSR performance evaluation as well as existing limitations. Taking into account the social indicators suggested by the traditional balanced scorecard views, an extension of its structure is proposed in order to better embody the environmental and social aspects of company performance.

Extended persistence of enteric bacteria in coastal sediments and potential remobilization of pathogens during natural turbulence or human activities may induce an increased risk of human infections. In this study, the effect of sediment characteristics such as particle grain size and nutrient and organic matter contents on the survival of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) including total coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus was investigated. The experimentation was carried out for 50 days in microcosms containing lake water and different contaminated freshwater sediments in continuous-flow and batch conditions. Results of this study revealed: (1) extended FIB survival in sediments up to 50 days, (2) higher growth and lower decay rates of FIB in sediments with high levels of organic matter and nutrients and small (mainly silt) grain size, and (3) longer survival of Enterococcus sp. compared to E. coli and total coliforms. FIB survival in sediments and possible resuspension are of considerable significance for the understanding of permanent microbial pollution in water column and therefore human risk during recreational activities.

Two advanced models that respectively simulate the transport of heavy metals in the atmosphere at continental and regional scale, as well as the transfer of contaminants in the air-soil-plant system, were used to study the potential accumulation of lead and cadmium in vegetables in a French region submitted to global and local industrial releases. The dynamics of lead and cadmium in the atmosphere, the soil and two types of plants (leaf and fruit vegetables respectively) were simulated over 40 years. Kinetic best estimate calculations were conducted to simulate the potential accumulation of lead and cadmium in soils and plants. An uncertainty analysis was also performed to provide confidence intervals for the maximum contamination levels of leaf and fruit vegetables. A sensitivity analysis allowed to identify the most sensitive parameters of the modeling system. For this purpose, Probability Density Functions were proposed for the main parameters included in the air-soil-plant model. Different results were obtained for lead and cadmium respectively, lead being more sensitive to aerial processes (interception of deposits by leaves eventually followed by translocation to edible organs).

Willows (Salix spp.) are an integral component in the restoration of wetland plant communities that have been impacted by the fluvial deposition of mine tailings. A greenhouse study was conducted to compare growth and metal uptake of Geyer (S. geyeriana) and mountain (S. monticola) willow grown in topsoil versus lime and biosolids amended mine tailings. Biomass, leader length, and tissue metal contents were measured after four months growth. Above and belowground biomass and leader length of Geyer willow were greater for plants grown in topsoil compared to amended mine tailings. However, soil type did not affect mountain willow growth. Analysis for five metals yielded complex results for the two willow species and soil types. As compared to mountain willow, Geyer had greater concentrations of Mn and Pb in aboveground tissues, and Cu in senesced leaves and bark-less leaders when grown in tailings; mountain willow leaves contained greater levels of Cd than Geyer when grown in tailings. Both willow species had foliar Cd levels which were above livestock toxicity tolerance values. Based on growth characteristics, mountain willow appeared better suited for restoration of mine tailings compared to Geyer willow. However, because of the high Cd uptake by both willow species, care should be taken in restoration efforts where wildlife and domestic livestock are likely to browse on the willows.

Storm water detention devices collect runoff from impermeable catchments. They provide flow attenuation as well as storage capacity, and rely on natural self-purification processes such as sedimentation, filtration and microbial degradation. The aim was to assess the performance of an experimental combined planted gravel filter, storm water detention and infiltration tank system treating runoff from a car park and its access road. Flows were modeled with the US EPA Storm Water Management Model. An overall water balance of the system was compiled, demonstrating that 50% of the rainfall volume escaped the system as evaporation, whereas, of the remaining 50%, approximately two thirds were infiltrated and one third was discharged into the sewer system. These findings illustrated the importance of evaporation in source control, and showed that infiltration can be applied successfully even on man-made urban soils with low permeability. The assessment of the system's hydrological efficiency indicated mean lag times of 1.84 and 10.6 h for the gravel filter and the entire system, respectively. Mean flow volume reductions of 70% and mean peak flow reductions of 90% were achieved compared to conventional drainage. The assessment of the pollutant removal efficiency resulted in promising removal efficiencies for biochemical oxygen demand (77%), suspended solids (83%), nitrate-nitrogen (32%) and ortho-phosphate-phosphorus (47%). The most important removal processes were identified as biological degradation (predominantly within the gravel ditch), sedimentation and infiltration.

The chemical characterization of contaminated soil was assessed in two study areas in Finland contaminated with metals. The aqua regia extractable and/or concentrated nitric acid leachable median concentrations of selected elements within the study areas were first compared to those from various geochemical baseline studies. Based on this comparison, the studied elements were divided into two groups: elements displaying general enrichment in the study areas and those with median concentrations within the range of baseline levels. In addition to comparison with the baseline levels, the distribution of aqua regia extractable concentrations of selected elements was assessed in relation to the Finnish soil screening values. The potential leachability of the selected metallic elements in contaminated, mainly man-made soil was examined by determining the ratio between the median ammonium acetate and median aqua regia extractable concentrations in the two study areas. Aqua regia extractable concentrations are considered to represent the near-total fraction of the elements and ammonium acetate extractable concentrations the 'bioavailable' fraction. These ratios were compared with those from non-polluted sites representing geochemical baselines. In addition, water soluble element concentrations were available from the two study areas and the ratio between synthetic rainwater or distilled, de-ionised water extractable and aqua regia extractable concentrations was calculated. The ratio between ammonium acetate extraction and aqua regia extraction indicated that of the studied elements, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and V exist in a more leachable form in contaminated soil than in the natural environment. It can be assumed that these elements are also more 'bioavailable' in contaminated land and could therefore pose a risk to the environment. The water soluble fraction of the potential harmful elements was generally low in both study areas, but single samples had easily leachable metal concentrations. High concentrations of trace elements were found in the groundwater on the down stream side of the potential pollution source. The chemical characteristics of the soil material in both study areas were defined with hierarchical cluster analysis, with the results presented as dendrograms produced using Ward's method. Although some clusters were identified from the dendrograms, no special characterization of the fill material was possible. However, suggestive grouping of certain element groups was observed. Similar grouping of elements was found in factor analysis. Cluster analysis as well as factor analysis was found to be feasible for the chemical characterization of soil provided that a sufficient number of samples with appropriate analysis are available.

Seasonal deposition fluxes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the North Basin of Lake Biwa were investigated by monthly collecting sediment trap samples through a year from July 2003. Average deposition flux of total PAHs was 75 ng cm⁻² year⁻¹, similar to those for other rural area. Deposition fluxes of PAHs did varied seasonally. In the vertical mixing period of the lake, late autumn to early spring, the fluxes of less volatile PAHs were enhanced while those for volatile PAHs were not. The size difference of particles associated with volatile and less volatile PAHs caused the seasonal variation of the fluxes. Oil discharge from water delivery equipments may contribute the fluxes of volatile PAHs in summer to autumn.

Individuals of Hexaplex trunculus, Tapes decussatus, and associated sediments were collected from 16 coastal sampling plots of the Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain), and the metal and As concentrations were determined. The sediments had maximum values (in milligrams per kilogram dry weight [d.w.]) of 7,132 for Zn; 6,975 for Pb; 5,039 for Mn; 501 for As; 74 for Cu; and 9.1 for Cd. Specimens of H. trunculus could be collected from all the sampling plots, and it was found that concentrations of Zn (between 883 and 3,130 mg kg⁻¹ d.w.), Pb (between 0.09 and 222 mg kg⁻¹ d.w.), Mn (between 7.6 and 17.7 mg kg⁻¹ d.w.), As (between 144 and 418 mg kg⁻¹ d.w.), and Cd (between undetectable and 8.4 mg kg⁻¹ d.w.) in soft tissues significantly increased when concentrations in sediments increased. H. trunculus apparently regulated Cu assimilation (concentrations between 17.7 and 47.2 mg kg⁻¹ d.w.) in its soft tissues. T. decussatus was very scarce or even absent from sites with higher metal and As contents in the sediments. Hence, H. trunculus could be used as a bioindicator of metals and As pollution, but not T. decussatus. Based on our results, a human health risk exists because the species analyzed are collected from the studied zone and so are consumed by the population.

The Anllóns basin (NW Spain) has been included in the Natura 2000 Network and declared as Site of Community Importance. The main contamination problems of the basin come from a former gold mine and from agricultural activities, which influence the quality of the sediment-water system. Phosphorus (P) enrichment in the bed sediments was evaluated by analyzing P in the pore waters, in the surface bed sediments, and in the vertical sediment profiles, including both total and bioavailable forms. Two granulometric fractions (<2 mm and <63 μm) were evaluated. Pore waters, bed sediments, and vertical profiles showed high percentages of the bioavailable P fraction with respect to the total P content, which evidences the potential risk of pollution which suppose the bed sediments of the Anllóns River. The vertical profiles showed P enrichment in the superficial layers, which could be the consequence of the increased use of fertilizers in the last decades. With regards to the granulometric distributions, the <63 μm showed, in general, higher P concentrations than the <2 mm fraction. However, at the sampling points most heavily contaminated, the concentration of both fractions becomes similar, thus indicating that, at these sites, the coatings formed over sands can retain important P concentrations in the bed sediments.