Determining sources of neurotoxic metals in rural and urban soils is important for mitigating human exposure. Surface soil from four areas with significant clusters of mental retardation and developmental delay (MR/DD) in children, and one control site were analyzed for nine metals and characterized by soil type, climate, ecological region, land use and industrial facilities using readily available GIS-based data. Kriging, principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were used to identify commonalities of metal distribution. Three MR/DD areas (one rural and two urban) had similar soil types and significantly higher soil metal concentrations. PCA and CA results suggested that Ba, Be and Mn were consistently from natural sources; Pb and Hg from anthropogenic sources; and As, Cr, Cu, and Ni from both sources. Arsenic had low commonality estimates, was highly associated with a third PCA factor, and had a complex distribution, complicating mitigation strategies to minimize concentrations and exposures. GIS-based data, principal component and cluster analysis identified complex distributions of metals in soils in areas with clusters of mental retardation and developmental delay.

The presence of triclosan, a widely-used antibacterial chemical, is currently unknown in higher trophic-level species such as marine mammals. Blood plasma collected from wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Charleston, SC (CHS) (n = 13) and Indian River Lagoon, FL (IRL) (n = 13) in 2005 was analyzed for triclosan. Plasma concentrations in CHS dolphins ranged from 0.12 to 0.27 ng/g wet weight (mean 0.18 ng/g), with 31% of the sampled individuals having detectable triclosan. The mean IRL dolphin plasma concentrations were 0.072 ng/g wet weight (range 0.025-0.11 ng/g); 23% of the samples having detectable triclosan. In the CHS area, triclosan effluent values from two WWTP were both 190 ng/L and primary influents were 2800 ng/L and 3400 ng/L. Triclosan values in CHS estuarine surface water samples averaged 7.5 ng/L (n = 18) ranging from 4.9 to 14 ng/L. This is the first study to report bioaccumulation of anthropogenic triclosan in a marine mammal highlighting the need for further monitoring and assessment. Triclosan in bottlenose dolphin plasma and their environment.

The Tinto and Odiel rivers are heavily affected by acid mine drainage from mining areas in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. In this work we have conducted a study along these rivers where surface water samples have been collected. Field measurements, total dissolved metals and Fe and inorganic As speciation analysis were performed. The average total concentration of As in the Tinto river (1975 μg L-1) is larger than in the Odiel river (441 μg L-1); however, the mean concentration of As(III) is almost four times higher in the Odiel. In wet seasons the mean pH levels of both rivers (2.4 and 3.2 for the Tinto and Odiel, respectively) increase slightly and the amount of dissolved total arsenic tend to decrease, while the As(III)/(V) ratio strongly increase. Besides, the concentration of the reduced As species increase along the water course. As a result, As(III)/(V) ratio can be up to 100 times higher in the lower part of the basins. An estimation of the As(III) load transported by both rivers into the Atlantic Ocean has been performed, resulting in about 60 kg yr-1 and 2.7 t yr-1 by the Tinto and Odiel rivers, respectively. Total arsenic concentration decreases along the water basins, however the As(III)/(V) ratio increases.

The oxidative dissolution of mine wastes gives rise to acidic, metal-enriched mine drainage (AMD) and has typically posed an additional risk to the environment. The poly-metallic mine Dabaoshan in South China is an excellent test site to understand the processes affecting the surrounding polluted agricultural fields. Our objectives were firstly to investigate metal ion activity in soil solution, distribution in solid constituents, and spatial distribution in samples, secondly to determine dominant environment factors controlling metal activity in the long-term AMD-polluted subtropical soils. Soil Column Donnan Membrane Technology (SC-DMT) combined with sequential extraction shows that unusually large proportion of the metal ions are present as free ion in the soil solutions. The narrow range of low pH values prevents any pH effects during the binding onto oxides or organic matter. The differences in speciation of the soil solutions may explain the different soil degradation observed between paddy and non-paddy soils. First evidence of the real free metal ion concentrations in acid mine drainage context in tropical systems.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted from vegetation (particularly isoprenoids) represent an important source of atmospheric hydrocarbons almost double the anthropogenic source. When biogenic VOC mix with NOx in the presence of UV radiation, ozone (O3) is formed. In Italy, optimal conditions for O3 formation in terms of VOC/NOx ratios and abundance of UV radiation occur for long periods of the year. Moreover, Italian vegetation includes several species that are strong and evergreen isoprenoid emitters, and high temperatures for part of the year further stimulate these temperature-dependent emissions. We review emission of isoprenoids from Italian vegetation, current knowledge on the impact of rising O3 levels on isoprenoid emission, and evidence showing that isoprenoids can increase both the O3 flux to the plant and protection against oxidative stress because of their antioxidant functions. This trait not only influences plant tolerance to O3 but also may substantially alter the flux of O3 between atmosphere and biosphere. The capacity to emit isoprenoids confers to plants tolerance to O3 and alters the flux of O3 between atmosphere and biosphere.

Lysosomal responses (enlargement and membrane destabilisation) in mussel digestive cells are well-known environmental stress biomarkers in pollution effects monitoring in marine ecosystems. Presently, in laboratory and field studies, both responses were measured separately (in terms of lysosomal volume density - Vv - and labilisation period -LP) and combined (lysosomal response index - LRI) in order to contribute to their understanding and to develop an index useful for decisions makers. LRI integrates Vv and LP, which are not necessarily dependent lysosomal responses. It is unbiased and more sensitive than Vv and LP alone and diminishes background due to confounding factors. LRI provides a simple numerical index (consensus reference = 0; critical threshold = 1) directly related to the pollution impact degree. Moreover, LRI can be represented in a way that allows the interpretation of lysosomal responses, which is useful for environmental scientists. Lysosomal responses to pollutants measured by an integrative index.

Chlorobenzene-contaminated groundwater was used to assess pulsed gas sparging as a minimum effort aeration strategy to enhance intrinsic natural attenuation. In contrast to existing biosparging operations, oxygen was supplied at minimum rate by reducing the gas injection frequency to 0.33 day⁻¹. Field tests in a model aquifer were conducted in a 12 m long reactor, filled with indigenous aquifer material and continuously recharged with polluted groundwater over 3 years. The closed arrangement allowed yield balances, cost accounting as well as the investigation of spatial distributions of parameters which are sensitive to the biodegradation process. Depending on the injection frequency and on the gas chosen for injection (pure oxygen or air) oxygen-deficient conditions prevailed in the aquifer. Despite the limiting availability of dissolved oxygen in the groundwater, chlorobenzene degradation under oxygen-deficient conditions proved to be more effective than under conditions with dissolved oxygen being available in high concentrations. Minimum rate gas sparging resulted in sustained biodegradation of chlorobenzene in a polluted groundwater aquifer.

In this study, the natural Cu background concentration and Cu natural and anthropogenic contamination in soil, water and crop were investigated systematically in Huangshi area. The results show that regional geology is the dominant factor controlling the natural Cu background concentration in soil and water, and that pH is important to control the vertical distribution of Cu in soil under the same geographical and climatic conditions. The mineralization of rock bodies causes the natural Cu increase in soil and water, whereas, a large number of mining-smelting plants and chemical works are the main sources of Cu anthropogenic contamination. Cu in naturally and anthropogenically polluted soil displays differences in total and available contents, vertical distribution patterns and physico-chemical properties, the same happens in water. Consider the rock-soil-water-crop as a system to study the geochemical activities and environmental pollution of copper.

The concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD), a common proxy for dissolved organic matter (DOM), was measured at seven drinking-water reservoirs and four streams between 1969 and 2006. Nine of them showed significant DOM increases (median COD change +0.08 mg L−1 yr−1). Several potential drivers of these trends were considered, including air temperature, rainfall, land-use and water sulfate concentration. Temperature and precipitation influenced inter-annual variations, but not long-term trends. The long-term DOM increase was significantly associated with declines of acidic deposition, especially sulfur deposition. Surface water sulfate concentrations decreased from a median of 62 mg L−1–27 mg L−1 since 1980. The magnitude of DOM increase was positively correlated with average DOM concentration (R2 = 0.79, p < 0.001). Simultaneously, DOM concentration was positively correlated with the proportion of Histosols within the catchments (R2 = 0.79, p < 0.001). A focus on the direct removal of DOM by water treatment procedures rather than catchment remediation is needed. Rising DOM levels in surface waters are due to changes in soil chemistry caused by a reduction of acidic deposition.

Activated carbon (AC) strongly sorbs organic pollutants and can be used for remediation of soils and sediments. A method for AC quantification is essential to monitor AC (re)distribution. Since AC is black carbon (BC), two methods for BC quantification were tested for AC mixed in different soils and sediments: i) chemothermal oxidation (CTO) at a range of temperatures and ii) wet-chemical oxidation with a potassium dichromate/sulfuric acid solution. For three soils, the amount of AC was accurately determined by CTO at 375 °C. For two sediments, however, much of the AC disappeared during combustion at 375 °C, which could probably be explained by catalytic effects by sediment constituents. CTO at lower temperatures (325–350 °C) was a feasible alternative for one of the sediments. Wet oxidation effectively functioned for AC quantification in sediments, with almost complete AC recovery (81–92%) and low remaining amounts of native organic carbon (5–16%). Activated carbon quantification is best performed for soils with chemothermal oxidation at 375 °C, and for sediments with wet oxidation with potassium dichromate/sulfuric acid.