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1060 records returned

The impact of tropospheric ozone pollution on trial plot winter wheat yields in Great Britain - An econometric approach.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Numerous experiments have demonstrated reductions in the yields of cereal crops due to tropospheric O(3), with losses of up to 25%. However, the only British econometric study on O(3) impacts on winter wheat yields, found that a 10% increase in AOT40 would decrease yields by only 0.23%. An attempt is made here to reconcile these observations by developing AOT40 maps for Great Britain and matching levels with a large number of standardised trial plot wheat yields from many sites over a 13-year period. Panel estimates (repeated measures on the same plots with time) show a 0.54% decrease in yields and it is hypothesised t...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 13, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Kaliakatsou E, Bell JN, Thirtle C, Rose D, Power SA Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Differential response of aspen and birch trees to heat stress under elevated carbon dioxide.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The effect of high temperature on photosynthesis of isoprene-emitting (aspen) and non-isoprene-emitting (birch) trees were measured under elevated CO(2) and ambient conditions. Aspen trees tolerated heat better than birch trees and elevated CO(2) protected photosynthesis of both species against moderate heat stress. Elevated CO(2) increased carboxylation capacity, photosynthetic electron transport capacity, and triose phosphate use in both birch and aspen trees. High temperature (36-39 degrees C) decreased all of these parameters in birch regardless of CO(2) treatment, but only photosynthetic electron transport and tri...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 13, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Darbah JN, Sharkey TD, Calfapietra C, Karnosky DF Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Estimating contribution of wildland fires to ambient ozone levels in National Parks in the Sierra Nevada, California.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Data from four continuous ozone and weather monitoring sites operated by the National Park Service in Sierra Nevada, California, are used to develop an ozone forecasting model and to estimate the contribution of wildland fires on ambient ozone levels. The analyses of weather and ozone data pointed to the transport of ozone precursors from the Central Valley as an important source of pollution in these National Parks. Comparisons of forecasted and observed values demonstrated that accurate forecasts of next-day hourly ozone levels may be achieved by using a time series model with historic averages, expected local weathe...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 13, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Preisler HK, Zhong SS, Esperanza A, Brown TJ, Bytnerowicz A Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

The chemistry and behaviour of antimony in the soil environment with comparisons to arsenic: A critical review.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article provides a critical review of the environmental chemistry of inorganic antimony (Sb) in soils, comparing and contrasting findings with those of arsenic (As). Characteristics of the Sb soil system are reviewed, with an emphasis on speciation, sorption and phase associations, identifying differences between Sb and As behaviour. Knowledge gaps in environmentally relevant Sb data for soils are identified and discussed in terms of the limitations this imposes on understanding the fate, behaviour and risks associated with Sb in environmental soil systems, with particular reference to mobility and bioavailability. ...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 13, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Wilson SC, Lockwood PV, Ashley PM, Tighe M Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

High-resolution inventory of NO emissions from agricultural soils over the Ile-de-France region.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Arable soils are a significant source of nitric oxide (NO), a precursor of tropospheric ozone, and thereby contribute to ozone pollution. However, their actual impact on ozone formation is strongly related to their spatial and temporal emission patterns, which warrant high-resolution estimates. Here, we combined an agro-ecosystem model and geo-referenced databases to map these sources over the 12 000 km(2) administrative region surrounding Paris, France, with a kilometric level resolution. The six most frequent arable crop species were simulated, with emission rates ranging from 1.4 kg N-NO ha(-1) yr(-1) to 11.1 kg N-N...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 13, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Rolland MN, Gabrielle B, Laville P, Cellier P, Beekmann M, Gilliot JM, Michelin J, Hadjar D, Curci G Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment plants and rivers in Korea.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We measured 25 pharmaceuticals in ten municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), one hospital WWTP and five rivers in Korea. In the municipal WWTP influents, acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine showed relatively high concentrations. The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the wastewater seems to be influenced by production and consumption of pharmaceuticals. The hospital WWTP influent showed higher total concentrations of pharmaceuticals than the municipal WWTPs, and caffeine, ciprofloxacin and acetaminophen were dominant. In the rivers, caffeine was dominant, and the distribution of pharmaceuticals was r...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 12, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Sim WJ, Lee JW, Oh JE Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Occurrence, bioaccumulation and potential sources of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in typical freshwater cultured fish ponds of South China.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
To determine the potential input sources of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) to fish farming environments in South China, samples of seven various environmental matrices were collected from October 2006-September 2007. Tri- to deca-BDEs were detected in all samples analyzed, with mean concentrations (+/-standard deviations) at 5.7 +/- 3.6 ng/L in pond water, 15 +/- 11 ng/g dry wt. in pond sediment, 12 +/- 3.8 ng/g dry wt. in bank soil, 21 +/- 20 ng/g lipid wt. in fish, and 93 +/- 62 ng/g lipid wt. in fish feeds. In addition, BDE-209 was the major constituent in all samples except fish and BDE-47 was predominant i...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 12, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Zhang BZ, Ni HG, Guan YF, Zeng EY Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Decrease of labile Zn and Cd in the rhizosphere of hyperaccumulating Thlaspi caerulescens with time.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
By using a rhizobox micro-suction cup technique we studied in-situ mobilization and complexation of Zn and Cd in the rhizosphere of non-hyperaccumulating Thlaspi perfoliatum and two different Thlaspi caerulescens ecotypes, one of them hyperaccumulating Zn, the other Zn and Cd. The dynamic fraction (free metal ions and small labile complexes) of Zn and Cd decreased with time in the rhizosphere solution of the respective hyperaccumulating T. caerulescens ecotypes, and at the end of the experiment, it was significantly smaller than in the other treatments. Furthermore, the rhizosphere solutions of the T. caerulescens ecot...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 12, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Dessureault-Rompré J, Luster J, Schulin R, Tercier-Waeber ML, Nowack B Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Hydrological regime and salinity alter the bioavailability of Cu and Zn in wetlands.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the context of the European Water Framework Directive, controlled flooding of lowlands is considered as a potential water management strategy to minimise the risk of flooding of inhabited areas. However, due to historical pollution and overbank sedimentation, metal levels are elevated in most wetlands, which can cause adverse effects on the ecosystem's dynamics. Additionally, salinity affects the bioavailability of metals present or imported into these systems. The effect of different flooding regimes and salinity exposure scenarios (fresh- and brackish water conditions) on Cu and Zn accumulation in the oligochaete ...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 12, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Speelmans M, Lock K, Vanthuyne DR, Hendrickx F, Du Laing G, Tack FM, Janssen CR Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Steroid estrogens, conjugated estrogens and estrogenic activity in farm dairy shed effluents.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Agricultural wastes are a source of steroid estrogens and, if present, conjugated estrogens may add to the estrogen load released to soil and aquatic environments. Dairy shed effluent samples were collected from 18 farms for analysis of steroid estrogens by GC-MS, conjugated estrogens by LC-MS-MS, and estrogenic activity by E-screen in vitro bioassay. 17alpha-estradiol was found at highest concentrations (median 730 ng l(-1)), followed by estrone (100 ng l(-1)) and 17beta-estradiol (24 ng l(-1)). Conjugated estrogens (estrone-3-sulfate, 17alpha-estradiol-3-sulfate and 17beta-estradiol-3,17-disulfate) were measured in m...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 11, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Gadd JB, Tremblay LA, Northcott GL Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Exposure of an anoxic and contaminated canal sediment: Mobility of metal(loid)s.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A derelict canal contains an estimated 9800 tonnes of anoxic sediment with highly elevated concentrations of trace elements. Lack of maintenance, reduced water levels and vegetation colonization threaten the stability of pollutants by removing existing waterlogged reduced conditions. A column leaching study of the sediment under increasingly oxidized conditions showed reductions in As mobility but increased heavy metal concentrations. In a reduced state, As mobility was higher (as a consequence of enhanced Fe and organic carbon solubility) whilst heavy metal concentrations in leachates were lower (due to markedly highe...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 11, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Hartley W, Dickinson NM Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Cadmium speciation and accumulation in periphyton in a small stream with dynamic concentration variations.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Accumulation of cadmium in periphyton was investigated under field conditions while Cd concentration and speciation were dynamically varying in a small stream during rain events. Speciation in water was determined in situ by diffusion gradient in thin-films (DGT) and by modeling of complexation with fulvic acids. During the rain events, dissolved Cd concentrations increased from 0.17 nM to 0.27-0.36 nM, and 70-97% were DGT-labile. Cd content in periphyton closely followed Cd concentrations in water, despite higher concentrations of Zn and Mn, and may be controlled by either free or DGT-labile Cd concentrations. Decreas...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 11, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Bradac P, Wagner B, Kistler D, Traber J, Behra R, Sigg L Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Toxicity of anti-fouling paints for use on ships and leisure boats to non-target organisms representing three trophic levels.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Leachates of anti-fouling paints for use on ships and leisure boats are examined for their ecotoxicological potential. Paint leachates were produced in both 7 per thousand artificial (ASW) and natural seawater (NSW) and tested on three organisms, the bacterium Vibrio fischeri, the macroalga Ceramium tenuicorne, and the crustacean Nitocra spinipes. Generally, leaching in ASW produced a more toxic leachate and was up to 12 times more toxic to the organisms than was the corresponding NSW leachate. The toxicity could be explained by elevated concentrations of Cu and Zn in the ASW leachates. Of the NSW leachates, those from...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 11, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Karlsson J, Ytreberg E, Eklund B Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Coal-tar based pavement sealant toxicity to freshwater macroinvertebrates.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Non-point-source pollution is a major source of ecological impairment in urban stream systems. Recent work suggests that coal-tar pavement sealants, used extensively to protect parking areas, may be contributing a large portion of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) loading seen in urban stream sediments. The hypothesis that dried coal-tar pavement sealant flake could alter the macroinvertebrate communities native to streams in Austin, TX was tested using a controlled outdoor laboratory type approach. The treatment groups were: control, low, medium, and high with total PAH concentrations (TPAH = sum of 16 EPA pri...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 11, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Bryer PJ, Scoggins M, McClintock NL Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Plant and fungal biodiversity from metal mine wastes under remediation at Zimapan, Hidalgo, Mexico.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Plant establishment, presence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and other rhizospheric fungi were studied in mine wastes from Zimapan, Hidalgo state, Mexico, using a holistic approach. Two long-term afforested and three non-afforested mine tailings were included in this research. Fifty-six plant species belonging to 29 families were successfully established on the afforested sites, while unmanaged tailings had only a few native plant species colonizing the surrounding soils. Almost all plant roots collected were associated to AMF in these sites. The genus Glomus was the most abundant AMF species found in their rhiz...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 10, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Ortega-Larrocea MD, Xoconostle-Cázares B, Maldonado-Mendoza IE, Carrillo-González R, Hernández-Hernández J, Garduño MD, López-Meyer M, Gómez-Flores L, González-Chávez MD Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Arsenic contamination and potential health risk implications at an abandoned tungsten mine, southern China.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In an extensive environmental study, field samples, including soil, water, rice, vegetable, fish, human hair and urine, were collected at an abandoned tungsten mine in Shantou City, southern China. Results showed that arsenic (As) concentration in agricultural soils ranged from 3.5 to 935 mg kg(-1) with the mean value of 129 mg kg(-1). In addition, As concentration reached up to 325 mug L(-1) in the groundwater, and the maximum As concentration in local food were 1.09, 2.38 and 0.60 mg kg(-1) for brown rice, vegetable and fish samples, respectively, suggesting the local water resource and food have been severely contam...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 10, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Liu CP, Luo CL, Gao Y, Li FB, Lin LW, Wu CA, Li XD Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Detection of free and covalently bound microcystins in animal tissues by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Microcystins are cyanobacterial hepatotoxins capable of accumulation into animal tissues. The toxins act by inhibiting specific protein phosphatases and both non-covalent and covalent interactions occur. The 2-methyl-3-methoxy-4-phenylbutyric acid (MMPB) method determines the total, i.e. the sum of free and protein-bound microcystin in tissues. The aim of the method development in this paper was to tackle the problems with the MMPB methodology: the rather laborious workflow and the loss of material during different steps of the method. In the optimised workflow the oxidation recovery was of acceptable level (29-40%), t...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 10, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Neffling MR, Lance E, Meriluoto J Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Organochlorine pesticides in soils of Mexico and the potential for soil-air exchange.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The spatial distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) in soils and their potential for soil-air exchange was examined. The most prominent OCs were the DDTs (Geometric Mean, GM = 1.6 ng g(-1)), endosulfans (0.16 ng g(-1)), and toxaphenes (0.64 ng g(-1)). DDTs in soils of southern Mexico showed fresher signatures with higher F(DDTe) = p,p'-DDT/(p,p'-DDT + p,p'-DDE) and more racemic o,p'-DDT, while the signatures in the central and northern part of Mexico were more indicative of aged residues. Soil-air fugacity fractions showed that some soils are net recipients of DDTs from the atmosphere, while other soils are net...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 10, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Wong F, Alegria HA, Bidleman TF Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Will photosynthetic capacity of aspen trees acclimate after long-term exposure to elevated CO(2) and O(3)?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We examined whether or not aspen plants grown under elevated CO(2) and/or O(3) will acclimate after 11 years of exposure at the Aspen Face site in Rhinelander, WI, USA. We studied diurnal patterns of instantaneous photosynthetic measurements as well as A/C(i) measurements monthly during the 2004-2008 growing seasons. Our results suggest that the responses of two aspen clones differing in O(3) sensitivity showed no evidence of photosynthetic and stomatal acclimation under either elevated CO(2), O(3) or CO(2) + O(3). Both clones 42E and 271 did not show photosynthetic nor stomatal acclimation under elevated CO(2) and O(3) af...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 10, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Darbah JN, Kubiske ME, Nelson N, Kets K, Riikonen J, Sober A, Rouse L, Karnosky DF Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Accumulation of free and covalently bound microcystins in tissues of Lymnaea stagnalis (Gastropoda) following toxic cyanobacteria or dissolved microcystin-LR exposure.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Accumulation of free microcystins (MCs) in freshwater gastropods has been demonstrated but accumulation of MCs covalently bound to tissues has never been considered so far. Here, we follow the accumulation of total (free and bound) MCs in Lymnaea stagnalis exposed to i) dissolved MC-LR (33 and 100 mug L(-1)) and ii) Planktothrix agardhii suspensions producing 5 and 33 mug MC-LR equivalents L(-1) over a 5-week period, and after a 3-week depuration period. Snails exposed to dissolved MC-LR accumulated up to 0.26 mug total MCs g(-1) dry weight (DW), with no detection of bound MCs. Snails exposed to MCs producing P. agardh...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 9, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Lance E, Neffling MR, Gérard C, Meriluoto J, Bormans M Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Effects of temperature and fertilization on total vs. active bacterial communities exposed to crude and diesel oil pollution in NW Mediterranean Sea.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The dynamics of total and active microbial communities were studied in seawater microcosms amended with crude or diesel oil at different temperatures (25, 10 and 4 degrees C) in the presence/absence of organic fertilization (Inipol EAP 22). Total and hydrocarbon-degrading microbes were enumerated by fluorescence microscopy and Most Probable Number (MPN) method, respectively. Total (16S rDNA-based) vs. active (16S rRNA) bacterial community structure was monitored by Capillary-Electrophoresis Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism (CE-SSCP) fingerprinting. Hydrocarbons were analyzed after 12 weeks of incubation by gas c...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 9, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Rodríguez-Blanco A, Antoine V, Pelletier E, Delille D, Ghiglione JF Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Inter-laboratory exercise on steroid estrogens in aqueous samples.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The objective was to evaluate the performance of testing laboratories determining "Endocrine Disrupting Compounds" (EDC) in various aqueous matrices. As the main task three steroid estrogens: 17alpha-ethinylestradiol, 17beta-estradiol and estrone were determined in four spiked aqueous matrices: tap water, river water and wastewater treatment plant influent and effluent using GC-MS and LC-MS/MS. Results were compared and discussed according to the analytical techniques applied, the accuracy and reproducibility of the analytical methods and the nature of the sample matrices. Overall, the results obtained in this inter-labora...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 9, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Heath E, Kosjek T, Andersen HR, Holten Lützhøft HC, Adolfson Erici M, Coquery M, Düring RA, Gans O, Guignard C, Karlsson P, Manciot F, Moldovan Z, Patureau D, Cruceru L, Sacher F, Ledin A Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Dynamics of PCB removal and detoxification in historically contaminated soils amended with activated carbon.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Activated carbon (AC) can help overcome toxicity of pollutants to microbes and facilitate soil bioremediation. We used this approach to treat a Histosol and an Alluvial soil historically contaminated with PCB (4190 and 1585 mg kg(-1), respectively; primarily tri-, tetra- and pentachlorinated congeners). Results confirmed PCB persistence; reductions in PCB extractable from control and AC-amended soils were mostly due to a decrease in tri- and to some extent tetrachlorinated congeners as well as formation of a bound fraction. Mechanisms of PCB binding by soil and AC were different. In addition to microbial degradation of...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 6, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Vasilyeva GK, Strijakova ER, Nikolaeva SN, Lebedev AT, Shea PJ Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Homogeneity of delta(15)N in needles of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana L.) was altered by air pollution.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The present study investigated the changes of delta(15)N values in the tip, middle and base section (divided by the proportion to needle length) of current- and previous-year needles of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana L.) from two declining forest stands suffering from air pollution, in comparison with one healthy stand. At the healthy stand, delta(15)N in the three sections of both current- and previous-year needles were found evenly distributed, while at the polluted stands, delta(15)N values in the needles were revealed significantly different from the tip to the base sections. The results implied that the distributio...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 6, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Kuang YW, Wen DZ, Li J, Sun FF, Hou EQ, Zhou GY, Zhang DQ, Huang LB Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Responses of wild small mammals to a pollution gradient: Host factors influence metal and metallothionein levels.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We investigated how host factors (species, age, gender) modulated Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu concentrations, metallothionein levels (MTs) and their relationships in 7 sympatric small mammal species along a pollution gradient. Cd concentrations in liver and kidneys increased with age in all species. Age effect on other metals and MTs differs among species. Gender did not influence metal and MT levels except in the bank vole. Three patterns linking internal metal concentrations and MTs were observed along the gradient: a low metal accumulation with a (i) high (wood mouse) or (ii) low (bank vole) level of MTs accompanied by a sli...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 6, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Clémentine F, Cosson RP, Cœurdassier M, Francis R, Patrick G, Nadia C, de Vaufleury A, Renaud S Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

The impact of wood smoke on ambient PM(2.5) in northern Rocky Mountain valley communities.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
During the winters of 2006/2007 and 2007/2008, PM(2.5) source apportionment programs were carried out within five western Montana valley communities. Filter samples were analyzed for mass and chemical composition. Information was utilized in a Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) computer model to apportion the sources of PM(2.5). Results showed that wood smoke (likely residential woodstoves) was the major source of PM(2.5) in each of the communities, contributing from 56% to 77% of the measured wintertime PM(2.5). Results of (14)C analyses showed that between 44% and 76% of the measured PM(2.5) came from a new carbon (wood smo...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 6, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Ward T, Lange T Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Assessment of the emission of PCDD/Fs and dioxin-like PCBs from an industrial area over a nearby town using a selective wind direction sampling device.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, a selective sampling device was used to evaluate the impact of potential local sources of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyl (dl-PCBs) emissions on the ambient air levels of such compounds in a town near an important industrial estate. Average concentrations of target compounds of up to 2.5 times for PCDD/Fs and 2 times for dl-PCBs were found to come from the industrial state confirming this area as the main responsible for the majority of such compounds reaching the town. This finding was supported by a PCDD/F and dl-PCB sample profile analys...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 6, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Martínez K, Austrui JR, Jover E, Abalos M, Rivera J, Abad E Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Adverse effects of erythromycin on the structure and chemistry of activated sludge.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study examines the effects of erythromycin on activated sludge from two French urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Wastewater spiked with 10 mg/L erythromycin inhibited the specific evolution rate of chemical oxygen demand (COD) by 79% (standard deviation 34%) and the specific N-NH(4)(+) evolution rate by 41% (standard deviation 25%). A temporary increase in COD and tryptophan-like fluorescence, as well as a decrease in suspended solids, were observed in reactors with wastewater containing erythromycin. The destruction of activated sludge flocs was monitored by automated image analysis. The effect of erythromyc...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 5, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Louvet JN, Giammarino C, Potier O, Pons MN Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Assessing urban habitat quality based on specific leaf area and stomatal characteristics of Plantago lanceolata L.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study has evaluated urban habitat quality by studying specific leaf area (SLA) and stomatal characteristics of the common herb Plantago lanceolata L. SLA and stomatal density, pore surface and resistance were measured at 169 locations in the city of Gent (Belgium), distributed over four land use classes, i.e., sub-urban green, urban green, urban and industry. SLA and stomatal density significantly increased from sub-urban green towards more urbanised land use classes, while the reverse was observed for stomatal pore surface. Stomatal resistance increased in the urban and industrial land use class in comparison with th...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 5, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Kardel F, Wuyts K, Babanezhad M, Vitharana UW, Wuytack T, Potters G, Samson R Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Assessing pesticide concentrations and fluxes in the stream of a small vineyard catchment - Effect of sampling frequency.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This study reports on the occurrence and behaviour of six pesticides and one metabolite in a small stream draining a vineyard catchment. Base flow and flood events were monitored in order to assess the variability of pesticide concentrations according to the season and to evaluate the role of sampling frequency on the evaluation of fluxes estimates. Results showed that dissolved pesticide concentrations displayed a strong temporal and spatial variability. A large mobilisation of pesticides was observed during floods, with total dissolved pesticide fluxes per event ranging from 5.7 x 10(-3) g/Ha to 0.34 g/Ha. These results ...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 3, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Rabiet M, Margoum C, Gouy V, Carluer N, Coquery M Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Blood biomarkers and contaminant levels in feathers and eggs to assess environmental hazards in heron nestlings from impacted sites in Ebro basin (NE Spain).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Blood biomarkers and levels of major pollutants in eggs and feathers were used to determine pollution effects in nestlings of the Purple Heron Ardea purpurea and the Little Egret Egretta garzetta, sampled on three Ebro River (NE Spain) areas: a reference site, a site affected by the effluents of a chlor-alkali industry and the river Delta. The two impacted heron populations showed mutually different pollutant and response patterns, suggesting different sources of contamination. In the population nesting near the chlor-alkali plant, elevated levels of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in eggs, and m...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 3, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Barata C, Fabregat MC, Cotín J, Huertas D, Solé M, Quirós L, Sanpera C, Jover L, Ruiz X, Grimalt JO, Piña B Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Recent levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments of the sewer system in Hanoi, Vietnam.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The occurrence, temporal trend, sources and toxicity of PCBs and organochlorine pesticides were investigated in sediment samples from the sewer system of Hanoi City, including the rivers Nhue, To Lich, Lu, Set, Kim Nguu and the Yen So Lake. In general, the concentrations of the pollutants followed the order DDTs > PCBs > HCHs (beta-HCH) > HCB. However, the pollution pattern was different for the DDTs and PCBs when the sampling locations were individually evaluated. The concentrations of the DDTs, PCBs, HCHs, and HCB ranged from 4.4 to 1100, 1.3 to 384, <0.2 to 36 and <0.2 to 22 ng/g d.w., respectively. T...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 3, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Hoai PM, Ngoc NT, Minh NH, Viet PH, Berg M, Alder AC, Giger W Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Gene expression responses of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) to elevated CO(2) and O(3) during leaf maturation and senescence.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Gene expression responses of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) leaves to elevated concentrations of CO(2) and O(3) were studied with microarray analyses from three time points during the summer of 2004 at Aspen FACE. Microarray data were analyzed with clustering techniques, self-organizing maps, K-means clustering and Sammon's mappings, to detect similar gene expression patterns within sampling times and treatments. Most of the alterations in gene expression were caused by O(3), alone or in combination with CO(2). O(3) induced defensive reactions to oxidative stress and earlier leaf senescence, seen as decreased expressi...
Source: Environmental Pollution - November 2, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Kontunen-Soppela S, Parviainen J, Ruhanen H, Brosché M, Keinänen M, Thakur RC, Kolehmainen M, Kangasjärvi J, Oksanen E, Karnosky DF, Vapaavuori E Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Removal of arsenic from contaminated groundwater by solar-driven membrane distillation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Experimental investigations were carried out on removal of arsenic from contaminated groundwater by employing a new flat-sheet cross flow membrane module fitted with a hydrophobic polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) microfiltration membrane. The new design of the solar-driven membrane module in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) configuration successfully produced almost 100 per cent arsenic-free water from contaminated groundwater in a largely fouling-free operation while permitting high fluxes under reduced temperature polarization. For a feed flow rate of 0.120m(3)/h, the 0.13mum PVDF membrane yielded a high flux...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 31, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Manna AK, Sen M, Martin AR, Pal P Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Time trends of perfluorinated compounds from the sediment core of Tokyo Bay, Japan (1950s-2004).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we revealed that the sediment core can serve as a tool for reconstructing the past pollution trend of PFCs and can provide interesting evidence concerning their environmental dynamics and time trend. PMID: 19883962 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Environmental Pollution)
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 31, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Zushi Y, Tamada M, Kanai Y, Masunaga S Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Treatment of landfill leachate by irrigation of willow coppice - Plant response and treatment efficiency.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Landfill leachates usually need to be treated before discharged, and using soil-plant systems for this has gained substantial interest in Sweden and in the UK. A three-year field study was conducted in central Sweden to quantify plant response, treatment efficiency and impact on groundwater quality of landfill leachate irrigation of short-rotation willow coppice (Salix). Two willow varieties were tested and four irrigation regimes in sixteen 400-m(2) plots. The willow plants did not react negatively, despite very high annual loads of nitrogen (</=2160 kg N/ha), chloride (</=8600 kg Cl/ha) and other elements. Mean...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 31, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Aronsson P, Dahlin T, Dimitriou I Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Epiphytic lichen diversity in central European oak forests: Assessment of the effects of natural environmental factors and human influences.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
We investigated lichen diversity in temperate oak forests using standardized protocols. Forty-eight sites were sampled in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The effects of natural environmental predictors and human influences on lichen diversity (lichen diversity value, species richness) were analysed by means of correlation tests. We found that lichen diversity responded differently to environmental predictors between two regions with different human impact. In the industrial region, air pollution was the strongest factor. In the agricultural to highly forested regions, lichen diversity was strongly influenced ...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 30, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Svoboda D, Peksa O, Veselá J Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Changes in susceptibility of beech (Fagus sylvatica) seedlings towards Phytophthora citricola under the influence of elevated atmospheric CO(2) and nitrogen fertilization.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The growth-differentiation balance hypothesis (GDBH) predicts changes in susceptibility of plants against herbivores with changing resource availability. In the presented study we tested the validity of the GDBH for trees infected with a root pathogen. For this purpose Fagus sylvatica seedlings grown under different atmospheric CO(2)- and soil nitrogen regimes were infected with the root pathogen Phytophthora citricola. High nitrogen supply increased total biomass of beech regardless of the CO(2)-treatment, whereas elevated CO(2) enhanced biomass only in the high nitrogen treatment. The responses of beech under the dif...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 30, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Fleischmann F, Raidl S, Oßwald WF Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Soil type affects migration pattern of airborne Pb and Cd under a spruce-beech forest of the UN-ECE integrated monitoring site Zöbelboden, Austria.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Soil type affects migration pattern of airborne Pb and Cd under a spruce-beech forest of the UN-ECE integrated monitoring site Zöbelboden, Austria. Environ Pollut. 2009 Oct 29; Authors: Kobler J, Fitz WJ, Dirnböck T, Mirtl M Anthropogenic trace element emissions have declined. However, top soils all over the world remain enriched in trace elements. We investigated Pb and Cd migration in forest soils of a remote monitoring site in the Austrian limestone Alps between 1992 and 2004. Large spatial variability masked temporal changes in the mineral soil of Lithic Leptosols (Skeltic), whereas a significant ...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 29, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Kobler J, Fitz WJ, Dirnböck T, Mirtl M Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

DNA damage in Populus tremuloides clones exposed to elevated O(3).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The effects of elevated concentrations of atmospheric tropospheric ozone (O(3)) on DNA damage in five trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) clones growing in a free-air enrichment experiment in the presence and absence of elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) were examined. Growing season mean hourly O(3) concentrations were 36.3 and 47.3 ppb for ambient and elevated O(3) plots, respectively. The 4th highest daily maximum 8-h ambient and elevated O(3) concentrations were 79 and 89 ppb, respectively. Elevated CO(2) averaged 524 ppm (+150 ppm) over the growing season. Exposure to O(3) and CO(2) in comb...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 29, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tai HH, Percy KE, Karnosky DF Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Dissipation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the rhizosphere: Synthesis through meta-analysis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread and persistent organic pollutants with high carcinogenic effect and toxicity; their behavior and fate in the soil-plant system have been widely investigated. In the present paper, meta-analysis was used to explore the interaction between plant growth and dissipation of PAHs in soil based on the large body of published literature. Plants have a promoting effect on PAH dissipation in soils. There was no difference in PAH dissipation between soils contaminated with single and mixed PAHs. However, plants had a more obvious effect on PAH dissipation in freshly-spiked so...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 23, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Ma B, He Y, Chen HH, Xu JM, Rengel Z Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Elevated CO(2) response of photosynthesis depends on ozone concentration in aspen.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The effect of elevated CO(2) and O(3) on apparent quantum yield (varphi), maximum photosynthesis (P(max)), carboxylation efficiency (V(cmax)) and electron transport capacity (J(max)) at different canopy locations was studied in two aspen (Populus tremuloides) clones of contrasting O(3) tolerance. Local light climate at every leaf was characterized as fraction of above-canopy photosynthetic photon flux density (%PPFD). Elevated CO(2) alone did not affect varphi or P(max), and increased J(max) in the O(3)-sensitive, but not in the O(3)-tolerant clone. Elevated O(3) decreased leaf chlorophyll content and all photosyntheti...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 23, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Noormets A, Kull O, Sôber A, Kubiske ME, Karnosky DF Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Ozone fumigation (twice ambient) reduces leaf infestation following natural and artificial inoculation by the endophytic fungus Apiognomonia errabunda of adult European beech trees.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In 2006, a controlled infection study was performed in the 'Kranzberger Forst' to address the following questions: (1) Will massive artificial inoculation with Apiognomonia errabunda override the previously observed inhibitory effect of chronic ozone? (2) Can biochemical or molecular markers be detected to account for the action of ozone? To this end six adult beech trees were chosen, three ozone fumigated (2x ozone) and three control trees (ambient = 1x ozone). Spore-sprayed branches of sun and shade crown positions of each of the trees, and uninoculated control branches, were enclosed in 100-L plastic bags for one ni...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 19, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Olbrich M, Knappe C, Wenig M, Gerstner E, Häberle KH, Kitao M, Matyssek R, Stich S, Leuchner M, Werner H, Schlink K, Müller-Starck G, Welzl G, Scherb H, Ernst D, Heller W, Bahnweg G Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Variation in immune function, body condition, and feather corticosterone in nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) on reclaimed wetlands in the Athabasca oil sands, Alberta, Canada.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the Athabasca oil sands region of northern Alberta, mining companies are evaluating reclamation using constructed wetlands for integration of tailings. From May to July 2008, reproductive performance of 40 breeding pairs of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), plus growth and survival of nestlings, was measured on three reclaimed wetlands on two oil sands leases. A subset of nestlings was examined for i) feather corticosterone levels, ii) delayed-type hypersensitivity response, and iii) innate immune function. Nestlings on one of two wetlands created with oil sands process affected material (OSPM) were heavier and h...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 19, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Jane Harms N, Fairhurst GD, Bortolotti GR, Smits JE Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Assessing the genotoxicity of urban air pollutants using two in situ plant bioassays.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Genotoxicity of urban air has been analysed almost exclusively in airborne particulates. We monitored the genotoxic effects of airborne pollutants in the urban air of Perugia (Central Italy). Two plant bioindicators with different genetic endpoints were used: micronuclei in meiotic pollen mother cells using Tradescantia-micronucleus bioassay (Trad-MCN) and DNA damage in nuclei of Nicotiana tabacum leaves using comet assay (Nicotiana-comet). Buds of Tradescantia clone # 4430 and young N. tabacum cv. Xanthi plants were exposed for 24 h at three sites with different pollution levels. One control site (indoor control) was ...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 13, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Villarini M, Fatigoni C, Dominici L, Maestri S, Ederli L, Pasqualini S, Monarca S, Moretti M Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Deposition of reactive nitrogen during the Rocky Mountain Airborne Nitrogen and Sulfur (RoMANS) study.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Increases in reactive nitrogen deposition are a growing concern in the U.S. Rocky Mountain west. The Rocky Mountain Airborne Nitrogen and Sulfur (RoMANS) study was designed to improve understanding of the species and pathways that contribute to nitrogen deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). During two 5-week field campaigns in spring and summer of 2006, the largest contributor to reactive nitrogen deposition in RMNP was found to be wet deposition of ammonium (34% spring and summer), followed by wet deposition of nitrate (24% spring, 28% summer). The third and fourth most important reactive nitrogen deposit...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 12, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Beem KB, Raja S, Schwandner FM, Taylor C, Lee T, Sullivan AP, Carrico CM, McMeeking GR, Day D, Levin E, Hand J, Kreidenweis SM, Schichtel B, Malm WC, Collett JL Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Constitutional tolerance to heavy metals of a fiber crop, ramie (Boehmeria nivea), and its potential usage.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
It is observed that ramie (Boehmeria nivea), an economic fiber crop, can establish and colonize metal-contaminated sites in China. Metal tolerance and accumulation by ramie originating from 13 metal-contaminated and 4 "clean" sites in China were compared under field and hydroponic conditions. All selected populations and germplasms displayed good growth performance under diverse metal-contaminated habitats; while growth responses, metal accumulation and tolerance were similar among the 8 populations and 2 germplasms when exposed to solutions containing elevated As, Cd, Pb, or Zn in the laboratory. These revealed that r...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 11, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Yang B, Zhou M, Shu WS, Lan CY, Ye ZH, Qiu RL, Jie YC, Cui GX, Wong MH Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Impact of dissolved organic matter on bioavailability of chlorotoluron to wheat.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we investigated accumulation of chlorotoluron (Chl) and biological responses of wheat plants as affected by dissolved organic matter (DOM). Wheat seedlings grown under 10 mg kg(-1) Chl for 4 d showed a low level of chlorophyll accumulation and damage to plasma membrane. The growth was inhibited by exposure of chlorotoluron. Treatment with 50 mg DOC kg(-1) DOM derived either from sludge (DOM-SL) or straw (DOM-ST) attenuated the chlorotoluron toxicity to plants. Both DOMs decreased activities of catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in Chl-treated seedlings. However, an increased glutathione S-transfer...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 8, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Song NH, Zhang S, Hong M, Yang H Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

A simple chemical free arsenic removal method for community water supply - A case study from West Bengal, India.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This report describes a simple chemical free method that was successfully used by a team of European and Indian scientists (www.qub.ac.uk/tipot) to remove arsenic (As) from groundwater in a village in West Bengal, India. Six such plants are now in operation and are being used to supply water to the local population (www.insituarsenic.org). The study was conducted in Kasimpore, a village in North 24 Parganas District, approximately 25 km from Kolkata. In all cases, total As in treated water was less than the WHO guideline value of 10 mug L(-1). The plant produces no sludge and the operation cost is 1.0 US$ per day for produ...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 7, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Sen Gupta B, Chatterjee S, Rott U, Kauffman H, Bandopadhyay A, Degroot W, Nag NK, Carbonell-Barrachina AA, Mukherjee S Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals

Molecular genetic differentiation in earthworms inhabiting a heterogeneous Pb-polluted landscape.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A Pb-mine site situated on acidic soil, but comprising of Ca-enriched islands around derelict buildings was used to study the spatial pattern of genetic diversity in Lumbricus rubellus. Two distinct genetic lineages ('A' and 'B'), differentiated at both the mitochondrial (mtDNA COII) and nuclear level (AFLPs) were revealed with a mean inter-lineage mtDNA sequence divergence of approximately 13%, indicative of a cryptic species complex. AFLP analysis indicates that lineage A individuals within one central 'ecological island' site are uniquely clustered, with little genetic overlap with lineage A individuals at the two p...
Source: Environmental Pollution - October 6, 2009 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Andre J, King RA, Stürzenbaum SR, Kille P, Hodson ME, Morgan AJ Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: journals