Search results for "Environmental Monitoring"
showing 10 items of 609 documents
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their oxygen-containing derivatives (OPAHs) in soils from the Angren industrial area, Uzbekistan.
2009
We measured the concentrations and depth distribution (0-10, 10-20 cm) of 31 PAHs and 12 OPAHs in soils at eleven equidistant sampling points along a 20-km transect in the Angren industrial region (coal mine, power plant, rubber factory, gold mine), Uzbekistan to gain an insight into their concentrations, sources, and fate. Concentrations of all compounds were mostly much higher in the 0-10 cm than in the 10-20 cm layer except in disturbed soil close to the coal mine. Proximity to one of the industrial emitters was the main determinant of PAH and OPAH concentrations. The Sigma31PAHs concentrations correlated positively with the Sigma7 carbonyl-OPAH (r=0.98, p<0.01), Sigma5 hydroxyl-OPAH (r=…
Direct and indirect exogenous contamination by pesticides of rice-farming soils in a Mediterranean wetland.
2003
It is known that the sources of soil contamination can be endogenous or exogenous and that exogenous contamination may be direct or indirect. In this work, an environmental pesticide fate study was conducted in soil profiles collected from 23 rice field sites in an important Mediterranean wetland (Albufera Natural Park, Valencia, Spain) from April 1996 to November 1997. Temporal and spatial distribution of 44 pesticide residues in an alluvial Mediterranean soil (gleyic-calcaric Fluvisol, Fluvaquent) were monitored. During this period, the levels of pesticide residues in different soil horizons (Ap1 0–12 cm, Ap2 12–30 cm, ApCg 30–50 cm, C1gr 50–76 cm, and C2r 76–100 cm) were investigated. In…
Vertical distribution of pharmaceuticals in lake sediments-citalopram as potential chemomarker
2012
The use of pharmaceuticals has increased enormously over the last few decades and serious concerns about their environmental fate and effects have arisen. Thus far, there is little knowledge about the historical pollution of the environment by pharmaceuticals. In the present study, sediment columns from three lake sites adjacent to wastewater treatment plants were collected, further divided in 2- or 2.5-cm slices, and analyzed for 15 pharmaceuticals by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In addition, sediment columns were historically interpreted by analyzing fecal sterols (coprostanol and cholesterol) as well as organic material and organic carbon. Several pharmaceuticals were …
La biomonitorización de sustancias tóxicas en muestras biológicas de población general
2016
ResumenLa biomonitorización de sustancias tóxicas ha sido incorporada por buena parte de los países más desarrollados, con el objetivo de conocer sus concentraciones en muestras biológicas. Estas sustancias se incorporan al organismo por medio de diferentes exposiciones ambientales. La vigilancia en muestras biológicas debe permitir conocer sus valores en grupos vulnerables y su evolución en el tiempo, comparar con los valores observados en otros países, identificar grupos que presenten valores altos o de riesgo, y promover la investigación. Su finalidad más clara es la de servir como instrumento para el diseño de políticas que permitan poner en marcha medidas de actuación en diversos secto…
Preliminary assessment of terrestrial microalgae isolated from lichens as testing species for environmental monitoring: Lichen phycobionts present hi…
2013
Bioassays constitute a tool for pollution analysis providing a holistic approach and high-quality indication of the toxicity. Microbioassays allow evaluating the toxicity of many samples, implying lower costs and enabling routine monitoring and pollution control. But tests conducted so far are limited to the use of a small number of taxa. Lichens are excellent bioindicators of pollution with great ecological significance. Studies show that the phycobiont is more sensitive to pollutants than the mycobiont. Phycobiont have features such as adaptation to anhydrobiosis and relatively rapid growth in vitro, making them suitable for microbioassays. Our aim is to determine the sensitivity of phyco…
Suspended particulate matter fluxes along with their associated metals, organic matter and carbonates in a coastal Mediterranean area affected by min…
2016
International audience; A study of suspended particulate matter (SPM) fluxes along with their associated metals, organic matter and carbonates, was conducted off the Mejerda River outlet in May 2011 and in March and July 2012 at depths of 10, 20 and 40 m using sediment traps. SPM fluxes are more significant near the Mejerda outlet, especially in winter, but dissipate further offshore. Normalization reveals that the Mejerda is a major source of Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Co, all of which are the result of human activities. In contrast, Fe, Mn and N are of authigenic origin. The enrichment factor shows that Pb, Zn and especially Cd are the most highly polluting metals off the Mejerda outlet. Thi…
Occurrence of priority pollutants in WWTP effluents and Mediterranean coastal waters of Spain
2011
A comprehensive study aimed at evaluating the occurrence, significance of concentrations and spatial distribution of priority pollutants (PPs) along the Comunidad Valenciana coastal waters (Spain) was carried out in order to fulfil the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Additionally, PP concentrations were also analysed in the effluent of 28 WWTPs distributed along the studied area. In coastal waters 36 organic pollutants of the 71 analysed, including 26 PPs were detected although many of them with low frequency of occurrence. Only 13 compounds, which belong to four different classes (VOCs, organochlorinated pesticides, phthalates and tributyltin compounds (TBT)) showed a frequency o…
Retrospective analysis of pesticide metabolites in urine using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry
2016
Abstract A comprehensive retrospective analysis of pesticide metabolites in urine was developed, using liquid chromatography coupled to Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) that includes both post-run target (suspect screening) and non-target screening. An accurate-mass database comprising 263 pesticide metabolites was built and used for the post-run screening analysis. For non-target analysis, a “fragmentation-degradation” relationship strategy was selected. The proposed methodology was applied to 49 real urine samples from pregnant women. In the post-target analysis 26 pesticide metabolites were tentatively identified, 8 of which (2-diethylamino-6-methyl-pyrimidinol; 3-…
Lead concentrations in feathers and blood of common blackbirds (Turdus merula) and in earthworms inhabiting unpolluted and moderately polluted urban …
2006
9 pages; International audience; Despite the dramatic decrease of atmospheric lead (Pb) concentrations in urban areas of most industrialised countries, we hypothesised that urban common blackbirds (Turdus merula) may still be contaminated by Pb concentrations of toxicological concern due to transfer from soil through the food chain. We sampled blackbirds and earthworms, one of their main preys, in Besan?, a middle-size city of Eastern France (where atmospheric Pb concentrations decreased from 0.5 microg/m(3) in 1987 to nearly 0 in 2002) and in a rural reference site. Lead concentrations were determined in the tissues of the different functional groups of earthworms (anecic, epigeous and end…
Profiles and seasonal distribution of airborne fungi in indoor and outdoor environments at a French hospital
2009
International audience; A one-year prospective survey of fungal air contamination was conducted in outdoor air and inside two haematological units of a French hospital. Air was sampled with a portable Air System Impactor. During this period of survey, the mean viable fungal load was 122.1 cfu/m(3) in outdoor air samples, and 4.1 and 3.9 cfu/m(3) in samples from adult and pediatric haematology units, respectively. In outdoor samples, Cladosporium was the dominant genus (55%) while in the clinical units, Penicillium sp. (23 to 25%), Aspergillus sp. (15 to 23%) and Bjerkandera adusta (11 to 13%) were the most frequently recovered airborne fungi. The outdoor fungal load was far higher in autumn…