Search results for "POLLUTANTs"
showing 10 items of 1125 documents
Trends in soil mercury stock associated with pollution sources on a Mediterranean island (Majorca, Spain)
2021
8 Pág. Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas
Microplastics in the Center of Mediterranean: Comparison of the Two Calabrian Coasts and Distribution from Coastal Areas to the Open Sea
2021
Plastic is everywhere—increasing evidence suggests that plastic pollution is ubiquitous and persistent in ecosystems worldwide. Microplastic pollution in marine environments is particularly insidious, as small fragmentation can increase interaction with biota and food chain access. Of particular concern is the Mediterranean Sea, which has become a large area of accumulation of plastic debris, including microplastics, whose polymeric composition is still largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the polymeric composition, particle size distribution, shape, and color of small plastic particles (ranging from 50 to 5000 µm) collected from the sea surface in six stations at the center of the M…
Performance of membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems for the treatment of shipboard slops: Assessment of hydrocarbon biodegradation and biomass activity …
2015
In order to prevent hydrocarbon discharge at sea from ships, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) enacted the MARPOL 73/78 convention in which any oil and oil residue discharged in wastewater streams must contain less than 5. ppm hydrocarbons. Effective treatment of this petroleum-contaminated water is essential prior to its release into the environment, in order to prevent pollution problem for marine ecosystems as well as for human health. Therefore, two bench scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) were investigated for hydrocarbon biodegradation. The two plants were initially fed with synthetic wastewater characterised by an increasing salinity, in order to enhance biomass acclimatio…
Soil mutagens are airborne mutagens: variation of mutagenic activities induced in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100 by organic extracts of agri…
2000
As our hypothesis was that soil mutagens are airborne mutagens, possibly modified by soil microorganisms, we checked solvent extracts from agricultural and forest soils collected during late summer in the environment of Mainz, a region highly charged by anthropogenic air pollution, or near Bayreuth, a rural low charged region of Germany, or in a remote region of western Corsica without anthropogenic air pollution for the presence of mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium. Levels of mutagenic activities were quantified by calculation of revertants/g from the initial slope of dose-response curves applying tester strains S. typhimurium TA 98 and TA 100 in the absence and presence of an activat…
Absorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by pinus bark: analytical method and use for environmental pollution monitoring in the Palermo area (S…
2007
Abstract In the light of using biomaterial as pollutants sorbents for the environmental biomonitoring, we report here the results of the absorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by pine bark. Quantitative analysis of 19 different polycyclic aromatic compounds was performed, after Soxhlet extraction in dichloromethane, by means GC–MS technique. Pinus was chosen due to its wide distribution in the Mediterranean area. The passive absorption of PAH by pine bark in the metropolitan areas allowed us to evaluate the air quality of Palermo. The obtained results showed a very high range of PAHs concentrations, from 33 μg/kg (bark dry weight), as ΣPAHs, at the control site to 1015 μg/kg …
Characteristics of current roadside pollution using test-monitoring plots
2014
Abstract The aim of the study was the qualitative recognition of the existing roadside pollutants deposited in topsoils located close to roads with high traffic volume. So far, the studies have helped to determine the content of pollutants that accumulated over a long period of time. Traditionally, it has been difficult to distinguish between roadside pollution and pollution from other industrial sources. In order to avoid such problems and to accurately recognize present threats originating from road traffic, test-monitoring plots were installed in Poland (Gliwice and Opole), Germany (Tubingen, Ulm and Boblingen), Finland (Helsinki), Tajikistan (Dushanbe) and China (Lanzhou). To install th…
Major and trace element distribution in the peat from ombrotrophic bogs in Latvia.
2011
This study was undertaken to analyse major and trace elements and the nature of their accumulation in peat, with a particular emphasis on peat properties and the impact of local and regional pollution sources on the character of element accumulation in ombrotrophic bogs in Latvia. The element concentration values in peat from Latvia reflect the local processes that affect element concentrations in the peat mass, indicating accumulation of trace elements – apparently of anthropogenic origin (Pb, Cd, Co, Ni and others) – in the upper layers of the peat profiles. In addition, they indicate accumulation of several elements (for example, As, Cr and others) in deeper layers of bog, possibly due t…
Potential for microbial diuron mineralisation in a small wine-growing watershed: from treated plots to lotic receiver hydrosystem
2009
BACKGROUND: Since biological degradation processes are known to be a major driver of the natural attenuation of pesticide residues in the environment, microbial communities adapted to pesticide biodegradation are likely to play a key environmental role in reducing pesticide exposure in contaminated ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess the diuron-mineralising potential of microbial communities at a small-scale watershed level, including a diuron-treated vineyard (pollution source), its associated grass buffer strip (as a river protection area against pesticide runoff) and the lotic receiver hydrosystem (sediments and epilithon), by using radiorespirometry. RESULTS: Comparison of r…
Possible adverse impact of contaminants on Atlantic cod population dynamics in coastal ecosystems
2019
While many in-laboratory ecotoxicological studies have shown the adverse impact of pollutants to the fitness of an individual, direct evidence from the field on the population dynamics of wildlife animals has been lacking. Here, we provide empirical support for a negative effect of pollution on Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua ) population dynamics in coastal waters of Norway by combining unique time series of juvenile cod abundance, body size, environmental concentration of toxic contaminants and a spatially structured population dynamics model. The study shows that mercury concentration might have decreased the reproductive potential of cod in the region despite the general decline in the env…
The Application of Active Biomonitoring with the Use of Mosses to Identify Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in an Atmospheric Aerosol
2021
The use of biological indicators of environmental quality is an alternative method of monitoring ecosystem pollution. Various groups of contaminants, including organic ones, can be measured in environmental samples. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have not yet been determined by the moss bag technique. This technique uses several moss species simultaneously in urban areas to select the best biomonitoring of these compounds, which are dangerous to humans and the environment. In this research, a gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used for the determination of selected PAHs in three species of mosses: Pleurozium schreberi, Sphagnum fallax and Dicranum polysetum (acti…