Search results for "Water Pollution"

Wild brown trout affected by historical mining in the Cévennes national park, France.

2011

8 pages; International audience; In the protected area of the Cévennes National Park (Southern France), 114 wild brown trout (Salmo trutta fario) were captured at six locations affected to different extents by historical mining and metallurgy dating from the Iron Age to Modern Times. Cadmium and lead in trout livers and muscles reflect high sediment contamination, although an age-related effect was also detected for hepatic metal concentrations. Lead isotope signatures confirm exposure to drainage from mining and metallurgical waste. Developmental instability, assessed by fluctuating asymmetry, is significantly correlated with cadmium and lead concentrations in trout tissues, suggesting th…

Economic valuation of environmental benefits from wastewater treatment processes: An empirical approach for Spain

2009

Economic research into the design and implementation of policies for the efficient management of water resources has been emphasized by the European Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC). The efficient implementation of policies to prevent the degradation and depletion of water resources requires determining their value in social and economic terms and incorporating this information into the decision-making process. A process of wastewater treatment has many associated environmental benefits. However, these benefits are often not calculated because they are not set by the market, due to inadequate property rights, the presence of externalities, and the lack of perfect information…

Birch (Betula spp.) wood biochar is a potential soil amendment to reduce glyphosate leaching in agricultural soils

2015

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine), a commonly used herbicide in agriculture can leach to deeper soil layers and settle in surface- and ground waters. To mitigate the leaching of pesticides and nutrients, biochar has been suggested as a potential soil amendment due to its ability to sorb both organic and inorganic substances. However, the efficiency of biochar in retaining agro-chemicals in the soil is likely to vary with feedstock material and pyrolysis conditions. A greenhouse pot experiment, mimicking a crop rotation cycle of three plant genera, was established to study the effects of pyrolysis temperature on the ability of birch (Betula sp.) wood originated biochar to reduce the l…

Sphingobium aromaticiconvertens sp. nov., a xenobiotic-compound-degrading bacterium from polluted river sediment.

2007

A bacterial strain capable of degrading some monochlorinated dibenzofurans, designated RW16T, was isolated from aerobic River Elbe sediments. The strain was characterized based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, DNA G+C content, physiological characteristics, polyamines, ubiquinone and polar lipid pattern and fatty acid composition. This analysis revealed that strain RW16T represents a novel species of the genus Sphingobium. The DNA G+C content of strain RW16T, 60.7 mol%, is the lowest yet reported for the genus. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed strain RW16T as an outlier in the genus Sphingobium. The name Sphingobium aromaticiconvertens sp. nov. is proposed for this dibenzofuran-min…

Microbiological quality of carbonated drinking water produced with in-home carbonation systems.

2005

The microbiological quality of carbonated water produced with tap water in commercial in-home carbonation systems was determined, the results being discussed in the context of the microbiological quality of the tap water used, the properties of the drink makers, and the procedures of preparation and washing of various parts of the appliance. The last-mentioned data were received from each participant of the study by questionnaire. Escherichia coli, coliforms, fecal streptococci and spore-forming sulphite-reducing anaerobes were used as indicators for the hygienic quality of the water. Tap-water samples were collected according to the usual procedure when filling the carbonating bottle, i.e.…

Determination of Concentration Profiles of Methyl Mercury Compounds in Surface Waters of Polar and other Remote Oceans by GC-AFD

1998

Abstract The concentration of monomethyl mercury (MeHg+) and dimethyl mercury (Me2Hg) was determined in surface sea-water samples of the Antarctic and Arctic Ocean as well as of other remote areas (South Atlantic and South Pacific) during expeditions of the German research vessel “Polarstern”. A purge and trap/gas chromatographic system, equipped with an atomic fluorescence detector (AFD), was used. For the analysis of MeHg+ conversion into the volatile methylethyl mercury by reaction with tetraethyloborate prior to the purging process was carried out. The detection limit for both methylated mercury compounds was 5 pg Hg/L, which allowed their determination in most ocean water samples even …

Pesticides in the Ebro River basin: Occurrence and risk assessment

2016

In this study, 50 pesticides were analyzed in the Ebro River basin in 2010 and 2011 to assess their impact in water, sediment and biota. A special emphasis was placed on the potential effects of both, individual pesticides and their mixtures, in three trophic levels (algae, daphnia and fish) using Risk Quotients (RQs) and Toxic Units (TUs) for water and sediments. Chlorpyrifos, diazinon and carbendazim were the most frequent in water (95, 95 and 70% of the samples, respectively). Imazalil (409.73 ng/L) and diuron (150 ng/L) were at the highest concentrations. Sediment and biota were less contaminated. Chlorpyrifos, diazinon and diclofenthion were the most frequent in sediments (82, 45 and 2…

Simultaneous clean up of fish fat containing low levels of residues and separation of PCB from chlorinated pesticides by thin-layer chromatography

1974

Multi-residue determination of 47 organic compounds in water, soil, sediment and fish—Turia River as case study

2017

A sensitive and reliable method based on solid-liquid extraction (SLE) using McIlvaine-Na2EDTA buffer (pH = 4.5)-methanol and solid-phase extraction (SPE) clean up prior to ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) was applied to determine 47 organic contaminants in fish, soil and sediments. The SPE procedure to clean-up the extracts was also used as extraction method to determine these compounds in water. Recoveries ranged from 38 to 104% for all matrices with RSDs 50% for 36 compounds in front of 9, matrix effect < 20% for 31 compounds against 21, and LOQs <25 ng g−1 for 38 compounds against 22) indicates that the proposed method is mor…

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents in extracts of Baltic white-tailed sea eagles

1997

Concentrations of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-(TCDD) equivalents were measured in extracts of Baltic white-tailed sea eagle tissues. Extracts of salmon, ringed seal, and grey seal were analyzed as other predatory species of the same area. Concentrations in eagle and seal tissues were greater than those in salmon. Concentrations of TCDD equivalents (TCDD-EQs) determined by the H4IIE bioassay were compared with toxic equivalents (TEQs) derived from instrumental chemical analyses in fractions containing polychlorinated dibenzo-P-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) or coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Toxic equivalents were calculated by use of an additive mod…