Pilot survey of a broad range of priority pollutants in sediment and fish from the Ebro river basin (NE Spain)

Priority organic pollutants were investigated in sediments and fish collected along the Ebro river basin (NE Spain) to evaluate their occurrence, transport and bioavailability. Sediments were collected in 18 sites and two species of fish were captured in nine sites according to the availability in each area. The sampling sites covered industrial, urban and agricultural areas. Four methods were used to detect 20 organochlorine compounds (OCs), 8 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 3 organotin compounds, 2 alkylphenols and 40 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from purified extracts. The contamination pattern was site specific and no downstream increase in concentration of pollutants was observed but rather a generalized low level diffuse pollution. Target compounds were detected in sediments at 0.01 to 2331 microg/kg dry weight, and only OCs and PBDEs were accumulated in benthopelagic fish. Toxicological assessment was performed according to predicted environmental levels and revealed sites where adverse effects could occur.     

气相色谱-质谱法测定沉积物中的有机氯和多氯联苯

采用加速溶剂萃取法提取沉积物中的有机氯和多氯联苯,提取液用凝胶色谱法净化后用气相色谱-质谱法测定。方法在5.00μg/L~200μg/L范围内线性良好,当取样量为10.0 g时,方法检出限为0.03μg/kg~0.37μg/kg,空白样品2个质量比水平的加标回收率为70.8%~121%,测定结果的RSD为2.7%~11.5%。用该方法测定实际样品,结果 12个抽检的沉积物样品中多氯联苯均未检出,9个样品中有机氯检出。     

Monitoring of environmental exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: a review

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large group of organic compounds with two or more fused aromatic rings. They have a relatively low solubility in water, but are highly lipophilic. Most of the PAHs with low vapour pressure in the air are adsorbed on particles. When dissolved in water or adsorbed on particulate matter, PAHs can undergo photodecomposition when exposed to ultraviolet light from solar radiation. In the atmosphere, PAHs can react with pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, yielding diones, nitro- and dinitro-PAHs, and sulfonic acids, respectively. PAHs may also be degraded by some microorganisms in the soil. PAHs are widespread environmental contaminants resulting from incomplete combustion of organic materials. The occurrence is largely a result of anthropogenic emissions such as fossil fuel-burning, motor vehicle, waste incinerator, oil refining, coke and asphalt production, and aluminum production, etc. PAHs have received increased attention in recent years in air pollution studies because some of these compounds are highly carcinogenic or mutagenic. Eight PAHs (Car-PAHs) typically considered as possible carcinogens are: benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P), dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene and benzo(g,h,i)perylene. In particular, benzo(a)pyrene has been identified as being highly carcinogenic. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated 16 unsubstituted PAHs (EPA-PAH) as priority pollutants. Thus, exposure assessments of PAHs in the developing world are important. The scope of this review will be to give an overview of PAH concentrations in various environmental samples and to discuss the advantages and limitations of applying these parameters in the assessment of environmental risks in ecosystems and human health. As it well known, there is an increasing trend to use the behavior of pollutants (i.e. bioaccumulation) as well as pollution-induced biological and biochemical effects on human organisms to evaluate or predict the impact of chemicals on ecosystems. Emphasis in this review will, therefore, be placed on the use of bioaccumulation and biomarker responses in air, soil, water and food, as monitoring tools for the assessment of the risks and hazards of PAH concentrations for the ecosystem, as well as on its limitations.     

High Cu and Cd pollution in sediments from Sisimiut, Greenland. Adsorption to organic matter and fine particles

High concentrations of Cu of up to 200 mg/kg, and Cd of up to 4.0 mg/kg, were found in sediments from the aquatic environment around Sisimiut, Greenland. These concentrations are four times higher than the limiting concentration where toxicological effects are expected. The pollution could be linked to human activities in Sisimiut, a link that have not been investigated previously in Greenland. Except from the most polluted samples there was good correlation between heavy metal concentration and organic matter. Also some relationship between fine fraction and heavy metal concentration was observed.     

Toxicity of octameric elemental sulphur in aquatic sediments

The proportions of elemental sulphur species in sediment from a contaminated area and a reference sediment sample were compared with the acute toxicity measured in short-term toxicity tests. Octameric elemental sulphur was separated into three operationally defined fractions. Here we show that octameric elemental sulphur contributes to the acute toxicity measured by bioluminescence inhibition. Our findings show that only a small part of extractable elemental sulphur was effective during exposure to the test organisms. A firmly bound fraction of sulphur was found in a contaminated sediment. This information has to be taken into account while interpreting the acute sediment toxicity.     

苏州河市郊段底泥中COD_(Cr)和NH_3-N的空间分布特征

对苏州河截流区外河段(城郊段)东大盈河口—北新泾,按河道形态,支流与城镇分布等因素,沿程采集24个底泥柱样,测定其不同部位不同深度底泥中COD_(Cr)和NH_3-N含量,分析COD_(Cr)和NH_3-N在沿程和垂向上的分布特征及其成因。结果表明,底泥中污染沿程分布呈不规则波状起伏,东大盈河、蕴藻浜、盐铁塘、封浜、华漕港、新槎浦等支流口,浮泥层中COD_(Cr)含量达2万mg/kg,超过背景值2—3倍,支流口下游200m范围内均较高;黄渡小支流口、华漕港支流口浮泥层中NH_3-H含量达250mg/kg,超过背景值3倍。在垂向分布上,底泥柱样都出现峰值分布,在某些弯道及支流口出现递减分布。底泥耗氧污染程度主要与支流及其排污量有关,其次是弯道凸岸处污染物易于沉积富集。这为苏州河市郊段环境综合治理、底泥疏浚和处置提供了科学依据。     

利用西湖淤泥进行低成本有机型基质栽培试验

以西湖淤泥为主要原料，配以砻糠灰、干鸡粪、菜籽饼等，组配低成本有机型基质，旨在合理开发利用西湖淤泥。处理Ⅰ(西湖淤泥 砻糠灰 干鸡粪)与处理Ⅱ(西湖淤泥 砻糠灰 菜籽饼)均有良好的理化性质，其孔隙度、有机质含量及N、P、K含量适宜樱桃番茄的生长。处理Ⅰ樱桃番茄早期营养生长及前期产量、总产量等方面与对照(泥炭 珍珠岩 泡沫粒)无显著性差异，果实中Vc含量显著高于对照。处理Ⅱ早期营养生长不如对照，但前期产量、总产量与对照无显著性差异，干物质、Vc含量与糖度显著高于对照。处理Ⅰ、处理Ⅱ的成本约为对照的1／2左右。     

Contaminated sediments and bioassay responses of three macroinvertebrates, the midge larva Chironomus riparius, the water louse Asellus aquaticus and the mayfly nymph Ephoron virgo

Bioassays are widely used to estimate ecological risks of contaminated sediments. We compared the results of three whole sediment bioassays, using the midge larva Chironomus riparius, the water louse Asellus aquaticus, and the mayfly nymph Ephoron virgo. We used sediments from sixteen locations in the Dutch Rhine-Meuse Delta that differed in level of contamination. Previously developed protocols for each bioassay were followed, which differed in sediment pretreatment, replication, and food availability. The Chironomus bioassay was conducted in situ, whereas the other two were conducted in the laboratory. The measured endpoints, survival and growth, were related to contaminant levels in the sediment and to food quantity in water and sediment.

Only the response of A. aquaticus in the bioassay was correlated with sediment contamination. Food availability in overlying water was much more important for C. riparius and E. virgo, thereby masking potential sediment contaminant effects. We conclude that growth of A. aquaticus was depressed by sediment contamination, whereas growth of E. virgo and C. riparius was stimulated by seston food quantity. We discuss that the trophic state of the ecosystem largely affects the ecological risks of contaminated sediments.     

海河干流、大沽排污河沉积物中有机氯农药的残留状况

调查了海河干流和大沽排污河沉积物中持久性有机氯杀虫剂(OCPs)的残留状况.在所选取的16个断面沉积物样品中均有大量HCHs、DDTs检出,表明海河和大沽排污河的DDT和HCH污染相当严重.海河沉积物中HCHs和DDTs总质量浓度分别为3.30～75.96、1.57～221.57 ng/g.大沽排污河沉积物中HCHs和DDTs的残留量分别为2.30～124.61、11.28～237.30ng/g.与国内外部分河流表层沉积物中HCHs、DDTs的含量相比,海河和大沽排污河沉积物中有机氯农药含量较高.最后根据两条河流沉积物中的OCPs的残留量,分析了其可能的污染源.     

松花江底泥沉积物中重金属释放影响因素的研究

以松花江哈尔滨段底泥沉积物为实验对象,研究松花江底泥沉积物中重金属的释放规律,使用循环槽(circulating flume)模拟松花江水力学条件,考察了重金属在上覆水和底泥中的沉积和释放。结果表明:松花江哈尔滨段底泥沉积物中重金属只有镉(Cd)超标,其它检测出重金属没有超标;随着温度升高,沉积物重金属溶出释放量也随之增加;重金属在酸性条件下的释放量明显高于碱性条件下的释放量;水体盐度升高,沉积物重金属的溶出释放也随之升高;水体扰动达到160 r/min时,重金属的释放达到最高值。