| 1. |
- Peltola, Pasi, et al.
(författare)
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Concentations and leachability of chemical elements in estuarine sulfur-rich sediments, W. Finland
- 2002
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 284:1-3, s. 109-122
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Concentrations, distributions and mobility of chemical elements were investigated in reduced sulfur-rich estuarine sediments located in western Finland. The main objective was to determine the possible extent of metal leaching when dredged masses of these sulfur-rich sediments are dumped on the land and thus exposed to air. When dredged, the reduced sulfur in the sediments oxidises resulting in a lowering of pH, which in turn is expected to leach metals. The study area is an artificial lake claimed from the Botnian sea in 1962. In this lake, several mass-kills of fish have occurred, believed partly to be due to dredging. Two sediment samples (0–50 and 50–100 cm) were taken from 39 sampling points in the lake. These samples were leached in aqua regia (2:2:2 HNO3/HCl/H2O) and analysed for Fe, Al, Mg, Ca, K, P, Na, Mn, Zn, Ba, V, Sr, Cr, Ni, Cu, Co, As, Pb, B, Mo and Cd with ICP-AES. Sulfur and organic carbon were analysed with Leco. In a controlled laboratory experiment, the sediments were allowed to oxidise for 1 year while moisturised with deionised water every month. The pH and conductivity were determined in the beginning of the experiment (reduced state) and in the end (oxidised state). In the supernatants in the oxidised states the amount of leached metals (Na, Al, Mn, Zn, Sr, Co, Ni, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, U, Li, Rb and As) were determined with ICP-MS. The sediments were found to contain low levels of toxic metals but, as expected, high concentrations of sulfur. In the experiment, pH was lowered (down to 3.0) and the conductivity increased in all samples due to oxidation and release of metal ions. The extent of leaching varied between 0.03% for As and 12.3% for Na. Critical pH values, at which high amounts of metals begin to leach, were obtained graphically. These values varied between 4.8 (Ni) and 3.3 (Cr). Not all elements were controlled by pH, e.g. Mn correlated well with its aqua regia leachable concentration. In a planned dredging operation in the area some 23 300 t (10 500 m3) (dry wt.) of sediments will be dredged. The amounts of metals likely to be leached, according to the results from this study, are as follows (kg): Al (1710), Mn (1230), Zn (59), Sr (39), Co (13), Ni (12), Cu (2) and less than 1 kg of Cd–Cr–As–Pb.
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| 2. |
- Andren, P, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental exposure to lead and arsenic among children living near a glassworks
- 1988
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1026 .- 0048-9697. ; 77:1, s. 25-34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Concentrations of lead (Pb) in blood (B-Pb, geometric mean 34.6 micrograms l-1, n = 127) and inorganic arsenic (As) and its metabolites in urine (U-As, mean 5.1 micrograms/g creatinine, n = 35) did not differ between children living in a village close to a glassworks emitting both Pb and As and children living in a reference area. There was no significant effect on B-Pb and U-As related to parents working at the glassworks or consumption of domestically grown vegetables. Neither was there any significant effect upon B-Pb of sex, age, potentially lead-exposing hobbies, or consumption of canned foods. Boys had higher U-As than girls (5.8 vs 4.2 micrograms/g creatinine, p = 0.005), and there was a decrease with age (range 8.4-10.4 years, 27% per year, p = 0.01). Further, parental smoking habits had a significant effect on both B-Pb and U-As. In children of non-smoking parents the B-Pb was 30 micrograms l-1, in children with one parent who smoked 39 micrograms l-1 (smoking father 37, smoking mother 41 micrograms l-1) and in children with two parents who smoked 47 micrograms l-1 (p less than 0.001). The corresponding values for U-As were 4.2, 5.5, and 13 micrograms/g creatinine, respectively (p = 0.01).
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| 3. |
- Barany, E, et al.
(författare)
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Trace element levels in whole blood and serum from Swedish adolescents
- 2002
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - 1879-1026 .- 0048-9697. ; 286:1-3, s. 129-141
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Blood and serum samples from 372 15-year-old adolescents were collected in two cities in Sweden and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The objective was to (1) determine the levels of 13 elements in blood and serum from the teenagers; and (2) for each element, investigate the correlation between the concentrations in blood and serum. The concentrations in blood and serum were generally in line with that usually reported for the essential elements Co, Cu, Zn and Se, and generally low for the 'non-essential' elements Cd, Hg, Pb. The median concentrations were in blood and serum, respectively: of Co 031 and 0.48 mug/l, Cu 0.92 and 1.0 mg/l, Zn 6.1 and 0.99 mg/l, Se 110 and 100 mug/l, Rb 2.8 and 0.24 mg/l, Hg 1.1 and 0.44 mug/l, Pb 16 and 0.33 mug/l. The median concentration of W in blood was < 0.2 mug/l (below the detection limit) and in serum 0.087 mug/l. The median concentrations of Cd, Rh, Pd, Pt and TI were below the detection limits. Statistically significant correlations were found between the concentrations in blood and serum for Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, W, Hg and Pb. The levels presented in this study constitute baseline levels or levels generally not exceeded in adolescents for 13 elements, including essential, ubiquitous toxic, and rare elements.
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| 4. |
- Eriksson, E., et al.
(författare)
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Life cycle assessment of the road transport sector
- 1996
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 189-190, s. 69-76
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The road transport sector has been studied with a life-cycle perspective. Transport activities and products used for road transportation have been analysed in order to identify those with significant contribution to the total environmental impact. Detailed data on the environmental burdens caused by different transportation activities such as fuel production, fuel combustion at driving, maintenance of the vehicle and production and after use treatment of the vehicle have been collected and transformed into a form usable in life cycle assessment (LCA). A comprehensive and flexible system model for description of road transportation systems has been developed. A software program, KRABAT, has been developed from the system model. The program has been used for calculation of the environmental burdens of road transportation. The use of non-renewable energy is sometimes used as an indicator of the environmental impact of activities. In this study the consumption of non-renewable fuels, electricity and air emissions have been considered. The production, maintenance and after use treatment of the vehicle have shown to contribute significantly to the total environmental impact of road transportation, measured per vehicle kilometer. This is especially valid for passenger cars, for which the amount of fossile fuel used for production of the vehicle is about 10% of the total amount used during the whole life time of the car. This share is generally much smaller for trucks, since they are used more frequently than passenger cars. The treatment of the different materials of the car after use is of importance for the possibilities of minimization of the environmental impact from road transport. In a case study, the environmental burdens from all processes and transports in the life cycle of newspapers have been analysed. Two after use treatment scenarios were studied, one with 70% recycling and the other with 100% incineration with heat recovery. The total contribution of environmental burdens from transportation to the total of the whole life cycle were studied. It could not be concluded that transportation increased with a higher degree of recycling. This holds true for our assumptions. The result may however be different for other geographical conditions, population densities, etc.
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| 5. |
- Österberg, Kai, et al.
(författare)
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A neurobehavioural study of long-term occupational inorganic lead exposure
- 1997
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697. ; 201:1, s. 39-51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A group of 38 male workers at a secondary smelter (period of employment 2-35 years; median 10 years) was divided into two subgroups depending on bone-lead concentration, arranged as 19 matched pairs according to age, education and job level. The median concentrations for finger-bone lead (Bone-Pb) were 16 vs. 32 μg/g; for current blood-lead (B-Pb), 1.6 vs. 1.8 μmol/l; for retrospective peak blood-lead (Peak-Pb), 2.7 vs. 3.0 μmol/l; and for a retrospective cumulative blood lead index (CBLI), 143 vs. 233 μmol/l x months. Nineteen unexposed male workers from a nearby mechanical plant served as controls, using the same matching algorithm. The triplets were examined with a standardised neuropsychological test battery, and four questionnaires for self-rating of symptoms and activity/stress level related to work environment. No sign of behavioural deterioration was observed in the exposed groups, either in objective cognitive tests or in subjective symptom/mood self-rating scales. Despite the limited sample size, the statistical power was sufficient to conclude that a concealed lead-associated effect was unlikely. Covariations between behavioural measures and lead exposure indices were generally low and non-significant, as a whole not exceeding a random level. No confounding or effect-modifying factor was detected that could explain the results as a type II error. To conclude, a current B-Pb of 1.8 μmol/l was not associated with adverse behavioural effects, and a long-term lead exposure around 2.0 μmol/l for 13 years (mean values) was not associated with permanent brain dysfunction.
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| 6. |
- Ahlborg, UG
(författare)
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Methods of risk assessment
- 1996
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Ingår i: The Science of the total environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697. ; 188188 Suppl 1, s. S75-S77
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 7. |
- Bhattacharya, Prosun, et al.
(författare)
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Metal contamination at a wood preservation site : characterisation and experimental studies on remediation
- 2002
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 290:03-jan, s. 165-180
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this investigation was to determine the occurrence of As, Cu, Cr and Zn in the soil at an abandoned wood preservation unit and to examine some possible extractants for the contaminants in the soil. The mean As content of the contaminated surface soils (0-10 cm) was 186 mg kg(-1), where as the mean concentrations of Cu, Cr and Zn in soils from the contaminated area were 26, 29 and 91 mg kg(-1), respectively. The elevated As content in the mineral soils is related to adsorption of inorganic As phases in the fine grained fractions, which are characterised by large surface area and high positive surface charge under the current acidic conditions. Cu and Cr were found to be rather mobile, which is reflected in their lower abundance in soils and significant accumulation in sediments in the drainage leaving the area. The fine fraction of the soil (<0.125 mm) has an average metal content increased by nearly 34% as compared to the <2-mm fraction conventionally used for the analysis and assessment of soil contamination. The <2-mm fraction constitutes approximately 65% of the total weight while the fine fraction (< 0.125 mm) constitutes approximately 10%. These facts, taken together, are essential for the choice of remediation measures. Oxalate solutions have been tested as extractants for soil remediation. Dark acid oxalate extraction dissolves the amorphous Al- and Fe-oxides and hydroxides and mobilises the adsorbed inorganic As species. Oxalate also acts as a ligand for the cationic heavy metals, releasing them from exchangeable sites. With a three-step sequential leaching, up to 98-99% of the metals could be removed. At lower concentrations and higher pH, the leaching decreased to approximately 70%.
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| 8. |
- Bozkurt, S., et al.
(författare)
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Long-term processes in waste deposits
- 2000
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 250:03-jan, s. 101-121
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A conceptual model, which is a unitary and continuous description of the overall processes in waste deposits, has been developed. In the model the most important processes governing the long-term fate of organic matter in landfills and the transport and retention of toxic metals are included. With the model as a base, a number of scenarios with different levels of complexity have been defined and studied in order to carry out long-term assessments of the chemical evolution in waste deposits for industrial and municipal solid waste containing much organic matter and the leaching of toxic metals. The focus of the modelling has been to quantify the important processes occurring after the methane production phase has ceased, i.e. during the humic phase. The scenarios include the main mechanisms based on various transport processes as well as different landfill constructions, e.g. binding capacities of sulfides and humic substances. They also include transport mechanisms by which the reactant oxygen can intrude into a deposit, sorption capacities of hydrous ferric oxides, and pH-buffering reactions, etc. Scoping calculations have shown that the binding capacity of humic substances is sufficient to bind all toxic metals (Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn and Hg). In addition, the humics could also bind a smaller part of Ca, Fe and Al, provided much of the organic waste remain as humic substances. Sulfides on the other hand can bind approximately twice the amount of all toxic metals. The binding capacity of hydrous ferric oxides, which can be formed by oxidation reactions during the humic phase, is estimated to be three times the total content of metals that can sorb on hydrous ferric oxides. In the studied landfill the pi-I-buffering capacity, primarily represented by calcite, is estimated to be 1 mol/kg dry waste. Quantifications indicate that the alkalinity of the wastes is high enough to buffer the acidity produced by the oxidation of sulfides and by the degradation of organic matter, as well as that added by acid precipitation. Therefore, the main conclusion is that higher remobilisation rates of heavy metals due to lowering of pH are not expected for many thousands of years.
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| 9. |
- Bozkurt, S., et al.
(författare)
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The long-term evolution of and transport processes in a self-sustained final cover on waste deposits
- 2001
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 271:03-jan, s. 145-168
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new principle for confinement of waste based on a self-sustained seal is presented. The top cover is considered to consist of two main layers; an organic carbon rich surface layer that is able to support vegetation and an inorganic layer beneath it. The function of the cover is to mitigate oxidation and acidification of landfilled waste and hence the release of toxic metals. It is suggested that forest soil formation and soil development could prove to be valuable information sources for the study of the long-term behaviour of a final cover on waste deposits. Since the cover is expected to develop in northern temperate climate the focus is on Spodosol soil. A number of simulations of the long-term behaviour of the final self-sustained landfill cover are made, including the rates of influx of oxygen into the cover. A cover having a large portion of organic matter compared with a cover with no organics can considerably decrease the oxygen concentration and thus the influx of oxygen into a landfill. The calculated oxygen intrusion rate for the former case is of the order of 0.05 kg m(-2) year(-1). Degradation of the organics produces acids. Our simulations indicate that the pH-buffering capacity of the mineral layer, represented by calcite and primary rock minerals, will last for many thousands of years.
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| 10. |
- Bratt, P, et al.
(författare)
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Function of the rat salivary glands after exposure to inorganic mercury
- 1995
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 172:1, s. 47-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In spite of many studies on the toxicity of mercury, very little is known about the effects of mercury on the function of exocrine glands. In the present paper selected functions of Sprague-Dawley rat salivary glands were studied after the exposure of the animals to inorganic mercury at two different doses; 3.25 mg/kg body weight given during 25 days and 7.0 mg/kg body weight given during 27 days. The function of the salivary glands was estimated by saliva secretion rate, secretion of electrolytes, proteins and biosynthesis of glycoproteins. The function was compared between mercury exposed rats and age and sex matched control rats that were given injections with equal volumes of 0.154 mol/l NaCl on the same time schedule. In the present study we report that no significant effect on saliva secretion rate, concentrations of salivary constituents or biosynthesis of glycoproteins in the salivary glands could be observed in rats as a result of mercury exposure at two levels that gave 30 or 60 times higher serum mercury concentrations than in the majority of the Swedish population.
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