| 1. |
- Akselsson, Cecilia, et al.
(författare)
-
Acidification trends in south Swedish forest soils 1986-2008 : Slow recovery and high sensitivity to sea-salt episodes.
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1026 .- 0048-9697. ; 444, s. 271-287
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Soil water chemistry in forest soils over 20years was studied at nine sites in southern Sweden. The aim was to investigate the recovery from acidification and the influence of strong sea salt episodes that occur in the region. All sites but one showed signs of recovery from acidification along with the reduced sulphur deposition, but the recovery progress was slow and the soil water was in most cases still highly acidic at the end of the period. In several cases the recovery was delayed by episodes of sea salt deposition, leading to transient acidification. The less marked decrease of sulphur concentrations in soil water than of sulphur deposition, highlighted the importance of sulphur adsorption/desorption in the acidification and recovery process. Nitrogen retention capacity was exceeded on one site, leading to nitrate leaching and extremely low pH. Storm fellings on two sites in the end of the period led to effects similar to those of regeneration fellings. It was concluded that the soils in the region are in an early stage of recovery. The future progress of recovery strongly depends on future nitrogen retention of forest soils and the frequency of sea salt episodes.
|
|
| 2. |
- Alakangas, Lena, et al.
(författare)
-
Estimation of temporal changes in oxidation rates of sulphides in copper mine tailings at Laver, Northern Sweden
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 408:6, s. 1386-1302
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tailings containing pyrrhotite were deposited in an impoundment at a copper mine at Laver, Northern Sweden, which operated between 1936 and 1946. Since then the oxidation of sulphides has acidified recipient water courses and contaminated them with metals. Measurements from surface water sampled in 1993, 2001 and 2004-05 from a brook into which the tailing impoundment drains indicate that the amounts of sulphide-associated elements such as Cu, S and Zn released into the brook have decreased over time, while pH has increased. The mass transport of S in the brook during 1993 and 2001 corresponded well with the amount of S estimated to be released from the tailings by oxidation. Secondary precipitates such as covellite and gypsum, which can trap sulphur, were shown in earlier studies to be present in only low amounts. The annual release of elements from the tailings was estimated from the volume of tailings assumed to oxidise each year, which depends on movement of the oxidation front with time. The results indicate that the oxidation rate in the tailings has decreased over time, which may be due to the increased distance over which oxygen needs to diffuse to reach unoxidised sulphide grains, or their cores, in the tailings.
|
|
| 3. |
- Amato, F., et al.
(författare)
-
A review on the effectiveness of street sweeping, washing and dust suppressants as urban PM control methods
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 408:16, s. 3070-3084
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Given the absence of a definitive threshold for atmospheric particulate matter (PM)-induced adverse health effects and the evidence of road traffic as a main contributor to PM-urban levels, there is a general agreement in reducing PM-associated health risks by firstly focusing on vehicle traffic sector. Beside the reduction of primary exhaust emissions, recent potential measures are challenging to reduce emissions of particulate matter from abrasion and resuspension processes given the high potential health burden of heavy metals and metalloids sourced by vehicle-wear particles (brakes, tires, rotor, discs and catalysts) and of coarse particles (PM2.5-10). Some mitigating measures can be adopted in order to reduce road dust emissions from paved roads by removing or binding those particles already deposited and easy to be resuspended by traffic-generated turbulence. Sweeping, water flushing and use of chemical suppressants are usually more commonly employed to try to diminish emissions, but evaluating the effectiveness of preventive measures on improving air quality is a difficult task, consequently there is a general dearth of information about their effectiveness in reducing ambient PM concentrations. In particular, the scientific bibliography seems to be particularly scarce, whilst most of the information comes from local authorities committees. Consequently the existing reports are often aimed only to the municipalities and in the native language, with an objective difficulty for the international scientific community to access to them. For this review we have gathered contributions from some of major experts in this field, with the purpose of taking advantage of their background and personal awareness about any kind of related reports even not in English. Furthermore, the results we have gathered are often dissimilar, probably due to the different local conditions (weather, road pavement conditions etc.), therefore another objective of the review is to make a balance of actual knowledge and create a useful reference for future research studies and air quality management.
|
|
| 4. |
- Andersson, August
(författare)
-
A systematic examination of a random sampling strategy for source apportionment calculations
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 412, s. 232-238
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Estimating the relative contributions from multiple potential sources of a specific component in a mixed environmental matrix is a general challenge in diverse fields such as atmospheric, environmental and earth sciences. Perhaps the most common strategy for tackling such problems is by setting up a system of linear equations for the fractional influence of different sources. Even though an algebraic solution of this approach is possible for the common situation with N + 1 sources and N source markers, such methodology introduces a bias, since it is implicitly assumed that the calculated fractions and the corresponding uncertainties are independent of the variability of the source distributions. Here, a random sampling (RS) strategy for accounting for such statistical bias is examined by investigating rationally designed synthetic data sets. This random sampling methodology is found to be robust and accurate with respect to reproducibility and predictability. This method is also compared to a numerical integration solution for a two-source situation where source variability also is included. A general observation from this examination is that the variability of the source profiles not only affects the calculated precision but also the mean/median source contributions.
|
|
| 5. |
- Andrén, Cecilia M., et al.
(författare)
-
Response of Gammarus pulex and Baetis rhodani to springtime acid episodes in humic brooks
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 463, s. 690-699
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While chronic acidification of water bodies has been steadily decreasing, episodic acidification continues to affect stream biology by temporarily decreasing pH and mobilizing aluminum. These events are becoming more common as climate change renders more frequent and intense storms and flooding. Throughout Scandinavia, the effects of acidification have been mitigated by liming since the 1980s, but remediation efforts can now be reduced. While transient acidity may reduce fish populations, also other species in streams are affected. In this in-stream study, two macro-invertebrates (Gammarus pulex and Baetis rhodani), both known as salmonid prey organisms, were exposed to snowmelt in six humic brooks with a natural gradient of pH and inorganic monomeric Al (Al-i). We hypothesize that acid toxicity thresholds can be defined using lethal (mortality) and sublethal (changes in body elemental content) metrics. Periodic observations were made of mortality and whole body concentrations of base cations (BC: Ca, Mg, Na and K) and metals (Al, Fe, Zn and Mn). Mortality increased dramatically at pH < 6.0 and Al-i > 15 mu g/L for G. pulex and at pH < 5.7 and Al-i > 20 mu g/L for B. rhodani. No accumulation of Al was found. The invertebrate body Na concentration decreased when pH dropped, suggesting that osmoregulation in both species was affected. In contrast to general BC pattern, Ca concentration in G. pulex and Mg concentration in B. rhodani increased when pH decreased. Although Ali strongly correlates to pH, the Al composition of soil and bedrock also influences Al availability, potentially contributing to toxic Al; episodes. The estimated values calculated in this study can be used to improve water quality criteria and as thresholds to adjust doses of lime compared to old recommendations in ongoing liming programs. Such adjustments may be critical since both Ali and pH levels have to be balanced to mitigate damage to recovering stream ecosystems.
|
|
| 6. |
- Andrén, Cecilia M., et al.
(författare)
-
Toxicity of inorganic aluminium at spring snowmelt—In-stream bioassays withbrown trout (Salmo trutta L.)
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 437, s. 422-432
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although the acid load has decreased throughout Scandinavia, acidic soils still mobilise aluminium (Al) thatis harmful to brown trout. We hypothesise that there are thresholds for Al toxicity and that the toxicity can betraced from the water content to gill accumulation and the consequential physiological effects. During snowmelt,yearlings were exposed to a gradient of pH and inorganic monomeric Al (Ali) in humic streams to studythe toxic effects and mortality. Gill Al and physiological blood analyses [haemoglobin (Hb), plasma chloride(P-Cl) and glucose (Glu)] were measured. As the water quality deteriorated, Al accumulated on the gills; Hband Glu increased; P-Cl decreased, and mortality occurred. Moribund fish had significantly increased gill Aland Hb, suggesting that respiratory disturbances contributed to mortality. Decreased P-Cl and plasmaavailability indicated an ion regulatory disturbance and possibly circulatory collapse. Ali should be lessthan 20 μg/L, and pH higher than 5.0, to sustain healthy brown trout populations. These thresholds can beused to fine-tune lime dose, as both Ali and pH levels have to be balanced to prevent harm in the recoveringaquatic biota. Although Al is tightly linked to pH, local variation in Al availability in soil and bedrock affectsthe Al release and subsequent toxic Ali episodes in some catchment areas.
|
|
| 7. |
- Antoniou, Maria G., et al.
(författare)
-
Required ozone doses for removing pharmaceuticals from wastewater effluents
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - Amsterdam : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1026 .- 0048-9697. ; 456, s. 42-49
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the this study was to investigate the ozone dosage required to remove active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from biologically treated wastewater of varying quality, originated from different raw wastewater and wastewater treatment processes. Secondary effluents from six Swedish wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) were spiked with 42 APIs (nominal concentration 1 mu g/L) and treated with different O-3 doses (0.5-12.0 mg/L ozone) in bench-scale experiments. In order to compare the sensitivity of APIs in each matrix, the specific dose of ozone required to achieve reduction by one decade of each investigated API (DDO3) was determined for each effluent by fitting a first order equation to the remaining concentration of API at each applied ozone dose. Ozone dose requirements were found to vary significantly between effluents depending on their matrix characteristics. The specific ozone dose was then normalized to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of each effluent. The DDO3/DOC ratios were comparable for each API between the effluents. 15 of the 42 investigated APIs could be classified as easily degradable (DDO3/DOC <= 0.7), while 19 were moderately degradable (0.7 < DDO3/DOC <= 1.4), and 8 were recalcitrant towards O-3-treatment (DDO3/DOC > 1.4). Furthermore, we predict that a reasonable estimate of the ozone dose required to remove any of the investigated APIs may be attained by multiplying the experimental average DDO3/DOC obtained with the actual DOC of any effluent. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 8. |
- Augustsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
-
Climate change - an uncertainty factor in risk analysis of contaminated land
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 409:22, s. 4693-4700
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metals frequently occur at contaminated sites, where their potential toxicity and persistence require risk assessments that consider possible long-term changes. Changes in climate are likely to affect the speciation, mobility, and risks associated with metals. This paper provides an example of how the climate effect can be inserted in a commonly used exposure model, and how the exposure then changes compared to present conditions. The comparison was made for cadmium (Cd) exposure to 4-year-old children at a highly contaminated iron and steel works site in southeastern Sweden. Both deterministic and probabilistic approaches (through probability bounds analysis, PBA) were used in the exposure assessment. Potential climate-sensitive variables were determined by a literature review. Although only six of the total 39 model variables were assumed to be sensitive to a change in climate (groundwater infiltration, hydraulic conductivity, soil moisture, soil:water distribution, and two bioconcentration factors), the total exposure was clearly affected. For example, by altering the climate-sensitive variables in the order of 15% to 20%, the deterministic estimate of exposure increased by 27%. Similarly, the PBA estimate of the reasonable maximum exposure (RME, defined as the upper bound of the 95th percentile) increased by almost 20%. This means that sites where the exposure in present conditions is determined to be slightly below guideline values may in the future exceed these guidelines, and risk management decisions could thus be affected. The PBA, however, showed that there is also a possibility of lower exposure levels, which means that the changes assumed for the climate-sensitive variables increase the total uncertainty in the probabilistic calculations. This highlights the importance of considering climate as a factor in the characterization of input data to exposure assessments at contaminated sites. The variable with the strongest influence on the result was the soil:water distribution coefficient (Kd).
|
|
| 9. |
- Axelsson, Gösta, 1950, et al.
(författare)
-
Cancer incidence in a petrochemical industry area in Sweden
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697. ; 408:20, s. 4482-4487
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Emissions from petrochemical industries may contain suspected or established carcinogens. As increased incidence of cancer in residential areas close to petrochemical industries has been reported in the literature, we conducted a study of cancer incidence in Stenungsund, Sweden, where petrochemical industries were established in the mid 1960s. A number of cancer cases in the central parts of Stenungsund were collected from the regional cancer registry for each year between 1974 and 2005. In addition to the total number of cases, the numbers of leukemia, lymphoma, liver cancer, lung cancer, and brain cancer were also collected. Expected numbers for each year were calculated based on age- and sex-specific incidence rates in reference areas. Levels of carcinogenic volatile hydrocarbons (VOC) were estimated from measurements and emission data. A dispersion model was used to classify Stenungsund into a "low" and "high" ethylene level area. Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) for all cancer for the entire period was 1.02 (95% CI 0.97-1.08). The occurrence of leukemia, lymphoma, and cancer in the central nervous system was slightly lower than expected for the entire period. SIR for lung cancer was 1.37 (95% CI 1.10-1.69), and SIR for liver cancer was 1.50 (0.82-2.53). VOC levels were low. Taking estimated exposure and demographic factors into account, our assessment is that occurrence of cancer was not affected by industrial emissions in any of the studied sites.
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
