Identifying the Hydrochemical Characteristics, Genetic Mechanisms and Potential Human Health Risks of Fluoride and Nitrate Enriched Groundwater in the Tongzhou District, Beijing, North China

Fluoride and nitrate enriched groundwater are potential threats to the safety of the groundwater supply that may cause significant effects on human health and public safety, especially in aggregated population areas and economic hubs. This study focuses on the high F? and NO3? concentration groundwater in Tongzhou District, Beijing, North China. A total of 36 groundwater samples were collected to analyze the hydrochemical characteristics, elucidate genetic mechanisms and evaluate the potential human health risks. The results of the analysis indicate: Firstly, most of the groundwater samples are characterized by Mg-HCO3 and Na-HCO3 with the pH ranging from 7.19 to 8.28 and TDS with a large variation across the range 471–2337 mg/L. The NO3? concentration in 38.89% groundwater samples and the F? concentration in 66.67% groundwater samples exceed the permissible limited value. Secondly, F? in groundwater originates predominantly from water-rock interactions and the fluorite dissolution, which is also regulated by cation exchange, competitive adsorption of HCO3? and an alkaline environment. Thirdly, the effect of sewage disposal and agricultural activities have a significant effect on high NO3– concentration, while the high F? concentration is less influenced by anthropogenic activity. The alkaline environment favors nitrification, thus being conducive to the production of NO3?. Finally, the health risk assessment is evaluated for different population groups. The results indicate that high NO3? and F? concentration in groundwater would have the largest threat to children’s health. The findings of this study could contribute to the provision of a scientific basis for groundwater supply policy formulation relating to public health in Tongzhou District.     

Road traffic nanoparticle characteristics:Sustainable environment and mobility

Human effects and environment impacts associated with nanoparticles generated from road traffic have recently attracted wide attention.Knowledge of the influencing variables on both number and mass of nanoparticles,sources,characteristics and limitations of advanced commercially accessible instruments for monitoring nanoparticles,are still scarce and not sufficient to make regulatory decision on solid particles smaller than 23 nm(SPN<23 nm).Given the harmful effects of nanoparticles on human health(i.e.visibility impairment,cardiac-rhythm disturbance,heart attacks,premature death,etc.),their control and assessment seem to be an absolute priority.In this overview,we classify and analyze the existing knowledge of nanoparticles in road traffic atmosphere,recent progress,and emerging priorities in research related to these topics.The major aspects of ongoing research in this field,and a brief discussion of the main sources of atmosphere nanoparticles are presented.The subsequent section focuses on the influencing parameters of nanoparticles including climate conditions,height above the road surface and distance between source(road traffic)and sampling site.The next section provides a comprehensive summary on sampling measurement methodologies and instrumental techniques.We also review the health and environment implications associated with particle exposure.Finally,an evaluation of the state of research related to nanoparticles together with highlights for future research activities are also presented.     

Effects of human activities on mercury in the environment in Xi’an area, China

Effects of mercury on ecosystems and human health are well documented. Human activities have significant impacts on transport, transformation, and fate of mercury in the natural environment. In this study, a gold mining area (Tongchuan), an urban area (Xi…     

Mantle／Crust Evolution and Eco-Environmental Effects as Exemplified by Zhangjiakou-West Beijing Region

The living circumstances of human beings are closely related to the geological environment. As exemplified by the Zhangjiakou-West Beijing region, this paper describes the intensive mantle-crust uplift, which led to anomalous element background values for regional rocks(ores) and soils. As a result, some agricultural crops, and forests and fruits are of “superquality and high yield“ or of “poor quality and low yield“. The anomalous elements can find their way into grains, fruits, vegetables and drinking water and then will be taken by human beings, constituting a food chain, which would directly impact human health and lead to the spread of some endemic diseases. Studies have shown that the geomorphological features in the Zhangjiakou-West Beijing region are the outcome of geotectonic evolution since the Mesozoic.Mantle-crust movement is the key factor leading to the evolution and change of the regionally geological environment.     

Microbial resistance to the heavy metal pollutant

It is estimated that the poisonous heavy metals released to the environment are up to million tons. Such a great amount of poisonous heavy metals results in a serious bane to ecosystem and human health. The valid control of spreading and pollution of heav…     

Contamination and distribution of heavy metals in urban soil in Zhangzhou City, Fujian, China

The urban environment quality is of vital importance as the majority of people now live in cities. Due to the continuous urbanization and industrialization with rapidly increasing economy in China, metals are continuously emitted into soils, imposing a great threat on human health. Urban soils might be affected by industrial activities, transport, agricultural practice, and waste disposal. An extensive survey was conducted in the highly urbanized Zhangzhou City （Fujian Province, China） using a systematic sampling strategy. Concentrations of Hg, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, As, Cr and Ni were measured on 108 topsoil samples collected from parks （0-15 cm）, residential areas and suburban agricultural soils. Statistic approach （cluster analysis） was adopted for identification of natural and anthropogenic influence on heavy metal contents. The maps of metal concentrations in surface soils were made based on geographical information system （GIS） data. All of these aim at assessing the distribution of these heavy metals in the urban environment.     

A Preliminary Study of Holocene Climate Change and Human Adaptation in the Horqin Region

Abstract: Human activity during the Holocene in the Horqin region, northeastern China, has been widely documented. As an important proxy record of human activity, black carbon (BC) in sediments has been linked to climate change and human adaptation. A loess-paleosol section located in south Horqin was chosen for this study. Holocene climate change and human adaptation to the environment were discussed by analyzing BC, organic carbon (OC) and other proxies. The conclusions included: (1) before 3900 cal BP, human activity was closely related to the natural environment and cultural development was dominated by climate change. For example, the rapid decline of the agrarian Hongshan culture was caused by a slight decrease in temperature at ~5000 cal BP; (2) during 3900-3200 cal BP, the heavy dependence of human societies on nature gradually lessened and the ability of those human societies to adapt to the environment was enhanced. However, the farming-dominated Lower Xiajiadian culture was nonetheless replaced by the pastoralist Upper Xiajiadian culture due to an extremely cooling event at ~3200 cal BP; (3) during the late Holocene period, the marked influence of climate change on human activity might have lessened as a result of a clear improvement in human labor skills. After this, human living styles were influenced by cultural developments rather than climate change because humans had mastered more powerful means of productivity.     

Acclimatization and screening of a chloramphenicol-degrading strain

Chloramphenicol （CAP） is an antibiotic commonly used in aquaculture as a prophylactic or disinfectant to prevent diseases, or as a chemotherapeutic agent to control diseases. This antibiotic is either spread directly in the aquatic environment or administered through medicated feeds. It may be directly exposed to or enter the environment by leaching from uneaten feeds or from the aquatic animals＇ excrements. The antibiotic also directly enters the environment through pharmaceutical wastewater. Toxicity of CAP to human bone marrow has been linked to fatal aplastic anemia. Antimicrobial residues enter the environment, which may also establish a selective pressure in favour of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The residues of antibiotics may pose potential risk to public health or increase the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the aquatic environment. Due to these perceived risk, treatment of CAP in farm animals intended for human consumption has been restricted. However, residue of CAP in the environment is still a concern. There have been some reports on the residual effects of CAP on aquaculture and on microbial resistance to CAP in certain environments. The biotransformation of CAP in aquaculture pond sediments has been reported, which indicated that salinity is one of the many environmental factors that affect the degradation of CAP. However, acclimatization and screening of dominant bacteria for biodegrading CAP have been rarely studied. This paper studied the microbial degradation of CAP. In order to screen the dominant bacteria for degrading, the source of bacteria was sampled from the aquaculture pond sediments of Baiyun Borough, Guangzhou, China. 60 mg/L CAP was used as a sole carbon source to screen CAP-degrading bacteria and the dominant bacteria were acclimated after 2 months.     

Effects of human activities on mercury in the environment in Xi＇an area, China

Effects of mercury on ecosystems and human health are well documented. Human activities have significant impacts on transport, transformation, and fate of mercury in the natural environment. In this study, a gold mining area （Tongchuan）, an urban area （Xi＇an）, and a historical site （Qinshihuan Tomb） in Shaanxi Province, China, was chosen to study the effects of human activities on the transport, transformation, and fate of mercury in the area. Samples of atmospheric precipitate, soil, sediment, pomegranate, corn and those from wells and the rivers that flow through or flow by the city and from the mining area were collected. The EPA methods were used for sample preparation and analysis of these samples. These methods combine acid digestion, chemical reduction, purge and trap with Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry （CVAFS）. Preliminary results showed high total mercury concentrations in the water samples collected from a river in Tongguan County. The total mercury concentrations ranged from 133 to 188 ng/L in the water samples collected from the rivers flowing through Xi＇an City. The amount of total mercury in the soil/sediment samples which were collected in the vicinity of Xi＇an ranged from 31.8 to 83.2 ng/g. The total mercury concentrations in the samples of atmospheric precipitate （including rain and snow collected from Sep. 2005 to Jan. 2006） ranged from 106-298 ng/L.     

Sulfur in Coal and Its Environmental Impact from Yanzhou Mining District,China

Sulfur is one of the havardous elements in coal The concentrations of sulfur are relatively high in coal.The major forms of sulfur in coal are pyritic,organic and sulfate.Pyritic and organic sulfur generally account for the bulk of sulfur in coal.Elemental sulfur also occurs in coal,but only in trace to minor amounts.When coals are burned,leached and washed,sulfur will be released in the form of sulfide and H2S,which then reach with O2,water and other substances to change into vitriol,and in some places it may form acid rain.And they will impact water environment,acidify the soil and do great harm to plants and human health.In this paper,on the basis of the data from the Yanzhou mining district,the distribution and concentrations of sulfur are analyzed and the existing forms of sulfur are studied.The variation of sulfur and its impact on the environments also are described when coal is used.     

Assessment of groundwater quality in the flood plains of upper Palar River, India

Groundwater is generally presumed to be good for human consumption and is used as a main source of drinking water. Although there are numerous reasons for groundwater pollution, anthropogenic sources are consid-ered as the prime ones. In this study, twenty-two groundwater samples were collected from the flood plains of upper Palar River during the pre- and post-monsoon seasons to assess the extent of pollution and effects on human health. Physico-chemical characteristics of groundwater were analyzed and compared with those of drinking water standards recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The Piper’s tri-linear diagram shows the nature of alkali earth with the high contents of alkalies and prevailing sulphate in the pre-sent samples. The univariate statistics and correlation analysis were performed to find out the relationships between the variables. The tannery effluents, solid wastes and sewage were suspected to be the predominant sources of pollu-tion in the area.     

Speciation studies of arsenic in the environment and in human

Arsenic is the 20th most abundant element in the Earth crust. Humans are exposed to naturally occurring and anthropogenic sources of arsenic compounds in the environment. A wide variety of adverse health effects have been attributed to chronic exposure to high levels of arsenic. More than two-dozen arsenic compounds （species） are present in the environment and in biological systems. The various arsenic species have dramatically different behavior and toxicity. This presentation briefly describes arsenic speciation analysis, human exposure to and metabolism of arsenic species. Environmental issues on arsenic in Canada are briefly discussed. These include （1） the arsenic waste left from previous gold mining and smelting activities; （2） the domestic use of wood treated with chromated copper arsenate; and （3） use of well water as the source of drinking water by approximately one third of the Canadian population.     

Environmental toxicology and exposure to natural dust： The role of trace elements

This discussion reviews environmental toxicology and health effects of trace elements and compounds carried in natural dusts of geologic or geochemical origin. The sources of these dusts are diverse, including volcanoes, dust storms, long-range transport of desert dust, and displacement through natural processes such as landslides and earthquakes. Estimates diverge greatly in terms of the total quantities of dust transported, although recent papers place annual volumes at over 1 billion tons from the main African deserts alone. Anthropogenic influences （such as from farming and irrigation） have contributed to dust formation by enhancing the process of desertification, with losses of over 10 million hectares （~29 million acres） of farmland per year. The principal elements and compounds which are examined in this presentation are trace metals and metalloids, radioactive elements, fluoride, silicates, natural asbestiform compounds, and alkali salts. The pathways by which such agents affect human populations are examined, including carriage through water, air, soil and the foodchain. The mechanisms of biotoxicity, and the acute and chronic consequences on health, associated with toxic trace metals are described.     

热泵在多年冻土地区工程中的应用

The inclement climate and permafrost have a strong influence on human activities and life in cold regions. It is important to adjust to these conditions in such a way as to minimize adverse environmental impacts. In order to maintain the ecological equilibrium, various technologies have been developed which involve the use of the natural cold for solving difficult engineering problems. Heat pumps hold much promise in this context. They can help protect the environment from the thermal effects of human activities and, unlike the conventional refrigeration devices; the produced heat can be utilized. They also provide a solution to another problem vitally important for the northern regions - saving of fuel and energy resources. In case of global warming with an increasing need for artificial refrigeration, the use of heat pumps will be the most economical solution, preventing catastrophic loss of structural stability virtually without additional costs.     

Silica dust and non-occupational silicosis——A global perspective

Health risk from various particulates of dust has been of public health concern for many years and scientific observations on dust have been going on for the last 200 years. Diseases resulting from exposure to dust are generally known as pneumoconiosis and have been primarily associated with occupational exposure to silica dust. Silica, which induces silicosis, has been recognized as far back as the Hippocratic times. The aim of the research is to try to assess the nature and scale of health risks from environmental exposure to silica on a global scale, with particular emphasis on non-occupational silicosis （pneumoconiosis）. Thorough literature reviews included studies and literature from non-occupational and occupational silicosis studies along with papers from Geology and Medicine. Non-published studies and local knowledge from Ladakh were used in pertinent of the review. The commonest form of silica （SiO2） is quartz. Other particulates in the atmosphere and finer particles 〈10 when inhaled with oxygen endanger human health; silica is the most threatening for non-occupational silicosis because of its high fibrogenicity. Aerosol minerals can often travel from continent to continent creating a health risk not just in the area of dust source, but also to secluded humans. When emitted into the air environmental exposure to （silica） quartz can occur as component of particulates emissions produced by natural-industrial-agricultural activities. Human exposure to environmental （silica） quartz can be summarized into direct and indirect pathways. Health risk from exposure to silica （quartz） has been widely studied in occupational settings; however there is a scarcity of studies on environmental/non-occupational exposure. Review of epidemiological studies on environment/non-occupational silicosis showed that all the studies lack a good control group and represent a small sample size. Many of these studies are case reports with retrospective histopathology, focusing only on the prevalence and lacking robust exposure measurement. Non-occupational/environmental silicosis is a global public health concem and the areas of dust source could be modified with climate changes. Literature is very scarce in relation to health risks from environmental dust （silica/quartz）, nevertheless the review of occupational studies links silica exposure to numerous diseases in humans.     

Sorption of phenanthrene on the complexes of kaolinite and different organic component

Sorption of hydrophobic organic chemicals by various components influences their behavior and fate in environment. In the natural environment, mineral components, organic matter and microorganism didn＇t exist alone. They combined or reacted one another and formed the mineral-humic, mineral-microorganic and mineral- humic- microorganic complexes. A clear understanding of the sorption of organic chemicals by the complexes of mineral and humic acid and/or microorganism will help to determine their sorptive mechanisms in environment. In this paper, the sorption patterns of phenanthrene on the complexes of kaolinite and different organic component （humic acid and microorganism） have been carried on. The results show that the combination of HA and kaolinite not only changed the structure of HA, but also modified the surface chemistry of clay mineral. Interaction between HA and kaolinite is presumably ascribable to coulombic interactions and ligand exchange between the -COOH groups of HA and OH groups at the kaolinite surface. During the sorption on mineral surface, aliphatic fractions of HA were preferentially sored by kaolinite while aromatic fractions were left in the solution. More linear isotherms and higher Koc values were observed for kaolinite-HA complex in comparison of the pure HA. The sorption capacity of kaolinite-HA complex increased with increasing ionic strength and pH, and showed more nonlinear character. Kaolinite, microorganism and kaolinite-microorganism complex can all sorb phenanthrene, but the sorption capacity significantly differed. Bacterial cell sorbed more phenanthrene than kaolinite. The biofllm coating of kaolinite affected its sorption to phenanthrene. Kaolinite with biolfilm coating sorbed more phenanthrene than that without biofilm coating. The sorption capacity of kaolinite-microorganism complex decreased with increasing ionic strength and decreasing pH, but showed more nonlinear character. Both HA and microorganism can alter the nature of kaolinite sorbing phenanthrene respectively.     

Origin of natural gases and their differences between the eastern and western parts of central Tarim Basin

The origin of natural gases in central Tarim Basin is very complicated and there has been no definite conclusion in this aspect. Based on the results of systematic research on their composition and carbon isotopic characteristics, natural gases in central Tarim Basin are composed mainly of hydrocarbon gas, Ordovician natural gas with the characteristics of crude oil-cracking gas, and Carboniferous natural gas not only originating from kerogen cracking, but also from oil cracking. There are significant differences in composition and carbon isotope of natural gases between the eastern and western areas. The causes for the differences in geochemical characteristics of natural gases are presented as follows: different thermal evolution degrees of organic matter. Natural gases in the western region may have generated from the Middle- Upper Ordovician source rocks, and natural gases in the eatern region may be derived from the Cambrian source rocks, which entered into high to over mature stages; the gases migrated from west to east and caused the different compositional and carbon isotopic characteristics of natural gases; difference in the strength of thermal sulfate reduction between the eastern and western parts, with the reduction in the eastern part being stronger than that in the western part.     

Experimental research on adsorption/desorption for petroleum pollutants in the soil in Daqing oilfield

The Daqing oilfield is one of the biggest oilfields in the world. It has been exploited for several decades, which brings serious pollution to local natural environment. The crude oil on ground which is produced in the process of oil production contains various organic pollutants. The petroleum pollutants tend to adsorb, desorb, biodegrade and photolyze and so on in the soil, but adsorption/desorption is a pair of extremely important environment geochemistry behavior. In order to master the rule of petroleum pollutants migration and transformation in the soil environment, and provide scientific evidence for the prevent research project on petroleum pollution treatment in the Daqing oilfield, the chemozem was selected as the experimental sample, which is a kind of representative soil in the Daqing oilfield. The factors affecting adsorbent and desorption＇s characteristics were discussed, including pH of the soil, the concentrations of suspended particulates and temperature. The oscillation-equity was used in the experiment. The mechanism and dynamics process of the adsorption/desorption were researched. The results showed that adsorbing of the petroleum pollutants on the chemozem sediment is a kind of physical adsorption phenomenon. The adsorption function comes from the hydrophobic and sticky character of the petroleum its self. The velocity of adsorption and desorption is almost equivalent, both concentrations of water in the soil are close to the balance in two hours, thus they achieve homeostasis in three hours. The process of adsorption of the petroleum pollutants responses to Herry isothermal model, with increasing pH, concentration of suspended particulates and temperature, the quantity of adsorption show a descending trend. However, desorption is a contrary course of adsorption in the experiment. Due to various influenced phenomena reflect that the soil in the Daqing oilfield has factors, the quantity of desorption shows an ascending trend. These strong adsorption ability to petroleum pollutants.     

Environmental behaviors of mercury and lead in the soil of polymetallic deposit areas in western Hunan Province

Western Hunan Province is one of the most typical assembling areas of cryogenic metallic deposit in China, as well as a main ore-forming zone for some heavy metals. In the region, Hg and Pb pollution was caused by abnormally high concentrations of Hg, Pb in the natural environment and Hg, Pb exploiting/smelting and other human activities, which make the damage to human health more complicated. Generally, heavy metal pollutants in soil are often long-lasting and consequent, with their emission and/or transport into the environment, resulting in growing hazards to human health posed by elevated heavy metal concentrations in air, water, and food. Therefore, monitoring and understanding their behaviors in soil environment is the most important and urgent task. In this paper, the environmental behaviors and pollution characteristics of soil polluted by Hg and Pb in typical Hg and Pb mining areas in western Hunan were studied. Main results are presented as follows： （1） Western Hunan Province is a high regional geochemical abnormal region on Hg and Pb. The concentrations of Hg and Pb in soils in mercury mining areas were 1 315 and 3. l times higher than the average background of soils in China, respectively. While those in soils in lead mining areas are 14.1 and 6.1 times higher. By using the index of geoaccumulation （Igeo）, it was found that either mercury mining area or lead mining area in western Hunan Province has been polluted by the two elements, the majority of soils in mercury mining areas are seriously polluted by Hg, moderately or light polluted by Pb, while the majority of soils in lead mining areas are moderately or moderately-highly polluted by Pb and moderately-highly polluted by Hg. （2） By the BCR extraction procedures, both Hg and Pb in soils are dominated by residual form, followed by organic-sulfide form. Fe-Mn oxides and acid-exchangeable form are rather low. The total concentrations and each species of Hg and Pb in soils show positive correlations with the concentrations of sands, and negative ones with the concentrations of clays in soils.     

Influence of high-fluorine environmental background on crops and human health in hot spring-type fluorosis-diseased areas

Drinking water-type fluorosis is the most harmful endemic disease in China with the largest number of sufferers. Although the implementation of the policy to alter water sources to lower fluoride level has effectively controlled the spread of this kind of endemic disease, its prevalence could not thoroughly be stopped because the high-fluoride environmental background in these endemically diseased areas could still do harm to human health through food chain. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a more deep-going study on the drinking water-type fluorosis. To investigate the effect of high fluorine environmental background on crops and human health in the hot spring-type fluorosis-diseased areas, local water, paddy soil, rice, whole vegetables and soils around their roots were sampled for analysis. The results were compared with those of the control groups in fluorosis-free areas which are similar to the fluorosis-diseased areas both in natural background and in social background. It is indicated that rice and vegetables can accumulate water-soluble fluorine either in soils or in irrigating water, and different crops have different abilities of fixing fluorine. The contents of fluorine in different parts of vegetables in the fluorosis-diseased and fluorosis-free areas were statistically categorized. The results showed that the fluorine contents of roots, tubers, leaves and flowers of vegetables in the fluorosis-diseased areas are 3.56, 1.17, 3.07 and 3.23 mg/kg, respectively. However, comparisons showed that in the fluorosis-free areas, the fluorine contents are 2.17, 0.70, 1.91 and 2.52 mg/kg, respectively. Moreover, different parts of a crop also show significantly different fluorine fixation abilities. It is demonstrated that the fluorine contents of the strongly metabolic parts are relatively high. For example, the fluofine contents of roots, leaves and flowers of vegetables are much higher than those of stems. The fluorine fixation ability of seeds is very weak. In order to reduce the risk of human body＇s