Increased levels of petroleum hydrocarbons in the surface sediments of Swedish coastal waters

Petroleum hydrocarbons in the sediments of the Bothnian Bay, Baltic proper, Öresund, Kattegatt and Skagerrak were analysed in a survey of oil pollution along the Swedish coast in 1974 and 1975. Sixty-one of these sediment stations were revisited in 1982 and analysed with the methods used in the first survey. The mean content of petroleum hydrocarbons (paraffin-naphthene fraction) in the sediment surface showed a statistically significant increase from 199 to 252 μg g^?1 dry wt. The main increase had taken place in the coastal areas. Within 0–20 km distance of urbanized areas (>20 000 inhabitants) petroleum hydrocarbons had increased from 371 to 447 μg g^?1. Sediment levels increased from 76 to 117 μg g^?1, 20–50 km from urbanized areas. The increase in these areas was equivalent to 0.119 g m^?2 yr^?1.     

Hydrocarbon concentrations in water and sediments from UK marine waters,determined by fluorescence spectroscopy

Between January 1978 and September 1979 samples of subsurface (1 m) water and surface sediment were collected from sites in the North Sea, English Channel, Irish Sea and a number of estuarine areas. These have been analysed by fluorescence spectroscopy (UVF) in order to provide information on the levels of hydrocarbons generally present in UK marine waters.Total hydrocarbon concentrations (THCs) of water samples ranged from 1.1–74 μg l.^?1 Ekofisk crude oil equivalents, all values greater than 3.5 μg l.^?1 occurring inshore. In offshore areas the mean THCs were: 1.3 μg l.^?1 in the northern North Sea, 1.5 μg l.^?1 in the western Channel, 2.5 μg l.^?1 in the eastern Channel and southern North Sea, and 2.6 μg l.^?1 in the Irish Sea.THCs of sediment samples ranged from 0.27–340 μ g^?1 dry weight Ekofisk crude oil equivalents, the highest concentration being in the Queen's Channel, the main entrance to the River Mersey.     

Environmental Emission of Mercury During Gold Mining by Amalgamation Process and its Impact on Soils of Gympie, Australia

— The aims of this study were to estimate the total amount of mercury released to the environment during 60 years of gold mining (1867–1926) at Gympie, Queensland, Australia and to measure the mercury levels in soil samples surrounding the mining activity. We estimated that 1902 tonnes of mercury was released to the environment and about 1236 tonnes of which was released to the air. The mean mercury in the soil samples in the vicinity of the Scottish battery varied from 1.07 to 99.26 μg g^?1 as compared to 0.075 μg g^?1 as background mercury concentrations. The maximum mercury concentration measured in sediments of the Langton Gully was 6.12 μg g^?1. These results show that large amount of mercury was used in this area during gold mining. Since mining is active in the area and Langton Gully flows into Mary River, we therefore, recommend that mercury concentration in air and fish should be monitored.     

Mercury in tropical marine organisms from north Queensland

Total mercury concentrations were determined in a variety of fish and invertebrates and two dugongs from the coastal waters of Townsville on the N.E. coast of Australia. Fish generally contained the highest levels of mercury with 50% of the sharks examined having muscle concentrations above 0.5 μg g^?1 wet weight. A significantly positive correlation was found between muscle levels and body length in sharks. Seventy per cent of the teleosts examined contained less than 0.2 μg g^?1 in their muscle tissue and only 7% were above 0.5 μg g^?1. Mercury concentrations in teleost liver were significantly positively correlated with muscle levels. Of the invertebrates examined, the cephalopod molluscs contained the highest levels although none exceeded 0.5 μg g^?1. Mercury levels in the dugong were extremely low compared with most reported values for other marine mammals. It was concluded that the area contained mercury levels slightly above those considered normal for a non-contaminated marine environment.     

Concentrations of unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in softshell clams from Coos Bay,Oregon, USA

Concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (BAP) were measured in subpopulations of softshell clams, Mya arenaria, from four intertidal sites in Coos Bay from June 1976 to June 1978. Subsequently, concentrations of 15 unsubstituted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PNAH) were determined in two subpopulations from September 1978 to August 1979. There were significant differences between BAP concentrations in clams from the four sites. For the two-year period, they were highest in clams inhabiting areas adjacent to the industrialized bayfront and lowest in clams inhabiting more remote areas. There were no significant seasonal variations in BAP concentrations during this period. During the 1978–1979 study, the average total PNAH concentration in clams from the bayfront area was 555.1 μg kg^?1 compared to 76.3 μg kg^?1 for clams from a more remote environment. In general, PNAH concentrations were lowest in the fall-winter and highest during the spring-summer.     

Trace metal levels in coastal sea water investigation of Danish waters

The concentration levels of Cd (25 ng l^?1), Cu (0.45 μg l^?1), Ni (0.48 μg l^?1), Fe (0.2–7.0 μg l^?1), Pb (40 ng l^?1) and Zn (0.80 μg l^?1) have been determined in the Danish Sounds and in the Kattegat. Different sampling techniques have been used and analyses have been carried out separately by two different investigators, both using freon-extraction followed by determination by atomic absorption spectrometry (a.a.s.). Except for iron, found mainly in the particulate phase, the metals are found predominantly in a dissolved and labile (extractable) form. The results are compared with trace metal levels found in the two main water masses entering the Kattegat—the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.     

Detection of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Agricultural Soils Receiving Biosolids Application

Increasing research has suggested that biosolids generated from municipal wastewater treatment can be a major sink for many pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and their land application potentially introduces these contaminants into the terrestrial and aquatic environments. In this study, methods were developed for the analysis of 14 PPCPs in biosolids and soils using pressurized liquid extraction, solid phase extraction and liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry. Recoveries were over 50% for all analytes except diphenhydramine (?30%) in soils. Soil properties or type of biosolids showed minor effects on method recoveries. Estimated method limits of quantification (LOQ) range from 0.1–15 ng g^–1 for soil and 0.3–27 ng g^–1 for biosolids. A field study utilizing the methods revealed that other than carbamazepine‐10,11‐epoxide, all targeted compounds were detected in biosolids. Diphenhydramine, fluoxetine, triclosan and triclocarban were detected up to the μg g^–1 range with the highest concentration of 23 μg g^–1 for triclocarban. Seven of the PCCPs found in biosolids were also detected in agricultural soils amended with these biosolids and several (carbamazepine, diphenhydramine, and triclocarban) appeared to be persistent in soils. Triclocarban was also found most abundant in soils with the highest average concentration of 0.2 μg g^–1 while the rest of compounds were in the lower ng g^–1 range. Generally, the concentrations found on the fields were 2–3 degrees of magnitude lower than in the biosolids, which is likely to be due to dilution, degradation and leaching processes.     

Phosphorus and organic carbon in the sediments of a polluted subtropical estuary,and the influence of coastal reclamation

In July 1978, total phosphorus and organic carbon were determined in the sediments of Tolo Harbour, a sewage-polluted estuary in north-east Hong Kong. Concentrations were correlated with % silt-clay in each of three areas. Phosphorus concentrations were highest in central Tolo Harbour, lower by about 1.5μg at. P g^?1 in the outer estuary, Tolo Channel, and lowest in the polluted inner reaches near large coastal reclamations. The latter values, about 3.0 μg at. P g^?1 lower than in central Tolo Harbour, might reflect a selective adsorption of phosphate by reclamation sediments. Organic carbon concentrations were high in the inner reaches and decreased towards the outer channel. Correlations between phosphorus and organic carbon were compared with a published correlation for the east coast of England: in Hong Kong, phosphorus concentrations showed a smaller increase as organic carbon increased, and reached only one-third of the English values as organic carbon approached 2.0%.     

Changes in trace metals in Thalassia testudinum after hurricane impacts

Major hurricanes Emily and Wilma hit the Mexican Caribbean in 2005. Changes in trace metals in the seagrass Thalassiatestudinum prior to (May 2004, 2005) and following passage of these hurricanes (May, June 2006) were determined at four locations along a ∼130 km long stretch of coast. Before the hurricanes, essential metals were likely limiting and concentrations of potentially toxic Pb were high in a contaminated lagoon (27.5 μg g⁻¹) and near submarine springs (6.10 μg g⁻¹); the likely sources were inland sewage disposal or excessive boat traffic. After the hurricanes, Pb decreased to 2.0 μg g⁻¹ in the contaminated lagoon probably through flushing. At the northern sites, essential Fe increased >2-fold (from 26.8 to 68.3 μg g⁻¹ on average), possibly from remobilization of anoxic sediments or upwelling of deep seawater during Wilma. Thus, hurricanes can be beneficial to seagrass beds in flushing toxic metals and replenishing essential elements.     

Depth profiles of lithogenic and anthropogenic mercury in the sediments from Thane Creek,Mumbai, India

Mercury（Hg） is well known as one of the most toxic elements to man.The coastal environments adjacent to industrial areas are reported to often be contaminated with mercury.Mercury becomes more toxic in the form of methylmercury（Me-Hg） which is converted from inorganic mercury in aqueous systems by microbial activity and can bio-magnify through the food chain.A simple method for the determination of total mercury and methylmercury in sediments was optimized by slightly modifying an old method using the direct mercury analyzer technique.Core sediment samples from Thane Creek,Mumbai,India were collected and analysed for total mercury and methylmercury.The Hg concentration in the creek varied between 0.54 to 16.03 μg g~（-1） while Me-Hg concentrations ranged between0.04 to 1.07 μg g~（-1）.In surface sediment,mercury concentrations ranged from 4.33 μg g~（-1） to 12.16μg g~（-1）.Total organic carbon content was found to be around 2 percent in different layers of the sediments.The enrichment factors,which indicate the extent of pollution in sediments,were estimated to range from 26 to 50 at different locations in the creek.Lithogenic and anthropogenic concentrations of mercury in the creek were also determined to compare the impact of anthropogenic and natural sources.Anthropogenic inventories were about 5-70 times more in concentration than the lithogenic in the different core sediments.     

Trace metal distributions in Saint John Harbour sediments

The concentration and areal distribution of selected trace metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Mo, Ni, Mn and Hg) in surficial sediments of Saint John Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada, were studied to determine the extent of anthropogenic input and to estimate the effects of dumping dredged material in the outer harbour. Hg and Cd are of especial concern, since the disposal of dredge material containing these two elements is regulated under the Ocean Dumping Control Act.The concentrations of all metals are low: Cu 16, Zn 53, Pb 24, Cd 0.16, Mo 3, Ni 16, Mn 296 and Hg 0.04 μg g^?1. Hg and Cd levels in sediments are well below the permissible limits of 0.75 and 0.6 μg g^?1, respectively, set by the Ocean Dumping Control Act.The mean concentrations of trace elements are similar to the low mean values in the unpolluted Bay of Fundy. There is an overall decline in concentrations of metals in the sediments from the inner to the outer harbour. Comparison of the metal levels in the sediments from different areas within the harbour indicate that there is a detectable anthropogenic input in the Courtenay Bay area. Trace metal levels at the dumpsite are significantly lower than in the Courtenay Bay area, where the bulk of the dredged material originates.     

Influence of Vegetation Characteristics on Soil Denitrification in Shoreline Wetlands of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in China

Soil denitrification in reservoir shoreline wetlands is an important process for removing excess inorganic nitrogen from upland runoff and controlling eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems. As yet, little is known about the influence of vegetation characteristics on the soil denitrification potential in reservoir shoreline wetlands, although vegetation can affect both denitrifying bacteria and soil properties. In this study, we measured the spatial variability of denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) using acetylene block method in shoreline wetlands of the Danjiangkou Reservoir, a water source of the South‐to‐North Water Transfer Project in China. Results indicated that DEA ranged from 0.001 to 2.449 µg N (N₂O) g^?1 h^?1, with a mean of 0.384 µg N (N₂O) g^?1 h^?1. DEA varied significantly among five representative plant communities and the highest DEA (0.248–2.449 µg N (N₂O) g^?1 h^?1) was observed in the Polygonum hydropiper community. Plant biomass and vegetation cover were significantly and positively related to DEA and together explained 44.2% of the total variance. These results suggest that vegetation characteristics should also be considered in assessing soil denitrification capacity and restoring shoreline wetlands for nitrogen pollution removal in the Danjiangkou Reservoir after dam heightening.     

Trace Metal Concentrations in Shallow Ground Water

Trace metal clean sampling and analysis techniques were used to examine the temporal patterns of Hg, Cu, and Zn concentrations in shallow ground water, and the relationships between metal concentrations in ground water and in a hydrologically connected river. Hg, Cu, and Zn concentrations in ground water ranged from 0.07 to 4.6 ng L⁻¹, 0.07 to 3.10 μg L⁻¹, and 0.17 to 2.18 μg L⁻¹, respectively. There was no apparent seasonal pattern in any of the metal concentrations. Filtrable Hg, Cu, and Zn concentrations in the North Branch of the Milwaukee River ranged from below the detection limit to 2.65 ng Hg L⁻¹,0.51 to 4.30 μg Cu L⁻¹, and 0.34 to 2.33 μg Zn L⁻¹. Thus, metal concentrations in ground water were sufficiently high to account for a substantial fraction of the filtrable trace metal concentration in the river. Metal concentrations in the soil ranged from 8 to 86 ng Hg g⁻¹, 10 to 39 μg Cu g⁻¹, and 15 to 84 μg Zn g⁻¹. Distribution coefficients, K_D, in the aquifer were 7900,22,000, and 23,000 L kg⁻¹ for Hg, Cu, and Zn, respectively. These values were three to 40 times smaller than K_D values observed in the Milwaukee River for suspended particulate matter.     

Oil pollution on the Egyptian Red Sea coast

A simple weighing method using carbon tetrachloride as solvent was used to survey the dissolved hydrocarbon and tarball levels in the area of the Egyptian Red Sea coast. The area of investigation covers the coastal area from Ras-Gharib down to the port of Qosier during the period from September 1979 to February 1981. This survey confirms the presence of extensive oil pollution in the area, especially at Ras-Gharib and Ras-Shukhair. Minimum concentrations were obtained at Ghardaqa where no dissolved hydrocarbons were detected (i.e. less than 10 μg l^?1) in 1979–1980 but an increase to 20 μg l^?1 in 1981 was recorded. The high levels of pollution recorded in the southern part of the Gulf of Suez are related to the presence of the offshore oil fields, most of which are located at Ras-Gharib.     

Some effects of sewage discharge upon phytoplankton in Hong Kong

The coastal waters of Hong Kong constitute a transition from estuarine conditions in the west to more oceanic conditions in the east, with a major discharge of untreated sewage located at the mid-point. Chlorophyll a was determined and net phytoplankton was sampled at 45 stations throughout this transition. Over a period of 20 months, chlorophyll a values rarely exceeded 2 μg l.^?1 in unpolluted coastal waters. Estuarine waters generally contained 2–6 μg l.^?1 and, in waters influenced by sewage discharge, values sometimes exceeded 20 μg l.^?1. There was no evidence of a reduction in taxonomic diversity in polluted areas except in summer, when the net phytoplankton was dominated by Chaetoceros spp. In the autumn and early winter, Skeletonema costatum was abundant in the central polluted areas.     

Mercury contamination in tropical algal species of the Island of Penang,Malaysia

An investigation on the levels of mercury contamination in one species of the Cyanophyta, 14 species of the Rhodophyta, five species of the Phaeophyta and six species of the Chlorophyta from Penang waters indicated fairly low levels of bioaccumulated total mercury content. The bioaccumulated values ranged from below the detectable level to 0.35 μg g^?1 except for Padina sp. 1 which demonstrated an amount equivalent to 1.025 μg g^?1.These results indicate that the level of mercury contamination in the marine environment of Penang island falls within an acceptable range from the viewpoint of algal biodeposition.     

Levels and distribution of organochlorine pesticides and hexachlorobutadiene in soils and terrestrial organisms from a former pesticide-producing area in Southwest China

The contamination of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) in soils, plants, and terrestrial fauna from a former pesticide-producing area in Southwest China was investigated. High levels of OCP residues (ΣHCHs and ΣDDTs of 3.89–13,386 and 23.3–11,186 ng g^?1 dw, respectively) were found in the soils within the producing factory, indicating that the former pesticide factory brownfield site poses a high environment risk and that effective soil remediation is needed. The OCP concentrations in soils surrounding the pesticide factory were 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than in the other agricultural areas from China. Grass, vegetables, and tree leaves from the surrounding areas of the point source showed moderate OCP pollution, which was likely to be causing potential negative impacts on terrestrial ecosystem. OCP levels in terrestrial species from the studied area including insects, free-range chickens and birds were moderate, and were generally within accepted safe levels. β-HCH was the most prevalent isomer, implying that hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) residues were mainly derived from the degradation of technical HCH. The dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) profiles reflected obvious degradation of technical DDT. In the study area, the concentrations of HCBD were <0.02–5.59, 0.03–24.6 ng g^?1 dw and 1.65–3.80 ng g^?1 lw in soils, plants, and animals, respectively, which were relatively low and not sufficient to cause observable adverse biological effects.     

Acute toxicity of bis(tributyltin) oxide to a marine copepod

A static renewal toxicity test was conducted to evaluate the response of the copepod Acartia tonsa to bis(tributyltin) oxide (TBTO), the active compound of recently developed antifouling paints. Copepods were individually placed in test tubes containing 4 ml of 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.7 or 3.0 μg l^?1 TBTO with acetone and seawater. Thirty copepods were used for each treatment and control condition and all solutions were renewed daily. The 96-h LC₅₀ was 1.0 μg l^?1 with a 95% confidence interval between 0.8 and 1.2 μg l^?1 TBTO. The 144-h EC₅₀ was 0.4 μg l^?1 TBTO which approaches concentrations recently measured in San Diego Bay. Some copepods exposed to 0.3 μg l^?1 TBTO became moribund after six days.     

A Dynamic Model to Simulate Arsenic,Lead, and Mercury Contamination in the Terrestrial Environment During Extreme Floods of Rivers

Beside damages of infrastructure in industrial regions, extreme floods can cause contamination with particle‐bound pollutants, e. g., due to erosion of soils and sediments. In order to predict contamination with inorganic pollutants, the transport and fate of arsenic, lead, and mercury during a fictive flood event of River Vereinigte Mulde in the region of Bitterfeld (Germany) with 200 years recurrence time was modeled. The finite element model system Telemac2D, which is subdivided into a hydrodynamic (Telemac‐2D), a transport (Subief‐2D), and a water quality module (wq2subief) was applied. The transport and water quality model models were calibrated using results of sediment trap exposures in the floodplain of River Vereinigte Mulde. Model results exhibited that the spatial patterns of particle‐associated arsenic and lead concentrations significantly changed. Extended, mostly agriculturally used areas showed arsenic and lead concentrations between 150 and 200 mg kg^–1 and 250 and 300 mg kg^–1, respectively, while urban areas were to a great extent spared from high contamination with arsenic and lead. Concentrations of particle‐associated mercury showed a pattern distinct from those of arsenic and lead. Outside of small patches with concentrations up to 63 mg kg^–1, concentrations of particle‐associated mercury remained close to zero. Differences in the spatial patterns of the three pollutants regarded mainly arise from significantly different initial and boundary conditions. Sensitivity analyses of initial and boundary conditions revealed a high sensitivity of particle‐bound pollutant concentrations, whereas the sensitivities of concentrations of suspended sediments and soluble pollutants were mediocre to negligible.     

Cyanobacterial toxins in Lake Baringo, Kenya

This paper presents data on the first identification, characterization and quantification of hepatotoxic microcystins and neurotoxic anatoxin-a in water samples of Lake Baringo, Kenya. The shallow turbid Lake Baringo was investigated five times between June 2001 and May 2002. The phytoplankton community was mainly dominated by the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. Due to the high turbidity the phytoplankton biomass was low, ranging between 1.5 and 8.2 mg L⁻¹. High mean total phosphorus concentration (1.0 mg L⁻¹) and mean total nitrogen concentration (2.8 mg L⁻¹) typical for hypertrophic lakes were found. Using HPLC technique the hepatotoxins microcystin-LR, -RR and -YR and the neurotoxin anatoxin-a were detected in the water samples. The microcystin concentrations varied from 310 to 19800 μg microcystin-LR equivalents g⁻¹ DW and the anatoxin-a concentration ranged from 270 to 1260 μg g⁻¹ DW. To our knowledge this is the first evidence of cyanobacterial toxins in Lake Baringo.