Carbon dioxide and radon gas hazard in the Alban Hills area (central Italy)

The sudden and catastrophic, or slow and continuous, release at surface of naturally occurring toxic gases like CO₂, H₂S and Rn poses a serious health risk to people living in geologically active regions. In general this problem receives little attention from local governments, although public concern is raised periodically when anomalous toxic-gas concentrations suddenly kill humans or livestock. For example, elevated CO₂ concentrations have been linked to the death of at least 10 people in the central Italian region of Lazio over the last 20 years, while it was the CO₂ asphyxiation of 30 cows in a heavily populated area near Rome in 1999 which prompted the present soil-gas study into the distribution of the local health risk. A detailed geochemical survey was carried out in an area of about 4 km² in the Ciampino and Marino districts, whereby a total of 274 soil-gas samples were collected and analysed for more than 10 major and trace gas species. Data were then processed using both statistical and geostatistical methods, and the resulting maps were examined in order to highlight areas of elevated risk. General trends of elevated CO₂ and Rn concentrations imply the presence of preferential pathways (i.e. faults and fractures) along which deep gases are able to migrate towards the surface. The CO₂ and Rn anomalous trends often correspond to and are usually elongated parallel to the Apennine mountain range, the controlling structural feature in central Italy. Because of this fundamental anisotropy in the factors controlling the soil-gas distribution, it was found that a geostatistical approach using variogram analysis allowed for a better interpretation of the data. With regard to the health risk to local inhabitants, it was found that although some high risk areas had been zoned as parkland, others had been heavily developed for residential purposes. For example, many new houses were found to have been built on ground which has soil-gas CO₂ concentrations of more than 70% and radon values of more than 250 kBq m⁻³. It is recommended that land-use planners incorporate soil-gas and/or gas flux measurements in environmental assessments in areas of possible risk (i.e. volcanic or structurally active areas).     

Possible refugia for reefs in times of environmental stress

This paper investigates the refuge potential of (1) upwelling areas, (2) coral areas at medium depth, and (3) offshore bank and island reefs in a scenario of increased global warming, and thus increased sea surface temperature (SST) and increased solar UV radiation. (1) Observations on coral health and water temperature in the subtropical Atlantic (Eleuthera and Cat Island, Bahamas) and Indian Ocean (Sodwana Bay, South Africa) suggest a link between cool water delivered by upwelling and coral health. After the 1998 bleaching event, caused by strong SST anomalies, coral health and recovery from the previous year's bleaching was significantly better on the narrow southern Cat Island shelf (70% of corals healthy) where the presence of cold water was observed, which was attributed to small-scale upwelling, than on the wide northern Eleuthera shelf (44% of corals healthy), where downwelling of hot bank waters was believed to have damaged corals. In South Africa, regular, short-term upwelling events in five summers reduced SST to well below bleaching level. (2) In the northern Red Sea (Safaga Bay) and in South Africa (Sodwana Bay), wide areas with either coral frameworks or non-framework communities exist. Calculations show that if the top 10 m (20 m) of the ocean became inhospitable to corals, still 50.4% (17.5%) of the coral area would remain intact in the Red Sea and 99% (40%) in South Africa. (3) Offshore bank and island reefs investigated in the Turks, Caicos, and Mouchoir Banks and Grand and Little Cayman showed high rates of mortality and coral diseases. The most remote sites (Mouchoir Bank) were not the healthiest. Refuge areas appear to exist in (1) and (2), but in (3) only if vigorous water-circulation is encountered.     

Research on Relationship Between Fluorine in Tap Water and That in Urine of Chinese Residents

In this study, the relationship between fluorine in drinking water and that in urine of urban residents in China is assessed. Fluorine concentrations in tap water and those in urine show a good correlation with a linear regression coefficient of 0. 9798, indicating that the fluorine concentrations in big cities under investigation are extremely low, and the main source of fluorine is tap water. The weather effect on the intake amount of fluorine is also discussed. When air temperature is above 15℃, people would intake more fluorine through drinking water with the rise of air temperature. When temperature is below 15℃, no remarkable relationship is observed between air temperature and the intake amount of fluorine. This phenomenon indicates that the main source of fluorine in China is tap water instead of foodstuff.     

陕西省区域环境地球化学分区

为了利用地壳元素分布特征与动植物微量元素含量间的关系,指导生态环境综合治理,借助已有的基础地球化学资料,进行陕西省地球化学分区,确定各分区的环境背景值、污染起始值、缺乏临界值、过剩值临界值,并将陕西省分为陕北、关中、陕南3个地球化学区,圈定了1个元素贫化区和2个元素富集区。提出应该在元素的缺乏和过剩的异常区内进行生物体内微量元素含量的定期检测。做到对地球化学疾病及时发现及时寻找对策,以保证人类生存环境的安全,提高生存质量。     

我国农村合作医疗的地区模式

农村合作医疗是我国农村主要的医疗保障形式。但是由于我国各地社会经济发展水平不平衡，中央政府的扶持政策也有所不同，合作医疗出现了多种不同的地区模式。高收入地区、中等收入地区及低收入地区的合作医疗在筹资方式、管理方式和补偿方式上都各有特点。     

The impact of biofuel-induced food-price inflation on dietary energy demand and dietary greenhouse gas emissions

Dramatic increases in liquid biofuel production have led to concerns about associated impacts on food prices, with many modeling studies showing significant biofuel-related price inflation. In turn, by changing patterns of food demand, biofuel production may indirectly influence greenhouse gas emissions. We estimated changes to dietary energy (calorie) demand and greenhouse gas emissions embodied in average diets under different biofuel-related food-price scenarios for Brazil, China and the United States, using food-price projections and food-price elasticities. Average energy demand decreased in all countries, from about 40 kcal per person per day in Brazil under a moderate price inflation scenario – a reduction of 1% relative to the (2009) reference scenario – to nearly 300 per day in the United States with high price inflation – almost 8% of reference levels. However, emissions per calorie increased slightly in all three countries. In terms of total greenhouse gas emissions, the results are suggestive of overall reductions only in the United States, where average reductions ranged from about 40 to 110 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per person per year. In China, the direction of impact is unclear, but the net change is likely to be small. Brazilian results were sensitive to parameter values and the direction and magnitude of impact is therefore uncertain. Despite the uncertainty, even small changes (positive or negative) in individual dietary emissions can produce large changes at the population level, arguing for the inclusion of the dietary pathway in greenhouse gas accounting of liquid biofuels.     

Assessment of human health impact from exposure to multiple air pollutants in China based on satellite observations

Assessment of human health impact caused by air pollution is crucial for evaluating environmental hazards. In this paper, concentrations of six air pollutants (PM₁₀, PM_2.5, NO₂, SO₂, O₃, and CO) were first derived from satellite observations, and then the overall human health risks in China caused by multiple air pollutants were assessed using an aggregated health risks index. Unlike traditional approach for human health risks assessment, which relied on the in-situ air pollution measurements, the spatial distribution of aggregated human health risks in China were obtained using satellite observations in this research. It was indicated that the remote sensing data have advantages over in-situ data in accessing human health impact caused by air pollution.     

异龙湖流域湿地生态系统健康评价

湿地生态系统健康状况评价为湿地资源的合理开发、生态系统的维护提供了重要的借鉴。在充分了解异龙湖流域湿地资源环境的基础上,结合湖泊湿地生态系统的概念及内涵,采用PSR(压力-状态-响应)框架模型和生态系统健康指数计算方法对研究区湿地生态系统健康状况进行评价。结果表明:(1)异龙湖流域湿地生态系统健康评价综合分值(Y)为2.8494,处于[2,3]之间,属于脆弱状态;(2)从三大指标状况来看,压力指标(P)、状态指标(S)和响应指标(R)在评价等级中的得分及表现情况分别为0.7368(脆弱状态)、1.1620(亚健康状态)和0.9506(亚健康状态);(3)人口密度、人类活动强度、单位面积化肥和农药负荷、水土流失强度、湖泊水富营养化、人们的环保意识等指标是影响流域内湿地生态系统健康状况的关键因素,人为因素占主导地位。