Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 291 in total

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  1. Statistical and spatial analysis for soil heavy metals over the Murray-Darling river basin in Australia
    Tao H, Al-Hilali AA, Ahmed AM, Mussa ZH, Falah MW, Abed SA, et al.
    Chemosphere, 2023 Mar;317:137914.
    PMID: 36682637 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137914
    Heavy metals (HMs) are a vital elements for investigating the pollutant level of sediments and water bodies. The Murray-Darling river basin area located in Australia is experiencing severe damage to increased crop productivity, loss of soil fertility, and pollution levels within the vicinity of the river system. This basin is the most effective primary production area in Australia where agricultural productivity is increased the gross domastic product in the entire mainland. In this study, HMs contaminations are examined for eight study sites selected for the Murray-Darling river basin where the inverse Distance Weighting interpolation method is used to identify the distribution of HMs. To pursue this, four different pollution indices namely the Geo-accumulation index (Igeo), Contamination factor (CF), Pollution load index (PLI), single-factor pollution index (SPLI), and the heavy metal pollution index (HPI) are computed. Following this, the Pearson correlation matrix is used to identify the relationships among the two HM parameters. The results indicate that the conductivity and N (%) are relatively high in respect to using Igeo and PLI indexes for study sites 4, 6, and 7 with 2.93, 3.20, and 1.38, respectively. The average HPI is 216.9071 that also indicates higher level pollution in the Murray-Darling river basin and the highest HPI value is noted in sample site 1 (353.5817). The study also shows that the levels of Co, P, Conductivity, Al, and Mn are mostly affected by HMs and that these indices indicate the maximum HM pollution level in the Murray-Darling river basin. Finally, the results show that the high HM contamination level appears to influence human health and local environmental conditions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods
  2. Fulltext Machine learning algorithms for high-resolution prediction of spatiotemporal distribution of air pollution from meteorological and soil parameters
    Tao H, Jawad AH, Shather AH, Al-Khafaji Z, Rashid TA, Ali M, et al.
    Environ Int, 2023 May;175:107931.
    PMID: 37119651 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107931
    This study uses machine learning (ML) models for a high-resolution prediction (0.1°×0.1°) of air fine particular matter (PM2.5) concentration, the most harmful to human health, from meteorological and soil data. Iraq was considered the study area to implement the method. Different lags and the changing patterns of four European Reanalysis (ERA5) meteorological variables, rainfall, mean temperature, wind speed and relative humidity, and one soil parameter, the soil moisture, were used to select the suitable set of predictors using a non-greedy algorithm known as simulated annealing (SA). The selected predictors were used to simulate the temporal and spatial variability of air PM2.5 concentration over Iraq during the early summer (May-July), the most polluted months, using three advanced ML models, extremely randomized trees (ERT), stochastic gradient descent backpropagation (SGD-BP) and long short-term memory (LSTM) integrated with Bayesian optimizer. The spatial distribution of the annual average PM2.5 revealed the population of the whole of Iraq is exposed to a pollution level above the standard limit. The changes in temperature and soil moisture and the mean wind speed and humidity of the month before the early summer can predict the temporal and spatial variability of PM2.5 over Iraq during May-July. Results revealed the higher performance of LSTM with normalized root-mean-square error and Kling-Gupta efficiency of 13.4% and 0.89, compared to 16.02% and 0.81 for SDG-BP and 17.9% and 0.74 for ERT. The LSTM could also reconstruct the observed spatial distribution of PM2.5 with MapCurve and Cramer's V values of 0.95 and 0.91, compared to 0.9 and 0.86 for SGD-BP and 0.83 and 0.76 for ERT. The study provided a methodology for forecasting spatial variability of PM2.5 concentration at high resolution during the peak pollution months from freely available data, which can be replicated in other regions for generating high-resolution PM2.5 forecasting maps.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods
  3. Pollution evaluation in the Shahrood River: Do physico-chemical and macroinvertebrate-based indices indicate same responses to anthropogenic activities?
    Sharifinia M, Mahmoudifard A, Imanpour Namin J, Ramezanpour Z, Yap CK
    Chemosphere, 2016 Sep;159:584-594.
    PMID: 27343865 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.06.064
    This study evaluates the impact of anthropogenic activities on the Shahrood River using water physico-chemical variables and macroinvertebrates data sets obtained over a period of 12 months between February 2012 and February 2013 at 8 sampling sites. Biotic indices i.e. FBI and BMWP based on macroinvertebrates and physico-chemical indices (MPI, HPI and NSF-WQI) were employed to evaluate the water quality status in connection with natural- and human-induced pressures. Based on physico-chemical indices, water quality was categorized as low polluted level and it is suitable for drinking purposes. The water quality based on biotic indices was related to the anthropic activities; a clear deterioration of the water quality was observed from upstream to downstream sites. The water quality along the river changed from very good (class I; reference sites) to good (class II; midstream sites) and turned into moderate (class III) and poor (class IV) quality (downstream sites). These findings indicate that biotic indices are more powerful indicators in assessing water quality than physico-chemical indices. Allocapnia, Glossosoma and Hesperoperla were exclusively related to least disturbed sites, and Naididae, Orthocladiinae and Ecdyonurus were found in sites showing notable degradation. Our results recommended that the use of macroinvertebrates could be employed as a cost-effective tool for biomonitoring and controlling of polluted riverine ecosystems in the Middle East. Finally, the results from this study may be useful not only for developing countries, but also for any organization struggling to use macroinvertebrate based indices with restricted financial resources and knowledge.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods
  4. Historical atmospheric pollution trends in Southeast Asia inferred from lake sediment records
    Engels S, Fong LSRZ, Chen Q, Leng MJ, McGowan S, Idris M, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2018 Apr;235:907-917.
    PMID: 29353806 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.007
    Fossil fuel combustion leads to increased levels of air pollution, which negatively affects human health as well as the environment. Documented data for Southeast Asia (SEA) show a strong increase in fossil fuel consumption since 1980, but information on coal and oil combustion before 1980 is not widely available. Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) and heavy metals, such as mercury (Hg), are emitted as by-products of fossil fuel combustion and may accumulate in sediments following atmospheric fallout. Here we use sediment SCP and Hg records from several freshwater lentic ecosystems in SEA (Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore) to reconstruct long-term, region-wide variations in levels of these two key atmospheric pollution indicators. The age-depth models of Philippine sediment cores do not reach back far enough to date first SCP presence, but single SCP occurrences are first observed between 1925 and 1950 for a Malaysian site. Increasing SCP flux is observed at our sites from 1960 onward, although individual sites show minor differences in trends. SCP fluxes show a general decline after 2000 at each of our study sites. While the records show broadly similar temporal trends across SEA, absolute SCP fluxes differ between sites, with a record from Malaysia showing SCP fluxes that are two orders of magnitude lower than records from the Philippines. Similar trends in records from China and Japan represent the emergence of atmospheric pollution as a broadly-based inter-region environmental problem during the 20th century. Hg fluxes were relatively stable from the second half of the 20th century onward. As catchment soils are also contaminated with atmospheric Hg, future soil erosion can be expected to lead to enhanced Hg flux into surface waters.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  5. Prawn biomonitors of nutrient and trace metal pollution along Asia-Pacific coastlines
    Fry B, Carter JF, Tinggi U, Arman A, Kamal M, Metian M, et al.
    Isotopes Environ Health Stud, 2016 Dec;52(6):619-32.
    PMID: 26982881 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2016.1149481
    To assess coastal ecosystem status and pollution baselines, prawns were collected from the commercial catches of eight Asia-Pacific countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand). Samples collected from 21 sites along regional coastlines were analysed for trace metal and stable isotopic compositions of H, C, N, O and S. A combination of simple averaging and multivariate analyses was used to evaluate the data. Sites could be assigned to easily recognise polluted and unpolluted groups based on the prawn results. Some filter-feeding clams were also collected and analysed together with the benthic-feeding prawns, and the prawns generally had lower trace metal burdens. Climate change effects were not strongly evident at this time, but altered ocean circulation and watershed run-off patterns accompanying future climate change are expected to change chemical patterns recorded by prawns along these and other coastlines. Stable isotopes, especially (15)N, can help to distinguish between relatively polluted and unpolluted sites.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  6. Fulltext Cryptic footprints of rare earth elements on natural resources and living organisms
    Adeel M, Lee JY, Zain M, Rizwan M, Nawab A, Ahmad MA, et al.
    Environ Int, 2019 06;127:785-800.
    PMID: 31039528 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.03.022
    BACKGROUND: Rare earth elements (REEs) are gaining attention due to rapid rise of modern industries and technological developments in their usage and residual fingerprinting. Cryptic entry of REEs in the natural resources and environment is significant; therefore, life on earth is prone to their nasty effects. Scientific sectors have expressed concerns over the entry of REEs into food chains, which ultimately influences their intake and metabolism in the living organisms.

    OBJECTIVES: Extensive scientific collections and intensive look in to the latest explorations agglomerated in this document aim to depict the distribution of REEs in soil, sediments, surface waters and groundwater possibly around the globe. Furthermore, it draws attention towards potential risks of intensive industrialization and modern agriculture to the exposure of REEs, and their effects on living organisms. It also draws links of REEs usage and their footprints in natural resources with the major food chains involving plants, animals and humans.

    METHODS: Scientific literature preferably spanning over the last five years was obtained online from the MEDLINE and other sources publishing the latest studies on REEs distribution, properties, usage, cycling and intrusion in the environment and food-chains. Distribution of REEs in agricultural soils, sediments, surface and ground water was drawn on the global map, together with transport pathways of REEs and their cycling in the natural resources.

    RESULTS: Fourteen REEs (Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, La, Lu, Nd, Pr, Sm, Tb, Th and Yb) were plighted in this study. Wide range of their concentrations has been detected in agricultural soils (<15.9-249.1 μg g-1) and in groundwater (<3.1-146.2 μg L-1) at various sites worldwide. They have strong tendency to accumulate in the human body, and thus associated with kidney stones. The REEs could also perturb the animal physiology, especially affecting the reproductive development in both terrestrial and aquatic animals. In plants, REEs might affect the germination, root and shoot development and flowering at concentration ranging from 0.4 to 150 mg kg-1.

    CONCLUSIONS: This review article precisely narrates the current status, sources, and potential effects of REEs on plants, animals, humans health. There are also a few examples where REEs have been used to benefit human health. However, still there is scarce information about threshold levels of REEs in the soil, aquatic, and terrestrial resources as well as living entities. Therefore, an aggressive effort is required for global action to generate more data on REEs. This implies we prescribe an urgent need for inter-disciplinary studies about REEs in order to identify their toxic effects on both ecosystems and organisms.

    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  7. Atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Asia: a review from 1999 to 2004
    Chang KF, Fang GC, Chen JC, Wu YS
    Environ Pollut, 2006 Aug;142(3):388-96.
    PMID: 16343719
    Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are present in both gaseous and particulate phases. These compounds are considered to be atmospheric contaminants and are human carcinogens. Many studies have monitored atmospheric particulate and gaseous phases of PAH in Asia over the past 5 years. This work compares and discusses different sample collection, pretreatment and analytical methods. The main PAH sources are traffic exhausts (AcPy, FL, Flu, PA, Pyr, CHR, BeP) and industrial emissions (BaP, BaA, PER, BeP, COR, CYC). PAH concentrations are highest in areas of traffic, followed by the urban sites, and lowest in rural sites. Meteorological conditions, such as temperature, wind speed and humidity, strongly affect PAH concentrations at all sampling sites. This work elucidates the characteristics, sources and distribution, and the healthy impacts of atmospheric PAH species in Asia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  8. Critical review on airborne microplastics: An indoor air contaminant of emerging concern
    Kek HY, Tan H, Othman MHD, Nyakuma BB, Ho WS, Sheng DDCV, et al.
    Environ Res, 2024 Mar 15;245:118055.
    PMID: 38154562 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.118055
    Airborne Microplastics (MPs), an emerging environmental issue, have gained recent attention due to their newfound presence in indoor environments. Utilizing the Web of Science database for literature collection, the paper presents a comprehensive review of airborne MPs including emission sources, assessment methods, exposure risks, and mitigation strategies. This review delves into the diverse sources and mechanisms influencing indoor airborne MP pollution, underscoring the complex interplay between human activities, ventilation systems, and the characteristics of indoor environments. Major sources include the abrasion of synthetic textiles and the deterioration of flooring materials, with factors like carpeting, airflow, and ventilation significantly impacting MP levels. Human activities, such as increased movement in indoor spaces and the intensive use of plastic-based personal protective equipment (PPE) post-pandemic, notably elevate indoor MP concentrations. The potential health impacts of airborne MPs are increasingly concerning, with evidence suggesting their role in respiratory, immune, and nervous system diseases. Despite this, there is a scarcity of information on MPs in diverse indoor environments and the inhalation risks associated with the frequent use of PPE. This review also stresses the importance of developing effective strategies to reduce MP emissions, such as employing HEPA-filtered vacuums, minimizing the use of synthetic textiles, and enhancing indoor ventilation. Several future research directions were proposed, including detailed temporal analyses of indoor MP levels, interactions of MP with other atmospheric pollutants, the transport dynamics of inhalable MPs (≤10 μm), and comprehensive human exposure risk assessments.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods
  9. Scattering noise estimation of range-gated imaging system in turbid condition
    Tan C, Seet G, Sluzek A, Wang X, Yuen CT, Fam CY, et al.
    Opt Express, 2010 Sep 27;18(20):21147-54.
    PMID: 20941011 DOI: 10.1364/OE.18.021147
    The range-gated imaging systems are reliable underwater imaging system with the capability to minimize backscattering effect from turbid media. The tail-gating technique has been developed to fine tune the signal to backscattering ratio and hence improve the gated image quality. However, the tail-gating technique has limited image quality enhancement in high turbidity levels. In this paper, we developed a numerical model of range-gated underwater imaging system for near target in turbid medium. The simulation results matched the experimental work favorably. Further investigation using this numerical model shows that the multiple scattering components of the backscattering noise dominate for propagation length larger than 4.2 Attenuation Length (AL). This has limited the enhancement of tail-gating technique in high turbidity conditions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  10. Locating fish bomb blasts in real-time using a networked acoustic system
    Showen R, Dunson C, Woodman GH, Christopher S, Lim T, Wilson SC
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2018 Mar;128:496-507.
    PMID: 29571401 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.01.029
    Results are presented of a demonstration of real-time fish blast location in Sabah, Malaysia using a networked hydroacoustic array based on the ShotSpotter gunshot location system. A total of six acoustic sensors - some fixed and others mobile - were deployed at ranges from 1 to 9 km to detect signals from controlled test blasts. This allowed the blast locations to be determined to within 60 m accuracy, and for the calculated locations to be displayed on a map on designated internet-connected computers within 10 s. A smaller three-sensor system was then installed near Semporna in Eastern Sabah that determined the locations of uncontrolled blasts set off by local fishermen. The success of these demonstrations shows that existing technology can be used to protect reefs and permit more effective management of blast fishing activity through improved detection and enforcement measures and enhanced community engagement.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  11. Accumulation of trace metals in the embryos and hatchlings of Chelonia mydas from Peninsular Malaysia incubated at different temperatures
    Ikonomopoulou MP, Olszowy H, Francis R, Ibrahim K, Whittier J
    Sci Total Environ, 2013 Apr 15;450-451:301-6.
    PMID: 23500829 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.031
    A variety of trace metals were measured in the egg contents of three clutches of Chelonia mydas collected from Kuala Terengganu state in Peninsular Malaysia. We quantified Mn, Cu, Zn, Se (essential trace metals) and As (anthropogenic pollutant) at several developmental stages obtained by incubating eggs at two different temperatures (27 °C and 31 °C). The incubation temperatures were chosen because they produce predominantly male or predominantly female hatchlings, respectively. The eggs were removed from the sand and washed before being placed in incubators, to ensure that the only possible source of the detected metals was maternal transfer. Other metals: Mo, Co, Ni, Cd, Sn, Sb, Hg, Tl and Pb (all non-essential metals) were detected at concentrations below the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ). Trace metal concentrations, particularly [Zn], increased during development, other metals (Cu, As, Se and Cr) accumulated to a lesser degree than zinc but no significant differences were observed between the incubation temperatures at any stage of incubation. To date, only a few studies on trace metals in turtle embryos and hatchlings have been reported; this study will provide basic knowledge on the accumulation of trace metals during development at two different incubation temperatures.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  12. River sediment metal and nutrient variations along an urban-agriculture gradient in an arid austral landscape: implications for environmental health
    Dalu T, Wasserman RJ, Wu Q, Froneman WP, Weyl OLF
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Jan;25(3):2842-2852.
    PMID: 29143261 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0728-1
    The effect of metals on environmental health is well documented and monitoring these and other pollutants is considered an important part of environmental management. Developing countries are yet to fully appreciate the direct impacts of pollution on aquatic ecosystems and as such, information on pollution dynamics is scant. Here, we assessed the temporal and spatial dynamics of stream sediment metal and nutrient concentrations using contaminant indices (e.g. enrichment factors, pollution load and toxic risk indices) in an arid temperate environment over the wet and dry seasons. The mean sediment nutrient, organic matter and metal concentration were highest during the dry season, with high values being observed for the urban environment. Sediment contaminant assessment scores indicated that during the wet season, the sediment quality was acceptable, but not so during the dry season. The dry season had low to moderate levels of enrichment for metals B, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mg, K and Zn. Overall, applying the sediment pollution load index highlighted poor quality river sediment along the length of the river. Toxic risk index indicated that most sites posed no toxic risk. The results of this study highlighted that river discharge plays a major role in structuring temporal differences in sediment quality. It was also evident that infrastructure degradation was likely contributing to the observed state of the river quality. The study contributes to our understanding of pollution dynamics in arid temperate landscapes where vast temporal differences in base flow characterise the riverscape. Such information is further useful for contrasting sediment pollution dynamics in aquatic environments with other climatic regions.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  13. Fulltext A comparative study of adult mosquito trapping using dry ice and yeast generated carbon dioxide
    Oli K, Jeffery J, Vythilingam I
    Trop Biomed, 2005 Dec;22(2):249-51.
    PMID: 16883295 MyJurnal
    Adult mosquito collections were conducted for 12 weeks in two residential areas in Kuala Lumpur. The CDC light traps were compared using dry ice and yeast as sources of carbon dioxide attractants for mosquitoes. The efficacy of the dry ice baited trap was significant over yeast generated CO2 trap. The predominant species obtained were Culex quinquefasciatus, Stegomyia albopicta and Armigeres subalbatus.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  14. Occurrence of Heavy Metals in Groundwater Along the Lithological Interface of K/T Boundary, Peninsular India: A Special Focus on Source, Geochemical Mobility and Health Risk
    Chandrasekar T, Keesari T, Gopalakrishnan G, Karuppannan S, Senapathi V, Sabarathinam C, et al.
    Arch Environ Contam Toxicol, 2021 Jan;80(1):183-207.
    PMID: 33392777 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-020-00803-1
    Evaluation of the hydrogeochemical processes governing the heavy metal distribution and the associated health risk is important in managing and protecting the health of freshwater resources. This study mainly focused on the health impacts due to the heavy metals pollution in a known Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) contact region (Tiruchinopoly, Tamilnadu) of peninsular India, using various pollution indices, statistical, and geochemical analyses. A total of 63 samples were collected from the hard rock aquifers and sedimentary formations during southwest monsoon and analysed for heavy metals, such as Li, Be, Al, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba, pb, Mn, Fe, Cr, Zn, Ga, Cu, As, Ni, and Co. Ba was the dominant element that ranged from 441 to 42,638 μg/l in hard rock aquifers, whereas Zn was the major element in sedimentary formations, with concentrations that ranged from 44 to 118,281 μg/l. The concentrations of Fe, Ni, Cr, Al, Cr, and Ni fell above the permissible limit in both of the formations. However, the calculated heavy metal evaluation index (HEI), heavy metal pollution index (HPI), and the degree of contamination (Cd) parameters were higher in the sedimentary formation along the contact zone of the K/T boundary. Excessive health risks from consumption of contaminated groundwater were mostly confined to populations in the northern and southwestern regions of the study area. Carcinogenic risk assessment suggests that there are elevated risks of cancer due to prolonged consumption of untreated groundwater. Ba, Sr, and Zn were found to be geochemically highly mobile due to the partitioning between the rock matrix and groundwater, aided by the formation of soluble carbonato-complexes. Factor analysis indicates that the metals are mainly derived from the host rocks and anthropogenic inputs are relatively insignificant. Overall, this study indicated that groundwater in K/T contact zones is vulnerable to contamination because of the favorable geochemical factors. Long-term monitoring of such contact zones is required to avert the potential health hazards associated with consumption of the contaminated groundwater.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  15. Deriving freshwater quality criteria for copper, cadmium, aluminum and manganese for protection of aquatic life in Malaysia
    Shuhaimi-Othman M, Nadzifah Y, Nur-Amalina R, Umirah NS
    Chemosphere, 2013 Mar;90(11):2631-6.
    PMID: 23246727 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.11.030
    Freshwater quality criteria for copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), aluminum (Al), and manganese (Mn) were developed with particular reference to aquatic biota in Malaysia, and based on USEPA's guidelines. Acute toxicity tests were performed on eight different freshwater domestic species in Malaysia, which were Macrobrachiumlanchesteri (prawn), two fish -Poeciliareticulata and Rasborasumatrana, Melanoidestuberculata (snail), Stenocyprismajor (ostracod), Chironomusjavanus (midge larvae), Naiselinguis (annelid), and Duttaphrynusmelanostictus (tadpole), to determine 96-h LC50 values for Cu, Cd, Al, and Mn. The final acute values (FAVs) for Cu, Cd, Al, and Mn were 2.5, 3.0, 977.8, and 78.3 μgL(-1), respectively. Using an estimated acute-to-chronic ratio (ACR) of 8.3, the value for final chronic value (FCV) was derived. Based on FAV and FCV, a Criterion Maximum Concentration (CMC) and a criterion Continuous Concentration (CCC) for Cu, Cd, Al, and Mn of 1.3, 1.5, 488.9, and 39.1 μgL(-1) and 0.3, 0.36, 117.8, and 9.4 μgL(-1), respectively, were derived. The results of this study provide useful data for deriving national or local water quality criteria for Cu, Cd, Al, and Mn based on aquatic biota in Malaysia. Based on LC50 values, this study indicated that R.sumatrana, M.lanchesteri, C.javanus, and N.elinguis were the most sensitive to Cu, Cd, Al, and Mn, respectively.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods
  16. Temporal and spatial changes in persistent organic pollutants in Vietnamese coastal waters detected from plastic resin pellets
    Le DQ, Takada H, Yamashita R, Mizukawa K, Hosoda J, Tuyet DA
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2016 Aug 15;109(1):320-324.
    PMID: 27262498 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.05.063
    Plastic resin pellets collected at Minh Chau island and Ba Lat estuary between 2007 and 2014 in Vietnam were analyzed for dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs). The study was carried out as part of the International Pellet Watch program for monitoring the global distribution of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Higher levels of DDTs compared to PCBs indicated agricultural inputs rather than industrial discharges in the region. Most POP concentrations on both beaches decreased over the period, with the exception of HCH isomers. Though the concentration of DDTs showed a drastic decline on both beaches between 2007/2008 and 2014, DDTs accounted for 60-80% of total DDTs, suggesting that there is still a fresh input of these chemicals in the region. This study strongly recommends further investigations to track temporal and spatial patterns of POP levels in the marine environment using plastic resin pellets.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  17. Fulltext Wet season nitrogen export from a residential stormwater pond
    Jani J, Lusk MG, Yang YY, Toor GS
    PLoS One, 2020;15(4):e0230908.
    PMID: 32236119 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230908
    Stormwater runoff is recognized as a cause of water quality degradation because it may carry nitrogen (N) and other pollutants to aquatic ecosystems. Stormwater ponds are a stormwater control measure often used to manage stormwater runoff by holding a permanent pool of water, which reduces the peak flow, magnitude of runoff volume, and concentrations of nutrients and pollutants. We instrumented the outlet of a stormwater pond in an urban residential neighbourhood in Florida, United States to (1) investigate the concentration and composition of N forms during the summer rainy season (May to September 2016), and (2) determine the bioavailability of organic N in the stormwater pond with a bioassay experiment. A total of 144 outflow water samples over 13 storm events were collected at the outlet of the stormwater pond that collects runoff from the residential catchment. Samples were analysed for various inorganic N [ammonium (NH4-N), nitrate (NO3-N)], and organic N forms [dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and particulate organic nitrogen (PON)]. Flow-weighted mean concentration of total N (TN) in pond outflow for all collected storm events was 1.3±1.42 mg L-1, with DON as the dominant form (78%), followed by PON and NO3-N (each at 8%), and NH4-N (6%). In the bioassay experiment, organic N (DON+PON) was significantly decreased by 25-28% after 5 days of incubation, suggesting that a portion of the DON carried from the pond outflow to receiving water bodies may be bioavailable. These results suggest that efforts to mitigate stormwater N outflows from urban ponds should incorporate both inorganic and organic N in management plans.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods
  18. The use of feather as an indicator for heavy metal contamination in house crow (Corvus splendens) in the Klang area, Selangor, Malaysia
    Janaydeh M, Ismail A, Zulkifli SZ, Bejo MH, Aziz NA, Taneenah A
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2016 Nov;23(21):22059-22071.
    PMID: 27541152
    The Klang area of Peninsular Malaysia has experienced rapid industrial growth with intense activities, which can increase the concentration of pollutants in the environment that significantly impact on habitats and the human health. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of selected heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, and Pb) in the heart, lung, brain, liver, kidney, muscle tissues, and feathers of house crow, Corvus splendens, in Klang, Peninsular Malaysia. House crow samples were collected from the Klang area through the Department of Public Health at Majlis Perbandaran Klang. Quantitative determination of heavy metals was carried out using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The result shows the presence of heavy metals in all biological samples of house crows. For heavy metals in all the house crow tissues analyzed, Fe concentrations were the highest, followed by those of Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni. The feathers and kidney accumulated high concentrations of Pb, whereas the liver accumulated high concentrations of essential heavy metals (Fe > Zn > Cu > Ni). Significant variations were also detected in the concentrations of Pb among adult and juvenile and male and female bird samples. The results also revealed significant positive correlations between Pb metal concentration in the breast feathers and all internal organs. Accumulation of toxic heavy metals in feathers reflected storing and elimination processes, while the accumulation of toxic heavy metals in the kidney can be consequential to chronic exposure. The present study clearly shows the usefulness of house crow breast feather as a suitable indicator for heavy metal accumulation in the internal organs of house crows in the Klang area.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  19. Asia-Pacific mussel watch: monitoring contamination of persistent organochlorine compounds in coastal waters of Asian countries
    Monirith I, Ueno D, Takahashi S, Nakata H, Sudaryanto A, Subramanian A, et al.
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2003 Mar;46(3):281-300.
    PMID: 12604061
    Contamination of persistent organochlorines (OCs) such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), DDT and its metabolites (DDTs), HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane) isomers (HCHs), chlordane compounds (CHLs), and HCB (hexachlorobenzene) were examined in mussels collected from coastal waters of Asian countries such as Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Far East Russia, Singapore, and Vietnam in 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001 to elucidate the contamination status, distribution and possible pollution sources and to assess the risks on aquatic organisms and human. OCs were detected in all mussels collected from all the sampling sites investigated. Considerable residue levels of p,p(')-DDT and alpha-HCH were found in mussels and the concentrations of DDTs and HCHs found in mussels from Asian developing countries were higher than those in developed nations suggesting present usage of DDTs and HCHs along the coastal waters of Asian developing countries. On the other hand, lower concentrations of PCBs detected in mussels from Asian developing countries than those in developed countries indicate that PCBs contamination in mussels is strongly related to industrial and activities. To our knowledge, this is a first comprehensive report on monitoring OCs pollution in the Asia-Pacific region.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods*
  20. Geographical distribution of non-PBDE-brominated flame retardants in mussels from Asian coastal waters
    Isobe T, Ogawa SP, Ramu K, Sudaryanto A, Tanabe S
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2012 Sep;19(8):3107-17.
    PMID: 22875421 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-012-0945-6
    Hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs), 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) used as alternatives for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are also persistent in the environment as PBDEs. Limited information on these non-PBDE brominated flame retardants (BFRs) is available; in particular, there are only few publications on environmental pollution by these contaminants in the coastal waters of Asia. In this regard, we investigated the contamination status of HBCDs, BTBPE, and DBDPE in the coastal waters of Asia using mussels as a bioindicator. Concentrations of HBCDs, BTBPE, and DBDPE were determined in green (Perna viridis) and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) collected from the coastal areas in Cambodia, China (mainland), SAR China (Hong Kong), India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam on 2003-2008. BTBPE and DBDPE were analyzed using GC-MS, whereas HBCDs were determined by LC-MS/MS. HBCDs, BTBPE, and DBDPE were found in mussels at levels ranging from <0.01 to 1,400, <0.1 to 13, and <0.3 to 22 ng/g lipid wt, respectively. Among the three HBCD diastereoisomers, α-HBCD was the dominant isomer followed by γ- and β-HBCDs. Concentrations of HBCDs and DBDPE in mussels from Japan and Korea were higher compared to those from the other Asian countries, indicating extensive usage of these non-PBDE BFRs in Japan and Korea. Higher levels of HBCDs and DBDPE than PBDEs were detected in some mussel samples from Japan. The results suggest that environmental pollution by non-PBDE BFRs, especially HBCDs in Japan, is ubiquitous. This study provides baseline information on the contamination status of these non-PBDE BFRs in the coastal waters of Asia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Environmental Monitoring/methods
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