Sorption–desorption of dimethoate in urban soils and potential environmental impacts

The 137Cs (t1/2 =30 years) is a principal radioisotope that was artificially introduced into the environment through the atmospheric bomb tests took place from the middle of the 1940s to the 1980s and from the major nuclear accidents (i.e., Chernobyl, 1986 and Fukushima, 2011). From the atmosphere, 137Cs easily adsorbs to particles and it returns to lithosphere (pedosphere) by wet and dry deposition as a radioactive fallout component. Due to the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the released contaminated air mass, containing Cs-137, largely propagated, deposited, and distributed across several European countries in the ambient environment (Balonov et al., 1996). These particles also reached houses (e.g. through open windows, cracks, and vents) in an urban environment and deposited inside resulting in the exposition of the habitants to 137Cs, especially in areas that are not accessible for a regular cleaning like attics. Following the nuclear accidents, primary attention was drawn to agricultural areas and less attention was paid to urban environments. Accordingly, the goal of this study is to compare the 137Cs activity in attic dust as undisturbed samples, and urban soils as disturbed environmental materials to determine the 137Cs distribution in urban environment.&#160;Attic dust (AD) samples were collected from 14 houses, which were built between 1900 and 1990 14 urban soil (US) samples were collected nearby the houses at a depth of 0-15 cm in Salg&#243;tarj&#225;n, a former industrial city. To obtain a representative local undisturbed soil sample, a forest soil sample was collected from the upwind direction (NW) of the city. To check the 137Cs content of the local industrial waste material, we also collected fly-ash slag sample from a waste dump. &#160;&#160;AD and US samples were analyzed by a well-type HPGe and with an n-type coaxial HPGe detector in a low background iron chamber, respectively.Cs-137 activity in the studied AD ranges from 5.51&#177;0.9 to 165.9&#177;3.6 Bq&#160;kg-1, with a mean value of 75.4&#177;2.5 Bq&#160;kg-1 (decay corrected in 2016). In contrast, US samples show 137Cs activity ranging between 2.3&#177;0.4 and 13.6&#177;0.6 Bq&#160;kg-1. &#160;The brown forest soil sample has elevated 137Cs activity concentration (18.5&#177;0.6 Bq&#160;kg-1), compared to the urban soils. The fly-ash slags activity is below the detection limit (0.7&#177;0.5 Bq kg-1).The average 137Cs activity in AD is ~15 times higher than that of US. This result clearly indicates that attic area provides a protected (hardly or unchanged) environment, therefore physical condition of the dust remains constant in time, and there is a small chance for chemical reaction. Forest soil proves that US were highly disturbed by anthropogenic activity. This is supported by fly-ash slag activity results. &#160;Whereas, 137Cs activity concentration of the AD samples shows significantly higher than that of the studied soils in Hungary. This confirms again US cannot show the historical atmospheric 137Cs pollution such as attic dust. A statistically significant relationship (p=0.003, r2=0.05) were found between the AD and US samples. Therefore, it can be considered that attic dust remained undisturbed for decades and preserve past record of components of atmospheric pollution.&#160;&#160;

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Determination of the content of heavy metals in soils and plants of urban ecosystems (Kaliningrad, Russia)

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-6610 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nataliia Chupakhina ◽

Pavel Maslennikov ◽

Pavel Feduraev ◽

Luba Skrypnik ◽

Galina Chupakhina

Keyword(s):

Urban Environment ◽

Woody Plants ◽

Urban Soils ◽

Agricultural Landscape ◽

Fluorescence Analysis ◽

Soil Samples ◽

Soil Horizon ◽

X Ray ◽

Accumulation Of Metals ◽

Maximum Content

The purpose of this work is to investigate the accumulation of metals in urban soils of the main geochemical landscapes of the urban environment and in plants growing in these areas. The paper presents the results of a study of the accumulation of metals (Cu, Pb, As, Co, Cr, V, Zn, Mn, Sr, Ni, Ca, Fe) in the accumulative soil horizon of the main functional zones of Kaliningrad (agricultural landscape, residential, industrial and municipal). As a control, we used the landscape of recreation and recreation. The accumulation of elements in the soil and leaves of plants during the growing season and calendar period (year) was studied. The content of TM was determined in the leaves of woody, shrubby and herbaceous plants (22 species) of the urban environment of the city of Kaliningrad.The metal content in the samples was determined by X-ray fluorescence analysis on the Spectroscan Max-G device. Soil samples were taken from the upper accumulative horizon with a thickness of 0 to 10 cm by the envelope method. The content of TM in the samples was determined by X-ray fluorescence analysis on the device " Spectroscan Max-G "("Spektron", Russia). Soil samples for analysis were prepared in accordance with the M049-P/10 method.In urban soils, a significant excess of background concentrations of lead, manganese, zinc, copper, strontium and nickel (Pb>Cu>Zn>Mn>Sr>Ni) was found. The maximum content of pollutants in urban soils was observed in industrial and residential multi-storey areas with increased transport load. It is shown that the pH of the soil has the greatest influence on the distribution of metals in the accumulative horizon.The absorption of elements by plants is species-specific. The highest total level of metals (Mn, Fe, Zn, Sr, Br, Rb) was observed in the leaves of woody plants: holly maple, hanging birch and heart-shaped linden. Of the studied elements, the plants most accumulated manganese and iron. The accumulation of manganese in the leaves is more characteristic of woody plants than of shrubs or grasses. The maximum content of Mn was found in the leaves of holly maple (79.5%), in the leaves of other plants, manganese accumulated significantly less actively (2.7 - 35.6%). The predominant accumulation of iron was observed in the leaves of white clover, wrinkled rose and crowned chub, its content in the leaves was 81.0&#8212;83.8 %. Among woody species, the maximum concentration of iron was found in the leaves of heart-shaped linden (69.9 %) and hanging birch (53.4%). Among the species that actively accumulate Zn &#8212; black poplar (32.5 %), in the leaves of other plants, the zinc content is 2.2 &#8212; 16.8% of the total pollutants. The highest content of strontium was found in samples of meadow clover (19.1 %), in the leaves of other plants the proportion of metal was significantly lower (1.8&#8212;11.4%). Analysis of the accumulation of metals in the leaves of the studied plants revealed a positive correlation between the content of Fe and Sr (r = 0.71).&#160;

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Urban soils and human health

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11255 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Claudio Bini ◽

Mohammad Wahsha

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Urban Environment ◽

Urban Soils ◽

Environmental Geochemistry ◽

Essential Elements ◽

Industrial Emissions ◽

Potentially Harmful Elements ◽

Local Topography ◽

Living Organisms ◽

Scientific Topic

Since the dawn of civilization, the anthropic activity has lead to a legacy of increased land degradation/contamination. Potentially harmful elements (PHEs) are among the most effective environmental contaminants, and their release into the environment is rising since the last decades. Interest in trace elements has been increased as a major scientific topic over the last 50 years when it was realized that some elements were essential to human health (e.g., Fe, Cu, Zn). In contrast, some others were toxic (e.g., As, Hg, Pb), and likely responsible for serious human diseases and lethal consequences. Since that time, great progress in knowledge of links between environmental geochemistry and human health has been achieved. The urban environment (nowadays the main habitat for the human population) is a potential PHEs source, with high risk for residents&#8217; health. Indeed, PHEs concentration and distribution are related to traffic intensity, distance from roads, local topography, and heating. Industrial emissions also contribute to the release of toxic elements. Understanding the extent, distribution and fate of PHEs in the urban environment is therefore imperative to address the sustainable management of urban soils and gardens in relation to human health.Despite the extensive researches addressed to this topic, the effects of most trace metals on human health are not yet fully understood. Uncertainty is still prevailing, particularly with non-essential elements that are &#8220;suspected&#8221; to be harmful to humans, causing severe health problems as intoxication, neurological disturbances and also cancer. Some of them (e.g., As, Cd, Hg, Pb) have attracted most attention worldwide due to their toxicity towards living organisms. Other elements (Al, B, Be, Bi, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sb, Sn, Tl, V, W) are likely harmful, but may play some beneficial functions not yet well known, and should be more investigated.Keywords: Urban soils; PHEs; Human health

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Urban soils: the results of the study of the territory of the city of Ekaterinburg

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/937/2/022004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 937 (2) ◽

pp. 022004

Author(s):

O Mezenina ◽

A Mihailova ◽

M Kuzmina ◽

A Grigorieva

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Urban Environment ◽

Land Management ◽

Urban Soils ◽

The State ◽

Actual Distribution ◽

Economic Mechanism ◽

Complete Study ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

Abstract In this article, we will consider the interesting, in our opinion, presented data of practitioners and scientists in terms of studying the formation and composition of urban soils, which is the most objective and stable indicator of man-made pollution, it clearly reflects the spread of pollutants and their actual distribution in the components of the urban environment. In this article, we have only shown the results of the analysis of the soils of g.For the period of the last 10 years, it is possible that for conclusions about the impact of the existing situation of the city territory on the entire environment, a more complete study of not only the chemical composition of soils, but also the impact of the economic mechanism of land management on the state of the city is necessary, the authors have not yet set themselves such a task.

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Development of a Product Screening Protocol to Minimize Marine Environmental Impacts of Oil Production Chemicals Used Offshore

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1992.0080 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 85-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

E. A. Vik ◽

J. D. Berg ◽

S. Bakke ◽

G. D. Øfjord ◽

M. Reinhard

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

High Performance ◽

Water Distribution ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Environmental Fate ◽

Gas Production ◽

Distribution Factor ◽

Screening Protocol ◽

Oil Water

This paper presents the initial results of a research project initiated by Conoco Norway, Inc. (CNI) late in 1989. The objective of the project is to develop a screening protocol for determining the potential environmental impacts of five types of chemicals typically used in offshore oil and gas production operations in the North Sea. The protocol includes tests for determination of bioaccumulation potential, oil-water distribution factor, biodegradation potential, and toxicity. When fully developed, the protocol represents one possible approach to implementing the proposed PARCOM standard testing program. Only the results for the bioaccumulation potential and oil-water distribution factor are presented here. For determination of bioaccumulation potential, the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) is recommended. The oil-water distribution factor can be determined by surrogate parameters as total organic carbon (TOC), UV-absorption or gas chromatography (GC). This factor is critical in sample preparation and evaluation of the environmental fate and effect of oilfield chemicals. Both acute and chronic toxicity should be taken into consideration for evaluation of toxicity. The ratio between the highest likely concentration of the chemical in the environment (Potential Environmental Concentrations - PEC) and the lowest concentration, at which harmful effects are likely to be observed (Minimum Adverse Effect Concentration - MAEC) gives the size of the apparent margin of safety.

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Phytoremediation: Nature based solution for contaminated urban soils

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-828 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Zorana Hrkic Ilic ◽

Marijana Kapovic Solomun ◽

Nada Sumatic

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Urban Environment ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Tree Species ◽

Urban Population ◽

Urban Soils ◽

Community Gardens ◽

Urban Green ◽

Green Areas ◽

Urban Green Infrastructure

Abstract: Rapid growth of urban population and consequential increasing traffic, construction of buildings, roads, industrial areas, affects urban soils as well as urban environment in general. Urban soils differ from the natural soils by their disturbed structure resulting from waste disposal, construction sites, pollution from atmospheric deposition, traffic and industrial activities. Mismanagement of urban environment can cause severe contamination of green areas in cities, with serious health risk for urban population. To prevail those issues and improve the sustainability of urban green areas, innovative and nature based solutions (NBS) should gain more attention, particularly those easily applied such as tree-based phytoremediation. Unlike traditional remediation techniques that are expensive, very demanding and can cause secondary pollution, tree-based phytoremediation is NBS with wide spectrum of application. It is low-cost technique, based on urban green infrastructure (parks, alleys, community gardens) and has numerous benefits reflected throught sustainable management of urban soils and improvement of general environmental, health, social and economic conditions for urban population. Primarly, urban green infrastructure consist of different tree species capable to mitigate soil contamination, especially contamination with toxic heavy metals (HMs). Regeneration of urban ecosystems based on the role of tree species is connected to ability of trees to retain, uptake and decompose pollutants (including HMs) from contaminated urban soils, enabling their re-use process and turning them into green and environmental friendly areas. Taking into account advantages of phytoremediation technique, the aim of this paper is to present concentration of some HMs (cadmium, lead and zinc) in urban soils of cities accross Bosnia and Herzegovina and look into phytoremediation potential of common urban tree species: horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) and planetree (Platanus &#215; acerifolia (Aiton) Willd.). Results showed high phytoremediation potential of above mentioned tree species, which opens space for further research and introduction of this NBS for remediation of many severely polluted urban soils, drawing attention to better-understood urban sustainability and importance of application of phytoremediation as NBS on local level.Key words: nature-based solutions, phytoremediation, urban soil, trees, heavy metals

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Biological Restoration of Urban Soils after De-Sealing Interventions

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11030190 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 190

Author(s):

Anita Maienza ◽

Fabrizio Ungaro ◽

Silvia Baronti ◽

Ilaria Colzi ◽

Laura Giagnoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Environment ◽

Urban Soils ◽

Fertility Restoration ◽

Biological Indicators ◽

Environmental Costs ◽

Urban Greening ◽

Plant Leaves ◽

Environment Quality ◽

Biological Quality ◽

Ornamental Shrub

Most urban greening interventions involve soil de-sealing and management to enhance fertility. Management typically requires translocating fertile topsoil to the site, which comes at great environmental costs. We hypothesized that de-sealed urban soils would undergo an increase of their fertility without exogenous topsoil application. We assessed experimental plots with de-sealed soil with topsoil, and de-sealed soil without topsoil. Both treatments were vegetated with two ornamental shrub species and irrigated. Soil fertility was analyzed by chemical (total and organic carbon) and biological indicators of soils (biological quality index and microbial activities). Since metal contamination is related to urban de-sealed soil, we also monitored the concentration of Zn, Cu and Pb in soil and detected it in plant leaves. The results demonstrate that de-sealed urban soils rapidly restore their biological quality and fertility. Restoration of de-sealing soils can contribute to the recent growing interest reclamation of urban soils for improving the urban environment quality through the restoration of soil functions and related ecosystem services. Overall, the results of this study demonstrate that de-sealed soils can improve their functionality and can contribute to the recent growing interest in reclamation of urban soils for improving the urban environment quality.

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Environmental Impacts of Urbanism

The Physical Geography of South America ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195313413.003.0029 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Jorgelina Hardoy ◽

David Satterthwaite

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Urban Environment ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Physical Environment ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Global Climate ◽

Art Music ◽

Environmental Implications ◽

Human Habitation ◽

English Speaking World

This chapter describes the environmental impacts of urbanization in South America, and the difficulties that governments have had in managing them. The discussion focuses initially on the rapid urbanization of the continent and its environmental implications and then reviews the quality of the urban environment within the homes and neighbourhoods in which the urban population lives, in the workplace, and in the wider city (the ambient environment). The environmental impacts of these urban areas on their surroundings are then described and their wider and more diffuse impacts considered, including an evaluation of global climate change. Lastly, some of the new directions taken by governments in the region toward addressing these problems are noted. Table 20.1 provides a summary of the main city-related environmental problems in terms of their spatial context and the nature of the hazard or problem. The urban environment is taken to mean the physical environment in urban areas, with its complex mix of natural elements (including air, water, land, climate, flora, and fauna) and the built environment, in other words a physical environment constructed or modified for human habitation and activity encompassing buildings, infrastructure, and urban open spaces (Haughton and Hunter, 1994; OECD, 1990). Its quality is much influenced by: (1) its geographical setting; (2) the scale and nature of human activities and structures within it; (3) the wastes and emissions these activities create and their environmental impacts; and (4) the competence and accountability of the institutions elected, appointed, or delegated to manage it. In summarizing the environmental impacts of urbanization, this chapter concentrates on some of the region’s most serious urban problems. However, it should always be remembered that this is also a region with rich and varied urban cultures. South America has some of the world’s finest historic cities—for instance the historic centers of Cusco, Quito, and Salvador de Bahía. The urban cultures have evolved from a long history, including a rich pre- Colombian urban history in many places (Hardoy, 2000). The cities are widely known outside South America through the literature they have inspired—for instance, for the English-speaking world, the works of Garcia Marquez, Amado, and Vargas Llosa. Its cities are also known for the art, music, and dance that they incubated and inspired.

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Riscos, vulnerabilidade e abordagem socioambiental urbana: uma reflexão a partir da RMC e de Curitiba

Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente ◽

10.5380/dma.v10i0.3102 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Francisco MENDONÇA

Keyword(s):

Urban Environment ◽

Environmental Impacts ◽

Metropolitan Area ◽

Environmental Issue ◽

Environmental System ◽

Modern Times ◽

Interdisciplinary Perspective ◽

New Concepts

A intensificação da urbanização na modernidade gerou inúmeros problemas relacionados à qualidade e às condições de vida na cidade do presente. Muitas têm sido as teorias, concepções e metodologias propostas para a compreensão da problemática ambiental urbana, mas poucas na perspectiva interdisciplinar. Neste sentido algumas novas concepções são aqui discutidas de maneira introdutória, tais como a perspectiva socioambiental do ambiente urbano, impactos, riscos e vulnerabilidade ambiental, e o SAU Sistema Ambiental Urbano. Alguns problemas observados na Região Metropolitana de Curitiba são utilizados para exemplificar o discurso. Risks, vulnerability and urban socio-environmental approach: a reflection on the CMA and Curitiba Abstract The intensification of urbanization in modern times generated numerous problems related to the quality and conditions of life in todays cities. Many have been the theories, concepts, and methodologies proposed for understanding the urban environmental issue, but few under the interdisciplinary perspective. In this sense, some new concepts are discussed here in an introductory way, such as the urban environment socio-environmental perspective; environmental impacts, risks, and vulnerability; and UES Urban Environmental System. Some problems observed in the Curitiba Metropolitan Area (CMA) are used as examples in this paper.

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Environmental Impacts of Road Vehicles

10.1039/9781788010221 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Road Vehicles

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