Biogeochemical Monitoring in Medical Geology

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Selinus
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Analytical Data ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Medical Work ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Annual Variations ◽  
Metal Contents ◽  
Mapping Program

How can we determine the distribution of metals and other elements in our environment? The Geological Survey of Sweden started an innovative monitoring of metals in a monitoring/mapping program in 1980. Before 1980, traditional inorganic stream sediments were used, a method still employed all over the world, but not really suitable for medical work. A new method is used, whereby metal concentrations are determined in organic material consisting of aquatic mosses and roots of aquatic higher plants. These are barrier-free with respect to trace metal uptake and reflect the metal concentrations in stream water (Brundin 1972, 1988, Kabata-Pendias,1992, Selinus 1989). Aerial parts of many plant species do not generally respond to increasing metal concentrations in the growth medium because of physiological barriers between roots and above-ground parts of plants. These barriers protect them from uptake of toxic levels of metals into the vital reproductive organs. The roots and mosses, however, respond closely to chemical variations in background levels related to different bedrock types in addition to effects of pollution. The biogeochemical samples provide information on the time-related bioavailable metal contents in aquatic plants and in the environment. One great advantage of using biogeochemical samples instead of water samples is also that the biogeochemical samples provide integrated information of the metal contents in the water for a period of some years. Water samples suffer from seasonal and annual variations depending on, for example, precipitation. The mapping program now covers about 65% of the land area of Sweden (40,000 sample sites, one sample every 6 km²), where about 80% of the population of Sweden is living. This means that there is now available an extensive analytical data base for use in environmental and medical research (Freden 1994). One example of the use of biogeochemical monitoring concerns high cadmium contents in Sweden. In noncontaminated, noncultivated soils, Cd concentration is largely governed by the amount of Cd in the parent material (Thornton 1986). If the substrate concentration is higher than in background concentrations, Cd is readily taken up by roots and is distributed throughout the plants.

scholarly journals Analytical data and sample locality map for stream water samples from the Iditarod Quadrangle, Alaska

1988 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.E. Gray ◽  
J.L. Ryder ◽  
R.F. Sanzolone ◽  
J.B. McHugh ◽  
W.H. Ficklin
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Analytical Data

scholarly journals Stable Carbon and Sulfur Isotope Characteristics of Stream Water in a Typical Karst Small Catchment, Southwest China

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 523
Author(s):  
Yang Tang ◽  
Ruiyin Han
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Chemical Weathering ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Small Catchment ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Δ13c Value ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Sources Of Solutes ◽  
Surface Water Samples

Surface water samples from the Maolan National Natural Reserved Park (MNNRP) were analyzed from Sept. 2013 to June 2014, for major ion concentrations (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl−, SO42−, HCO3−), δ13C-DIC and δ34S-SO42− to quantify the sources of solutes and chemical weathering. The results show that HCO3− and SO42− are the main anions in Banzhai watershed, which account for 86.2 and 10.4% of the total anion equivalent, respectively. While Ca2+ and Mg2+ account for 76.9 and 20.5%, respectively. Considerable Mg2+ in stream water indicates that it may be affected by dolomite weathering. stream water samples present the δ13C-DIC values in the range of −16.9‰~−10.8‰ (mean value was −13.9‰), which were lower than that of the groundwater. The δ34S-SO42− values ranged from −15.2‰ to 1.7‰ (mean value was −4.4‰). There was a negative correlation between HCO3− content and δ13C value, implying the result of the interaction of temperature and precipitation intensity in different seasons. The significant positive correlation between SO42− content and δ13C-DIC indicates that H2SO4 may be involved in the weathering process of carbonate rocks in small watershed scale. The content of SO42− in a school sample site was much higher than that of other sample sites for the interference from human sources. The δ34S values show that the average δ34S-SO42− in most sites is close to the δ34S isotopic values of Guizhou coal and rain, indicating that they may be affected by local coal.

scholarly journals Significance of building and plumbing specifics on trace metal concentrations in drinking water

1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 893-903 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inderjit Singh ◽  
Donald S. Mavinic
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Trace Metals ◽  
Trace Metal ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
First Flush ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Building Height ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Family House

Samples were taken from 72 high-rise apartment suites (6 suites in 12 individual high-rise towers) and 60 single-family houses located within the Greater Vancouver Regional District. The influence of the following factors on trace metal concentrations in 1-L first-flush drinking water samples and “running” hot water samples was investigated: building height, location, plumbing age, type of plumbing, and type of building. Results of this survey show that with the exception of building height, all factors had a correlation with one or more of the trace metals investigated. The trace metals examined were lead, copper, iron, and zinc. Lead was influenced primarily by building type, copper by plumbing age and type of plumbing, and iron by location. Elevated lead levels were associated with high-rise samples. New copper plumbing systems resulted in high copper levels. Highest iron levels in the drinking water were measured in the East Vancouver location. Zinc did not show a distinct correlation with any of the factors investigated. Brass faucets were the primary source of zinc in tap water. They also contributed substantially to the lead detected in the 1-L first-flush sample. Metal concentrations measured in the high-rise and house samples were compared with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (USEPA) maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) and the proposed “no-action” level for lead. In high-rise samples, the 0.01 mg/L “no-action” level proposed for lead was exceeded in 43% of the samples, and 62% of the samples exceeded the current 1.0 mg/L MCL standard for copper. In single-family house samples, these values were 47% and 73%, respectively. The average lead concentrations were 0.020 mg/L for all high-rise samples and 0.013 mg/L for house samples. Regulatory levels stated above would still be exceeded in 6% of the cases for lead and 9% of the cases for copper, even after prolonged flushing of the tap in a high-rise building. In all cases associated with single-family houses, flushing the cold water tap for 5 minutes was successful in achieving compliance levels. Key words: aggressive water, compliance, corrosive, drinking water, first-flush, GVRD, high-rise, single-family house, trace metals, USEPA.

Organic geochemical characteristics and their roles on barium enrichment in the No. 2 Coal from Huanglong Jurassic Coalfield, China

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 453-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu Yi ◽  
Lin Xiao ◽  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Dujuan Duan ◽  
Maksim G. Blokhin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Material ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Parent Material ◽  
Geochemical Characteristics ◽  
Average Content ◽  
Common World

This paper describes the organic geochemical characteristics and their roles on barium enrichment in the No. 2 Coal from Huanglong Jurassic Coalfield, China. A total of 18 bench samples were taken from Huangling Mine 2. The average content of barium (3701 mg/kg) was about 23 times higher than that of common world coals. Terrestrial higher plants were the main coal-forming parent material. Relying on the parameters of OEP, Pr/Ph and so on, there is little correlation between organic geochemical characteristics and barium enrichment. Therefore, organic material has little influence on the process of coal-forming and the enrichment of barium.

scholarly journals Effect on nitrate concentration in stream water of agricultural practices in small catchments in Brittany: I. Annual nitrogen budgets

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Ruiz ◽  
S. Abiven ◽  
P. Durand ◽  
C. Martin ◽  
F. Vertès ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Nitrate Concentration ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Nitrogen Budgets ◽  
Annual Variations ◽  
Nitrate Concentrations ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Small Catchments

Abstract. The hydrological and biogeochemical monitoring of catchments has become a common approach for studying the effect of the evolution of agricultural practices on water resources. In numerous studies, the catchment is used as a "mega-lysimeter" to calculate annual input-output budgets. However, the literature reflects two opposite interpretations of the trends of nitrate concentration in streamwater. For some authors, essentially in applied studies, the mean residence time of leached nitrate in shallow groundwater systems is much less than one year and river loads reflect annual land use while for others, nitrate is essentially transport limited, independent of soil nitrate supply in the short term and annual variations reflect changes in climatic conditions. This study tests the effect of agricultural land-use changes on inter-annual nitrate trends on stream water of six small adjacent catchments from 0.10 to 0.57 km2 in area, on granite bedrock, at Kerbernez, in Western Brittany (France). Nitrate concentrations and loads in streamwater have been monitored for nine years (1992 to 2000) at the outlet of the catchments. An extensive survey of agricultural practices from 1993 to 1999 allowed assessment of the nitrogen available for leaching through nitrogen budgets. For such small catchments, year-to-year variations of nitrate leaching can be very important, even when considering the 'memory effect' of soil, while nitrate concentrations in streamwater appear relatively steady. No correlation was found between the calculated mean nitrate concentration of drainage water and the mean annual concentration in streams, which can even exhibit opposite trends in inter-annual variations. The climatic conditions do not affect the mean concentration in streamwater significantly. These results suggest that groundwater plays an important role in the control of streamwater nitrate concentration. Keywords: nitrate, diffuse pollution, agricultural catchment, nitrogen budget, leaching, Kerbernez catchments

scholarly journals Physico-chemical properties and heavy metal contents of a tropical estuarine ecosystem, Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 781-797
Author(s):  
Paul Chinedu Echi ◽  
Daberechi Ndudim Okpechi ◽  
Janet Azu Urum ◽  
Izuchukwu Samson Arukwe
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Estuarine Ecosystem ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Metal Contents ◽  
Zinc Cadmium ◽  
Lead Zinc

Ibaka Estuarine in Mbo, Nigeria, has little or no information on its basic properties, therefore its water samples were studied from March to June 2018 in three different stations and compared with International Standards to evaluate its physic-chemical properties as well as heavy metal contents. The physic-chemical properties studied include pH, salinity (g/L), EC (μs/cm), turbidity (NTU), total suspended solids (mg/L), total dissolved solids (mg/L), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), BOD5 (mg/L), and chemical oxygen demand (mg/L). In addition, some metal concentrations of manganese, iron, copper, lead, zinc, cadmium, chloride and magnesium were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The range of metal concentrations manganese (0.08-0.12 mg/L), copper (0.05-0.09 mg/L), lead (0.01-0.03 mg/L), iron (1.86-4.66 mg/L), zinc (0.68-1.16 mg/L), cadmium (0.04-0.08 mg/L), chloride (675.0-791.25 mg/L), magnesium (10.66-14.30 mg/L). The study infers that anthropogenic pressure plays damaging role to its properties in addition to general health implication of high values for Fe, Zn, Cd, Cl and Mg which exceeded international standard.

scholarly journals QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF SURFACE WATERS AT ASPROLAKKAS RIVER BASIN, N.E. CHALKIDIKI, GREECE

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 1737
Author(s):  
E. Kelepertzis ◽  
A. Argyraki ◽  
E. Daftsis ◽  
D. Ballas
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Major Ions ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Quality Characteristics ◽  
Sampling Point ◽  
The Past ◽  
Surface Water Samples

The present study reports on a four sampling period (April 2008-July 2008-November 2008-February 2009) study of water quality in streams of NE Chalkidiki. A total of 80 surface water samples were collected and analysed for the major ions Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, Cl- , HCO3 - , SO4 2-, NO3 - and the trace elements Pb, Fe, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Mn and As. Also pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Temperature, as well as the stream water discharge at each sampling point, were determined in the field. The treatment and the subsequent evaluation of the data showed that the water samples are divided into three separate groups, reflecting the chemistry of water in the three sub-basins of the area i.e., Kokkinolakkas, Kerasia and Piavitsa. The water of the first one is possibly affected by the past mining activities of the area, whereas samples from the other two reflect the influence of sulphide mineralization on the hydrogeochemistry of the corresponding streams. No effect of the seasonal differentiation of stream water discharge was observed.

scholarly journals Temporal variability of sewage sludge heavy metal content from Greek wastewater treatment plants

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Spanos ◽  
Antoaneta Ene ◽  
Chrysoula Styliani Patronidou ◽  
Christina Xatzixristou
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Sewage Sludge ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Metal Content ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Chromium Species ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Metal Contents

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate the temporal variations of selected heavy metals level in anaerobic fermented and dewatered sewage sludge. Sewage sludge samples were collected in different seasons and years from three municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in Northern Greece, in Kavala (Kavala and Palio localities) and Drama (Drama locality) Prefectures. An investigation of the potential of sludge utilization in agriculture was performed, based on the comparison of average total heavy metal concentrations and of chromium species (hexavalent, trivalent) concentrations with the allowed values according to the Council Directive 86/278/EEC and Greek national legislation (Joint Cabinet Decision 80568/4225/91) guidelines. In this regard, all the investigated heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Hg) and chromium species Cr(VI) and Cr(III) have average concentrations (dry matter weight) well below the legislated thresholds for soil application, as following: 2.12 mg kg−1Cd; 103.7 mg kg−1Cr; 136.4 mg kg−1Cu; < 0.2 mg kg−1Hg; 29.1 mg kg−1Ni; 62.0 mg kg−1Pb; 1253.2 mg kg−1Zn; 1.56 mg kg−1Cr(VI) and 115.7 mg kg−1Cr(III). Values of relative standard deviation (RSD) indicate a low or moderate temporal variability for domestic-related metals Zn (10.3-14.7%), Pb (27.9-44.5%) and Cu (33.5-34.2%), and high variability for the metals of mixed origin or predominantly resulted from commercial activities, such as Ni (42.4-50.7%), Cd (44.3-85.5%) and Cr (58.2-102.0%). For some elements the seasonal occurrence pattern is the same for Kavala and Palio sludge, as following: a) Cd and Cr: spring>summer>winter; b) Cu, Ni and Pb: winter>spring>summer. On average, in summer months (dry season) metal concentrations are lower than in spring and winter (wet seasons), with the exception of Zn. For Kavala and Palio the results demonstrate that the increased number of inhabitants (almost doubled) in summer time due to tourism does not influence the metal levels in sludge. Comparing the results obtained for similar spring-summer-winter sequences in 2007 and 2010/11 and for the spring season in 2007, 2008 and 2010, it can be noticed that, in general, the average heavy metal contents show an increasing tendency towards the last year. In all the measurement periods, the Palio sludge had the highest metal contents and Kavala sludge the lowest, leading to the conclusion that the WWTP operating process rather than population has a significant effect upon the heavy metal content of sludge. Cr(VI)/Cr(total) concentration ratios are higher for Kavala sludge in the majority of sampling campaigns, followed by Drama and Palio sludge. The metals which present moderate to strong positive correlation have common origin, which could be a domestic-commercial mixed source.

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