scholarly journals Atomic fluorescence determination of mercury in fresh water ecosystems

1995 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy Knox ◽  
William R. Kammin ◽  
David Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
The Us ◽  
Near Shore ◽  
Us Epa ◽  
Cold Vapour ◽  
Free Bromine ◽  
Water Ecosystems

This paper reports on an investigation into determining nanogram/l quantities of mercury in marine and fresh water matrices using a cold vapour generation of mercury, followed by fluorescence detection. Samples were prepared for analysis using a free bromine oxidation technique. A high efficiency gas-liquid separator was used to enhance the detection of mercury. For fresh water, typical method detection limits (MDL) were determined at less than 1 nanogram/l (ng/l). For near shore seawater, the MDL was 1.2 ng/l. Method spikes, which were performed at 20 ng/l, showed mean recoveries within US EPA Contract Laboratory Protocol (CLP) acceptance criteria. System blanks averaged 0.12 ng/l, and recoveries of NIST 1641c diluted to 29.4 ng/l averaged 93.4%. A number of local rivers and streams were sampled, and mercury was determined. All results to date indicate mercury levels below the US EPA chronic water quality criteria for mercury.

Fish toxicity testing with selenomethionine spiked feed – what's the real question being asked?

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark C. Rigby ◽  
A. Dennis Lemly ◽  
Russ Gerads
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Toxicity Testing ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Toxicity Tests ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
The Us ◽  
Canadian Provinces ◽  
National Water

The US Environmental Protection Agency and several U.S. states and Canadian provinces are currently developing national water quality criteria for selenium that are based in part on toxicity tests performed by feeding freshwater fish a selenomethionine-spiked diet which may lead to a biased assessment of selenium toxicity under field conditions.

Water Quality Impacts of Stormwater-Associated Contaminants: Focus on Real Problems

1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (3-5) ◽  
pp. 231-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Fred Lee ◽  
Anne Jones-Lee
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Stormwater Runoff ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Urban Stormwater ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Beneficial Uses ◽  
Us Epa ◽  
Receiving Waters ◽  
Urban Stormwater Runoff

Water pollution control agencies are implementing control programs for chemical contaminants in urban stormwater runoff because concentrations of total forms of some contaminants in receiving water exceed numeric water quality standards. While some assert that stormwater-associated contaminants are causing water quality problems (impairment of beneficial uses), there are significant reasons to question the reliability of that claim. While urban stormwater runoff frequently contains many chemicals in sufficient concentrations to cause exceedance of numeric US EPA water quality criteria in receiving waters, exceedance of a water quality criterion/standard applied to total concentrations is not a demonstration of water quality impairment The US EPA water quality criteria were developed for worst-case or near-worst-case exposure to available forms of the contaminants. Such exposure conditions would not be expected with short-term, episodic runoff events. Substantial portions of many of the chemical contaminants in stormwater runoff are associated with particulates and would hence be expected to be largely unavailable to affect aquatic life-related beneficial uses of receiving waters. Furthermore, evidence of beneficial use impairment caused by urban stormwater runoff has not been forthcoming to document the claims. It is concluded that many of the contaminants associated with urban stormwater runoff from residential and commercial areas do not impair beneficial uses of receiving waters. The current US EPA water quality criteria have limited applicability to assessing potential water quality concerns for stormwater runoff. Guidance is presented on how urban stormwater runoff-associated contaminants should be evaluated and regulated to control use impairment without significant unnecessary expenditures for contaminant control.

Volume Analysis for Attainability of Water Quality Criteria for Three Loading Constituents

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Wang ◽  
Lewis Linker ◽  
James Collier ◽  
Gary Shenk ◽  
Robert Koroncai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Volume Analysis

Developing Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Mercury: A Probabilistic Site-Specific Approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (0) ◽  
pp. 9781780404028-9781780404028
Author(s):  
D. R. J. Moore ◽  
A. Pawlisz ◽  
R. Scott Teed
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Ambient Water ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Specific Approach

Sewage and Solids Disposal: Are Processes Such as Ocean Disposal Proper? The Case of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 33-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo P. Jordão ◽  
Jorge R. Leitão
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Federal Regulations ◽  
Concrete Pipe ◽  
Ocean Disposal

In developing countries, as is the case of Brazil, solutions proposed for sewage and sludge treatment and disposal must meet not only public environmental demands and obey proper legal regulations, but also take into account the availability of funds for new investments and operation of existing systems. Brazilian federal regulations allow ocean disposal of sewage and solids, according to certain water quality criteria and specific standards. On the other hand, federal regulations require that submarine outfalls must be studied by means of an Environmental Impact Assessment, and that a Report on the Environmental Impact be produced. Such studies must demonstrate that the site will be protected and that ocean disposal will not impair the environment and the beneficial uses, such as fisihing, recreation, navigation, or propagation of marine life. The State of Rio de Janeiro has monitored its Ipanema Submarine Outfall since 1974, one year prior to going into operation. Present flow is 6m3/sec (140 mgd) of bar-screened domestic sewage. The submarine outfall is a 2.4m diameter concrete pipe, 4.3 km (2.7mi) long, and discharges at a depth of 27m (89ft). The paper presents and discusses existing regulations and data on the seawater monitoring program which is still in practice, having produced more than 90,000 analyses. Discussion covers the period 1974 - 1988, and shows that no adverse ecological impact has been noted on the marine ecosystem.

scholarly journals Geochemical and biological controls on the ecological relevance of total, dissolved, and colloidal forms of trace elements in large boreal rivers: review and case studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-163
Author(s):  
C.W. Cuss ◽  
C.N. Glover ◽  
M.B. Javed ◽  
A. Nagel ◽  
W. Shotyk
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Quality Criteria ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Quality Criteria ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Athabasca River ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Boreal Rivers

The concentrations of trace elements (TEs) in large boreal rivers can fluctuate markedly due to changing water levels and flow rates associated with spring melt and variable contributions from tributaries and groundwaters, themselves having different compositions. These fluctuating and frequently high concentrations create regulatory challenges for protecting aquatic life. For example, water quality criteria do not account for changes in flow regimes that can result in TE levels that may exceed regulatory limits, and neither do they account for the markedly different lability and bioaccessibility of suspended solids. This review addresses the geochemical and biological processes that govern the lability and bioaccessibility of TEs in boreal rivers, with an emphasis on the challenges posed by the colloidal behaviour of many TEs, and their relationship to the dissolved fraction (i.e., <0.45 μm in size). After reviewing the processes and dynamics that give rise to the forms and behaviour of TEs in large boreal rivers, their relevance for aquatic organisms and the associated relationships between size and lability and bioaccessibility are discussed. The importance of biological variables and different forms of TEs for limiting lability and bioaccessibility are also addressed. Two case studies emphasize seasonal fluctuations and accompanying changes in the distribution of TE amongst different size fractions and associated colloidal species in large boreal rivers: the Northern Dvina and one of its tributaries, the Pinega River, both in Russia, and the Athabasca River in Alberta, Canada. Water quality in the Athabasca River is briefly discussed with respect to Canadian guidelines.

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