Environmental Impact of Construction Products on Aquatic Systems—Principles of an Integrated Source–Path–Target Concept

Buildings exposed to water can release undesirable substances which, once transported to environmental compartments, may cause unwanted effects. These exposure pathways need to be investigated and included in risk assessments to safeguard water quality and promote the sustainability of construction materials. The applied materials, exposure conditions, distribution routes and resilience of receiving compartments vary considerably. This demonstrates the need for a consistent concept that integrates knowledge of emission sources, leaching processes, transport pathways, and effects on targets. Such a consistent concept can serve as the basis for environmental risk assessment for several scenarios using experimentally determined emissions. Typically, a source–path–target concept integrates data from standardized leaching tests and models to describe leaching processes, the distribution of substances in the environment and the occurrence of substances at different points of compliance. This article presents an integrated concept for assessing the environmental impact of construction products on aquatic systems and unravels currently existing gaps and necessary actions. This manuscript outlines a source–path–target concept applicable to a large variety of construction products. It is intended to highlight key elements of a holistic evaluation concept that could assist authorities in developing procedures for environmental risk assessments and mitigation measures and identifying knowledge gaps.

Risk Assessment Methodology for Pit Lakes Instabilities

In this study we present a generic probabilistic risk assessment methodology to evaluate the risk associated with flooding process of a pit. We use the bow-tie analysis to analyze the critical events (we focus on slope failures) and the systemic risk assessment methodology to estimate the risk for the population, for the environment and for the infrastructure. Furthermore, we perform a spatial analysis of the risk by discretizing the affected area into squares, by estimating the risk in each one and finally by creating the risk map. The methodology is implemented by specialized software that has been created in a Matlab environment for the deduction of such risk assessments. The developed methodology was applied in the area of the pit lake Most in Czech Republic.

Linking the effects of plant protection products on biodiversity and ecological processes to potential impairment of ecosystem functions and services—A multidisciplinary conceptual framework.

There is growing interest in using the ecosystem services framework for environmental risk assessments of plant protection products (PPP). However, there is still a broad gap between most of the ecotoxicological endpoints used in PPP risk assessment and the evaluation of the risks and effects of PPP on ecosystem services. Here we propose a conceptual framework to link current and future knowledge on the ecotoxicological effects of PPP on biodiversity and ecological processes to their consequences on ecosystem functions and services. We first describe the main processes governing the relationships between biodiversity, ecological processes and ecosystem functions in response to effects of PPP. We define 12 main categories of ecosystem functions that could be directly linked with the ecological processes used as functional endpoints in investigations on the ecotoxicology of PPP. An exploration of perceptions on the possible links between these categories of ecosystem functions and groups of ecosystem services (by a panel scientific experts in various fields of environmental sciences) then finds that these direct and indirect linkages still need clarification. We illustrate how the proposed framework could be used on terrestrial microalgae and cyanobacteria to assess the potential effects of herbicides on ecosystem services. The framework proposed here uses a set of clearly-defined core categories of ecosystem functions and services, which should help identify which of them are effectively or potentially threatened by PPP. We argue that this framework could help harmonize and extend the scientific knowledge that informs decision-making and policy-making.

Temperature Influences on Powdery Mildew Susceptibility and Development in the Hop Cultivar Cascade

The hop cultivar Cascade possesses partial resistance to powdery mildew (Podosphaera macularis) that can be overcome by recently emerged, virulent isolates of the fungus. Given that hop is a long-lived perennial and that brewers still demand Cascade, there is a need to better understand factors that influence the development of powdery mildew on this cultivar. Growth chamber experiments were conducted to quantify the effect of constant, transient, and fluctuating temperature on Cascade before, concurrent to, and after inoculation as contrasted with another powdery mildew susceptible cultivar, Symphony. Exposure of plants to supraoptimal temperature (26 and 32°C) prior to inoculation led to more rapid onset of ontogenic resistance in intermediately aged leaves in Cascade as compared to Symphony. Cascade was overall less susceptible to powdery mildew when exposed to constant temperature ranging from 18 to 32°C directly after inoculation. However, cultivar also interacted with temperature such that proportionately fewer and smaller colonies developed on Cascade than Symphony at supraoptimal yet permissive temperatures for disease. When plants were inoculated and then exposed to high temperature, colonies became progressively more tolerant to temperatures of 26 to 30°C with increasing time from inoculation to exposure, as moderated by cultivar, the specific temperature, and their interaction. Subjecting plants to simulated diurnal temperature regimes at the time of inoculation or 24 h later indicated Cascade and Symphony responded proportionately similar on days predicted to be marginally unfavorable or marginally favorable for powdery mildew, although Cascade was quantitatively less susceptible than Symphony. In sum, this research indicates that Cascade is overall less susceptible to powdery mildew than Symphony, and supraoptimal temperature before, concurrent to, or after infection may interact differentially to moderate disease risk in Cascade. Therefore, cultivar-specific risk assessments for powdery mildew appear warranted.

Assessment of Naturally Occurring Radionuclides Accumulation in Palm Oil from Soil

Hyper Pure Germanium (HPGe) radiation detector was used to estimate the activity concentration of fifteen soil and palm oil samples collected from the oil palm plantations in the southwestern, southeastern, and south southern states of Nigeria, and the risk assessments was evaluated. The activity concentrations at a soil depth 0 – 15 cm ranged from 187.4 to 514.4, 2.328 to 6.571, and 1.509 to 6.121 Bq/kg for 40K, 238U, and 232Th, respectively. The activity concentrations at a soil depth 15 – 30 cm ranged from 163.4 to 3188.8, 1.345 to 9.410, and 1.476 to 6.275 Bq/kg for 40K, 238U, and 232Th, respectively. The activity concentrations in the palm oil ranged from 122.3 to 968.0, 1.240 to 6.651, and 1.199 to 8.061 Bq/L for 40K, 238U, and 232Th. For the risk assessments of surface soil samples, the absorbed dose rate (D) ranged from 5.09 to 24.54 nGy/h, while the annual effective dose equivalent (E) ranged from 0.612 × 10-2 to 16.49 × 10-2 mSv/y. The radium equivalent, gamma absorbed dose rate, and the annual effective dose rate in the palm oil samples ranged from 9.981 to 88.00 Bq/L, 4.315 to 46.29 nGy/h, and 0.53 × 10-2 to 56.90 x 10-2 mSv/y, respectively. The activity concentrations reported for soil and palm oil samples were lower than the recommended world average values given by UNSCEAR. Hence, the hazard and risk assessments indicated a low radiation risk within the studied areas.