Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts blog

Scientists from Technical University Darmstadt and the Competence Centre for Environment, Austria have investigated ways to reduce exposure to the chalk commonly used to dry climber’s hands in indoor climbing gyms.

Stephan Weinbruch and team conducted experiments in several indoor climbing gyms in Germany to determine the level of exposure to climbers and gym staff, assessing the concentrations of aerosol particulate from different formulations of the chalk.  They found that the use of liquid chalk (a suspension of magnesia alba in ethanol) produced the least particulate matter, and so switching to this product may provide a low-cost way of reducing the exposure of climbers and staff to chalk dust.

Read the details of the study here:

Reducing dust exposure in indoor climbing gyms
Stephan Weinbruch, Thomas Dirsch, Konrad Kandler, Martin Ebert, Gerhard Heimburger and Franz Hohenwarter
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30289F

On the cover this month we have two hot articles on water-related issues.  The first is from Yuefeng F. Xie and colleagues at Penn State, who have studied the levels of disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors and their removal efficiencies from wastewater for the first time.  Although there are regulations governing disinfectants and disinfection by-products in wastewater, precursor removal is not regulated.  DBP precursors can react during the chlorination step of water disinfection to form potential harmful by-products.

Disinfection by-product formation potentials in wastewater effluents and their reductions in a wastewater treatment plant
Hao L. Tang, Yen-Chih Chen, John M. Regan and Yuefeng F. Xie
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM00015F

The other article on our cover is from Kevin C. Jones and colleagues who have applied the principle of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) to sample organic species, modelled with the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole.  DGT sampling has previously only been applied to inorganic species and this new application designated ‘o-DGT’ may be useful for the passive sampling of pharmaceuticals in both fresh and seawater the future.

A novel passive water sampler for in situ sampling of antibiotics
Chang-Er Chen, Hao Zhang and Kevin C. Jones
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM30091E

The issue also contains our monthly round-up of environmental news, which this month includes fracking legislation, bisphenol-A and the recent consult on nanosilver.

View the issue

At Journal of Environmental Monitoring we are committed to advancing understanding of the issues affecting our environment, and we know that your research is dependent on being up to date on all the developments in this complex field.

So did you know that with every issue we publish a news article written by consultant Mike Sharpe which summarises everything you need to know about the latest environmental legislation, quality control and health issues, research activities and chemical hazards? And, best of all, these articles are FREE to access!*

Here’s a sample of the great content in the latest articles:

Pesticides linked to decline of bees

Researchers have raised concern over the affect of low-dose pesticides on bees. Systemic insecticides, a common way to protect crops, can seriously damage the bees’ ability to navigate, scientists say. The new research strongly links the pesticides to the serious decline in honey bee numbers in the US and UK – a drop of around 50% in the last 25 years. The significance of the new work, published in Science, is that it is the first carried out in realistic, open-air conditions. Read more…

Nuclear fall predicted as climate warnings grow

The Fukushima disaster could lead to a 15% fall in world nuclear power generation by 2035, while over the same period power demand could rise by 3.1% a year, according to the International Energy Agency’s 2011 World Energy Outlook. It is the latest of a series of dour predictions on the future of nuclear energy and came amid warnings that global climate indicators continue to move in the wrong direction. Read more…

Stroke risk from air pollution ‘rises in hours’

Air pollution, even at levels generally considered safe by federal regulations, increases the risk of stroke by 34%, US researchers have found.

Researchers studied more than 1700 stroke patients in the Boston area over a 10-year period. They found exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5), generally from vehicle traffic, was associated with a significantly higher risk of ischaemic strokes on days when the EPA’s air quality index for particulate matter was yellow instead of green. Read more…

The road to Rio + 20

The countdown to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) has begun in earnest with the publication of the first draft of the negotiating text to be discussed by governments. The conference, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June will aim to set a framework for global environmental governance and comes twenty years after the first such conference held in the city in 1992 (hence, the moniker ‘Rio + 20’). Although focusing heavily on the green economy concept, the draft stresses this is merely a means to achieve sustainable development, “which must remain our overarching goal”. Read more…

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* Articles are free to access through a simple registration process for an RSC Publishing Personal Account.

The article on the cover this month is from R. Nelson and colleagues, who have looked at trace levels of radioactivity in air, water, and milk samples in the United States over several weeks following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March last year.

The article found that while levels of certain cadmium, technetium and iodide radionucleotides were elevated, these levels were still ‘well below any level of public and environmental concern’. As with all our cover articles, this one is free to access* for 6 weeks:

Radioactive fallout in the United States due to the Fukushima nuclear plant accident
P. Thakur, S. Ballard and R. Nelson
J. Environ. Monit., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2EM11011C

Also in this issue is our regular news feature from Mike Sharpe, who this month has news on the direction of the EU’s future environmental policy, new additions to the US EPA National Priorities List of Superfund sites, continued discussions from the nuclear industry, and much, much more.

View the rest of the issue here

*Following a simple registration for individual users

Researchers in Spain present an interesting critical review focusing on ways to assess the impact of fish farming waste waters on the environment in which they are situated.

The group outline the important environmental contaminants to be considered, including particulate waste and treatment products. As most fish farms are located on rocky coasts, the authors highlight the need for tools that are not affected by strong hydrodynamics and a lack of sediment. The review evaluates the suitability of various experimental and analytical procedures that can be used to evaluate the contamination, possible trophic and toxic effects, and changes to the ecological integrity.

Designing an integrated environmental monitoring plan for land-based marine fish farms located at exposed and hard bottom coastal areas
C. Carballeira, J. Ramos-Gómez, M. L. Martín-Díaz, T. A. DelValls and A. Carballeira
DOI: 10.1039/C2EM10839A

An article recently published in the journal has featured in the press this week.  The paper, which looks at trace levels of radioactivity in air, water, and milk samples in the United States over several weeks following the disaster, has been mentioned in an article in the International Business Times.

The article found that while levels of certain cadmium, technetium and iodide radionucleotides were elevated, these levels were still ‘well below any level of public and environmental concern’.

Read the full discussion of the results here:

Radioactive fallout in the United States due to the Fukushima nuclear plant accident
P. Thakur, S. Ballard and R. Nelson
J. Environ. Monit., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2EM11011C