Challenges in Renewable Energy (ISACS4)
5 – 8 July 2011
MIT, Boston, USA
- Call for posters – deadline 6 May 2011
- Early bird registration – deadline 6 May 2011
- Registration – deadline 3 June 2011
Deadlines approaching for Challenges in Renewable Energy (ISACS4)
18 Apr 2011
HOT article: the silver standard – challenges in characterising the environmental impact of silver nanomaterials
14 Apr 2011
This HOT article reports a collaborative effort between the US Environmental Protection Agency and National Institute of Standards and Technology to facilitate intercomparison of sometimes conflicting environmental risk experiment results for silver nanoparticles.
Silver nanoparticles have become the most widely used of all nanoparticles reported in consumer products due to their well known antibacterial and antifungal properties, but with increased use comes increased concern – do they pose a health and safety or environmental risk? There is a huge amount of literature data available on silver nanoparticles, but as there is no standard procedure for their manufacture, stabilization, or initial characterization it can be difficult for regulatory authorities to make comparisons between different datasets and thus draw meaningful conclusions.
Here, Robert MacCuspie and Kim Rogers et al. have analysed a range of silver nanoparticle materials with different analytical methods and initial dispersion conditions to demonstrate how measurement methods, agglomeration state and dispersion conditions influence the reported size distributions of said materials. They also present an approach to developing routine screening for the nanomaterials.
This HOT article is part of our forthcoming themed issue on Environmental Nanotechnology and is free to access for 4 weeks.
Challenges for physical characterization of silver nanoparticles under pristine and environmentally relevant conditions
Robert I. MacCuspie, Kim Rogers, Manomita Patra, Zhiyong Suo, Andrew J. Allen, Matthew N. Martin and Vincent A. Hackley
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1EM10024F, Paper
JEM issue 4 now online – focussing on Asia/Pacific environmental science
07 Apr 2011
The latest issue of JEM includes a collection of papers that resulted from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Asia/Pacific (SETAC A/P) 2010 meeting held in Guangzhou, China on June 4–7, 2010. The theme of this meeting was ‘‘Balance between economic growth and environmental protection: sustainability through better science’’, a subject close to the interests of JEM. Take a look at the editorial from Eddy Y. Zeng, Jing You and Hefa Cheng which emphasizes the importance of sustaining healthy economic growth in the Asia/Pacific region, particularly in China,while directing substantial efforts toward environmental protection.
Short-range transport of contaminants released from e-waste recycling site in South China
Huizhen Li, Jinmei Bai, Yetian Li, Hefa Cheng, Eddy Y. Zeng and Jing You
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 836-843
Local physical habitat quality cloud the effect of predicted pesticide runoff from agricultural land in Danish streams
Jes Jessen Rasmussen, Annette Baattrup-Pedersen, Søren Erik Larsen and Brian Kronvang
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 943-950
HOT articles in this issue:
The distribution of triclosan and methyl-triclosan in marine sediments of Barker Inlet, South Australia
Milena Fernandes, Ali Shareef, Rai Kookana, Sam Gaylard, Sonja Hoare and Tim Kildea
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 801-806
Geochemical characteristics of inorganic sulfur in Shijing River, South China
Yanqing Sheng, Guangyi Fu, Fanzhong Chen and Jing Chen
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 807-812
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the riverine and marine sediments of the Laizhou Bay area, North China
Xiaohui Pan, Jianhui Tang, Jun Li, Guangcai Zhong, Yingjun Chen and Gan Zhang
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 886-893
Application of a battery of biomarkers in mussel digestive gland to assess long-term effects of the Prestige oil spill in Galicia and the Bay of Biscay: Lysosomal responses
Larraitz Garmendia, Urtzi Izagirre, Miren P. Cajaraville and Ionan Marigómez
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 901-914
Incidence of organochlorine pesticides in soils of Shenzhen, China
Hong-Gang Ni, Shan-Ping Cao, Ling-Yun Ji and Hui Zeng
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 951-956
Protein adducts as biomarkers of exposure to aromatic diisocyanates in workers manufacturing polyurethane (PUR) foam
Kirsi Säkkinen, Jarkko Tornaeus, Antti Hesso, Ari Hirvonen, Harri Vainio, Hannu Norppa and Christina Rosenberg
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 957-965
Correlation of six anthropogenic markers in wastewater, surface water, bank filtrate, and soil aquifer treatment
Marco Scheurer, Florian Rüdiger Storck, Carola Graf, Heinz-Jürgen Brauch, Wolfgang Ruck, Ovadia Lev and Frank Thomas Lange
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 966-973
Xiaohui Pan, Jianhui Tang, Jun Li, Guangcai Zhong, Yingjun Chen and Gan Zhang
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 886-893
DOI: 10.1039/C1EM10169B
HOT article: hot spot or not? Polybrominated diphenyl ether contamination in Laizhou Bay examined
07 Apr 2011
As part of our themed issue focussing on environmental science in Asia and the Pacific, this HOT article from Jianhui Tang , Gan Zhang and co-workers from Chinese Academy of Sciences laboratories looks at the impact of
polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). PBDEs are a class of brominated fire retardants (BFRs) that have attracted significant attention due to environmental and health concerns.
Despite the fact that some PBDEs (namely penta- and octa-BDEs) have been listed under the Stockholm Convention and banned in several countries, in China both production and consumption of some PBDE-containing brominated fire retardants have risen rapidly in recent years. This study focuses on the Laizhou Bay area, which is home to the biggest manufacturing base for BFRs in China. By sampling river and coastal sediment in the area they looked at the source and fate of PBDE contaminants in the area, discovering that BDE 209 is the predominant PBDE congener present. Interestingly, however, overall PBDE concentrations were lower than other literature data from European and US ‘hot spots’.
Read more of this thoughtful and thorough study – which comes highly recommended by the referees – it’s currently free to access for four weeks.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the riverine and marine sediments of the Laizhou Bay area, North China
Xiaohui Pan, Jianhui Tang, Jun Li, Guangcai Zhong, Yingjun Chen and Gan Zhang
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 886-893
DOI: 10.1039/C1EM10169B
ACS Anaheim highlights from JEM Deputy Editor Michael Smith
30 Mar 2011
JEM Deputy Editor Michael Smith shares some of the environmental highlights from the talks at ACS Anaheim:
Richard Luthy
“The vital need to tackle the water supply shortage in California was highlighted by Richard Luthy (Stanford University). As the opening speaker in the session on Environmental and Geochemical Aspects of Sustainable Water Reuse, Professor Luthy described a current project in which he is working with colleagues in economics and the social sciences to help identify the drivers and hindrances in implementing water re-use policies. Although he stressed that costs are a key element to be factored in, he considered that this area was as much a sociological challenge as an environmental engineering one.
The day ended with a panel discussion during which Chris Impellitteri (from the EPA in Cincinnati) pointed out that much could be learned from expertise gained in Singapore and Australia and he stressed the need for wider collaboration with other agencies to maximize successful water reuse programmes.”
Chris Impellitteri has previously published research on speciation of organotins in PVC pipes – why not take a look:
Speciation of organotins in polyvinyl chloride pipe via X-ray absorption spectroscopy and in leachates using GC-PFPD after derivatisation
Christopher A. Impellitteri, Otis Evans and Bruce Ravel
J. Environ. Monit., 2007, 9, 358-365
DOI: 10.1039/B617711E
Top five most accessed articles in February
29 Mar 2011
This month sees the following articles in JEM that are in the top five most accessed:-
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in effluent matrices: A survey of transformation and removal during wastewater treatment and implications for wastewater management
Rebekah L. Oulton, Tamar Kohn and David M. Cwiertny
J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 1956-1978, DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00068J, Critical Review
Polyfluoroalkyl compounds in the aquatic environment: a review of their occurrence and fate
Lutz Ahrens
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 20-31, DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00373E, Critical Review
Relationship of polychlorinated biphenyls with type 2 diabetes and hypertension
Charles Jay Everett, Ivar Frithsen and Marty Player
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 241-251, DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00400F, Critical Review
Quantitation of persistent organic pollutants adsorbed on plastic debris from the Northern Pacific Gyre’s ?eastern garbage patch?
Lorena M. Rios, Patrick R. Jones, Charles Moore and Urja V. Narayan
J. Environ. Monit., 2010, 12, 2226-2236 DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00239A, Paper
Application of a battery of biomarkers in mussel digestive gland to assess long-term effects of the Prestige oil spill in Galicia and Bay of Biscay: Tissue-level biomarkers and histopathology
Larraitz Garmendia, Manu Soto, Unai Vicario, Yungkul Kim, Miren P Cajaraville and Ionan Marigómez
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00410C, Paper
Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.
Fancy submitting an article to JEM? Then why not submit to us today or alternatively email us your suggestions.
Off to Anaheim? Meet Deputy Editor Michael Smith there
25 Mar 2011
We are excited to be off to the ACS Spring 2011 meeting in Anaheim next week – especially as Molecular BioSystems Editorial Board member Dr Madan Babu will be giving the Molecular BioSystems Award Lecture on Wednesday morning, at 8.30 am in the Marquis Northeast Ballroom of the Anaheim Marriott .
Deputy Editor Michael Smith will be at the meeting on behalf of Molecular BioSystems, Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Integrative Biology and would be delighted to meet you, so do come and say hello!
RSC Publishing will also be at Booth 903, find out more about what we’ll be doing here.
HOT article: triclosan distribution down under
24 Mar 2011
The anti-microbial agent triclosan has been used extensively in the last four decades, however concerns regarding its environmental impact on marine systems are relatively recent.
Milena Fernandes (South Australian Water Corporation) and co-workers investigated the distribution of wastewater-borne triclosan and its methylated derivative in surface sediments of a coastal inlet to determine the factors affecting transport and benthic preservation. The location studied is of interest as it is an important nursery habitat and provides sanctuary to a resident population of bottlenose dolphins.
Fernandes demonstrates that the pathways leading to dispersal are different for triclosan and methyl-triclosan discharged with wastewater, with triclosan having a larger area of impact. Triclosan accumulated in deeper sites containing finer sediment fractions, where in situ biological methylation was enhanced. Methyl-triclosan was absent from shallower sediments, potentially as a result of photodegradation of the parent compound.
This HOT article is part of our forthcoming SETAC themed issue focussing on Asia/Pacific environmental science and is free to access for 4 weeks.
The distribution of triclosan and methyl-triclosan in marine sediments of Barker Inlet, South Australia
Milena Fernandes, Ali Shareef, Rai Kookana, Sam Gaylard, Sonja Hoare and Tim Kildea
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00612B
Uncertainty for nuclear power
17 Mar 2011
Ned Stafford, Hamburg, Germany
As workers battle to cool down damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant reactors after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on 11 March, the potential environmental impact from the release of radioactive material remains uncertain. Already political fallout from the disaster has spread to Europe and will no doubt have a lasting impact on nuclear power policy and research funding.
Four days after the earthquake, German chancellor Angela Merkel announced that seven nuclear power plants, that began operating before 1980, will be shut down for safety review until at least June. The closures reverse a controversial decision made last year by Merkel’s coalition government to extend the life of older nuclear power plants. And France, where nuclear power provides 80 per cent of total electricity supply, announced safety tests on its 58 reactors.
Francis Livens, research director at Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester, UK, told Chemistry World that the global impact of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi power plant depends on how the situation develops. ‘If the situation gets no worse and everything is brought back under control over the next few days, then there will be an argument that the reactors did their job,’ he says. ‘If the situation deteriorates further, then it will depend on just what the end result is, so one can’t say at this point. However, I would be astonished if public perception of nuclear power as a risky technology hasn’t increased.’
Radioactive contamination by the nuclear reactor problems at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are not as serious as Chernobyl
Mats Jonsson, head of nuclear chemistry at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, says: ‘From what we have seen so far, this situation will initiate discussions and debates concerning the safety of nuclear power in Europe and in the rest of the world. My guess is that chemistry, as well as related research fields, could switch from chemical problems in new reactor types and reprocessing, to issues more related to safety and the environmental impact of nuclear energy.’
Some experts fear the severity of the Fukushima Daiichi accident could approach the level of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster in the Ukraine. In April 1986 during a routine systems test a power surge followed by an attempted emergency shutdown triggered a series of explosions and the release of radioactive fallout over a large area. Yoshihito Watanabe, a chemist and vice president at Nagoya University in Japan, tells Chemistry World that, thus far, ‘radioactive contamination by the nuclear reactor problems are not so serious.’
Depending on the outcome of the attempts to cool down Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the major problem now is the physical damage from the earthquake and tsunami, he says. Toyota, Honda, and other automotive manufacturers have had to stop production due to automotive part shortages and Tohoku University in Sendai suffered major damage to research facilities. It is far too early to speculate what the effect might be on Japanese research, he says, adding: ‘The first priority for the government to consider right now is how to support the recovery of the earthquake area, including the lifeline, construction of houses, reconstruction of factories, offices and so on.’
The future for nuclear power policy in Japan also remains uncertain, he says. ‘Currently, people even who are against the nuclear power policy are quiet on this issue, because so many people are working hard to stop the current troubles at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant under very dangerous and risky conditions.’
The Japanese people are highly appreciative of the global outpouring of support and sympathy in the wake of the earthquake, he says, adding that the embattled nation will persevere.
JEM issue 3 now online
10 Mar 2011
The issue also includes several HOT articles from M. Feroz Khan on monitoring 210Po and 210Pb levels in crabs near a new nuclear power station, Timothy Van Renterghem on using consumer microphones to measure noise pollution, and an article from Kenneth Fent on the exposure of firefighters to VOCs from vehicle fires. This paper is also on our cover and is highlighted in Chemistry World – you can read the article here.
Biomonitoring 210Po and 210Pb in marine brachyuran crabs collected along the coast of Kudankulam, Gulf of Mannar (GOM), India
M. Feroz Khan, S. Umarajeswari and S. Godwin Wesley
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 553-562
DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00723D
On the ability of consumer electronics microphones for environmental noise monitoring
Timothy Van Renterghem, Pieter Thomas, Frederico Dominguez, Samuel Dauwe, Abdellah Touhafi, Bart Dhoedt and Dick Botteldooren
J. Environ. Monit., 2011,13, 544-552
DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00532K
Assessing the risk to firefighters from chemical vapors and gases during vehicle fire suppression
Kenneth W. Fent and Douglas E. Evans
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 536-543
DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00591F
Size-selective sampling of particulates using a physiologic sampling pump
Larry A. Lee, Eun Gyung Lee, Taekhee Lee, Seung Won Kim, James E. Slaven and Martin Harper
J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 527-535
DOI: 10.1039/C0EM00445F