Contamination history of suspended river sediments accumulated in oxbow lakes over the last 25 years

Background, aims, and scope  Embankment of meandering river systems in many industrial areas results in the formation of artificial oxbow lakes that may act as perennial or intermittent traps for river sediments. Their deposits can be dated using a combination of historical and stratigraphic data, providing a good means to study historical records of contamination transported by rivers. Contamination history over the last few decades is of special significance for Central and Eastern Europe as it can reflect high pollutant levels in the second half of the twentieth century and the subsequent improvement after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The purpose of this study was to investigate recent sediments of an oxbow lake of the Morava River, Czech Republic, their stratigraphic records, sediment architecture, and history of contamination. Materials and methods  Seven ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles and three sediment cores up to 4 m deep were studied. The stratigraphy of the cores was inferred from visible-light spectrophotometry, X-ray radiography, grain size analysis, and semiquantitative modal analysis of sandy fractions. The sediments were dated using the ¹³⁷Cs mass activity and combinations of stratigraphic and historical data. The cores were sampled for concentrations of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. Wet sampled, lyophilized, and sieved sediments were extracted and analyzed for heavy metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) of aqua regia leachate and for persistent organic pollutants by gas chromatography (GC-ECD and GC-MS). Results  Three distinct sedimentary sequences (S1, S2, and S3) were identified. The basal sequence S1 represents river channel sediments deposited before the formation of the oxbow lake, most likely before the 1930s. The boundary between the S1 and S2 sequence correlates with the level of sediment dredging from 1981 evidenced from historical data. The overlying sequences S2 and S3 represent a postdredging sediment wedge, which progrades into the lake. ¹³⁷Cs dating revealed a distinct Chernobyl 1986 peak at ∼150 cm depth inferring sedimentation rates up to 7.7 cm/year. Sediment contamination abruptly increased from the pre-1930s deposits to the post-1981 deposits. The concentration levels increased two to five times for Pb, As, Zn, and Cu, about 10 to 15 times for Cr, Sb, and Hg, up to 34 times for Cd, and 25 to 67 times for DDTs, PCBs, and PAHs. The concentrations of most contaminants remained approximately constant until the late 1980s when they started to decrease slowly. The decreasing trends were most prominent for heavy metals and anthracene, less prominent for DDTs, and almost absent for PCBs and most PAHs. Discussion  Different temporal and spatial patterns for various contaminants make it possible to distinguish between anthropogenic point sources from local industry (anthracene, Cr, Cd), possible diffuse sources (most PAHs), and geological background (V, Co, Ni, and Mo). The observed recent trends in heavy metal and persistent organic pollutant contamination are generally consistent with data from other Central European rivers. The roughly balanced contamination levels in sediments from the lake and the adjacent river channel suggest that the oxbow lake deposits reflect immediate levels of the contamination bound to suspended particulate matter passing through the river. Conclusions  The investigated oxbow lake accumulated suspended sediment from Morava River, developing a thick sedimentary body. The sediments offer a good time framework to study historical contamination of the river on a decade time scale. Continuous contamination trends can be traced back to the early 1980s. The results show that stratigraphic analysis of cores has a good potential for identification of uninterrupted historical trends and unconformities, e.g., due to dredging. Recommendations and perspectives  Oxbow lakes may provide an alternative to floodplains and reservoir deposits when studying river contamination history. High sedimentation rates of up to 7.7 cm/year offer a very good stratigraphic resolution, making it possible to study contamination patterns on annual or even seasonal time scales. On the other hand, oxbow lakes may represent long-term contamination stores, which are unlikely to be redistributed by river erosion and, hence, may possess significant environmental risks for the farther future.     

DDT引发的争论及启示

本文沿着DDT从1874年合成到将在2020年淘汰的轨迹和趋势,第一次依据历史重大事件并结合SCI文献数量将DDT的发展分为4个历史阶段,着重探讨了这种“万能杀虫剂”带来的3个争论:DDT对人类的健康影响、禁用还是使用DDT、以及如何评价DDT.本文从DDT由人类的“宠儿”变成“弃儿”的历史演变中分析得出了一些启示,并...     

中国持久性有机污染物污染现状及治理技术进展

介绍了持久性有机污染物的定义、特性及其危害,分析了典型持久性有机污染物在中国土壤、水体、大气、农产品等介质中的污染状况,阐述了对被持久性有机污染物污染的介质进行生物修复、焚烧、物理和化学处理技术及进展,并对中国在此领域发展方向进行了展望。     

小麦秸秆生物炭对高氯代苯的吸附过程与机制研究

以小麦秸秆为原料,分别在三种温度(400℃、500℃、600℃)下制备小麦秸秆生物炭,并标记为WSB400、WSB500、WSB600。分析了秸秆炭的元素组成,表征了其结构和表面特征,研究了秸秆炭对五氯苯和六氯苯的吸附动力学和吸附等温线。结果表明,升温热解使得小麦秸秆有机组分炭化、极性官能团消除,炭化程度增强;三种秸秆炭均可快速高效地吸附高氯代苯,且对六氯苯的吸附要快于五氯苯,假二级动力学方程能更好地拟合秸秆炭对氯苯的吸附动力学过程;不同秸秆炭对氯苯的饱和吸附量大小顺序为WSB400WSB500WSB600;对吸附等温线进行分析可得,随着秸秆炭制备温度的升高,其对氯苯的吸附等温曲线由线性变为非线性,吸附机理则由以分配作用为主过渡到分配作用与表面吸附共同作用。     

西溪湿地底泥质量现状与生态风险初步评价

为了解西溪湿地底泥质量现状,2012年9月采集保护区内不同干扰类型的底泥样本,测试了底泥中重金属和POPs中PCBs、OCPs和PAHs的含量,并对湿地底泥污染进行了生态风险初步评价。结果表明,底泥中未检出PCBs和OCPs,但检测出14种EPA优控PAHs,总PAHs的浓度范围为115.9～217.8 ng·g^-1,低于潜在生态风险的效应区间低值ERL,其中列入中国"水中优先控制污染黑名单"的7种PAHs均有检出并且其总量占∑PAHs 1/2左右(平均为50.08%);底泥中8种重金属含量平均值低于《土壤环境质量标准》(GB 15618-1995)的二级标准,但Hg、Zn、Pb、Ni含量在多个位点已超过一级标准;分别采用土壤背景值和国家一级标准为参比值对湿地底泥中重金属进行单因子污染风险指数评价,发现分别有7种和4种元素的污染指数大于1;综合分析不同干扰类型的底泥质量,发现底泥疏浚能有效降低有机质含量、全氮和PAHs含量,但对全磷、重金属含量则无明显效果,封闭水体的干塘措施能显著减少污泥量和有机物含量。研究结果表明,西溪湿地底泥中高环PAHs和重金属污染水平可能对西溪湿地生物具有潜在的生物毒性作用及不利的生态影响效应,其疏浚底泥农用则无生态风险。     

我国水体中持久性有机污染物的分布及其对鱼类的风险综述

持久性有机污染物(POPs)具有高毒、持久、生物累积、远距离迁移等特性,严重威胁环境生物和人类健康。水体是POPs在环境中迁移转化的重要介质,其在水体中可通过迁移、吸附、沉降等作用及食物链对不同种类水生生物的生长、发育及生殖产生影响。作者整理了近年来我国学者对水域中POPs的监测结果,就此类化合物在我国水体中的分布情况进行了综述。鱼类作为地表水生态系统中最主要的脊椎动物,具有重要的环境指示作用。本文通过对POPs对鱼类毒性数据的分析,评价了我国主要水域中POPs对鱼类的危害,旨在为揭示此类化合物的水生生态风险提供参考。     

Comparative effects of lindane and deltamethrin on mortality, growth, and cellulase activity in earthworms (Eisenia fetida)

Laboratory tests were conducted to compare the effects of various concentrations of lindane and deltamethrin on mature earthworms (Eisenia fetida) cultured in artificial soil during typical acute (14d) and subchronic (42d) exposure periods. The effects of the two pesticides on earthworm mortality, growth inhibition, and cellulase activity were determined for different exposure durations. The toxicity order for earthworm mortality from the 14-day exposure was lindane > deltamethrin, with median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) of 162.1 and 432.9 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Earthworms exposed to deltamethrin showed dose-dependent toxic effects on growth and cellulase activity only from the acute exposures, whereas lindane’s effects on these activities were seen correlated with both the acute and subchronic doses. Also, changes in biomass and cellulase activity during the subchronic exposure period appear to be a more sensitive parameter than the LC₅₀ value in assessing pesticidal injury.     

持久性有机污染物(POPs)对动物健康的危害及其对策

本文介绍《关于持久性有机污染物的斯德哥尔摩公约》已在我国生效,并阐述了POPs的概念、性质及分类;POPs对动物危害的事件;12种POPs对动物健康的危害以及防制对策.     

我国杀虫剂类持久性有机污染物管理状况研究

论述了我国杀虫剂类POPs生产历史和使用状况,分析了我国杀虫剂类POPs的管理现状,指出了我国管理上存在的一些问题。针对我国杀虫剂类POPs管理上的不足,提出了几点建议,希望能帮助解决相关的问题,加强我国的履约能力。     

黄河内蒙古段水体中POPs健康风险评价

为研究黄河内蒙古段水体中持久性有机污染物(POPs)对人体健康产生的潜在危害风险,应用健康风险评价方法,从饮水、皮肤接触和食鱼三条途径,对黄河内蒙古段水体中POPs健康风险进行了初步评价。结果表明:黄河内蒙古段水体中POPs的总致癌风险值为6.94×10-5～19.3×10-5,平均为14.9×10-5,中下游断面(5-17)的总致癌风险值高于USEPA推荐的可接受的致癌风险水平,α-HCH是致癌风险的主要因素;总非致癌风险指数值为13.6×10-4～37.1×10-4,平均为28.4×10-4,低于USEPA推荐的可接受的非致癌风险水平。不同的暴露途径对比表明,食鱼途径是水体中POPs危害人体健康的主要途径,其对人体健康总风险的贡献远大于饮水和皮肤接触。