Abstract Arsenite (As(III)) is far more toxic than arsenate (As(V)) to human health. To investigate the potential effects of petroleum exploitation activities on the relative abundance of inorganic As(III) and As(V) in groundwater (GW) and GW toxicity, a total of 153 groundwater samples were collected from a number of sampling wells located near and away from an oil-gathering areas through random sampling

Abstract Trace metal concentrations in two species of mysids, Mesopodopsis orientalis and Rhopalophthalmus indicus, from the Cochin estuary, were investigated during the monsoon and pre-monsoon periods. Metal concentration (ppm, dry weight) ranges in mysids during the monsoon and pre-monsoon periods were: Fe (775.75 to 1254.12), Mn (7.85 to 14.57), Co (0.76 to 1.75), Ni (11.19 to 20.00), Cu (20.02

Abstract AlphaGUARD radon gas analyzer and NaI (Tl) spectrometer were used to measure the concentration levels of 222Rn and, 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K respectively in 109 groundwater samples collected from four different districts in Qena governorate, Egypt. The average values of the activity concentration were 3.57 ± 0.08, 0.54 ± 0.03, 0.40 ± 0.03, and 5.10 ± 0.44 Bql−1 for 222Rn, 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K

Abstract Robust Independent Modelling of Class Analogy (RSIMCA) was applied to classify over 2,800 Passaic River sediment samples into seven groups or not assigned to any group after an initial screening of a 3,255 sample dataset. This multivariate statistical output was compressed from seven latent dimensions into two interpretable dimensions using t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t-SNE)

Abstract Intensive land clearing for development, urbanisation, and agricultural activities on highlands has caused environmental pollution. Unsustainable agricultural activities such as farming on steep slopes and the excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers have led to an influx of pollutants and high sedimentation rate in water bodies. This has triggered a continuous deterioration of the river

Abstract Characterizing and studying oil spills in marine environments for forensic purposes and Natural Resource Damage Assessment often requires timely sampling of multiple, diverse matrices in a range of field conditions. The diversity of such investigations has heretofore precluded using a focused and well-defined set of sampling practices. Defining appropriate data quality objectives and utilizing

This review summarizes sampling and quality control practices recommended by regulatory agencies and scientific organizations for acquiring reliable, defensible sediment samples in marine environments. Selecting an appropriate sediment sampling method can depend on water depth, sediment type, depth of sediment penetration required, and the study’s data quality objectives, among other factors. The primary

This review summarizes government agency and scientific organization guidance for collecting representative, reliable, and defensible water samples for trace metal analysis, and provides a framework for choosing appropriate sampling techniques to meet a study's data quality objectives, with respect to Natural Resource Damage Assessment in the marine environment. Preventing or limiting contamination

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in contaminated waterbodies can cause serious pollution to the adjacent atmosphere through volatilization. Gas–particle partitioning of PAHs controls the atmospheric concentrations of these pollutants. PAH levels in gaseous and particulate air samples were investigated near two polluted lagoons along the eastern coast of the Red Sea. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

In this study, the concentrations and dry deposition of ambient air particulates are measured using a PS-1 sampler and a dry deposition plate at a suburban sampling site in central Taiwan from January 2019 to August 2019. The concentrations of metallic elements that are attached to the particulates and dry deposits are analyzed using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES)

In this study, levels and sources of aliphatic hydrocarbons and hopanes in surface sediments collected from rivers and estuaries of Peninsular Malaysia were assessed. The concentrations of total n-alkanes ranged from 21.19 to 364.54, and the concentrations of hopanes ranged from 0.23 to 2.45 mg kg−1 dry weight. Evaluation of aliphatic diagnostic indices including Carbon Preference Index (CPI), low

This study was conducted to estimate natural radionuclide contents in 24 fish samples collected from rivers of South Africa’s oil-rich and non-oil-rich areas. Also, the radiological analysis was performed to assess the effect of radiation on the population that consumed these fish. A high-resolution Hyper Pure Germanium (HPGe) detector was used to conduct the gamma-ray measurements. The mean activity

Shipments of Bakken crude oil by rail have increased in concert with the production of unconventional crude oil in the Williston Basin over the past 10 years, during which time multiple fiery train derailments resulted in tragic loss of life and/or environmental impacts. In this study the compositions of Bakken oil burn residues from a derailment fire(s) are compared to fresh and laboratory-evaporated

Human being exposed to naturally occurring ionizing radiation throughout their lives as these radionuclides are present in different amounts in our environment. Gamma radiation emitted from uranium (U), thorium (Th), radium (Ra), potassium (K) and cesium (Cs) radionuclides and their decay products represents the essential external source of radiation to human beings. The amount of these radioactive

Urbanization and the concentration of industrial sites in coastal regions have led to a strong risk of heavy metals contamination in the neighbouring marine environment. Analysis of dated sediment cores from these environments may allow historical trends of heavy metal input to be reconstructed, and recent and historical inputs of metal contaminants to be compared. In this work we have assessed the

The levels of 25 pesticide residues were evaluated in 20 samples of irrigation water, agricultural soil and edible parts of 60 vegetable samples collected from 5 farms around Riyadh district, Saudi Arabia. Estimated Average Daily Intake (EADI), Health Risk Index (HRI), Cumulative Hazard Index (CHI), and Hazard Ratio (HR) indices were assessed. Pesticide residues were not detected in water samples.

Heavy metal (HM) pollution of river sediments is one of the most important problems encountered in the aquatic environments. The purpose of this study was to determine potential HM contamination in the sediments of Çömlekci stream and to assess the environmental risks associated with this contamination. To achieve these objectives, sediment samples were collected seasonally at three different stations

The mass concentrations of indoor (a naturally ventilated office) and outdoor (adjacent courtyard) PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated from December 14 to December 30, 2015 in Xi’an, China. Sixteen PM2.5 samples were collected on quartz filters with 47 mm diameter and analyzed. The results indicated that the average mass concentrations of PM2.5 and total 16 PAHs in

The widespread detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) throughout the world and the ongoing proliferation of environmental regulations has prompted the need for a forensic approach for the source attribution of PFAS. Current LC-MS/MS standard methods are sensitive and robust, but only characterize a small fraction of the total potential PFAS signature. Other, more powerful analytical

The paper presents a discussion on the identification of the source of troposphere NO2 concentration in two cities of Morocco, Casablanca and Rabat. The levels of NO2 during 2015–19 have been used as a baseline to analyse the change in the NO2 level during the COVID-19 induced lockdown in the cities of Morocco. The analysis reveals that the baseline concentration of NO2 during 2015–19 was higher for

Ambient air particulates (PM1, PM2,5, PM10, PM18, and total suspended particulates (TSP)), trace metals (Al, As, Cr, Cu, Cd, Zn, Ni, Pb, Mn, and Hg(p)) their concentrations, their dry deposition, and their sources from Dec. 2017 to May 2018 at Luliao Taichung City Junior High School (24°14′37.9″N 120°34′00.3″E) were studied. The site is a mixed site that is surrounded by traffic, and urban and commercial

We collected PM2.5 samples in the cities of Jinan and Baotou, North China. Concentrations of 9 heavy metals (HMs) (Cr, As, Cd, Sb, Pb, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mn) and 2 persistent organic pollutants [polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls, (DL-PCBs)] (POPs), were determined. The concentrations of PM2.5-bound HMs exhibited apparent seasonal characteristics

In this study, water quality parameters and disinfection by products (DBPs) were monitored and correlations between them were statistically investigated in a swimming pool in the province of Bitlis in Turkey. Risk assessment was then performed for trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) in the context of public health. According to results, the carbonaceous organics (maximum total organic

This study aims to compare performances of two static and one dynamic neural networks used for prediction of hourly ambient air quality concentrations in an industrial site of Turkey. Two air pollutants (PM10 and SO2) and three meteorological parameters (ambient air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed) were used as input variables. The predictions of the dynamic nonlinear autoregressive

A deep understanding of the relationship between watershed non-point source (NPS) pollution and lake total phosphorus (TP) accumulation is the basis of watershed–lake environmental management and ecological reconstruction, in which the acquisition of long-term NPS P and lake TP data over corresponding temporal and spatial scales seems to be the key issue. In this study, three typical sub-basins within

Heavy metals in cosmetics pose a high threat to human health. In the current study, heavy metals were detected in 15 locally manufactured lipsticks purchased from the native markets in Lahore, Pakistan, using three different techniques. Cu, Zn, Fe, Pb, Cr and Ni were quantified using atomic absorption spectrometry whereas Mg, Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, As and Pb were detected qualitatively using

TSP concentrations in ambient air and dry deposition were measured at an (agricultural) sampling site in Taiping. The TSP concentrations are compared with those in the other counties in Asia. Statistical differences between the TSP concentrations and dry depositions in Luliao district (mixed site) and Taiping district (agricultural site) are discussed. Ambient air particulate-bound mercury Hg(p) concentrations

Abstract A method for allocating remediation costs among a number of potentially responsible parties (PRPs) was developed as part of a highly technical, complex Superfund litigation case involving a former hazardous waste disposal site located in the southern United States. The method was devised in response to questions from the U.S. district court regarding the volume and composition of wastes disposed

Heavy metal pollution in the sediments of Çalışlar and Akçaova Streams may expose hazardous risk to environment and public health through food chain in Ordu province of southeastern Black Sea region of Turkey. The enrichment and distributions of the heavy metals in the sediments of these two streams demonstrated a decreasing trend in the mean heavy metal toxic levels in mg kg−1 as follows Fe (8135

Structural characterization of fulvic acids (FAs) along with the essential heavy metals (Fe, Co, Zn, and Cr) was carried out in the surface soil samples of prominent mango orchards in Palakkad district, Kerala, India. The FAs were examined with the help of elemental analyzer, UV-Visible, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The heavy metal distribution in the soil was observed in the following order: Fe > Cr > Zn > Co

Mineral resources (such as sulphur, iron, lead, and zinc) are abundant in one of the watersheds in Anhui Province, China. Unfortunately, excessive mining has negatively impacted the surrounding ecosystems and human health. To facilitate planning of the dredging project for the main river in the watershed, identification of the contaminant source(s) of sediments in the river course is critical. This

This paper aimed to provide the knowledge of water chemistry and quality and background values of the elements in surface waters around the Fe-ore deposits of N3 and N4WSul of Serra dos Carajás, Brazil. Water samples were collected from 17 monitoring points monthly/quarterly between 2013 and 2016 and the elemental analyses were carried out using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)

This research explores the measurement of background nuclear radiation, rate of exposure and the radiological risk for the inhabitants of South-western Nigeria. The measurement was carried out using Rad*Scanner model 500VBR, which measures radiation dose in count per minute. The mean absorbed dose rate ranges between 147.26 ± 8.13 nGy h−1 and 228.20 ± 20 nGy h−1, the annual and collective annual outdoor

Oil fingerprinting is concerned with determining the chemical profile of a spilled oil to determine its origin, whether that be a vessel, well or other source. Asphaltenes are typically discarded in this process even though they are considered refractory in comparison to the volatile fraction and have the ability to provide valuable information in oil fingerprinting. A heavy fuel oil was exposed to

Widespread land clearing for agriculture activities, urbanisation, development of hotels and residential areas has rapidly altered the land use in highland areas. These scenarios have continuously degraded the quality of river water in the area and consequently increased the risk of adverse health effects. This study investigated the impact of seasonal change on river water quality and dissolved metals

Elemental composition and heavy metal speciation of the soils of Ejigbo oil depot, Lagos state, Nigeria were determined to assess the contamination status of the study area. Oil-impacted and control soils were collected from the oil depot and uncontaminated areas respectively. Pb, Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni, As, and Fe concentrations in the soils were determined using Atomic absorption spectrometry. Contamination

Many studies have been conducted on the environmental pollution caused by pulverized coal on land and related monitoring methods; however, few studies have been conducted on the monitoring of pulverized coal pollution on sea ice. In this study, experiments were conducted on natural sea ice in the Bohai Sea of China to obtain the spectral reflectance of sea ice contaminated by different quantities of

The development of high-resolution mass spectrometry methods for the measurement of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in environmental samples has dramatically reduced detection limits, leading to problems obtaining clean blanks. When PCBs are detected in samples at concentrations similar to the blanks, blank contamination must be addressed before fingerprinting and source apportionment through positive

This research is a case study on detection of pesticides in river water, sediment as well as fish samples from Tapi River, among the major rivers of Gujarat, India. To investigate the misuse, concentration level and occurrence patterns of persistent pesticides, samples were collected from the river. Chlorpyrifos, methyl parathion, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT)

Chlorinated volatile organic compounds are common constituents observed at many contaminated groundwater sites. Common industry practice has been to measure these constituents in groundwater on a weight concentration basis (e.g. µg/l, mg/l). This paper highlights the use of molar-based concentrations, especially in the case of parent-daughter degradation sequences commonly observed with the chloroethene

Cement manufacturing is a process that results in the emission of significant quantities of suspended particulate matter (SPM) to the ambient air. An environmental forensic investigation was carried out in the surroundings of a major cement manufacturing unit at a place called Coimbatore in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The investigation was carried out to identify the contribution of the

Kerala, being a prominent tourist destination in the southern part of India with a coastline of 560 km, is prone to microplastic pollution. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the USA defines microplastics as plastics of size < 5 mm–1 nm. To solve the problem of microplastic pollution, it is essential to track its source. As plastics are pervasive, it is challenging to track

Uranium mining and ore processing are known to be harmful to the environment and human health if the waste generated is not managed properly. The aim of the present study is to determine the radiological indices in the mill tailings and review the possible attempts to utilize and minimize its hazardous effect. The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides, 238U, 232Th, 226Ra, and 40K have been

A saponification extraction method with gas chromatography pseudo-MRM (pMRM) mass spectrometry detection was developed for the determination of 50 total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (TPAH50, a combination of parent and alkylated homologues) in biota. The method was aimed at monitoring and identification of potential TPAH contaminants in bitumen impacted environments. Alkylated PAHs were determined

Bitumen and bitumen impacted soil and water samples were investigated for their relative chemical composition using comprehensive gas chromatography GcxGc – time of flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS). The results reveal the presence of key compounds which could serve as environmental biomarkers for bitumen impacted soils and aquifers. Prominent alkanes such as 3-methylpentane; 2,2,4-trimethylpentane;

To determine the sources of particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5 in different ambient atmospheres (urban, roadside, industrial, and rural sites), the chemical components of PM2.5 such as ions (Cl-, NO3-, SO42-, NH4+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+), carbonaceous species, and elements (Al, As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, V, and Zn) were measured. The average mass concentrations of PM2.5 at the urban

The purpose of this study is to evaluate what sources principally affect the chemical compositions in the catchment of the upper Nakdong River, South Korea where bedrock mostly consists of silicates as a natural factor. From October 7th to 9th, 2015, thirty-three water samples were collected, including samples from tributaries which run alongside mines. We analyzed the major anions, cations, trace

Gamma ray spectra of natural radioactivity from 238U, 232Th, and 40K in sediments and water samples from rivers in eleven oil-producing and two non-oil producing communities in Delta state of Nigeria have been evaluated using gamma-ray spectrometer with the hyper-pure germanium detector. Measured activity concentrations in water samples ranged from 1.17 Bq L−1 to 14.65 Bq L−1 for 40K; 0.26 Bq L−1 to

In the context of the National Interest Site (NIS) of Venice (North East, Italy), one of the largest petrochemical settlements in Europe, the presence of various significant historical contaminations of soils and groundwater as well as the proximity of different productive sites, have given rise to several complex situations when defining the responsibility for the contamination of groundwater. The

The objective of this study was to determine the vertical distribution of metals and organic carbon in lakes Küçükçekmece and Terkos, which are located in different areas near Istanbul and are affected by different environmental factors. The aim was also to specify the metal input, its sources, and the ecological risk over the last 700 years. For analysis, core sediment samples were taken from the

The radioactivity levels in soil samples of Bolu province of north-western Turkey have been determined. There has been no information about radioactivity measurement reported in soil samples in Bolu province so far. For this reason, the activity concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs) were measured in soil samples collected from 40 different points in Bolu

This study consisted of the collection and comparison of ambient air total suspended particulates (TSP), PM10, PM2.5 concentrations and dry depositions for semi-open/outdoor environments at a concrete processing factory in ChangHua Coastal Park during the year of 2017 (half-year observation). This study aimed to find the appropriate dry deposition models in the prediction of the semi-open/outdoor dry

The EU Directive 2004/35/EC on environmental liability (ELD) introduced the obligation to attribute the prevention and remediation costs for environmental damage to the liable operator. In accordance with Italian Decree no. 152/2006 (Italian Environmental Code – IEC) Part IV, sourcing and identifying the operator responsible for the contamination of soil and groundwater is a compulsory step towards:

Aliphatic hydrocarbons in the sediments of the estuarine mangrove forests of Cochin region, Southwest coast of India were characterized to assess the sources of organic matter (OM) and to validate the effectiveness of the various geochemical indices to identify multiple OM sources and the complex geochemistry of these tropical coastal environments. The total concentration of the n-alkanes varied from

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are ubiquitous contaminants from plasticizers of polyvinyl chloride and other polymers. The investigation of the PAEs in the environment, especially ambient air particulates, is very important. In this study, the determination of PAEs in total suspended particulates (TSP) by using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was evaluated. The results indicated that the concentrations

The trace elements (TEs) in coal are of great concern due to their toxicity and bioavailability. The coal, bottom ash, fly ash and gaseous species were sampled to study the partitioning and environmental behaviors of TEs during coal combustion. The mineral and phase characterizations of coal combustion residue were determined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

This research was focused on the measurements of ambient air pollutants species (Cl−, NO3−, and SO42−) concentrations of wet and dry depositions by using PS-1 (TSP), dry depositions plate and wet depositions tub at mixed (traffic, commercial, and residential) sampling sites. Lu-Liao, characterized by traffic, commercial and residential sites, was selected as the dry deposition measurement site. Hungkuang

This work presents analysis of breakthrough curves collected from monitoring wells located around an impoundment that leaked produced water in fractured bedrock. The analysis demonstrated that fractured bedrock flow could be highly heterogeneous, with produced water impacting some monitoring well, but not others located within the same distance as impacted wells, and within the same general alignment

A pollution source in groundwater may be active at some location for certain periods. There may be multiple potential sources responsible for observed contamination at observation wells. The contamination witnessed in observation wells at different times establishes breakthrough curves (BTCs). These BTCs are usually employed for source identification. In this work, single and multistage artificial

Sediment samples were collected from nine stations located along the Cochin estuary through five seasonal sampling campaigns for evaluating the distribution, accumulation and biogeochemical factors governing the concentration of various phosphorous fractions. Concentrations of sedimentary phosphorus fractions followed the order: iron-bound phosphorus > calcium bound inorganic phosphorous > alkali soluble