Assessment Of Environmental Effects Research Articles

A quantitative assessment of the sources and fate of petroleum compounds in the marine environment

Petroleum is complex, containing many thousands of com pounds ranging from gases to residues boiling about 400 °C. Most (usually more than 75% ) are types of hydrocarbons. Crude oils differ markedly in detailed composition, even during the lifetime of a single well, while distillates and petroleum products are enriched with certain com pounds. Thus petroleum -derived inputs vary considerably in com position; it is essential to bear this in mind when quantifying them in general terms such as an ‘oil' or ‘total petroleum hydrocarbons’ measurement. However, to place the gross inputs in their proper perspective in an assessment of potential environmental effects, it is equally important to identify quantitatively those components that are potentially harmful or have long residence times. Additional sources of hydrocarbons such as other fossil fuels, combustion and the biosphere must also be distinguished, providing difficult analytical problems where the contribution of petroleum -derived constituents is small. Much less information is available on the non-hydrocarbon components. Estimates of the total oil input to U. K. waters are, at best, approximate and range from 40 to 100 kt or more per year. Some contributions are more speculative than others, particularly the atmospheric input. Usually, environmental effects are of local concern and it is more realistic and more meaningful to appraise the quantity and quality of the inputs on a local rather than a national or global basis. Such appraisal identifies potential ‘hot-spots’ or areas of concern to which the results of studies on the distribution of hydrocarbons can be related broadly. The complexity of the inputs is matched by the range of properties of the components and the physical, chemical and biochemical processes that contribute to the distributive pathways and determine the fate of the inputs.

Assessment of environmental effects of deep ocean mining of manganese nodules

Deep ocean mining for manganese nodules is under development by several multinational mining consortia. Initial estimates of probable environmental effects of this mining were made before any actual operations were conducted. Recent pilot mining tests near Hawaii have provided an opportunity to verify and modify the initial estimates. The two principal initial impacts of mining are in the near surface water associated with increased turbidity caused by mining discharge, and in a relatively limited zone at the sea floor associated with collector traverse. Examples are presented of estimates of reduction in primary production in the turbid plume as well as the contrasting effect of increased nutrients. Effects of the mining collector on benthic populations are considered. The limitations of extrapolation of results obtained during pilot mining tests are discussed.

Current status of models in determining optimum chlorination practices

Interest in mathematical models for predicting the fate of chlorine in natural waters arose in the 1970's, and evolution of these models has proceeded rapidly. The crudest of the models incorporate empirical estimates of chemical reactions in a single term to predict generic chlorine products such as total residual chlorine or free residual chlorine. A second order of model complexity includes use of multifactor predictor variables to approximate losses of chlorine via chemical reaction, but predictions are still couched in terms of generic chlorine products. The most sophisticated of the current models are based on specific chemical reactions and predict the identity and quantity of some (but not all) of the products resulting from chlorination of natural waters. None of these models have been sufficiently verified, but each has some potential value for assessment of environmental effects of chlorinated discharges. Evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of existing models is presented to stimulate further model development and to direct the focus of chemical studies toward collection of data most critical for derivation of input parameters.

Information requirements of the Department of Energy.

The relationships between the environmental part of DOE and scientists are described. The information required from science for DOE to pass on to Congress or the courts is discussed. Assessment of health and environmental effects of energy technology is defined. (DC)

Assessment of Environmental Effects: Method and Model

Assessment of Environmental Effects: Method and Model

Comment on Pugh's method and model for assessing environmental effects

Pugh (1977) has presented a model for assessing the effects of the environment on subjective judgments about that environment. Both the computational procedures proposed by Pugh (1977) and their interpretation are criticized here. An analysis of covariance model is suggested as an alternative approach to the assessment of environmental effects.

Induction of benzo (a)pyrene monooxygenase in fish and the Salmonella test as a tool for detecting mutagenic/carcinogenic xenobiotics in the aquatic environment.

From the ecological point of view and on account of the interest in the environmental assessment of biological effects of xenobiotics on water organisms, it would be highly desirable to detect their presence by an equally revealing biochemical method in water samples. Considering the induction of BPMO as a means of detoxification in fish, we studied the consequences of i/p application of polluted water extracts from different marine sites to young carp. Aliquots of these extracts served in Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity tests using liver homogenates of pollution-induced fish as activating systems. The results we obtained so far are presented in this paper.

Time series analysis of morbidity data for assessment of acute environmental health effects

We present a method we developed to overcome some of the problems that are encountered in the attempts to identify acute health effects of environmental stimuli such as air pollution. To illustrate this method we have used daily records of asthmatic attacks in New York City. We also review some of the shortcomings of the presently used regression techniques, where a health variable is regressed on one or more environmental variables.

Assessment of the neighborhood environmental effects of highway improvements through micronetwork simulation

New Cut Road is a major arterial highway serving South Louisville. Until recently, it was a narrow two‐lane highway of rural‐type design carrying up to 14,000 vehicles per day under forced flow conditions. Then construction began to widen the road from Southside Drive to Old Third Street Road, as a result of Urban Corridor Demonstration Program funding. The impacts (traffic, noise, and air pollution) on the neighborhoods surrounding this widening have been measured through micronetwork simulation techniques. Traffic will be diverted from surrounding roads (up to 20 percent) to the widened New Cut facility, thereby eliminating “over‐capacity” conditions in these facilities, adding several years’ life. Further, expeditious movement of vehicles through the New Cut Road “area of influence” will have a beneficial, albeit small, effect on the local air and noise environment. New Cut Road will be a highly cost‐effective, low‐capital‐intensive improvement.

Assessment of environmental effects: Method and model

A model and methods are described which were developed to assess the effects of environmental conditions on human behavior. An interactionist approach emphasizing person—situation interaction is of particular concern. These interactions are incorporated into the model by using perceptions as a bridge between the environment and behavior. The model consists of two steps: (a) dividing perceptions into sources or components, and (b) using the perceptual components to account for variance in behavioral criteria. The methodology is explained and an example given to separate environmental perceptions into their components.

Ecological and Social Evaluation of Industrial Development

The development of methods for evaluation of industrial development by investigation of its ecological and health, as well as its social and economic, effects was the aim of UNEP/UNIDO Project EP/INT/73-002. Following six weeks' study of the cotton textile industry in Thailand, recommendations were made regarding criteria, team composition, and methods of utilizing existing information and conducting interviews. Interviews with village people and farmers were found to be a feasible method for qualitative assessment of environmental effects, and for providing information on which losses could be estimated. In all cases the costs of prevention or mitigation of damage were small in comparison with estimated costs of the damage caused.The paper suggest that developing countries have the opportunity to industrialize without the trauma of extensive damage to health or environment, and that such development is not intrinsically more costly than other types in financial terms. It does, however, demand better understanding of the social, economic, and environmental, characters of a locality before planning begins. In many countries, including Thailand, existing university and other resources, assisted by interviews with the communities concerned, can provide the information required for this understanding, and therefore the delay need not be great.

Environmental and toxicological planning in polymer production and disposal.

There is neither a prescribed format nor a rigid sequence of testing to follow for the assessment of health and environmental effects of chemicals. Conventional animal toxicity tests plus medical surveillance and monitoring of exposed human populations will provide knowledge of the biological effects of chemicals and assurance that they can be handled safely. Useful information also can be derived from other test procedures. These include extraction studies to measure the amounts of additives which can leach from polymers, toxicity tests using aquatic organisms and birds, and determination of the biodegradability of materials and their potential for accumulation and magnification in biological systems. Current concern over pyrolysis products of polymers points up the need for defining the variables involved and development of test procedures by which meaningful evaluations of potential health hazards can be made.