Long-term Effects Of Pollution Research Articles

Effect of ambient air pollution on tuberculosis risks and mortality in Shandong, China: a multi-city modeling study of the short- and long-term effects of pollutants.

Few studies conducted in China have assessed the effects of ambient air pollution exposure on tuberculosis (TB) risk and mortality, especially with a multicity setting. We evaluated the effect of short- and long-term ambient sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and particulate matter≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) exposures on development and mortality of active TB in 7 Chinese cities in Shandong province from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017. We estimated the pollution-associated risk to new infection TB, recurrent TB, and mortality in relation to 1-μg/m3 increases in air pollutants using the penalized multivariate Poisson regression models. A total of 83,555 new infective TB and 3060 recurrent TB including 997 deaths were recorded. Short- and long-term exposures to outdoor air pollutants (SO2, NO2, CO, O3, and PM2.5) were significantly associated with new infection TB, recurrent TB risk, and mortality. The dominant positive effects of SO2, NO2, CO, and PM2.5 for new infection and recurrent TB risk were observed at long-term (>30 days) exposure, whereas the dominant effects of SO2, CO, and PM2.5 for mortality were observed at short-term (≤30 days) exposures. Of the 5 air pollutants we assessed, SO2 and PM2.5 exhibited more consistent and strong associations with TB-related outcomes. We estimated an increase of 1.33% (95% CI 1.29%, 1.37%) and 3.04% (95% CI 2.98%, 3.11%) in new infection TB count for each 1-μg/m3 increase of SO2 at lag 0-180 days and PM2.5 at lag 0-365 days, respectively. This epidemiologic study in China shows that air pollution exposure is associated with increased risk of active TB development and mortality. The control of ambient air pollution may benefit the control and decrease the mortality of TB disease.

The estimation of the pollutant emissions on-board vessels by means of numerical methods

Protection of the environment, especially within the most recent years, has become a constant problem considered by the states and the governments of the world, which are more and more concerned about the serious problems caused by the continuous deterioration of the environment. The long term effects of pollution on the environment generated by the lack of penalty regulations, have directed the attention of statesmen upon the necessity of the elaboration of normative acts meant to be effective in the continuous fight with it. Maritime transportation generates approximately 4% of the total of the CO2 emissions produced by human activities.This paper is intended to present two methods of estimation of the gases emissions on-board a vessel, methods that are very useful for the crews which are exploiting them. For the determination and the validation of these methods we are going to use the determinations from the tank ship. This ship has as a main propulsion engine Wärtsilä DU Sulzer RT Flex 50 - 6 cylinders that develops a maximal power of 9720 kW and has a permanent monitoring system of the pollutant emissions. The methods we develop here are using the values of the polluting elements from the exhaust gases that are determined at the exit of the vessel from the ship yard, in the framework of the acceptance tests. These values have been introduced within the framework of a matrix in the MATHCAD program. This matrix represents the starting point of the two mentioned methods: the analytical method and the graphical method. During the study we are going to evaluate the development and validation of an analytical tool to be used to determine the standard of emissions aimed at thermal machines on ships.One of the main objectives of this article represents an objective assessment of the expediency of using non-fuels for internal combustion engines in vessels.

Fluoride in soil and plant

Fluorine is unique chemical element which occurs naturally, but is not an essential nutrient for plants. Fluoride toxicity can arise due to excessive fluoride intake from a variety of natural or manmade sources. Fluoride is phytotoxic to most plants. Plants which are sensitive for fluorine exposure even low concentrations of fluorine can cause leave damage and a decline in growth. All vegetation contains some fluoride absorbed from soil and water. The highest levels of F in field-grown vegetables are found up to 40 mg kg -1 fresh weight although fluoride is relatively immobile and is not easily leached in soil because most of the fluoride was not readily soluble or exchangeable. Also, high concentrations of fluoride primarily associated with the soil colloid or clay fraction can increase fluoride levels in soil solution, increasing uptake via the plant root. In soils more than 90 percent of the natural fluoride ranging from 20 to 1,000 μg g -1 is insoluble, or tightly bound to soil particles. The excess accumulation of fluorides in vegetation leads to visible leaf injury, damage to fruits, changes in the yield. The amount of fluoride taken up by plants depending on the type of plant, the nature of the soil, and the amount and form of fluoride in the soil should be controlled. Conclusively, fluoride is possible and long-term pollution effects on plant growth through accumulation of the fluoride retained in the soil.

Effects of chlortetracycline on soil microbial communities: Comparisons of enzyme activities to the functional diversity via Biolog EcoPlates™

Veterinary antibiotics (VAs) can enter agricultural soil by the application of animal excrements. However, the response of soil microorganisms to VAs is not well understood. Therefore, a 45-day microcosm experiment was conducted to ascertain the impact of chlortetracycline (CTC) on soil microbial communities. In this study, CTC was applied to soil samples with no previous antibiotic-containing manure application history at three concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 mg/kg soil. Soil samples were taken after 1, 6, 12 and 45 day(s) of incubation to determine the dissipation of CTC using HPLC. Meanwhile, to investigate the effect of CTC on microorganisms, microbial activities in the cultivable and the actual community were determined using Biolog EcoPlates™ and enzyme activities, respectively. It was demonstrated that CTC dissipated faster at lower spiking levels. At the end of the experiment, no CTC could be extracted in all treatments, except for C100. The enzyme activities were enhanced on the first day and then were significantly inhibited by CTC for up to 45 days. This inhibition was especially true for activities of dehydrogenase and urease, whereas phosphatase activities were slightly affected. The results demonstrated that CTC contamination could pose a selective pressure on soil microorganisms, despite its rapid decline in the extractable concentration. However, community-level physiological profiles (CLPP) that were assessed using Biolog EcoPlates™ displayed different susceptibilities to the addition of CTC: it responded rapidly to CTC-amendment and were improved strongly by CTC on the first day, whereas no effect was detected thereafter. It was suggested that the Biolog EcoPlates method was more suitable for short-term toxicity tests than for the relatively long-term effects of pollutants on microbial communities.

Heavy Metal Distribution of Floodplain Soils and Pastures of the Tisza River

In January and March 2000 two tailings dam failed in Baia Mare (Nagybanya) and Baia Borsa (Borsabanya) which resulted cyanide and metal pollution in the Lapos - Szamos - Tisza and metal pollution in the Viso - Tisza rivers, respectively. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the long term effects of pollution on environment. Samples of easily available metal contents were collected in year 2011 from these floodplains and pastures along the Tisza (Tivadar, Vasarosnameny, Rakamaz, Tiszacsege) and were investigated and compared with our earlier results. It was noticed that during an 11 year span the easily available Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb contents of the floodplain soils have increased. This may be due to the periodical floods and the mobilization of the pollutants. Furthermore, high concentration of Zn and Pb contents – crossing the natural background values of available metal content – were also observed in the soils studied.Furthermore, high available Zn and Pb contents – exceeding the limit value of available metal content – were observable in the studied soils.

Unionid mussels from nearshore zones of Lake Erie

Concern exists that the introduction of dreissenid mussels following long-term effects of pollution may have completely eliminated native mussel species from Lake Erie. Natural seiche events were used to facilitate surveys for live unionids on five occasions in the western basin of Lake Erie and Sandusky Bay between 2007 and 2009, and beach and estuary surveys were conducted at numerous additional sites between 2004 and 2009. Sixteen unionid species were found living in or near Lake Erie, including six sites in the nearshore zone of the lake. Each community consisted of live individuals from two to eight species, and evidence included live and/or fresh dead material from several state listed species at multiple sites. Where estimated, the mean overall density was low at 0.09 unionids/m 2, although similar to other known unionid refuges in the lower Great Lakes. While the ephemeral nature of seiche events makes them a limited survey tool, their application combined with increasing numbers of fresh shells washing ashore over the past few years indicates that unionids are extant in the western basin of Lake Erie, and may further suggest that conditions may be improving for native mussel species.

Temporal variation of coastal surface sediment bacterial communities along an environmental pollution gradient

Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (T-RFLP) was used to track the changes of bacterial community compositions (BCC) in coastal surface sediments along an environmental pollution gradient between 2004 and 2006. BCC in the chronically contaminated sites showed the largest deviation from those in the adjacent sites. Surprisingly, BCC at two contrasting environments (oceanic vs. river-influenced) were more similar. Unexpectedly, the BCC did not recover (when compared to oceanic control site) even after 5 years of pollution abatement initiatives in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. On the other hand, disposal of treated sewage for 5 years in one of the sites did not significantly affect the BCC. A striking seasonal variation in the BCC was observed at only the polluted sites. Although factors other than pollution gradients may explain the observed BCC patterns, the information presented here can be useful in predicting long-term effects of pollution on BCC. Furthermore, this study suggests that BCC analysis using T-RFLP is a faster, reliable and easier approach to monitor microbenthic community response to environmental pollution gradient in coastal sediments.

Dynamics of pollution control when damage is sensitive to the rate of pollution accumulation

Economic models which take into account the long-term effects of pollution in the environment specify pollution damage as a function of the accumulated stock. Several economists have proposed another formulation where damage is a function of the time derivative of the pollution stock. This paper considers the intertemporal efficiency implications of this formulation. The first specification is qualitative and the objective functional includes both the rate of change and the level of the pollution stock. The second specification is a stylized climate change model with a linear damage function where damage depends only on the rate of increase in global temperature. The analysis reveals that the efficiency properties of optimal pollution control are very sensitive to this change in the damage function. Intertemporal efficiency may require higher emissions compared with the level which is optimal from the myopic point of view. An increase in the rate of discount typically reduces the optimal emission level.

Experiments on the water budget of densely and sparsely needled spruces [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] in a declining stand

The osmotic potentials of needles were compared from numerous trees that had been classified according to needle loss along an altitude profile. With the increasing degree of damage of the trees, the maximum and minimum values deviated more strongly above and below the common mean of all samples. The level of water content of the needles unequivocally reflected the vitality of the trees. Experiments covering a whole vegetation period were performed on a tree pair selected from a natural stand. They were designed to demonstrate differences in water balance between the “healthy” and “damaged” state of the trees. For the “damaged” tree, measurements of the water potentials of single needles showed a greater reduction of potential during the course of the day compared to the “healthy” tree. Recovery in the evenings was slower and often incomplete. The osmotic potentials of “damaged” and “healthy” shoots measured in individual needles also differed both predawn and especially after transpiration stress. Depending on weather and soil desiccation, the differences were more or less pronounced. In the “damaged” tree, the rises in potential after saturation of the twigs fell far short of the “healthy” tree. Reduction of water potential, osmotic potential and relative water content under comparable stress conditions suggest a reduced tolerance of drought by damaged trees. In the context of earlier experiments this result was ascribed to a lack of stomatal control, and long-term pollution effects were thus explained as a specific disturbance of hydroregulation.

Ecology of North American Arctic continental shelf benthos: a review

The zoogeography, ecology, and biology of continental shelf invertebrate benthos along the arctic coast of North America from Alaska to western Greenland are reviewed. Environmental influences are noted and the life histories as well as the food sources of the fauna are summarized. The existence of regionally associated, characteristic community structures, centred upon the northern Bering Sea and the eastern Chukchi Sea, the Beaufort Sea, the Canadian Archipelago, the eastern Canadian Arctic, and western Greenland, is indicated. Early field research was exploratory and fragmented. Since 1940 more extensive studies oriented toward surveys and environmental baselines have been conducted. Over the last few decades physiological ecology studies of selected species have been undertaken to better understand adaptations to polar conditions. Recent Canadian research has included long-term field experiments on the effects of oil spillage in arctic waters as well as quantitative studies of benthos across the Archipelago and within fiords and other specialized environments. This research has suggested the need for basic biological and ecological research from the level of species through complete ecosystems in arctic waters. Additional studies on the long-term effects of pollution should be undertaken in the colder regions where it is likely that biological processes are slower and the effects of pollution are more long-lasting. Specifically, the ability to define pelagic-benthic coupling in Canadian arctic waters would provide insight into the role of the benthos in low productivity arctic ecosystems. In summary co-operative international research programmes on continental shelf benthos throughout the Arctic Basin and its surrounding seas should be undertaken. Knowledge of the range of shelf environments will provide insight into the controlling physical and biological features of the environment as well as the role of the seafloor within the arctic environment.

Long-term effects of pollutants on pH of rain water in North India

The ionic composition and pH of rainwater samples collected during the summer monsoon seasons of 1963 and 1965 at Agra and Delhi, respectively have been compared with those collected during the summer monsoon seasons of 1984 at both these cities. The pH values at Agra and Delhi have been found to have decreased by 2.8 (9.1-6.3) and 0.9 (7.0-6.1) units, respectively after the period of two decades during which the cities developed industrially to a great extent. The main cause for the decrease in the pH values is a significant increase of acidic components and decrease of soil-oriented components in the rain water. For the first time in India, long-term effects of pollutants on the pH of rain water have been observed but the effects are comparatively slow compared with those in western countries.

Impact of kraft pulp-mill effluents on estuarine and coastal fishes in Apalachee Bay, Florida, USA

A 2-year field study was carried out to determine the impact of kraft pulp-mill effluents on the fish fauna of a shallow-bay system in north Florida (Apalachee Bay, USA). Offshore areas that received kraft-mill effluents (KME) displayed significant increases in color and turbidity and reductions in (benthic) dissolved oxygen compared to a nearby control area. Estuarine and marsh fish assemblages in areas of acute impact were severely reduced in terms of numbers of individuals (N) and species (S). Offshore areas exposed to varying (chronic) levels of KME were characterized by complex interactions that included seasonal variations of impact. A broad offshore area showed reductions in numbers of individuals and species taken per month. However, the cumulative (annual) number of species taken was the same for polluted and unpolluted (control) areas due to a recruitment of relatively rare species in the areas of impact. Such polluted areas showed decreased dominance as well as qualitative differences in species composition compared to control areas. Inshore bay stations that were most severely affected by KME were dominated by the bay anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli. While species richness and species diversity were lower at the highly stressed stations, in other outlying areas of moderate impact (reduced N and S) there were no reductions of such parameters compared to control areas. Thus, species diversity was not an indicator of pollution per se, and was useful only when taken in conjunction with various other parameters. Transition areas (between polluted and unpolluted portions of the bay) showed substantial (although periodic) increases in N, S, and species diversity. Equitability indices were unchanged in polluted portions of the bay. In general, the effects of KME on offshore fish assemblages appeared to be due to a complex combination of habitat alteration, reduced benthic productivity, and individual behavioral reactions. The alterations of fish assemblages were compared to other studies in this area on benthic macrophytes and invertebrates in an effort to assess the usefulness of various indices in studies on the long-term effects of pollution on estuarine and coastal systems. It was found that kraft pulp-mill effluents had a pronounced effect on the benthic standing crop of plants and animals, but that intensive sampling over prolonged periods of time was necessary for an adequate assessment of the problem. Overall, there were some significant changes in the biota such as reduced dominance and productivity in polluted areas that were similar for the various types of organisms sampled.

Changes in the ecological balance of invertebrate communities in kelp holdfast habitats of some polluted North Sea waters

1. This paper presents a thirty-one month study of a neotenous invertebrate community which developed inLaminaria hyperborea holdfasts in some polluted waters of the North Sea (northeast England und southwest Scotland). 2. Sixty miles of open coastal waters and approximately thirty miles of the Forth Estuary are affected by pollutants. 3. Reduction in the species diversity leaves only one possible detritus food chain in the habitat. 4. This simple community is not in balance. 5. The ecology of the polluted water community is considered and the possible long-term effects of pollution in the kelp forest are discussed.