Total Suspended Particulate Material Research Articles

Lead isotope composition and host phases in airborne particulate matter from Budapest, Hungary

Lead is a frequent, potentially toxic pollutant of the urban environment. Its risk assessment in airborne particulate matter requires data both on its speciation and potential sources. In this paper we present results of a detailed mineralogical (XRD and TEM) and geochemical (selective chemical extractions and lead isotope ratio analyses) study of total suspended particulate (TSP) matter samplesfrom Budapest, Hungary, to fulfill these requirements. Total lead concentrations showed significant enrichment in the studied TSP samples as compared to its geochemical background value. It could be associated with several host phases. The potentially mobile fraction of lead, which could also be harmful to humans, can be as high as 16% of the total lead. This is represented by Pb sorbed on the surface of clay minerals and in the form of carbonates (and sulfates). On the other hand, between 20 and 30% of total lead of TSP material is hosted by magnetite, a highly resistant mineral. However, its rapid oxidation during combustion processes to hematite and/or weathering in the acidifying urban environment to ferrihydrite, may result in the enhanced mobilization of lead. The lead isotope composition of the TSP samples suggests the mixing of several sources for this metal, with slight variation among the sampling sites. Despite the phasing out of leaded gasoline, its contribution to the Pb content of the TSP was observed. Our data also supported that the presence of lead of gasoline origin decreases in the airborne TSP during the last decade in Budapest. Another important source for lead is found to be coal combustion linked to domestic and industrial heating. Lead isotope ratio data suggest additional source(s) for this metal, at least in certain localities, but further investigations are necessary to specify them.

Determination of plutonium and 90Sr in air particulate samples

Within the surveillance program of the gaseous effluents coming from the nuclear reprocessing plant EUREX of ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies Energy and Environment, CR Saluggia) in the North of Italy, the content of some radionuclides is continuously monitored. The so-called 1AW high-activity liquid waste (HLLW) is the aqueous raffinate of the first cycle of PUREX extraction process which was the starting point of the reprocessing activity of some MTR and CANDU spent fuel elements. Nowadays, 1AW-HLLW is stored in five tanks placed inside the EUREX plant site. This paper describes the sampling and radioanalytical methods employed to determine the activities of 241Am, plutonium isotopes and 90Sr in the total suspended particulate material (TSP) of the 1AW tank primary ventilation air circuit.

A method for estimating inherent optical properties of New Zealand continental shelf waters from satellite ocean colour measurements

We describe a method to estimate spectral absorption and backscattering coefficients between 412 and 555 nm from measurements of remote sensing reflectance across the visible spectrum. The algorithm described is applicable to ocean colour satellite measurements (e.g., SeaWiFS). In situ measurements of inherent and apparent optical properties were made at 19 coastal stations off the north coast of New Zealand's South Island in December 2001. These measurements were used to parameterise a bio‐optical model that estimates remote sensing reflectance from concentrations of water constituents. The model generated a large number (5000) of modelled ocean colour reflectance spectra that represented a greater range of biogeochemical conditions than were measured in the study area. These modelled values spanned a wide range of chlorophyll concentrations (0.1–10 mg m‐3), total suspended particulate material concentrations (0.1–50 g m‐3), and dissolved yellow substance absorptions (0.01–3 m‐1). The modelled spectra were then used to test the performance of the algorithm. The median ratio of algorithm values to target values was 0.84 (absorption), and 0.80 (backscatter), and the median absolute errors were 33% (absorption) and 36% (backscatter) across two orders of magnitude. The r2 values between target and algorithm values of inherent optical properties in log‐log space were 0.89 for backscatter, and varied with wavelength for absorption from 0.79 (412 nm), 0.72 (443 nm), 0.63 (490 nm), 0.55 (510 nm), and 0.21 (555 nm).

Density-dependent effects on seston dynamics and rates of filtering and biodeposition of the suspension-cultured scallop Chlamys farreri in a eutrophic bay (northern China): An experimental study in semi-in situ flow-through systems

Effects of stocking density on seston dynamics and filtering and biodeposition by the suspension-cultured Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri Jones et Preston in a eutrophic bay (Sishili Bay, northern China), were determined in a 3-month semi-field experiment with continuous flow-through seawater from the bay. Results showed that the presence of the scallops could strongly decrease seston and chlorophyll a concentrations in the water column. Moreover, in a limited water column, increasing scallop density could cause seston depletion due to scallop's filtering and biodeposition process, and impair scallop growth. Both filtration rate and biodeposition rate of C. farreri showed significant negative correlation with their density and positive relationship with seston concentration. Calculation predicts that the daily removal of suspended matter from water column by the scallops in Sishili Bay ecosystem can be as high as 45% of the total suspended matter; and the daily production of biodeposits by the scallops in early summer in farming zone may amount to 7.78 g m − 2 , with daily C, N and P biodeposition rates of 3.06 × 10 − 1 , 3.86 × 10 − 2 and 9.80 × 10 − 3 g m − 2 , respectively. The filtering and biodeposition by suspension-cultured scallops could substantially enhance the deposition of total suspended particulate material, suppress accumulation of particulate organic matter in water column, and increase the flux of C, N and P to benthos, strongly enhancing pelagic–benthic coupling. It was suggested that the filtering-biodeposition process by intensively suspension-cultured bivalve filter-feeders could exert strong top-down control on phytoplankton biomass and other suspended particulate material in coastal ecosystems. This study also indicated that commercially suspension-cultured bivalves may simultaneously and potentially aid in mitigating eutrophication pressures on coastal ecosystems subject to anthropogenic N and P loadings, serving as a eutrophic-environment bioremediator. The ecological services (e.g. filtering capacity, top-down control, and benthic–pelagic coupling) functioned by extractive bivalve aquaculture should be emphasized in coastal ecosystems.

Lung Tumor Response in Strain a Mice Exposed to Tobacco Smoke: Some Dose-Effect Relationships

Male strain A/J mice were exposed for 5 mo in a whole-body inhalation chamber to 3 different concentrations of a mixture of cigarette sidestream and mainstream smoke (99, 120, and 176 mg/m3 of total suspended particulate material, TSP). After an additional 4-mo recovery period in air, lung tumor multiplicities and incidences were determined. The two highest smoke concentrations produced significantly more lung tumors than did the low dose and control groups, although the response to the high was slightly less than to the medium dose. Lung tumor incidences were in all three groups significantly higher than in controls. Lung displacement volume was increased in a dose-dependent manner, but morphometric analysis of the tissues failed to provide evidence for airspace enlargement. Plasma cotinine levels were dose-dependent and similar after 1-day and 5-day exposure. The shape of the dose-response curve and a comparison with previous data suggest that cigarette smoke is only a comparatively weak mouse lung carcinogen.

The homogeneity of heavy metal deposition on glass fibre filters collected using a high-volume sampler in the vicinity of an opencast chrome mine complex at Kemi, Northern Finland.

The homogeneity of heavy metal (Cr, Ni, Cu, Fe and Cd) distribution on glass fibre filters (Munktell MG 160, 203 x 254 mm, 75 g m(-2)) collected using a high-volume sampler (Wedding & Associates) at an opencast chrome mine complex at Kemi, Northern Finland was studied. The heavy metals in the total suspended particulate (TSP) material were analysed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) or graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The glass fibre filters were digested in a microwave oven using a mixture of aqua regia+HF acids. There was significant non-uniform distribution of heavy metals on glass fibre filters. The TSP material containing chromite was very difficult to dissolve by acid digestion. The results from X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and from energy filtering transmission electron microscope (EFTEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), showed that insoluble residue left after microwave oven digestion with aqua regia+HF acids was probably partly due to chemical reactions occurring during microwave heating.

Estimation of environmental mobility of heavy metals using a sequential leaching of particulate material emitted from an opencast chrome mine complex.

A four-stage sequential leaching procedure was applied to assess the bioavailability and environmental mobility of heavy metals (Cr, Fe, Cu, Ni and Cd) in total suspended particulate (TSP) material emitted from an opencast chrome mine complex (Kemi, Northern Finland). TSP material was collected on glass fibre filters by a high-volume sampler, and a sequential leaching procedure was used to determine the distribution of heavy metals between the water-soluble fraction (H2O), environmentally mobile fraction (CH3COONH4), the fraction bound to carbonate and oxides (HONH3Cl + CH3COOH), and the fraction bound to silicates and organic matter, that is the environmentally immobile fraction (HNO3 + HF + HCl). The sequential leaching procedure was also applied to the certified reference materials VKI (QC Loam Soil A) and PACS-2 (Marine Sediment) to evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of the leaching procedure. The heavy metals were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The concentrations of metals in the water-soluble fraction (H2O) decreased in the order Fe >Cu >Cr >Ni >Cd, and in the environmentally mobile fraction (CH3COONH4) in the order Cu >Fe >Ni >Cr >Cd.

Biogeochemical characterization of suspended particulate matter in the Columbia River estuary

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 160:173-184 (1997) - doi:10.3354/meps160173 Biogeochemical characterization of suspended particulate matter in the Columbia River estuary F. G. Prahl*, L. F. Small, B. Eversmeyer College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA *E-mail: fprahl@oce.orst.edu In order to understand what controls the composition of suspended particulate material (SPM) in estuarine turbidity maxima (ETM), a set of SPM samples collected in the Columbia River and estuary (northwestern USA) during 3 seasons (fall 1990, summer 1991, spring 1992) was analyzed for detrital mineral (Min), total organic matter [OM, as 2 x particulate organic carbon (POC)], biogenic silica (BSi), chlorophyll a, δ13C, and lignin. In most samples, Min, OM and BSi collectively accounted for 100% of total SPM mass, although their relative importance changed seasonally. The ETM was a trap for organic matter during all 3 seasons, which can explain the intense microbial activity and microcrustacean grazing observed previously. The organic matter was particularly rich in chlorophyll a in late spring to early summer. The source of this seasonal enrichment was mainly riverine phytoplankton. The organic matter contribution to ETM from the ocean was minor compared to the river, but apparently not negligible. Despite large seasonal variations in chlorophyll content, the δ13C of POC concentrated in ETM remained nearly constant between -26 and -25.5o/oo. Vascular plant debris, as depicted by lignin phenol content, always comprised a minor fraction of the organic matter in ETM, although ETM had higher lignin levels than the OM of surrounding waters. Intertidal mudflats are if not an additional source of organic matter at least an important site for transforming riverine organic matter that is ultimately concentrated in ETM. Columbia River estuary · Estuarine turbidity maxima (ETM) · Mudflats · Suspended particulate material (SPM) · Particulate organic carbon (POC) · Chlorophyll · Lignin · Aluminum · Manganese Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 160. Publication date: December 15, 1997 Print ISSN:0171-8630; Online ISSN:1616-1599 Copyright © 1997 Inter-Research.

Elemental ratios and the uptake and release of nutrients by phytoplankton and bacteria in three lakes of the Canadian shield

The dynamics of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), elemental ratios, and dark uptake/release of N and P in bacterial and phytoplankton size fractions were studied during summer 1992 in three lakes of contrasting food web structure and trophic status (L240, L110, L227). We wished to determine if phytoplankton and bacteria differed in their elemental characteristics and to evaluate whether the functional role of bacteria in nutrient cycling (i.e., as sink or source) depended on bacterial elemental characteristics. Bacterial contributions to total suspended particulate material and to fluxes of nutrients in the dark were substantial and varied for different elements. This indicated that some techniques for assaying phytoplankton physiological condition are compromised by bacterial contributions. C/N ratios were generally less variable than C/P and N/P ratios. Both elemental ratios and biomass-normalized N and P flux indicated that phytoplankton growth in each lake was predominantly P-limited, although in L227 these data reflect the dominance of N-fixing cyanobacteria, and N was likely limiting early in the sampling season. In L227, phytoplankton N/P ratio and biomass-normalized N flux were negatively correlated, indicating that flux data were likely a reasonable measure of the N status of the phytoplankton. However, for L227 phytoplankton, P-flux per unit biomass was a hyperbolic function of N/P, suggesting that the dominant L227 cyanobacteria have a limited uptake and storage capacity and that P-flux per unit biomass may not be a good gauge of the P-limitation status of phytoplankton in this situation. Examination of N-flux data in the bacterial size fraction relative to the N/P ratio of the bacteria revealed a threshold N/P ratio (∼22:1 N/P, by atoms), below which, bacteria took up and sequestered added N, and above which, N was released. Thus, the functional role of bacteria in N cycling in these ecosystems depended on their N/P stoichiometry.

Decreased Fetal Weights in Rats Exposed to Sidestream Cigarette Smoke

Decreased Fetal Weights in Rats Exposed to Sidestream Cigarette Smoke. Rajini, P., Last, J. A., Pinkerton, K. E., Hendrickx, A. G., and Witschi, H. P. (1994). Fundam. Appl. Toxicol. 22, 400-404.Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to sidestream cigarette smoke (SS) for 6 hr a day, at a concentration of 1 mg/m3 of respirable total suspended particulate material (TSP) on Days 3, 6-10, and 13-17 of pregnancy. Controls were kept in an identical chamber without smoke exposure. The animals were killed on Day 20 of gestation. No differences were found in maternal body weight gain or average daily food consumption between the smoke-exposed and control groups. The numbers of fetuses and of implantation sites per litter were comparable among the groups. None of the pups showed any gross malformations and no difference was found between controls and SS-exposed pups when examined for reduced skeletal ossifications. However, there was a small but significant reduction in mean pup weight. We conclude that intermittent exposure of rats to sidestream cigarette smoke at concentrations severalfold greater than those encountered in smokey public indoor environments causes intrauterine growth retardation.

An absorption model of gas/particle partitioning of organic compounds in the atmosphere

An equation that can successfully parameterize gas-particle partitioning is K p(m 3 μg −1) = ( F/ TSP)/ A, where K p is a partitioning constant, TSP (μg m −3) is the concentration of total suspended particulate material, and F (ng m −3) and A (ng m −3), respectively, are the particulate-associated and gaseous concentrations of the compound of interest. By itself, this equation does not indicate whether the partitioning is primarily adsorptive to surfaces, primarily adsorptive into some phase(s), or some combination thereof. Much past research has indicated that plots of log K p vs log p L o (compound vapor pressure) tend to be highly correlated, with slopes near —1. Such correlation is consistent with (though not proof of) adsorption. The governing equations are now developed for absorptive partitioning into an organic material (om) phase making up part of the TSP. The equations indicate that absorptive partitioning could well be an important sorption mechanism in the urban environment. Plots of log K p vs log p L o are predicted to be linearly correlated when the sorption is absorptive, just as earlier theoretical work predicted such correlatability when the sorption is adsorptive. In the general case, observed K p values may contain contributions from both mechanisms. Regardless of the relative importance of adsorptive vs absorptive partitioning in any given situation, a plot of K p values vs log p L o values will be correlated with a slope of near —1.

The flux of particulate material through a well-mixed estuary

The flux of suspended particulate material across the mouth of a well-mixed estuary was measured over 12 months. Samples were taken over one neap and one spring tidal cycle each month and analysed for total suspended particulate material, inorganic and organic particulates, particulate organic carbon and particulate organic nitrogen. Water volume transport at discrete time-steps were determined by means of a one-dimensional hydrodynamic model, calibrated for each tidal cycle sampled. Net transport varied between tidal cycles with regard to direction (import or export) and magnitude. Annual budgets revealed a net export of 5306 tonne of total suspended particulate material (3900 tonne of inorganic particulates, 1286 tonne of particulate organic carbon and 120 tonne of particulate organic nitrogen). The sources of particulate organic carbon are mainly from saltmarshes (194 g POC m 2y 1) and from intertidal invertebrate production (586 g POC m −2y −1).