Biomedical subjects

T W Tanton

Publications and source records attributed to T W Tanton.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Environmental management master's programme in Kazakhstan: development and operation.

The paper looks at the origins of the environmental management master's programme in Kazakhstan course and its development over the 7 years for which it has operated. It considers the difficulties of teaching, in particular issues covering the diverse range of topics covered, the need for staff training and development and how this has been approached, and the need to gain financial aid to support the students. Details are given of how students are selected, the range of backgrounds and geographical regions from which they come, and the types of employment they take on graduation. In total 110 students have benefited from the course which has proved an attractive alternative to overseas study.

Curriculum↗

PubMed2004

Environmental management master's programme in Kazakhstan: course structure and content.

The paper briefly considers changes in the higher education system in Kazahkstan since the break-up of the former Soviet Union. At that time master's programmes did not exist and there was no unified system for their introduction. The one-year environmental management course described was the first of its type and was set up with special permission from the Ministry of Education and Science, Republic of Kazakhstan to run on an experimental basis. The course differs significantly from other programmes and, under regulations introduced by the ministry in 2001, it is difficult to see how a broad-based programme aimed at introducing graduates from a variety of backgrounds to environmental issues could be achieved within a one-year period. The permission to run the course is periodically reviewed, however, and has been extended due to the excellent results. The course structure and the philosophy behind it are presented along with some of its history. The aim is not to produce specialists in any one area of environmental management, technology or engineering, but individuals with a broad foundation to build on as their professional careers progress.

Curriculum↗

PubMed2000

Mercury in the River Nura and its floodplain, Central Kazakhstan: I. River sediments and water.

The River Nura in Central Kazakhstan has been heavily polluted by mercury originating from an acetaldehyde plant. Mercury in the riverbed is mainly associated with power station fly ash, forming a new type of technogenic deposit. A systematic survey of the bed was carried out to establish the location, extent and nature of the contaminated sediments, and to evaluate the potential for sediment transport. The bed sediments were found to contain very high concentrations of mercury, particularly in the first 15 km downstream of the source of the pollution. Average total mercury concentrations in this section of the river are typically between 150 and 240 mg/kg, falling rapidly with increasing distance downstream. The estimated total volume of silts in the riverbed between Temirtau, the origin of the pollution, and Intumak Reservoir, located 75 km downstream, has been calculated as 463500 m3, containing an estimated 9.4 tonnes mercury. Forty-six percent of the total volume of contaminated silts containing almost 95% of the mercury are located in the upper 25 km of the river, however. The data clearly support the hypothesis that large quantities of polluted sediment are not transported long distances downstream but are removed from the aquatic environment in times of flood and deposited on the low-lying lands adjacent to the river. This process, however, does not stop mercury moving further downstream in the water column.

Acetaldehyde↗

PubMed2000

Mercury in the River Nura and its floodplain, Central Kazakhstan: II. Floodplain soils and riverbank silt deposits.

A unique and serious case of mercury pollution has occurred in the River Nura and its floodplain in Central Kazakhstan, where mercury-rich wastewater from an acetaldehyde plant was discharged largely without treatment for several decades. In the river, the mercury became associated with millions of tonnes of power station fly ash, forming a new type of deposit known as 'technogenic silt'. During spring floods these highly contaminated silts are transported downstream and are dispersed over the floodplain, leading to widespread contamination of the land. A detailed survey of the floodplain was carried out to investigate the extent of pollution and to assess the need for remediation. Total mercury concentrations in the topsoils of the floodplain ranged from near background levels to over 100 mg/kg. Mercury concentrations in river bank deposits were found to range from a mean of 73.3 mg/kg Hg in the most contaminated section of the river to a mean of 13.4 mg/kg Hg at a distance of 70 km downstream. Concentrations were lower than corresponding concentrations in the riverbed within the first 25 km from the source of the pollution, but thereafter they were significantly higher. The results show that over the past 30-40 years a large proportion of the contaminated sediments from the river was deposited on the 70 km of banks and in the floodplain below the pollution source. Topsoils of the floodplain and silt deposits located on or close to the river banks contain an estimated 53 t and 65 t of mercury respectively, with an additional 62 t in a small natural swamp which was formerly used as a waste disposal area. The contamination is serious but relatively localized, with > 70% of the total amount of mercury in topsoils and > 90% of mercury in river bank deposits located within 25 km from the source.

Acetaldehyde↗