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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Comparison of copper levels in runoff from fresh-market vegetable production using polyethylene mulch or a vegetative mulch.

Runoff from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) production with polyethylene mulch has been implicated in the failure of commercial shellfish farms in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. Copper, applied in the form of copper hydroxide, is the most widely used fungicide-bactericide for control of tomato diseases and recently has been detected in the Chesapeake Bay (USA) watershed. Elevated levels of copper have been shown to have adverse effects on shellfish, finfish, and other aquatic organisms. This research evaluates the off-site movement of copper with the dissolved phase and the particulate phase of runoff from controlled field plots containing tomato plants grown in either polyethylene mulch or a vegetative mulch, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.). Overall, runoff collected from polyethylene mulch plots contained significantly (p < or = 0.05) greater loads of dissolved- and particulate-phase copper than runoff from hairy vetch mulch plots. However, the loss of copper associated with the particulate phase was significantly greater (p < or = 0.05) than that associated with the dissolved phase of runoff from both mulch treatments, with the particulate phase accounting for more than 80% of the copper loads. The reported toxicity of copper to aquatic organisms and the greater runoff volume, soil loss, and off-site loading of copper measured in runoff from the polyethylene mulch suggests that this management practice is less sustainable and may have a more harmful impact on aquatic ecosystems.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2004

The anthropogenic contribution to the organic load of the Lippe River (Germany). Part I: Qualitative characterisation of low-molecular weight organic compounds.

GC/MS-screening analyses of water samples from the Lippe River, Germany, revealed the presence of a wide spectrum of low-molecular weight organic compounds ranging from non-polar constituents like aliphatic hydrocarbons to polar constituents like n-carboxylic acids and phenols. Most of the identified compounds could be attributed to anthropogenic input and are used as plasticizers, flame retardants, pharmaceutical drugs or fragrances. Some of them had rarely been noticed as organic pollutants of aquatic environments before. These are, among others, 9-methylacridine, the plasticizer 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentandioldiisobutyrate (TXIB), the surfactant 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyne-4,7-diol (TMDD), triphenylphosphinoxide and the flame retardant tris(chloropropyl)phosphate. On the other hand, most of the identified trialkyl phosphates, pharmaceutical drugs and synthetic fragrances have been reported in surface waters by several authors so far. Input pathways of the detected compounds were traced back by sampling various input sources of organic matter such as discharges of wastewater and Lippe River tributaries. Several contaminants were ubiquitous in Lippe River water and also occurred in sewage effluent from a municipal sewage treatment plant and in samples from the tributaries. This observation suggests that they are typical sewage derived contaminants and have the potential to be used as anthropogenic molecular markers.

Drug Residues↗
PubMed1990

Toxicity tests of soil contaminated by recycling of scrap plastics.

The present investigation studied the toxicity of soil contaminated by untreated discharge from a factory that recycles used plastics. The nearby agricultural areas and freshwater fish ponds were polluted with high concentrations of Cu, Ni, and Mn. Water extracts from the contaminated soil retarded root growth of Brassica chinensis (Chinese white cabbage) and Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) where their seeds were obtained commercially. The contaminated populations of C. dactylon, Panicum repen (panic grass), and Imperata cylindrica (wooly grass) were able to withstand higher concentrations of Cu, Ni, and Mn, especially C. dactylon, when compared with their uncontaminated counterparts.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed1995

Mutagenicity of particulates from the laboratory combustion of plastics.

Carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) have been identified in airborne particulate organic matter extracts. The pollutant sources were generally contributed by motor vehicles and industrial activity. Massive quantities of urban solid wastes, containing plastic materials such as PVC, PET, PS, and PE, burnt in the open air in local garbage dumps are frequently found in developing countries. In this study, the smog particulates from the combustion of these synthetic polymers were produced in a laboratory combustion chamber. The mutagenicity of acetone extracts from the smog particulates was evaluated with Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 in the presence and absence of S9 mix. Four samples in TA98 exhibited higher mutagenicity than those in TA100. The greatest mutagenicity was observed from the extracts of particulates from combustion of PVC followed by that of PS, PET, and PE. To determine the major mutagenic compounds in these samples, mutagens were partially purified through TLC and their mutagenicity was monitored with TA98. 1-NP and DNPs in the above samples were also determined by HPLC. The amounts of 1-NP and DNPs generally corresponded with their mutagenicity. Higher levels of 1-NP and DNPs were generated from the combustion of PVC, PET, and PS. The combustion of synthetic polymer wastes might be responsible for the presence of high levels of 1-NP and DNPs in Taiwan urban air.

Air Pollutants↗