Studies On The Dynamics And Water Quality Of The Muvattupuzha River In Relation To Effluent Discharge

The present study aims at the investigation of the 1ysico—chemical features of a tropical tidal river viz. we Muvattupuzha river. This river is expected to receive Jderate to heavy pollution loads in years to come, from we lone industrial unit, already set up on its bank. ilike other rivers, the geographical disposition of this Lver attains unique importance as regards its dynamics for 3) availability of natural runoff water from catchment :eas, which becomes very heavy during the monsoon season 3) regular steady availability of tail race water from a /dro—electric power station throughout the yearThe study also aims at arriving at the balancing forces of inherent self~purification of the river verses pollution loads from the factory effluents. The investigation period falls ahead of actual pollution occurrence and so the ambient conditions for a period of nearly one-and-a—half years were investigated, the analyses of which providflz to formulate the inter-relations of parameters varying with seasons. Tracer experiments were carried out which revealed the dispersion and dilution characteristics of the river in the vicinity of effluent outfall. The studv covers the trial—cum-capacity production periods of the factory during which effluents of various strength and quantity were discharged into the river; a few computed values arQ’cjmpgrQdl ... with the observed values. The base data along with the profiles of Oxygen sag equation have been utilized fb develop a mathematical model of the river with regard to its water quality

Estimating regional benefits of reducing targeted pollutants: An application to agricultural effects on water quality and the value of recreational fishing

The general focus of this paper is the regional estimation of marginal benefits of targeted water pollution abatement to instream uses. Benefit estimates are derived from actual consumer choices of recreational fishing activities and the implied expenditures for various levels of water quality. The methodology is applied to measuring the benefits accruing to recreational anglers in Indiana from the abatement of pollutants that are by-products of agricultural crop production.

Determinants of pollution: what do we really know?

The recent literature proposes many variables as significant determinants of pollution. This paper gives an overview of this literature and asks which of these factors have an empirically robust impact on water and air pollution. We apply Extreme Bound Analysis (EBA) on a panel of up to 120 countries covering the period 1960–2001. We find supportive evidence of the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve for water pollution. Furthermore, mainly variables capturing the economic structure of a country affect air and water pollution.

Genotoxicity assessment of water soluble fractions of biodiesel and its diesel blends using the Salmonella assay and the in vitro MicroFlow (R) kit (Litron) assay

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fish community alterations due to pollution and damming in Tiete and Paranapanema rivers (Brazil)

The Tiete River crosses the metropolitan region of São Paulo (Brazil) and receives a large amount of pollution, in contrast to Paranapanema River which runs in a less populated area. In the inferior portions of the basins of these rivers, a series of reservoirs has been built for hydroelectric energy generation which improve the water quality due to the decantation of suspended soils and aeration in the water spills.Twenty-nine sampling sites were established along the two rivers and in each sampling site, two groups of eight gillnets were used with standardized sizes in two seasons: winter (dry season: June-September 1994) and summer (rainy season: December-March 1995). The fishes were measured and weighed.Twenty-five parameters related. to the water were recorded. PCA and cluster analysis helped to identify two groups of sampling sites. The first one corresponds to the rainy season samples, while the second corresponds to the dry season samples, so evidencing strong seasonal environmental variation. However, the dry season group is still divided into polluted and non-polluted sites, showing that during drought there are larger effects of pollutant concentration due to the decreased flow.A total of 415 kg of fish were caught, corresponding to 8324 individuals belonging to 64 different species, in 22 families and four orders of Teleostei. The largest catches occurred in the middle Tiete River. The catches in the reservoirs of the Tiete River, during the rainy season are superior to those of the dry season. on the other hand, sampling sites located in running water presented an inverse pattern with the largest catches in the dry-season. In river Paranapanema, catches are lower than in the Tiete River, except in Rosana Reservoir during the rainy season. Fish diversity was shown to be a good-indicator of environmental stress. In Tiete River an expressive fall in species richness was detected in the polluted stretches, with dominance of one or two species. In the intermediary stretches, the presence of rapids increases the amount of dissolved oxygen, allowing the development of the most abundant and diverse fish community of the river. Fish communities in the reservoirs of the inferior stretch of Tiete River are more diverse. on the other hand, the damming of the superior reaches of Paranapanema River provoked a decrease in diversity. 0 the whole, types of local fish communities detected, showing different compositions and specific abundances, revealed different ecological situations. A discriminant analysis revealed that the parameters of the water influencing the fish community were: dissolved oxygen, conductivity, nitrogen (nitrate, ammoniacal and albuminoid), phosphate, alkalinity, hardness and iron. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

Impact of an environmentally realistic intake of water contaminants and superoxide formation on tissues of rats

Water contaminants have a high potential risk for the health of populations and for this reason their toxic effects urgently should be established. The present study was carried out to determine whether an environmentally realistic intake of water contaminants can induce tissue lesions, and to clarify the contribution of superoxide radical (O-2(.-)) formation to this effect. Male Wistar rats were given drinking water from the Tiett River (group A) and from the Capivara River (group B). The increased creatinine, glucose, alanine transaminase and amylase levels in serum reflected the toxic effects of river-water contaminants to renal, pancreatic and hepatic tissues of rats. As changes in lipoperoxide were observed in rats after river-water intake while superoxide dismutase activities decreased in these animals, it is assumed that the superoxide anion elicits lipoperoxide formation and induces tissue damage. There is evidence that oxygen tension reflects water pollution, since river-water with a-low oxygen tension induced more elevated toxicity in rat tissues. (C) 1999 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

An hydrochemical answer to a legislative demand involving health risk related to water quality

Effluents and surface waters around an area involved with the inking of tissues at Itatiba municipality, São Paulo State, Brazil, were chemically analyzed with the purpose of evaluating the influence on the water quality of the chemicals released, as well to provide answers to legislative requirements related to the São Paulo State Register 997 published on 31 May 1976.

Pollution by hexachlorobenzene and pentachlorophenol in the coastal plain of São Paulo state, Brazil

Organochlorine compounds were dumped by chemical industries during the 1970s in many areas of the coastal plain of São Paulo state in Brazil. These dumps, located on hillsides and in valleys, in both rural and urban environments, are responsible for soil and water pollution. The objective of this work was to determine how the pollutants have spread in an area occupied by a spodosol-type soil mantle. The study combines soil morphological observations with soil and water analysis of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and pentachlorophenol (PCP) in soil toposequences. The results indicate that the highest pollutant concentrations are observed near the dump site and that the compounds contamination is increasing. A map integrating topography and chemical concentrations was created to visualize the spatial distribution of HCB levels in the landscape. Physical and chemical analyses were performed to measure HCB and PCP levels in the soil. Soil water appears to act as a vector of HCB, probably through complexation with and dispersal of dissolved organic matter. The persistence of HCB at the studied site is most likely due to the low pH values in combination with a high content of organic matter. HCB was consistently found in higher concentrations than PCP. It is plausible that the cause of this difference is that PCP is degraded more easily under sunlight than HCB and that degradation of PCP under acid conditions leads to the formation of HCB. © 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Isolation of Mycobacterium gordonae from poultry slaughterhouse water in São Paulo State, Brazil

Water samples (24 untreated water, 12 treated water and 24 served water) used in different stages of the slaughter process were examined to identify a possible source of pathogenic mycobacteria. The isolates were identified based on microscopy, morphological and biochemical features, mycolic acid analysis and molecular method - PCR-restriction-enzyme analysis. Eighteen mycobacterial strains were isolated from 60 water samples: 11 from untreated water, 5 from treated water and 2 from served water. All mycobacteria isolated were identified as Mycobacterium gordonae and showed the following PRA genotypes: III (27.8%), IV (38.9%) and V (33.3%).

Vibration and oil analysis for monitoring problems related to water contamination in rolling

Trying to reduce particle contamination in lubrication systems, industries of the whole world spend millions of dollars each year on the improvement of filtration technology. In this context, by controlling fluid cleanliness, some companies are able to reduce failures rates up to 85 percent. However, in some industries and environments, water is a contaminant more frequently encountered than solid particles, and it is often seen as the primary cause of component failure. Only one percent of water in oil is enough to reduce life expectancy of a journal bearing by 80 percent. For rolling bearing elements, the situation is worse because water destroys the oil film and, under the extreme temperatures and pressures generated in the load zone of a rolling bearing element, free and emulsified water can result in instantaneous flash-vaporization giving origin to erosive wear. This work studies the effect of water as lubricant contaminant in ball bearings, which simulates a situation that could actually occur in real systems. In a designed bench test, three basic lubricants of different viscosities were contaminated with different contents of water. The results regarding oil and vibration analysis are presented for different bearing speeds.

Evaluation of metals in water and sediments of micro-basins in the city of Americana, São Paulo state, Brazil

Water pollution found in major rivers in Brazil has its origin from urban sewage discharges and industrial effluent, carried out by small streams and rivers crossing cities. Therefore, studies related to hydrographic micro-basins offer the opportunity to establish environmental management strategies for restoring water resources, based on diagnosis of the water quality. Despite this understanding, few studies in urban and rural areas have been performed in a systematic manner in Brazilian micro-basins. The main goal of this research was to diagnose the water resources in micro-basins in the region of the district of Americana, São Paulo state, Brazil, through the quantification of metals in water and sediment. The methodology was based on the investigation of metals (Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn), in four micro-basins, determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The most significant result showed high concentration levels of chromium (969 μg L-1), downstream of the discharge of sewage from the city of Nova Odessa. This concentration in the river was above the allowed limit of Brazilian regulation agency (50 μg L-1 for Cr). Also high levels of Cr were found in the sediment (98.9 μg g-1) collected at the same monitored site. These results are important indicators of environmental performance and anthropogenic activities to help the government establish environmental management strategies aimed at the reduction of water pollution. © 2013 WIT Press.

Nickel exposure promotes osmoregulatory disturbances in Oreochromis niloticus gills: histopathological and energy dispersive spectrometry analysis

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Análise histopatológica de fígado de tilápias (Oreochromis Niloticus) expostas ao herbicida 2,4-D comercial

The action of man has led, over the years, major impacts on the environment, especially in aquatic ecosystems, leading to an impairment of water quality, considered one of the essential factors for the maintenance of vital functions and consequently the life of the planet. Among the activities considered a risk for the environment are linked to pollution from many sources and even entire watersheds, whether by industrial waste, sewage, or for substances used in agriculture, such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The (2,4-D) 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid is used worldwide, and the fact that its genotoxicity is proven by several studies and by its long persistence in soil, which enables the leaching and percolation of compounds affecting water bodies, toxicity studies are relevant and justifiable. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of 2,4-D by examining the liver of the fish Oreochromis niloticus exposed to different dilutions. Portions of liver were collected and fixed for histological and histochemical techniques to detect total proteins, polysaccharides and lipids. lipids. Treatment with 2,4-D herbicide apparently did not alter the lipid profiles, the accumulation of polysaccharides, and the presence of total proteins. The 2.5 and 5.0% were lethal to fish. These mortalities are probably of high toxic and cytotoxic potential of 2,4-D herbicide results. Several histopathological changes were found, such as: loss of cytoplasmic integrity, loss of cell limit, nuclear deformation, vacuolated cytoplasm, tissue disorganization and hydropic degeneration. Statistically significant changes were: hydropic degeneration and vacuolated cytoplasm. It is concluded, therefore, that the qualitative morphological analysis is an important method for observing changes in liver toxicology studies. As the O. niloticus species is an efficient biological indicator of water pollution by 2,4-D

Análise histopatológica de fígado de tilápias (Oreochromis Niloticus) expostas ao herbicida 2,4-D comercial

The action of man has led, over the years, major impacts on the environment, especially in aquatic ecosystems, leading to an impairment of water quality, considered one of the essential factors for the maintenance of vital functions and consequently the life of the planet. Among the activities considered a risk for the environment are linked to pollution from many sources and even entire watersheds, whether by industrial waste, sewage, or for substances used in agriculture, such as pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. The (2,4-D) 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid is used worldwide, and the fact that its genotoxicity is proven by several studies and by its long persistence in soil, which enables the leaching and percolation of compounds affecting water bodies, toxicity studies are relevant and justifiable. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of 2,4-D by examining the liver of the fish Oreochromis niloticus exposed to different dilutions. Portions of liver were collected and fixed for histological and histochemical techniques to detect total proteins, polysaccharides and lipids. lipids. Treatment with 2,4-D herbicide apparently did not alter the lipid profiles, the accumulation of polysaccharides, and the presence of total proteins. The 2.5 and 5.0% were lethal to fish. These mortalities are probably of high toxic and cytotoxic potential of 2,4-D herbicide results. Several histopathological changes were found, such as: loss of cytoplasmic integrity, loss of cell limit, nuclear deformation, vacuolated cytoplasm, tissue disorganization and hydropic degeneration. Statistically significant changes were: hydropic degeneration and vacuolated cytoplasm. It is concluded, therefore, that the qualitative morphological analysis is an important method for observing changes in liver toxicology studies. As the O. niloticus species is an efficient biological indicator of water pollution by 2,4-D