Natural radionuclides in major aquifer systems of the Parana sedimentary basin, Brazil

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

Effect of natural dissolved humic material on bioavailability and acute toxicity of fenpropathrin to the grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idellus

The effects of aquatic humic acids on the bioconcentration and acute toxicity of fenpropathrin were evaluated using grass carp, Ctenopharyngodan idellus, in laboratory freshwater systems. The results demonstrated that both bioavailability and acute toxicity decreased in the presence of aquatic humic acid 5 and 10 mg/liter. In addition, the extent of influence increased with increasing concentration of aquatic humic acid, (C) 1999 Academic Press.

The natural radioactivity in Guarani aquifer groundwater, Brazil

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

Photo-Reactivity of Natural Dissolved Organic Matter from Fresh to Marine Waters in the Florida Everglades, USA

Natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) is the major absorber of sunlight in most natural waters and a critical component of carbon cycling in aquatic systems. The combined effect of light absorbance properties and related photo-production of reactive species are essential in determining the reactivity of DOM. Optical properties and in particular excitation–emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) have been used increasingly to track sources and fate of DOM. Here we describe studies conducted in water from two estuarine systems in the Florida Everglades, with a salinity gradient of 2 to 37 and dissolved organic carbon concentrations from 19.3 to 5.74 mg C L−1, aimed at assessing how the quantity and quality of DOM is coupled to the formation rates and steady-state concentrations of reactive species including singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical, and the triplet excited state of DOM. These species were related to optical properties and PARAFAC components of the DOM. The formation rate and steady-state concentration of the carbonate radical was calculated in all samples. The data suggests that formation rates, particularly for singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals, are strongly coupled to the abundance of terrestrial humic-like substances. A decrease in singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical, and carbonate radical formation rates and steady-state concentration along the estuarine salinity gradient was observed as the relative concentration of terrestrial humic-like DOM decreased due to mixing with microbial humic-like and protein-like DOM components, while the formation rate of triplet excited-state DOM did not change. Fluorescent DOM was also found to be more tightly coupled to reactive species generation than chromophoric DOM.

Dissolved uranium, radium and radon evolution in the Continental Intercalaire aquifer, Algeria and Tunisia

Natural, dissolved 238U-series radionuclides (U, 226Ra, 222Rn) and activity ratios (A.R.s: 234U/238U; 228Ra/226Ra) in Continental Intercalaire (CI) groundwaters and limited samples from the overlying Complexe Terminal (CT) aquifers of Algeria and Tunisia are discussed alongside core measurements for U/Th (and K) in the contexts of radiological water quality, geochemical controls in the aquifer, and water residence times. A redox barrier is characterised downgradient in the Algerian CI for which a trend of increasing 234U/238U A.R.s with decreasing U-contents due to recoil-dominated 234U solution under reducing conditions allows residence time modelling ∼500 ka for the highest enhanced A.R. = 3.17. Geochemical modelling therefore identifies waters towards the centre of the Grand Erg Oriental basin as palaeowaters in line with reported 14C and 36Cl ages. A similar 234U/238U trend is evidenced in a few of the Tunisian CI waters. The paleoage status of these waters is affirmed by both noble gas recharge temperatures and simple modelling of dissolved, radiogenic 4He-contents both for sampled Algerian and Tunisian CI and CT waters. For the regions studied these waters therefore should be regarded as “fossil” waters and treated effectively as a non-renewable resource.

Dissolved uranium, radium and radon evolution in the Continental Intercalaire aquifer, Algeria and Tunisia

Natural, dissolved U-238-series radionuclides (U, Ra-226, Rn-222) and activity ratios (A.R.s: U-234/U-238; Ra-228/Ra-226) in Continental Intercalaire (Cl) groundwaters and limited samples from the overlying Complexe Terminal (CT) aquifers of Algeria and Tunisia are discussed alongside core measurements for U/Th (and K) in the contexts of radiological water quality, geochemical controls in the aquifer, and water residence times. A redox barrier is characterised downgradient in the Algerian Cl for which a trend of increasing U-234/U-238 A.R.s with decreasing U-contents due to recoil-dominated U-234 solution under reducing conditions allows residence time modelling similar to 500 ka for the highest enhanced A.R. = 3.17. Geochemical modelling therefore identifies waters towards the centre of the Grand Erg Oriental basin as palaeowaters in line with reported C-14 and Cl-36 ages. A similar U-234/U-238 trend is evidenced in a few of the Tunisian CI waters. The paleoage status of these waters is affirmed by both noble gas recharge temperatures and simple modelling of dissolved, radiogenic He-4-contents both for sampled Algerian and Tunisian CI and CT waters. For the regions studied these waters therefore should be regarded as "fossil" waters and treated effectively as a non-renewable resource. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Photo-sensitized oxidation in natural water via .OH radicals

A method is presented for determining production and consumption rates of .OH radicals produced photochemically in natural surface waters. It is based on the determination of the kinetics by which the concentration of a specified trace compound decreases during irradiation. In samples from Lake Greifensee (Switzerland) low production rates for .OH limit its possible effects. In addition, fast consumptions by the natural dissolved organic solutes and by the bicarbonate protect organic micropollutants from oxidation by .OH. Neither direct nor indirect H2O2 photolysis was a significant source of .OH in the lakewater studied lacking iron, whereas nitrate photolysis could have been a source. Comparison with reaction kinetic formulations allows generalizations for other types of waters.

Natural organic matter and colloid-facilitated arsenic transport and transformation in porous soil media

Prediction of arsenic transport and transformation in soil environment requires understanding the transport mechanisms and proper estimation of arsenic partitioning tong all three phases in soil/aquifer systems: mobile colloids, mobile soil solution, and immobile soil solids. The primary purpose of this research is to study natural dissolved organic matter (DOM)/colloid-facilitated transport of arsenic and understand the role of soil derived carriers in the transport and transformation of both inorganic and organoarsenicals in soils. ^ DOM/colloid facilitated arsenic transport and transformation in porous soil media were investigated using a set of experimental approaches including batch experiment, equilibrium membrane dialysis experiment and column experiment. Soil batch experiment was applied to investigate arsenic adsorption on a variety of soils with different characteristics; Equilibrium membrane dialysis was employed to determine the 'free' and 'colloid-bound/complexed' arsenic in water extracts of chosen soils; Column experiments were also set up in the laboratory to simulate arsenic transport and transformation through golf course soils in the presence and absence of soil-derived dissolved substances. ^ The experimental results revealed that organic matter amendments effectively reduced soil arsenic adsorption. The majority of arsenic present in the soil extracts was associated with small substances of molecular weight (MW) between 500 and 3,500 Da, Only a small fraction of arsenic was associated with higher MW substances (MW > 3,500 Da), which was operationally defined as colloidal part in this study. The association of arsenic and DOM in the soil extracts strongly affected arsenic bioavailability, arsenic transport and transformation in soils. The results of column experiments revealed arsenic complicated behavior with various processes occurring in soils studied, including: soil arsenic' adsorption, facilitated arsenic transportation by dissolved substances presented in soil extracts and microorganisms involved arsenic species transformation. ^ Soil organic matter amendments effectively reduce soil arsenic adsorption capability either by scavenging 'soil arsenic adsorption sites or by interactions between arsenic species and dissolved organic chemicals in soil solution. Close attention must be paid for facilitated arsenic transport by dissolved substances presented in soil solution and microorganisms involved arsenic species transformation in arsenic-contaminated soils.^

Dissolved Black Nitrogen (DBN) in Freshwater Environments

Biomass burning results in the formation and accumulation of pyrogenic products such as black carbon (BC) and black nitrogen (BN) in soils. The ubiquitous presence of pyrogenic products in natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) and potential implications in global carbon cycling have recently been reported. However, little is known about the environmental dynamics or the importance in the global N cycle of dissolved BN (DBN; or heteroaromatic N). Here we report the coupling between DBN and dissolved BC (DBC) in ultrafiltered DOM from six headwater streams across a climatic region of North America, suggesting similar combustion sources, and that DOC may play an important role in the translocation of soil BN to the dissolved phase. The export of potentially recalcitrant riverine DBN to the ocean may affect the biogeochemical cycling of N and possibly the microbial community structure in aquatic environments.

Fluorescence Characteristics of Size-Fractionated Dissolved Organic Matter: Implications for a Molecular Assembly Based Structure?

Surface freshwater samples from Everglades National Park, Florida, were used to investigate the size distributions of natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) and associated fluorescence characteristics along the molecular weight continuum. Samples were fractionated using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and characterized by spectroscopic means, in particular Excitation-Emission Matrix fluorescence modeled with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC). Most of the eight components obtained from PARAFAC modeling were broadly distributed across the DOM molecular weight range, and the optical properties of the eight size fractions for all samples studied were quite consistent among each other. Humic-like components presented a similar distribution in all the samples, with enrichment in the middle molecular weight range. Some variability in the relative distribution of the different humic-like components was observed among the different size fractions and among samples. The protein like fluorescence, although also generally present in all fractions, was more variable but generally enriched in the highest and lowest molecular weight fractions. These observations are in agreement with the hypothesis of a supramolecular structure for DOM, and suggest that DOM fluorescence characteristics may be controlled by molecular assemblies with similar optical properties, distributed along the molecular weight continuum. This study highlights the importance of studying the molecular structure of DOM on a molecular size distribution perspective, which may have important implications in understanding the environmental dynamics such materials.

天然溶解有机质和环境污染物的相互作用--以铜、汞离子和卡马西平为例

天然溶解有机质（natural dissolved organic matter，DOM）是由动植物残体经过复杂的物理、化学和生物过程形成的高分子有机混合物，它广泛分布于水体、土壤和沉积物中。DOM的结构十分复杂，分子量从几百到几十万不等，元素组成和化学结构随时空和来源不同而变化。腐殖物质是DOM的主要组成部分，以溶解有机碳计约占DOM总量的50%~80%。腐殖物质可以分为：富里酸（fulvic acid， FA任何pH值条件下都溶于水），腐殖酸（humic acid，HA在pH 1时不溶于水）和胡敏素（humin，任何pH条件下都不溶于水）。 DOM能影响许多生物地球化学过程。例如DOM是一个重要的碳汇，它能影响微生物的食物链和全球碳循环；DOM和营养元素含量、食物链结构等一起决定水生生态系统的属性和发展动态；它还能吸收自然光，从而影响紫外线在水中的穿透能力和浮游植物的光合作用；DOM含有多种弱酸和弱碱官能团，是天然水体pH的调节剂和控制因素；DOM和痕量金属离子或有机污染物发生作用，从而影响它们的形态、毒性、迁移转化和生物有效性；在饮用水消毒过程中，DOM能生成致癌物三卤甲烷和其它消毒副产物。 天然水体中的痕量金属离子（如Cu2+和Hg2+）主要以DOM络合态存在。在海水中DOM控制铜的主要存在形态；在淡水中 90%以上的铜离子与DOM发生配位。通过配位作用DOM能抑制浮游生物对Hg的吸收，增加鱼类对Hg的蓄积。目前，人们对金属离子在环境中的迁移转化机理的理解还不够深入，尤其是对有机质参与下的有毒重金属循环还缺乏必要地认识。条件稳定常数是描述重金属离子与DOM配位能力的基本参数。前人运用多种手段对DOM与金属离子的结合能力进行了研究，主要包括：离子选择性电极法、溶出伏安法、超滤及荧光淬灭滴定法等。紫外吸收滴定法可用于研究单一有机化合物和金属离子的相互作用，在这一领域的应用尚未报道。本文首次将紫外吸收滴定法应用于测定DOM与Cu2+和Hg2+的条件稳定常数。实验表明紫外吸收滴定法迅速、简便、可望成为研究DOM和痕量金属离子相互作用的有力工具。 药品和个人护理品（pharmaceuticals and personal care products，PPCPs）在环境中普遍存在。有证据表明，环境中的有些PPCPs能对生物体产生影响，如改变生物体的性别比例，影响植物生长，动物幼虫的孵化，甚至具有明显的致畸效应。卡马西平（Carbamazepine，CBZ）是一种常用的抗癫痫、止痛药物和抗抑郁药。毒理学实验表明，环境中的CBZ能严重影响鱼、蚌等水生生物的免疫和循环系统。CBZ使用量大，在环境中含量高，在地下水渗透过程和常规污水处理中保持稳定，因此CBZ成为衡量人类活动和污水处理工艺效率的标志物。但是目前人们对CBZ的环境地球化学循环知之甚少。DOM能与许多有机污染物发生相互作用，从而影响它们的生物环境地球化学行为，但DOM对CBZ的影响尚未见报道。本论文利用三维荧光光谱技术和同步荧光光谱技术，研究了DOM与CBZ的结合强度、结合类型、影响因素，并且初步总结了DOM对CBZ环境地球化学循环的影响。为理解其它PPCPs的生物地球化学循环，预测它们的迁移转化、归宿和环境毒性提供参考。 本文运用紫外吸收滴定法和荧光淬灭滴定法研究了不同来源的DOM和金属离子（Cu2+和Hg2+）的相互作用，运用三维荧光光谱法和同步扫描荧光光谱法研究了DOM和卡马西平的相互作用。主要成果简述如下： 1、本文首次将紫外吸收滴定法应用于测定金属离子和DOM的条件稳定常数，结果表明紫外吸收滴定法操作更简便、测定迅速、仪器普及率高，可在DOM含量很低（约10-5 ~ 10-7 mol/L）的情况下也可以直接进行测定，不必进行复杂的预富集。可望成为DOM和痕量有毒重金属离子相互作用的有力工具。 2、重金属离子（Hg2+和Cu2+）与DOM的羧基和酚羟基等基团配位。配位后电子的离域性增加，导致紫外吸收增加。与此同时配位后分子极性的改变和铜离子顺磁性作用，引起DOM荧光淬灭。在Cu2+和Hg2+的滴定过程中，紫外吸光度和荧光强度之间呈极显著线性负相关关系（R2=0.99，P<0.001）。这说明荧光和紫外从不同侧面揭示了DOM和金属离子的配位作用。 3、紫外吸收滴定法和荧光淬灭滴定法测定其条件稳定常数（log K）一致，介于3.5 ~ 5.5之间。强配位作用是DOM影响有毒重金属离子环境地球化学行为的根源。研究还表明配位作用的强弱受DOM来源和体系pH的影响。 4、 CBZ和DOM能发生强烈的相互作用，结合常数（log K）介于3.41 ~ 5.04之间。DOM能明显减少游离态CBZ的浓度，提高CBZ溶解度和迁移转化能力。这对认识CBZ和其它PPCPs的环境地球化学循环及其影响因素具有指导意义。 5、荧光光谱研究表明CBZ对DOM发射的荧光具有明显的猝灭作用，其猝灭机理为静态猝灭。疏水作用是CBZ和DOM之间的主要作用力。DOM-CBZ受pH值的影响不大， Cu2+对CBZ和DOM的结合有一定的影响。

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii exudate-Cu complexes: impact on copper dynamics and bioavailability in an aquatic food chain

The increasing contamination of aquatic environments motivates studies on the interactions among natural dissolved organic matter, metals, and the biota. This investigation focused on the organic exudates of the toxic cyanobacteria Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii as a Cu carrier through a three-level aquatic trophic chain (bacteria, protozoa, and copepod). The effects of bacteria activity and growth on the metal-organic complexes were evaluated through changes in free Cu2+ ions, total dissolved, and total particulate Cu. To be sure that the added copper would be complexed to the exudates, its complexing properties were previously determined. The cyanobacteria exudate-Cu complexes were furnished to bacteria that were further used as a food source to the protozoan Paramercium caudatum. This was then furnished as food to the copepod Mesocyclops sp. The results showed that, in general, the cyanobacterial exudates decreased Cu bioavailability and toxicity to the first trophic level (bacteria), but because the heterotrophic bacteria accumulated Cu, they were responsible for the transference for the otherwise low availability metal form. Both the bacteria and protozoan organisms accumulated Cu, but no metal accumulation was detected in the copepods.

Study of environmental radioactivity in Las Canteras beach

[EN]In this final degree work an assessment of the impact of environmental radioactivity, mainly on bathers of the most important beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Las Canteras), has been done. For this purpose, the main radionuclides contained in intertidal superficial sand samples have been measured by using gamma spectrometry analysis. Also alpha activity of the beach water was determinated by means of ZnS(Ag) scintillation detector. The radioactivity detected was due to the natural occurring radionuclides 226Ra (238U- series), 232Th and 40K in sand samples with an average activity concentrations of 14.6±1.0, 17.4±1.0 and 528±24 Bq/kg, respectively. From these values, the outdoor annual effective dose was of 0.047 mSv/y, which is below to the world’s average value (0.07 mSv/y)