Tag: Pollution

Global mercury cycle

A review of global environmental mercury processes in response to human and natural perturbations: Changes of emissions, climate, and land use

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Author: Obrist, Daniel; Kirk, Jane L.; Zhang, Lei; Sunderland, Elsie M.; Jiskra, Martin; Selin, Noelle E. Description: We review recent progress in our understanding of the global cycling of mercury (Hg), including best estimates of Hg concentrations and pool sizes in major environmental compartments and exchange processes within and between these reservoirs. Recent advances include the availability of new global datasets covering areas of the world where environmental Hg data were previously lacking; integration of these data into global and regional models is continually improving estimates of global Hg cycling….

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Mercury pollution sources and cycle

Mercury as a global pollutant: sources, pathways, and effects

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Author: Driscoll, Charles T.; Mason, Robert P.; Chan, Hing Man; Jacob, Daniel J.; Pirrone, Nicola Description: Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that affects human and ecosystem health. We synthesize understanding of sources, atmosphere-land-ocean Hg dynamics and health effects, and consider the implications of Hg-control policies. Primary anthropogenic Hg emissions greatly exceed natural geogenic sources, resulting in increases in Hg reservoirs and subsequent secondary Hg emissions that facilitate its global distribution. The ultimate fate of emitted Hg is primarily recalcitrant soil pools and deep ocean waters and sediments. Transfers of…

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Mercury released to the atmosphere historical

All-time releases of mercury to the atmosphere from human activities

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Author: Streets, David G.; Devane, Molly K.; Lu, Zifeng; Bond, Tami C.; Sunderland, Elsie M.; Jacob, Daniel J. Description: Understanding the biogeochemical cycling of mercury is critical for explaining the presence of mercury in remote regions of the world, such as the Arctic and the Himalayas, as well as local concentrations. While we have good knowledge of present-day fluxes of mercury to the atmosphere, we have little knowledge of what emission levels were like in the past. Here we develop a trend of anthropogenic emissions of mercury to the atmosphere…

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Mercury contamination in three freshwater US locations

Methyl-Mercury Degradation Pathways: A Comparison among Three Mercury-Impacted Ecosystems

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Author: Marvin-DiPasquale, Mark; Agee, Jennifer; McGowan, Chad; Oremland, Ronald S.; Thomas, Martha; Krabbenhoft, David; Gilmour, Cynthia C. Description: We examined microbial methylmercury (MeHg) degradation in sediment of the Florida Everglades, Carson River (NV), and San Carlos Creek (CA), three freshwater environments that differ in the extent and type of mercury contamination and sediment biogeochemistry. Degradation rate constant (kdeg) values increased with total mercury (Hgt) contamination both among and within ecosystems. The highest kdeg’s (2.8-5.8 d-1) were observed in San Carlos Creek, at acid mine drainage impacted sites immediately downstream of…

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The environmental implications of offshore oil and gas activities

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Author: Menzie, Charles A. Description: The purpose of this article is to review the existing literature concerning the environmental fate and effects of routine discharges associated with offshore operations in order to better identify what parameters should be looked at for the purpose of monitoring. The review focuses on studies that have been preformed around various drilling or production platforms as well as laboratory studies that examined the toxic effects of discharges. A general review of these studies is expected to provide information that is useful for the design of…

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Environmental impacts and mitigation measures of offshore oil and gas activities

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Author: Albeldawi, Mohammad Description: The environmental impacts of offshore oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, and operation are identified. The importance of controlling and managing emissions, discharges, and disposal to minimize impacts and consequences is emphasized. The impact of drilling and dredging activities on the marine environment is highlighted as one of the main threats to the marine ecosystem. The chapter emphasizes that risk management and business continuity are fundamental to avoid threatening project safety and investment development. The risk management approach as the roadmap to achieve regulatory compliance is…

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Application of WWTP biosolids and resulting perfluorinated compound contamination of surface and well water in Decatur, Alabama, USA

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Author: Lindstrom, Andrew B.; Strynar, Mark J.; Delinsky, Amy D.; Nakayama, Shoji F.; McMillan, Larry; Libelo, E. Laurence; Neill, Michael; Thomas, Lee Description: Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) have been produced and used in a wide range of industrial and consumer products for many decades. Their resistance to degradation has led to their widespread distribution in the environment, but little is known about how humans become exposed. Recent studies have demonstrated that the application of PFC contaminated biosolids can have important effects on…

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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Toxicity and Human Health Review: Current State of Knowledge and Strategies for Informing Future Research

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Author: Fenton, Suzanne E.; Ducatman, Alan; Boobis, Alan; DeWitt, Jamie C.; Lau, Christopher; Ng, Carla; Smith, James S.; Roberts, Stephen M. Description: Reports of environmental and human health impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have greatly increased in the peer-reviewed literature. The goals of the present review are to assess the state of the science regarding toxicological effects of PFAS and to develop strategies for advancing knowledge on the health effects of this large family of chemicals. Currently, much of the toxicity data available for PFAS are for a…

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An overview of the uses of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)

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Author: Gluge, Juliane; Scheringer, Martin; Cousins, Ian T.; DeWitt, Jamie C.; Goldenman, Gretta; Herzke, Dorte; Lohmann, Rainer; Ng, Carla A.; Trier, Xenia; Wang, Zhanyun Description: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are of concern because of their high persistence (or that of their degradation products) and their impacts on human and environmental health that are known or can be deduced from some well-studied PFAS. Currently, many different PFAS (on the order of several thousands) are used in a wide range of applications, and there is no comprehensive source of information on…

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Perfluoroalkyl contaminants in an Arctic marine food web: trophic magnification and wildlife exposure

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Author: Kelly, Barry C.; Ikonomou, Michael G.; Blair, Joel D.; Surridge, Blair; Hoover, Dale; Grace, Richard; Gobas, Frank A. P. C. Description: To better understand the bioaccumulation behavior of perfluoroalkyl contaminants (PFCs), we conducted a comparative analysis of PFCs and lipophilic organohalogens in a Canadian Arctic marine food web. Concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctansulfoamide (PFOSA), and C7-C14 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) ranged between 0.01 and 0.1 ng x g(-1) dry wt in sediments and 0.1 and 40 ng x g(-1) wet wt in biota, which was equivalent to or…

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