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PubMed2000

Accuracy and traceability in environmental monitoring--pitfalls in methylmercury determinations as a case study.

The concepts of accuracy and traceability as applied to environmental analysis are still prone to misunderstandings. While accuracy refers to the closeness of analytical values to "true values" (trueness) and among various repetitions (precision), the term traceability implies a link of data obtained to established references through an unbroken chain of comparisons all with stated uncertainties. These misunderstandings, possibly occurring among the analytical community, may have consequences on environmental data interpretation. Recent discussions in the field of environmental speciation analysis illustrated that accuracy and traceability issues are still not firmly established within the environmental chemistry community. This paper discusses this issue, taking methylmercury as a case study.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed1997

The development of marine environmental monitoring using fish diseases.

The difficulties in interpreting the biological significance of pollutants in the marine environment led to the recognition that natural indices reflecting chemical and physical changes are required. The close interaction between host, disease (including parasites) and environment indicates that change in disease patterns offers considerable potential as a natural monitoring system in this field. This problem was addressed by the Working Groups of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) in the early 1980s. Since then, a series of studies have provided internationally agreed recommendations on appropriate diseases to monitor, on sampling strategies and on guidelines for diagnosis, identification and data reporting. Research in Scottish waters has shown that parasites with complex life cycles and intermediate stages which are vulnerable to pollution can give a good indication of the dispersion of pollution from a point source. However, without good knowledge of the spatial, biological and temporal variations in the occurrence of fish diseases due to natural events, there are significant dangers in the interpretation of observed differences in disease as being pollution associated. As a general rule, it is probable that trends in disease differences will be of more use in environmental quality monitoring than would be differences in absolute levels of infection between different areas.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Monitoring environmental changes in the Mediterranean coastal landscape: the case of Cukurova, Turkey.

This paper describes a remote sensing approach used to monitor temporal land use/cover (LULC) changes in Cukurova, an extensive coastal plain in the southeast Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The area has varied terrain ranging from low-lying alluvial deposits to rocky hills and mountains characterized by limestone outcrops. The ecological and economic importance of the area can be attributed to the existence of important coastal ecosystems (e.g., wetlands and sand dunes) and a wide range of industries located along the eastern coast. Temporal changes in the coastal landscape between 1984 and 2000 were evaluated using digital interpretation of remotely sensed satellite data. Pairwise comparison methods were used to quantify changes from 1984 to 1993 and 1993 to 2000 using multitemporal Landsat TM and ETM+ images, acquired in 1984, 1993, and 2000, respectively. Total change area was 2448 ha from 1984 to 1993 and increased more than twofold, to 6072 ha from 1993 to 2000. Change trends were determined using the information provided from individual change detection outputs of different periods. The most prominent changes were estimated to have occurred in agriculture, urban, and natural vegetation cover. Agriculture has increasingly grown over marginal areas, whereas urban development occurred at the expense of prime croplands across both time steps.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2001

Initial results of environmental monitoring in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Previous studies have suggested that a segment of human disease may be attributable to environmental exposures. These may include exposure to chemicals released from a broad range of natural and man-made sources. The purpose of this study was to develop the sampling methodology and prepare a preliminary database on the presence of various organic chemicals in environmental media in two South Texas counties bordered by the Rio Grande River. A third county, located approximately 150 miles north of the Rio Grande River, was also sampled. The South Texas counties were the focus of study due to an increased incidence of anencephalic births in recent years. The environmental media that was sampled included surface water and sediment from the Rio Grande River and irrigation canals, as well as soil from adjacent cropland and pastures. Samples were collected using United States Geological Survey (USGS) quadrangle maps (7.5'; 1:24,000 scale) to identify the area of interest. At least one sampling location was established in each quadrangle. A pond sampler was used for the collection of surface water samples, while soil was collected with a stainless steel trowel. Sediment samples were collected directly in a glass jar. Solid samples were extracted in a soxhlet extractor using methylene chloride. Organic chemicals were concentrated from water samples on a Sep-Pak cartridge and the organics eluted with methanol/acetonitrile. Extracts were analyzed using GC-MS. All of the surface water samples contained aliphatic hydrocarbons and plasticizers, while soil samples contained aliphatics, plasticizers, pesticides, and industrial estrogens. Specific chemicals detected in environmental samples included atrazine and benzene dicarboxylic acid. Contaminant levels in sediments were generally higher than were detected in other media. The results demonstrate the broad variability of contaminant types and concentrations in environmental samples. Although this study presents only a very preliminary characterization of a large area of South Texas, the data indicate a number of pesticides and xenobiotic estrogens that were identified in environmental samples. Additional data providing more details of spatial and temporal distribution of contaminants as well as wildlife studies are needed.

Databases, Factual↗
PubMed1988

[Evaluation of occupational exposure to inhalation anesthetics. Study Group on Environmental Monitoring, Biological Monitoring and Laboratory Surveillance in Lombardia].

A group of Occupational Medicine researchers in Lombardia prepared a document about the problems of occupational exposure to inhalation anaesthetics referring to the Meeting "Occupational Hazard from Inhalation Anaesthetics. Monitoring and Prevention". (Pavia, May 1988). A survey in 111 operating theatres and 11 hospitals showed high anaesthetics pollution and allowed to find its main causes. On the basis of this survey the authors were able to indicate the methods to control the exposure, both by determining the polluting agents in working environment, and by using the internal dose biological monitoring. For the exposure monitoring the authors suggest determining nitrous oxide (N2O) in various sites of the operating rooms, in the operators respiratory zone and/or in single workers' urine at the end of the work-shift. The environmental and/or biological measurement of nitrous oxide also indicated the pollution due to other inhalation anesthetics used at the same time. The authors also make suggestions about the methods and timing of environmental and biological monitoring and health surveillance.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗
PubMed2003

Use of real-time data in environmental monitoring: current practices.

Water quality monitoring in Europe, especially in transboundary water courses has made steady progress during the last decades through establishment of international commissions. The main activities of these commissions include protection and management of the catchment, sustainable use of the river and establishment of Accident Emergency Warning Systems (AEWS). The latter could be effectively accomplished only through real-time monitoring. Concurrently real-time data have been found important for the monitoring of potable water intake points, wastewater treatment plants, estuaries and in aquaculture. With the recognition of the diversified demand, there are a number of questions to be answered such as: (1) are we satisfied with the existing monitoring systems? (2) is standardisation of the measuring instruments a necessity? (3) do we have foolproof systems for data capture and transmission? (4) are there adequate procedures to analyse vast amount of data generated? We have to answer these questions urgently as the demand for real-time monitoring has been drastically increased.

Automation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Environmental monitoring in the foci of parasitic diseases in the town of Belgorod-Dnestrovsk, Odessa region].

The paper shows a role of environmental objects in the formation of parasitic diseases in Belgorod-Dnestrovsk, developmental changes in intestinal parasitic cenoses in children from closed institutions. To attract parasitologists to the diagnosis of acute intestinal infections of unspecified etiology increases the percent (49.5 to 82.0) of positive results. The findings show what environmental objects should be monitored in the sanitary and parasitological contexts: soil, vegetables, greens in helminthiasis; utensils in preschool children' establishments in contact helminthiasis; drinking water, vegetables, greens in giardiasis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Biological and environmental monitoring of exposure to airborne benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons in Milan traffic wardens.

Environmental and biological monitoring of airborne aromatic hydrocarbons has been performed in 20 policemen working as traffic wardens exposed to motor vehicle exhausts and in 19 peers employed as clerks. Airborne benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene concentrations, measured during the workshift, resulted in significantly higher outdoor than indoor concentrations (benzene and related aromatic hydrocarbons mean values, respectively of 53 and 350 micrograms/m3 vs. 29 and 180 micrograms/m3). Blood benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene concentrations did not differ significantly between indoor and outdoor workers; no differences were found between values obtained at the beginning (07:30 h) and the end of shift (00:30) in either group. Blood hydrocarbon concentrations seem to reflect airborne pollution, whilst the blood benzene concentration determined after the workshift poorly reflects airborne benzene morning peaks. Endshift blood benzene mean concentration in smokers (462 ng/l, n = 9) differs significantly from non-smokers (292 ng/l, n = 39).

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Sampling scale effects in random fields and implications for environmental monitoring.

The concept of a sampling scale triplet of spacing, extent and support is used to define the spatial dimensions of a monitoring network or a field study. The spacing is the average distance between samples, the extent is the size of the domain sampled and the support is the averaging area of one sample. The aim of this paper is to examine what is the bias and the random error (uncertainty) introduced by the sampling scale triplet into estimates of the mean, the spatial variance and the integral scale of a variable in a landscape. The integral scale is a measure of the average distance over which a variable is correlated in space. A large number of two dimensional random fields are generated from which hypothetical samples, conforming to a certain sampling scale triplet, are drawn which in turn are used to estimate the sample mean, spatial variance and integral scale. The results indicate that the biases can be up to two orders of magnitude. The bias of the integral scale is positively related to the magnitude of any of the components of the scale triplet while the bias of the spatial variance is different for different components of the scale triplet. All sampling scale effects are relative to the underlying correlation length of the variable of interest which is closely related to the integral scale. The integral scale can hence be used for sampling design and data interpretation. Suggestions are given on how to adjust a monitoring network to the scales of the variables of interest and how to interpret sampling scale effects in environmental data.

Data Collection↗
PubMed1995

Chemotaxis in Bacillus subtilis: how bacteria monitor environmental signals.

Virtually all organisms have means of monitoring their environment and making use of information gained to aid their survival. Many organisms, from bacteria to animals, move from place to place and can alter their movements. Chemotaxis is a signal transduction system found in motile bacteria that allows them to sense changes in the concentrations of various extracellular compounds and change their swimming behavior in a way that moves them toward more favorable environments. Chemotaxis is the most ancient sensory-motor process in nature. For years, studies of enteric bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium, have served as the paradigm for understanding this process on a molecular level. Recent studies on the gram-positive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, and other bacteria, suggest that a slightly more complex system may be ancestral to that of the more extensively studied enterics. Aspects of chemotaxis that are unique to B. subtilis include a more complex adaptation system, with protein-protein methyl group transfer, chemotaxis proteins having no counterparts in E. coli, and a very extensive repertoire of repellents that are sensed at very low concentrations by receptors.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed1993

Designer enzyme and cell applications in industry and in environmental monitoring.

Renewed world interest in enzyme biotechnological industries now derives from the expectation that many new biocatalysts will be created by genetic engineering associated with protein engineering designer techniques, or by chemical modification of existing enzymes by use of protein tailoring methods. The biocatalysts produced are mainly enzymes, abzymes (catalytic antibodies) and synzymes (synthetic analogues or mimics), and these will be used in industry, synthesis, therapy: and in bioanalysis of components of foodstuffs, and the environment including water, air and soil. The biocatalysts, including whole cells, are firstly incorporated into a particular bioreactor form by use of enzyme engineering techniques such as immobilization, and are then used, as appropriate, to modify their substrates. Improved processing or enhanced products are thereby achieved in the case of manufacturing industry: or monitoring signals are generated, often in the form of a measurable change in current flow, in the case of environmental biosensors. Designer enzymes and cells can be made now for identified applications where the presently available biocatalysts are inadequate, incompatible or uncompetitive.

Biotechnology↗