Background And Purpose: High levels of arsenic, cadmium, mercury and polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofuranes (PCDD/PCDF) were detected in the soil of a residential area located at the river Elbe near Hamburg (Germany). Soil contamination resulted from sediments from the Hamburg harbour and from the Elbe that were deposited in this area up to the late 1950ies. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the soil contamination in this area is associated with increased levels of arsenic, heavy metals and PCCD/PCDF in the blood and urine of selected residents living on highly contaminated grounds.
Results: The blood levels of lead and PCDD/PCDF and the urine levels of arsenic, cadmium and mercury that were measured in 29 residents living on highly contaminated grounds were not elevated in relation to a control group. All individual values were in the range of the background exposure levels of the general population. There were no signs of an increased additional exposure related to soil contamination.
Conclusions: Based on the results of this study it was agreed to refrain from an expensive redevelopment of this area. As a preventive measure some recommendations were given to the residents to minimize possible exposure to soil contaminants. Human biological monitoring studies should be an essential part of exposure and risk assessment of soil contaminations in residential areas in future studies and as a basis for adequate risk management.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-2004-813482 | DOI Listing |
Chemosphere
January 2025
Department of Agricultural Machinery Engineering, University of Tehran, Iran.
Soil oil pollution is a major environmental issue, especially in oil-producing nations, as it threatens the health of plants, animals, and humans. While bioremediation has been extensively utilized as a cost-effective method for restoring oil-contaminated soil, its environmental impact has garnered relatively little attention. Researchers often concentrate on reducing pollutant concentrations below permissible limits to restore soil quality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBull Environ Contam Toxicol
January 2025
Sichuan Academy of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.
The widespread application of swine-farming wastewater to soil and water is increasingly contributing to heavy metal contamination, posing significant environmental risks. This study investigated the concentrations of eight heavy metals in swine-farming wastewater following different treatment processes, and assessed their ecological risks in Sichuan Province, China. The findings revealed that zinc, copper and nickel exhibited the highest concentrations, potentially causing heavy or strong contamination levels and leading to heavy or slight ecological risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Manage
January 2025
Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, China. Electronic address:
Traditionally, abiotic factors such as pH, temperature, and initial Cr(VI) concentration have been undoubtedly recognized as the external driving forces that dramatically affect the microbial-mediated remediation of Cr(VI) pollutants. However, concentrating on whether and how the biological behaviors and metabolic activities drive the microbial-mediated Cr(VI) detoxification is a study-worthy but little-known issue. In this study, Leucobacter chromiireducens CD49 isolated from heavy-metal-contaminated soil was identified to tolerate 8000.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Contam Hydrol
January 2025
College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address:
Polymer material (PM) is a novel vertical barrier material, demonstrated to be effective in impeding pollutants. However, the associated transport research is limited. This study aims to develop an analytical solution for two-dimensional transport of organic contaminant in the PM-enhanced composite cutoff wall (CCW) system, where the variable substitution and Fourier transform methods are used.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcotoxicol Environ Saf
January 2025
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Hoechstaedtplatz 6, Vienna 1200, Austria. Electronic address:
Lead (Pb), a toxic metal, causes severe health hazards to both humans and plants due to environmental pollution. Biochar addition has been efficiently utilized to enhance growth of plants as well as yield in the presence of Pb-induced stress. The present research introduces a novel use of biochar obtained from the weed Achyranthes japonica to enhance the growth of plants in Pb-contaminated soil.
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