Journal of Environmental Monitoring 

About: Journal of Environmental Monitoring is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Soil water. It has an ISSN identifier of 1464-0325. Over the lifetime, 2650 publications have been published receiving 86519 citations.

Improvement of the BCR three step sequential extraction procedure prior to the certification of new sediment and soil reference materials

Abstract: The Standards, Measurements and Testing Programme (formerly BCR) of the European Commission proposed a three-step sequential extraction procedure for sediment analysis, following extensive expert consultations and two interlaboratory studies. This scheme was recently used to certify the extractable trace element contents of a sediment reference material (CRM 601). Although this procedure offers a means to ensure the comparability of data in this field, some difficulties concerning the interlaboratory reproducibility still remain, and a new project is currently being conducted to determine the causes of poor reproducibility in the extraction scheme. The final objective of the project is the certification of new sediment and soil reference materials for their extractable contents of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn. This paper presents the results of a small-scale interlaboratory study, which aimed to test a revised version of the extraction schemes by comparing the original and the modified protocols using the CRM 601 sample. This work offers an improvement to the BCR sequential extraction procedure through intercomparison exercises. This improved procedure will allow the obtaining of CRMs to validate analytical data in the analysis of soils and sediments, and it will also facilitate comparability of data in the European Union.

Chemical sequential extraction for metal partitioning in environmental solid samples.

Abstract: A comprehensive review of the sequential extraction schemes for metal fractionation in environmental samples (i.e., sediment, soil, sewage sludge, fly ash, etc.) is presented. The review contains more than 400 references and covers principally the literature published over the last decade. The use of each reagent involved in these schemes is looked at critically, and guidelines for their selectivity and extraction capacity are given. The operational character of these schemes is emphasised. Topics such as comparability between sequential extraction schemes of widespread use, harmonisation, acceleration, validation, etc. are addressed and future developments outlined.

The release of engineered nanomaterials to the environment

Abstract: There is scientific agreement that engineered nanomaterial (ENM) production, use and disposal lead to environmental release of ENM. However, very little is known on emissions of ENM to the environment. Currently, techniques are lacking to quantitatively monitor ENM emissions to and concentrations in the environment, and hence data on emissions and environmental concentrations are scarce. One of the few available studies reports the detection of nano-TiO2 in water leaching from exterior facades. Some experimental evidence is available on the release of nanosized materials from commercial textiles during washing. A handful of modeling studies have investigated ENM release to the environment. These studies modeled either the release of ENMs to the environment from ENM containing products during the consumer usage, or the release throughout the whole life cycle of ENM and ENM-containing products. Sewage sludge, wastewater, and waste incineration of products containing ENM were shown to be the major flows through which ENMs end up in the environment. However, reliable data are particularly lacking on release during ENM production and on the application amounts and empirical information on release coefficients for all life cycle stages and environmental compartments. Quantitative data linking occupational exposure measurements and ENM emission flows into the environment are almost completely missing. Besides knowing the amounts of ENM released into the environment, it is equally important to investigate in what form ENMs are released. First results show that much of the ENM released from products is present in matrix-bound form, but that also some fraction is released as single, dispersed nanoparticles.

Uptake, translocation, and accumulation of manufactured iron oxide nanoparticles by pumpkin plants

Abstract: Rapid development and application of nanomaterials and nanotechnology make assessment of their potential health and environmental impacts on humans, non-human biota, and ecosystems imperative. Here we show that pumpkin plants (Cucurbita maxima), grown in an aqueous medium containing magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, can absorb, translocate, and accumulate the particles in the plant tissues. These results suggest that plants, as an important component of the environmental and ecological systems, need to be included when evaluating the overall fate, transport and exposure pathways of nanoparticles in the environment.

Polyfluoroalkyl compounds in the aquatic environment: a review of their occurrence and fate

Abstract: The occurrence and fate of polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFCs) in the aquatic environment has been recognized as one of the emerging issues in environmental chemistry. PFCs comprise a diverse group of chemicals that are widely used as processing additives during fluoropolymer production and as surfactants in consumer applications for over 50 years. PFCs are known to be persistent, bioaccumulative and have possible adverse effects on humans and wildlife. As a result, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) has been added to the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) list of the Stockholm Convention in May 2009. However, their homologues, neutral precursor compounds and new PFCs classes continue to be produced. In general, several PFCs from different classes have been detected ubiquitously in the aqueous environment while the concentrations usually range between pg and ng per litre for individual compounds. Sources of PFCs into the aqueous environment are both point sources (e.g., wastewater treatment plant effluents) and nonpoint sources (e.g., surface runoff). The detected congener composition in environmental samples depends on their physicochemical characteristics and may provide information to their sources and transport pathways. However, the dominant transport pathways of individual PFCs to remote regions have not been conclusively characterised to date. The objective of this article is to give an overview on existing knowledge of the occurrence, fate and processes of PFCs in the aquatic environment. Finally, this article identifies knowledge gaps, presents conclusions and recommendations for future work.