The Forum of European Geological Surveys Geochemistry Task Group 1994-1996 inventory

The Forum of European Geological Surveys (FOREGS) includes representatives from 33 European countries and is responsible for co-ordinating Geological Survey activities in Europe. The FOREGS Geochemistry Task Group was established in 1994 to develop a strategy for the preparation of European geochemical maps following the recommendations of the International Geological Correlation Programme (IGCP) Project 259 ‘International Geochemical Mapping’ (now the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) /International Association of Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry (IAGC) Working Group on Global Geochemical Baselines). The FOREGS geochemistry programme is aimed at preparing a standardised European geochemical baseline to IGCP-259 standards. The principal aims of this dataset will be for environmental purposes, as a baseline for the assessment of the extent and distribution of contaminated land in the context of variations in the natural geochemical background, but it will also have applications in resource assessment and for the development of policy for the sustainable management of metalliferous mineral and other resources. The first phase of the programme was the compilation of an inventory of geochemical data based on the results of a questionnaire completed by Geological Surveys and related organisations throughout the FOREGS community. The results show that the sample types which have been used most extensively are stream sediment (26% coverage), surface water (19% coverage) and soil (11% coverage). Stream sediments have been collected using a narrow range of mesh sizes (< 150–< 200 μm), but soil samples have been collected according to two different conventions: some surveys used a similar mesh size range to that used for stream sediments while others employed the < 1000 or < 2000 μm fractions traditionally used by soil surveys. Sample densities range from 1 sample per 0.5 km2 to 1 per 3500 km2. Various analytical methods have been used, but most of the available data have been calibrated using international reference materials, and data for the most important of the potentially harmful elements (PHEs) are available for most datasets. Systematic radiometric data are available for only a small proportion of Europe, a situation which compares very unfavourably with that in Australia, North America, the former Soviet Union and many developing countries. Recommendations are made for increasing the compatibility of geochemical methods between national geochemical surveys as a basis for the preparation of a series of European geochemical maps. The next stage of the FOREGS Geochemistry Task Group will be the collection of the Global Reference Network of samples against which to standardise national datasets according to the methods recommended in the final report of the IGCP 259 programme

Arsenic and selenium

Arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) have become increasingly important in environmental geochemistry because of their significance to human health. Their concentrations vary markedly in the environment, partly in relation to geology and partly as a result of human activity. Some of the contamination evident today probably dates back to the first settled civilizations that used metals. This chapter outlines the main effects of arsenic and selenium on human and animal health, their abundance and distribution in the environment, sampling and analysis, and the main factors controlling their speciation and cycling. Such information should help to identify aquifers, water resources, and soils at risk from high concentrations of arsenic and selenium, and areas of selenium deficiency. Human activity has had, and is likely to continue to have, a major role in releasing arsenic and selenium from the geosphere and in perturbing the natural distribution of these and other elements over the Earth’s surface

Human Health Risk Assessment For Arsenic: A Critical Review

Millions of people are exposed to arsenic resulting in a range of health implications.This paper provides an up-to-date review of the different sources of arsenic (water, soil and food), indicators of human exposure (biomarker assessment of hair, nail, urine and blood), epidemiological and toxicological studies on carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health outcomes, and risk assessment approaches. The review demonstrates a need for more work evaluating the risks of different arsenic species such as; arsenate, arsenite monomethylarsonic acid, monomethylarsonous acid, dimethylarsinic acid and dimethylarsinous acid as well as a need to better integrate the different exposure sources in risk assessments

Baseline geochemical mapping in the UK : the G-BASE programme

National geochemical mapping in the UK is undertaken by the BGS as part of the Geochemical Baseline Survey of the Environment (G-BASE) Programme. The programme began in the early 1970’s in the North of Scotland and will provide a comprehensive high resolution baseline geochemical database for the whole country by the year 2012. The ongoing development and inclusion of state-of-the-art analytical and computing techniques and rigorous quality control over the past 25 years have been fundamental in creating consistent geochemical maps which reflect geological, geomorphological and landuse parameters

Environmental geochemistry : an aid to the development and regeneration of the urban environment

Within the UK 90% of the population are based in urban areas. Over the next 25 years the Government has estimated there will be a need for a further 4 million homes. The pressure on greenbelt has seen Government set a target of 60% for new homes to be built on recycled land. Many urban areas within the UK are run-down and suffer from poor design, traffic and industrial pollution. The Government has commissioned an Urban Task Force to address the sustainability and regeneration issues within the built environment and a final report from the Group, with recommendations, was published in June 1999

The FOREGS Geochemistry Task Group 1994-1996

The Forum of European Geological Surveys (FOREGS) includes geological surveys from 33 European countries and is responsible for co-ordinating geological survey activities in Europe. The FOREGS Geochemistry Task Group was established in 1994 as part of the programme, to supervise European geochemical mapping policy following the recommendations of IGCP Project 259 ‘International Geochemical Mapping’. The task group comprises representatives from five countries charged initially with the compilation of an inventory of geochemical data within FOREGS countries

Forum of European Geological Surveys Geochemistry Task Group 1994-1996 Report

Europe has a long history of mining, industrialisation, intensive agriculture/forestry and urbanisation. It remains one of the most densely populated and utilised land areas on earth. These factors have led to interrelated problems of land degrada¬tion and contamination which affect both the land and the coastal zone. Deficiency conditions in crops, agricultural animals and possibly man are increasing, partly as a result of land degradation. Redevelopment of contaminated land is becoming increasin¬gly difficult because of legislative and fiscal controls. This is despite the need to reutilise "brown field" sites rather than extend develop¬ment into "green field" areas.Throughout Europe public concern about the environment is growing. In response, national governments and the European Union (EU) are attempting to develop policies, legislation and infrastructure, such as the European Environment Agency (EEA). Attempts are also being made to establish "Safe Levels" of Potentially Harmful Elements and Species (PHES), but these are often based on limited and/or inade¬quate informati-on. The available data on environmental geochemical baselines and radioactivity are not systematic in coverage or quality and, therefore, are not of the standard required to quantify the distribution of PHES at the European scale as a basis for policy-making and monitoring future change to the environment

International geochemical mapping in Europe : the FOREGS Geochemistry Task Group

The Forum of European Geological Surveys (FOREGS) includes geological surveys from 33 European countries and is responsible for co-ordinating geological survey activities in Europe. As part of this programme, the FOREGS Geochemistry Task Group was established in 1994 to supervise European geochemical mapping policy in accordance with the recommendations of IGCP Project 259 ‘International Geochemical Mapping’. The task group comprises representatives from five countries whose initial remit was to compile an inventory of geochemical data within FOREGS countries. An inventory questionnaire was devised and sent to geological survey and related organisations in FOREGS countries. The questionnaire was designed to establish the extent and types of surveys employed