A Methodology for Measuring Microplastic Transport in Large or Medium Rivers

Plastic waste as a persistent contaminant of our environment is a matter of increasing concern due to the largely unknown long-term effects on biota. Although freshwater systems are known to be the transport paths of plastic debris to the ocean, most research has been focused on marine environments. In recent years, freshwater studies have advanced rapidly, but they rarely address the spatial distribution of plastic debris in the water column. A methodology for measuring microplastic transport at various depths that is applicable to medium and large rivers is needed. We present a new methodology offering the possibility of measuring microplastic transport at different depths of verticals that are distributed within a profile. The net-based device is robust and can be applied at high flow velocities and discharges. Nets with different sizes (41 µm, 250 µm, and 500 µm) are exposed in three different depths of the water column. The methodology was tested in the Austrian Danube River, showing a high heterogeneity of microplastic concentrations within one cross section. Due to turbulent mixing, the different densities of the polymers, aggregation, and the growth of biofilms, plastic transport cannot be limited to the surface layer of a river, and must be examined within the whole water column as for suspended sediments. These results imply that multipoint measurements are required for obtaining the spatial distribution of plastic concentration and are therefore a prerequisite for calculating the passing transport. The analysis of filtration efficiency and side-by-side measurements with different mesh sizes showed that 500 µm nets led to optimal results

Guidance for production of a Water Security Plan in drinking water supply

Although the European Directive 2008/114/EC on protection of critical infrastructures has not designated the water supply sector as a critical infrastructure, all governments recognise their water supply as vital to their national security. Water systems are vulnerable to unintentional and intentional threats, which can include physical acts of sabotage, cyber-attack on information or SCADA systems, and contamination. In the face of an anomalous situation of contamination of drinking water, it is essential to minimise the impact of potential health risks during and after the emergency. This document provides guidance to water utility operators on assessing the risks they face, and on the factors to consider for improving their detection capabilities. Guidance is also provided on the preparation of response and recovery plans in the case of a contamination event. Water security planning will help to identify security vulnerabilities and establish security measures in water supply systems to detect intentional contamination, including a communication strategy to facilitate a fast and effective response. Where a water safety plan already exists, the water security planning should be integrated with the safety plan approach. The first step in water security planning is for the water utility operator to assess its risks to threats of deliberate contamination of the drinking water, with the risk assessment providing the basis for the design and implementation of the Water Security Plan. Through this risk assessment process, a target protection level could be set, with utility operators identifying the benefits of installing sensors in the network together with an event detection software and/or procedure. Criteria such as time to detect contamination, and the volume of contaminated water supplied will help to identify sensor deployment options. The recommended structure for the creation and maintenance of a Water Security comprises four phases: Phase 1 – Planning and preparation Phase 2 – Protection: Event detection and confirmation Phase 3 – Response: Planning and management of the event Phase 4 – Remediation and recovery Planning and preparation will include creation and maintenance of the Water Security Plan, allocation of roles and responsibilities, undertaking risk assessments to identify the mitigation and security measures, and performing the relevant training and exercising. When an emergency occurs, it is vital not to waste time deciding how to act, and debating what to communicate to consumers. Advance planning for an emergency will help to mitigate the impacts by faster communication and implementation of mitigation measures. Event detection involves the monitoring of indicators, and immediate response in case of a potential contamination, leading up to confirmation of the nature of the event. For the identification of possible emergency situations, water utility operators rely on information from monitoring and control systems, which can quickly identify an anomalous situation, and from information from various external sources. Online contamination warning systems is one focus of water security planning, along with customer complaint monitoring, public health surveillance, and enhanced security. Online contamination monitoring offers the best opportunity to minimize the consequences of intentional contamination, although to ensure timely detection of contamination, it must be integrated with routine operational monitoring. The immediate response in the event of a confirmed contamination is critical, involving communication with the public and with local/national emergency authorities to ensure a safe drinking water supply. This phase is followed by the remedial activities that lead to a full return to normal service of uncontaminated drinking water. The remediation and rehabilitation plan forms the final section of the Water Security Plan, and will need to be developed after the contamination incident is confirmed, and the full extent is determined. Regular revision of the water security plan forms an essential part of its lifecycle. All drinking water systems have some degree of vulnerability to contamination, with experience indicating that the threat of deliberate contamination is real. While steps can be taken to prevent intentional contamination, it is impossible to completely eliminate this risk, and therefore water utility operators need to consider developing and implementing a Water Security Plan.JRC.E.2-Technology Innovation in Securit

Phthalate Metabolites, Consumer Habits and Health Effects

Phthalates are multifunctional chemicals used in a wide variety of consumer products. The aim of this study was to investigate whether levels of urinary phthalate metabolites in urine samples of Austrian mothers and their children were associated with consumer habits and health indicators. Within an Austrian biomonitoring survey, urine samples from 50 mother-child pairs of five communities (two-stage random stratified sampling) were analysed. The concentrations of 14 phthalate metabolites were determined, and a questionnaire was administered. Monoethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (5OH-MEHP), mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (5oxo-MEHP), mono-(5-carboxy-2-ethylpentyl) phthalate (5cx-MEPP), and 3-carboxy-mono-propyl phthalate (3cx-MPP) could be quantified in the majority of samples. Significant correlations were found between the use of hair mousse, hair dye, makeup, chewing gum, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and the diethyl phthalate (DEP) metabolite MEP. With regard to health effects, significant associations of MEP in urine with headache, repeated coughing, diarrhoea, and hormonal problems were observed. MBzP was associated with repeated coughing and MEHP was associated with itching

Semivolatile compounds in schools and their influence on cognitive performance of children

Objectives: WHO's Children's Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE) focuses on improvements of indoor environments where children spend most of their time. To investigate the relationship between school indoor air pollutants and cognitive performance in elementary school children, a multidisciplinary study was planned in all-day schools in Austria. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study (LuKi study: Air and Children) indoor air pollutants were monitored in nine elementary all-day schools in urban and rural regions of Austria. In addition, school dust and suspended particulates (PM10, PM2.5) were measured, focusing on semivolatile compounds (e.g. phthalates, phosphororganic compounds [POC]). Health status and environmental conditions were determined by parents' questionnaire, cognitive function was measured by Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM). Results: Overall, 596 children (6-8 years of age) were eligible for the study. Cognitive tests were performed in 436 children. Analysis showed significant correlations of tris(2-chlorethyl)-phosphate (TCEP) in PM10 and PM2.5 and school dust samples with cognitive performance. Cognitive performance decreased with increasing concentrations of TCEP. Furthermore, cognitive function decreased significantly with increasing CO2 levels. Conclusions: POC are widely used as plasticizers, flame retardants and floor sealing. This is the first report of a correlation between TCEP in indoor air samples and impairment of cognitive performance in school children. As a precautionary measure, it is recommended to prohibit the use of toxic chemicals and those suspected of a toxic potential in children's environments such as schools

Mercury analysis in hair: Comparability and quality assessment within the transnational COPHES/DEMOCOPHES project

Human biomonitoring (HBM) is an effective tool for assessing actual exposure to chemicals that takes into account all routes of intake. Although hair analysis is considered to be an optimal biomarker for assessing mercury exposure, the lack of harmonization as regards sampling and analytical procedures has often limited the comparison of data at national and international level. The European-funded projects COPHES and DEMOCOPHES developed and tested a harmonized European approach to Human Biomonitoring in response to the European Environment and Health Action Plan. Herein we describe the quality assurance program (QAP) for assessing mercury levels in hair samples from more than 1800 mother-child pairs recruited in 17 European countries. To ensure the comparability of the results, standard operating procedures (SOPs) for sampling and for mercury analysis were drafted and distributed to participating laboratories. Training sessions were organized for field workers and four external quality-assessment exercises (ICI/EQUAS), followed by the corresponding web conferences, were organized between March 2011 and February 2012. ICI/EQUAS used native hair samples at two mercury concentration ranges (0.20-0.71 and 0.80-1.63) per exercise. The results revealed relative standard deviations of 7.87-13.55% and 4.04-11.31% for the low and high mercury concentration ranges, respectively. A total of 16 out of 18 participating laboratories the QAP requirements and were allowed to analyze samples from the DEMOCOPHES pilot study. Web conferences after each ICI/EQUAS revealed this to be a new and effective tool for improving analytical performance and increasing capacity building. The procedure developed and tested in COPHES/DEMOCOPHES would be optimal for application on a global scale as regards implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Mercury analysis in hair: Comparability and quality assessment within the transnational COPHES/DEMOCOPHES project journaltitle: Environmental Research articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2014.11.014 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.status: publishe