Dating of sediments in the Biscay bay: Implication for pollution chronology

Important historical informations on the temporal changes of anthropogenic pollution in marine environment can be assessed using sediment analysis. Dating is a crucial prerequisite to reconstruct pollution events, to calculate fluxes, and thus to allow comparison between different sites. This work presents estimates of accumulation rates of sediments in the Bay of Biscay. Fives cores were collected during RIKEAU 2002 cruise on board o/v Thalia in order to study temporal changes in PAH and organohalogens compounds content of sediment. We compare chronostratigraphic estimates on cores derived from the natural radionuclide 210Pb in excess with estimates from the known times of introduction of the artificial radionuclide 137Cs to the environment. 210Pb, 226Ra and 137Cs were measured directly by non-destructive gamma spectrometry using a well type γ-detector. Total 210Pb and 226Ra activities vary from 30 to 150 mBq g-1, and 20 to 36 mBq g-1 respectively; 137Cs presents lower levels (< 5 mBq g-1). Profiles of 210Pb$_{\scriptsize\textrm{xs}}$ in three cores present a well mixed layer, from 2-3 to 10 cm, in the uppermost sediments, followed by an exponential decrease of activities, suitable for the determination of sedimentation rates. Under constant flux and sedimentation rate assumptions, vertical accretion rates derived from 210Pb$_{\scriptsize\textrm{xs}}$ present a large range from nearly 0.1 cm yr-1 up to almost 0.3 cm yr-1. Differences are mainly due to relative position of studied cores regarding the muddy patch. Although the moderate level of 137Cs limits the accuracy of this dating method, profiles of 137Cs with depth strengthen mean rates derived from 210Pb$_{\scriptsize\textrm{xs}}$ data. The implication of this dating on pollutant inputs in sediments of the Bay of Biscay is briefly discussed

Polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) distributions in the Seine River and its estuary

International audienc

Les PCB dans le Rhône

National audienceDescription de l'écosystème; Les PCB dans les sédiments; Les PCB dans le biote; Flux des PCB à la mer; Perspectives en matière de gestion; Références bibliographique

Impact of Patent Co-Operation Treaty Data on Epo Patent Statistics and Improving the Timeliness of EPO Indicators

The Patent Cooperation Treaty provides the possibility to seek patent rights in a large number of countries by filing a single international application with a single patent office. Since the mid-1980s, the patent cooperation treaty (PCT) procedure has become a popular method for filing patent applications, as is reflected in the substantial increase in PCT applications over the past 15 years. This paper analyses the impact of the PCT data on the European Patent Office (EPO) patent statistics, and explores methods to improve the timeliness of the EPO indicators by estimating the number of PCT applications which enter the EPO regional phase (see Annex A for details). This paper shows the following main impacts of PCT data in the EPO patent statistics: Including all EPO designated PCT applications data will overestimate the total number of EPO patent applications; and It will introduce a bias in favour of non-EPC countries (countries that are not signatory ... Répercussions du traité de coopération en matière de brevets sur les statistiques des brevets de l'oeb et possibilités d'amélioration de ces indicateurs Le Traité de coopération en matière de brevets permet, en déposant une seule demande internationale de brevet, d’obtenir la protection d’une invention conférée par un brevet dans un grand nombre de pays. Depuis le milieu des années 80, la procédure en vertu du traité de coopération en matière de brevets (PCT) connaît un succès grandissant, ainsi qu’en témoigne l’augmentation considérable du nombre de demandes PCT au cours des 15 dernières années. Le présent document analyse les répercussions des données du PCT sur les statistiques de l’Office européen des brevets (OEB) et étudie les possibilités d’améliorer la disponibilité de ces indicateurs pour les années récentes en effectuant des estimations du nombre de demandes PCT entrant dans la phase régionale de l’OEB (voir l’Annexe A pour plus de détails). Le présent document met en évidence les répercussions principales suivantes: Si l’on inclut les données relatives à la totalité des demandes PCT désignant ...

Levels and trends of brominated flame retardants in the European environment

In this paper, we review those data which have recently become available for brominated flame retardants (particularly the brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)) in samples from the European environment. Environmental compartments studied comprise the atmosphere, sediments and soils, sewage sludges, and a variety of biological samples and food chains. This is currently a very active research area, and we cite over 70 studies reported in the literature during 2003¿04. Findings include that the input of BDEs (especially BDE209) to the Baltic Sea by atmospheric deposition now exceeds that of PCBs by a factor of almost 40 times. Sewage sludge samples from both industrial and background locations show concentrations of BDEs, HBCD and tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBP-A) that are of a similar order, indicating that the major source is from diffuse leaching from products into wastewater streams from users, households and industries generally. Point-sources from industries using BFRs (e.g. the textile industry) also generate local hot-spots. Sediment core studies identified the presence of two of the three PBDE formulations. The penta-mix formulation was clearly present from the beginning of the 1970s, but the deca-mix only appeared in the late 1970s. BDE183, BDE209 and HBCD were detected in peregrine falcons from Sweden and other birds feeding on terrestrial food chains. BDEs are found widely distributed in fish, including those from high mountain lakes in Europe, as a consequence of long-range atmospheric transport and deposition. A temporal trend study in archived freeze-dried mussels from the Seine estuary, France, indicated an exponential increase in BDE concentrations during the period 1982¿1993, which levelled off in 1999 and 2001 and then began to decline after 2002. HBCD was detected in liver and blubber samples from harbour seals and harbour porpoises from the Wadden and North Seas, though very few animals yielded positive values for TBBP-A. There are difficulties in comparing data on ¿BDE from studies in which different suites of BDE congeners have been determined, and we suggest a common suite which will allow the study of all three commercial PBDE formulation