Lexikon
the results of environmental toxicology are mainly used for the prediction of hazard and risk of single chemical substances or contaminated environment at local, regional and global scale. Their important role is supporting decision making in environmental management and policy by setting risk based priorities, establishing environmental quality criteria, to design monitoring systems, to select risk reduction measures, to establish land use specific target values and so on. Environmnetal toxicity results are suitable for direct decision making, when building decision only on the effects.
enzyme unit is the amount of enzyme that catalyzes the transformation of 1 micromole of substance per minute at 30°C.
increased urbanisation and the spread of human infrastructures, over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution are the main factors, which highly damage biodiversity. Introduction of exotic species into the native ecosystems pose also a hazard. As a result, 42% of mammals, 15% of birds and 52% of freshwater fish across Europe are under threat. In addition, nearly 1000 plant species are at serious risk or on the verge of disappearing completely. In order to safeguard biodiversity and combat the extinction of animal and plant species, the European Union has set up a vast network of protected sites (the Natura 2000 network) and made the protection of biodiversity one of the key objectives of the Sixth Environment Action Programme.
- BIODIVERSITY
- Action Plan for biodiversity
- Biodiversity strategy
- Biodiversity Action Plan for the Conservation of Natural Resources
- Biodiversity Action Plan for Agriculture
- Biodiversity Action Plan for FisheriesArchives
- Biodiversity Action Plan for Economic and Development Co-operation
- Bern Convention
- The Rio de Janeiro Convention on biological diversity
- MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
- FAUNA AND FLORA
- Natural habitats (Natura 2000)
- Conservation of wild birds
- Conservation of wild birdsArchives
- Endangered species of wild fauna and flora (CITES)
- Conservation of Antarctic marine living resources
- Conservation of migratory species - Bonn Convention
- The keeping of wild animals in zoos
- Protection of animals used for experimental purposes
- Accidental catches of cetaceans
- Protection of certain seal species
- International Dolphin Conservation Programme
- Whaling
- Protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems in the high seas from bottom fishing
- Destructive fishing practices in the high seas and the protection of ecosystems
- Aquaculture: use of alien and locally absent species
- Humane trapping standards
- Convention on the Protection of the Alps
- Ban on trade in cat and dog fur
- Trade in seal products
- FORESTS
- GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS
- Contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMs)
- Directive on the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
- Transboundary movement of genetically modified organisms
- Novel foods and novel food ingredients
- Traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
- GM Food and Feed
Source: http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/environment/nature_and_biodiversity/index_en.ht
evident toxicity is a general term in toxicity tests describing clear signs of toxicity following the administration of test.
also called pump and treat techology. pump and treat involves pumping out contaminated groundwater with the use of a submersible or vacuum pump, and allowing the extracted groundwater to be treated by different water clean-up technologies such as air stripping, teratments based on photodegradation, biodegradation, chemical oxidation or reduction, precipitataion, sorption, etc. in order to eliminate contaminant from water. Technologies used for cleaning ground-water and other sub-surface waters are similar to waste-water and drinking-water treatment technologies. The treated water can be discharged into surface waters or canalisation accordig to its contaminant content. recycling into soil ot groundwater is also a technological option.
It is often difficult to REACH sufficiently low concentrations to satisfy remediation standards, due to the equilibrium of partition between soil solid and liquid phases. For those contaminants which has low solubility in water and prefer sorption on solid phase, pump end treat technology has extremely low efficiency.
The partition between solid and water can be shifted toward water by heating, by the application of tensides, co-solvents or complexing agents, like cyclodextrins.
treatment of contaminated or otherwise damaged environmnetal compartments or phases such as soil, groundwater, soil gas, surface water and sediment after excavation, dredging or extraction. The remedial treatment may be executed on site or off-site by applying physical, chemical, thermal, biological or ecological technologies.
thermal desorption is the process whereby wastes are heated so that organic contaminants and water volatilize. Typically, a carrier gas or vacuum system transports the volatilized water and organics to a gas treatment system, such as a thermal oxidation or recovery system. Based on the operating temperature of the desorber, thermal desorption processes can be categorized into two groups: high temperature thermal desorption (320 to 560°C or 600 to 1000°F) and low temperature thermal desorption (90 to 320°C or 200 to 600°F).
ex situ thermal treatment of soil contaminants generally involves the destruction or removal of contaminants through exposure to high temperature in treatment cells, combustion chambers, or other means used to contain the contaminated media during the remediation process. The main advantage of ex situ treatments is that they generally require shorter time periods, and there is more certainty about the uniformity of treatment because of the ability to screen, homogenize, and continuously mix the contaminated media; however, ex situ processes require excavation of soils, which increases costs and engineering for equipment, permitting, and materials handling worker safety issues.
Thermal processes use heat to separate, destroy, or immobilize contaminants. Thermal desorption and hot gas decontamination are separation technologies. Pyrolysis and conventional incineration destroy the contaminants. Vitrification destroys or separates organics and immobilizes some inorganics.
Incineration is a heat-based technology that has been used for many years to burn and destroy contaminated materials. Because it is considered to be a conventional rather than an innovative technology, its treatment here is limited to information listed under "Additional Resources."
EX SITU THERMAL DESORPTION involves the application of heat to excavated wastes to volatilize organic contaminants and water. Typically, a carrier gas or vacuum system transports the volatilized water and organics to a treatment system, such as a thermal oxidation or recovery unit. Based on the operating temperature of the desorber, thermal desorption processes can be categorized as either high-temperature thermal desorption (320 to 560ºC or 600 to 1,000ºF) or low-temperature thermal desorption (90 to 320ºC or 200 to 600ºF).
HOT GAS DECONTAMINATION involves raising the temperature of contaminated solid material or equipment to 260ºC (500ºF) for a specified period of time. The gas effluent from the material is treated in an afterburner system to destroy all volatilized contaminants. This method will permit reuse or disposal of scrap as nonhazardous material.
PLASMA HIGH-TEMPERATURE RECOVERY uses a thermal treatment process applied to solids and soils that purges contaminants as metal fumes and organic vapors. The vapors can be burned as fuel, and the metals can be recovered and recycled.
PYROLYSIS is defined as chemical decomposition induced in organic materials by heat in the absence of oxygen. Pyrolysis typically occurs under pressure and at operating temperatures above 430ºC (800ºF). The pyrolysis gases require further treatment. The target contaminant groups for pyrolysis are SVOCs and pesticides. The process is applicable for the separation of organics from refinery wastes, coal tar wastes, wood-treating wastes, creosote-contaminated soils, hydrocarbon-contaminated soils, mixed (radioactive and hazardous) wastes, synthetic rubber processing wastes, and paint waste.
THERMAL OFF-GAS TREATMENT is one of several approaches that can be used to cleanse the off-gases generated from primary treatment technologies, such as air stripping and soil vapor extraction. In addition to the established thermal treatments, organic contaminants in gaseous form can be destroyed using innovative or emerging technologies, such as alkali bed reactors.
VITRIFICATION technology uses an electric current to melt contaminated soil at elevated temperatures (1,600 to 2,000ºC or 2,900 to 3,650ºF). Upon cooling, the vitrification product is a chemically stable, leach-resistant, glass and crystalline material similar to obsidian or basalt rock. The high temperature component of the process destroys or removes organic materials. Radionuclides and most heavy metals are retained within the vitrified product. Vitrification can be conducted in situ or ex situ.
Source: US-EPA, Clu-In:
http://www.clu-in.org/techfocus/default.focus/sec/Thermal_Treatment%3A_Ex_Situ/cat/Overview/
exposure is the concentration or dose of the substance to which humans and the environment are or may be exposed by producing or using the chemical substance or by using contaminated land.
exposure assessment aims to make a quantitative or qualitative estimate of the dose / concentration, which the users are exposed to. exposure assessment under REACH consists of two steps: 1) Development of exposure Scenarios and 2) exposure Estimation, which have to be iterated until it can be concluded that the resulting exposure scenarios would ensure adequate control of risks upon implementation. (Source: REACH Glossary)
eye irritation is defined in OECD TG 405 as “the production of changes in the eye following application of a test substance to the anterior surface of the eye, which are fully reversible within 21 days of application”.
In the EU this effect is assigned “Xi” and R36.
Eye corrosion is defined in OECD TG 405 as ”the production of tissue damage in the eye, or serious physical decay of vision, following application of a test substance to the anterior surface of the eye, which is not fully reversible within 21 days of application”. In the EU, this effect is assigned “Xi”, and R41
Source: REACH
Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay − Xenopus (FETAX)
fresh-water limit means the place in the watercourse where, at low tide and in a period of low fresh-water flow, there is an appreciable increase in salinity due to the presence of sea-water.
the goal of LCA is to compare the full range of environmental effects assignable to products and services in order to improve processes, support policy and provide a sound basis for informed decisions.
The term life cycle refers to the notion that a fair, holistic assessment requires the assessment of raw-material production, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal including all intervening transportation steps necessary or caused by the product's existence.
There are two main types of LCA. Attributional LCAs seek to establish the burdens associated with the production and use of a product, or with a specific service or process, at a point in time (typically the recent past). Consequential LCAs seek to identify the environmental consequences of a decision or a proposed change in a system under study (oriented to the future), which means that market and economic implications of a decision may have to be taken into account. Social LCA is under development as a different approach to life cycle thinking intended to assess social implications or potential impacts. Social LCA should be considered as an approach that is complementary to environmental LCA.
The procedures of life cycle assessment (LCA) are part of the ISO 14000 environmental management standards: in ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006. (ISO 14044 replaced earlier versions of ISO 14041 to ISO 14043.)
[edit] Four main phases
Illustration of LCA phases.
According to the ISO 14040[3] and 14044[4] standards, a Life Cycle Assessment is carried out in four distinct phases as illustrated in the figure shown to the right.The phases are often interdependent in that the results of one phase will inform how other phases are completed.
An LCA starts with an explicit statement of the goal and scope of the study, which sets out the context of the study and explains how and to whom the results are to be communicated. This is a key step and the ISO standards require that the goal and scope of an LCA be clearly defined and consistent with the intended application. The goal and scope document therefore includes technical details that guide subsequent work:
* the functional unit, which defines what precisely is being studied and quantifies the service delivered by the product system, providing a reference to which the inputs and outputs can be related;
* the system boundaries;
* any assumptions and limitations;
* the allocation methods used to partition the environmental load of a process when several products or functions share the same process; and
* the impact categories chosen.
Source:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life-cycle_assessment#Goals_and_purpose_of_LCA
is an expression of the degree to which a body of groundwater is affected by direct and indirect abstractions.
habitat is the place or type of ecosystem in which a microorganism, fungal, plant or animal species is commonly found integrated into a community, an interactive system of living organisms. Habitat fulfils the requirements of the living organisms inhabitating a delineated part of the aquatic or terrestrial environment.
Home Theatre PC
water generates electricity when it drops gravitationally, driving a turbine and generator. While most hydroelectricity is produced by water falling from dams, some is produced by water flowing down rivers (run-of-the-river electricity).
Conventionally, hydroelectric power comes from the potential energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator. The power extracted from the water depends on the volume and on the difference in height between the source and the water's outflow. This height difference is called the head. The amount of potential energy in water is proportional to the head. A large pipe (the "penstock") delivers water to the turbine.
Pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant produces electricity to supply high peak demands by moving water between reservoirs at different elevations. At times of low electrical demand, excess generation capacity is used to pump water into the higher reservoir. When there is higher demand, water is released back into the lower reservoir through a turbine. Pumped-storage schemes currently provide the most commercially important means of large-scale grid energy storage and improve the daily capacity factor of the generation system.
Run-of-the-river hydroelectric stations are those with small or no reservoir capacity, so that the water coming from upstream must be used for generation at that moment, or must be allowed to bypass the dam.
A tidal power plant makes use of the daily rise and fall of ocean water due to tides; such sources are highly predictable, and if conditions permit construction of reservoirs, can also be dispatchable to generate power during high demand periods. Less common types of hydro schemes use water's kinetic energy or undammed sources such as undershot waterwheels.
An underground power station makes use of a large natural height difference between two waterways, such as a waterfall or mountain lake. An underground tunnel is constructed to take water from the high reservoir to the generating hall built in an underground cavern near the lowest point of the water tunnel and a horizontal tailrace taking water away to the lower outlet waterway.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity
chemical oxidation typically involves reduction/oxidation redox reactions that chemically convert hazardous contaminants to nonhazardous or less toxic compounds that are more stable, less mobile, or inert. Redox reactions involve the transfer of electrons from one compound to another.
Specifically, one reactant is oxidized loses electrons and one is reduced gains electrons.
The oxidizing agents most commonly used for treatment of hazardous contaminants in soil are ozone, hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorites, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, potassium permanganate, and Fentons reagent hydrogen peroxide and iron.
Cyanide oxidation and dechlorination are examples of chemical treatment. This method may be applied in situ or ex situ, to soils, sludges, sediments, and other solids, and may also be applied for the in situ treatment of groundwater.
Source: US-EPA, ClU-In: http://www.clu-in.org/techfocus/default.focus/sec/In_Situ_Oxidation/cat/Overview/
soil flushing means the in situ washing of the unsaturated soil zone.
For in situ soil flushing, large volumes of water, at times supplemented with surfactants, cosolvents, or treatment compounds, are applied to the soil or injected into the groundwater to raise the water table into the contaminated soil zone. Injected water and treatment agents are isolated within the underlying aquifer and recovered together with flushed contaminants.
Source: US-EPA, Clu-In: http://www.clu-in.org/techfocus/default.focus/sec/In_Situ_Flushing/cat/Overview/