In 1987, the curriculum of Environmental Sciences was introduced at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ([Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich], ETHZ). The curriculum was motivated by demands and pressures that characterize our post-industrial age, particularly the necessity to understand complex environmental problems and assess their long term impacts from an interdisciplinary...

Atrazine has been identified in at least 20 of the 1,636 hazardous waste sites that have been proposed for inclusion on the EPA National Priorities List (NPL) (HazDat 2003). However, the number of sites evaluated for atrazine is not known. The frequency for these sites within the United States can be seen in Figure 6-1. Of these sites, all 20 are located within the United States and none are lo...

Over the last few decades, Anzali wetland has been at risk of pollutants, especially from heavy metals. The present research analyzes some physical and chemical properties and heavy metals concentration in 27 points in nine stations of Anzali wetland. The samples of each station have been mixed, acidic digested, and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The mean con...

BACKGROUND Microbial contamination levels and corresponding sensitivities to gamma rays (GR) and elec- tron beam (EB) irradiation were tested in chamomile (Chamomile recutta L.). METHODS Chamomile powders were treated with 10 and 20 kGy by GR and EB, respectively. Microbiological and chemical analyses were performed on controls and treated samples immediately after irradiation, and after 12 m...

Cricket frogs (Acris crepitans) from several different sites in Illinois were collected to assess the effects of environmental contamination on the prevalence of intersex gonads. Of 341 frogs collected in 1993, 1994, and 1995, 2.7% were intersex individuals. There was no statistically significant relationship between the chemical compounds detected and cricket frog intersexuality. However, ther...

Validation of Chemical and Non-Chemical Antimicrobial Interventions Applied Preand Post-Chilling to Reduce Microbial Populations in Broiler Carcasses. (August 2007) Veronica Alejandra Molina, B.Sc., Zamorano Panamerican Agricultural University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Marcos X. Sánchez-Plata Higher risks of food-borne illness associated with increased consumption of poultry products mak...

It is well known that the bioavailability of artifical radionuclides such as Sr, Cs and Pu in contaminated soils depends on the source term origin of the contamination. Altough the behaviour of the mentioned radionuclides in the soil is also influenced by the time passed from the contamination event and the characteristics of the contamination receiving soils. The objective of the present work ...

The Mytilos project was carried during the last 3 years (2004-2006) in order to evaluate the level of chemical contamination along the coasts of the western basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Active mussel watch consisted of caged (12 weeks) Mytilus galloprovincialis at 123 stations along the Mediterranean coasts of Spain, France, Italy, North Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Results indicated total ...

We investigated Legionella and Pseudomonas contamination of hot water in a cross-sectional multicentric survey in Italy. Chemical parameters (hardness, free chlorine, and trace elements) were determined. Legionella spp. were detected in 33 (22.6%) and Pseudomonas spp. in 56 (38.4%) of 146 samples. Some factors associated with Legionella contamination were heater type, tank distance and capacity...

The distributional pattern of dissolved arsenic concentrations from landfill plumes can provide clues to the source of arsenic contamination. Under simple idealized conditions, arsenic concentrations along flow paths in aquifers proximal to a landfill will decrease under anthropogenic sources but potentially increase under in situ sources. This paper presents several conceptual distributional p...