Aquatic systems environmental fate

E. J. Weber, Fate of Textile Dyes in the Aquatic Environment Degradation of Disperse Blue 79 in Anaerobic Sediment-Water Systems, Environmental Research Laboratory, U.S. EPA, Athens, Ga., Mar. 1988. 

The CESARS database contains comprehensive environmental and health information on chemicals. It provides detailed descriptions of chemical toxicity to humans, mammals, aquatic and plant life, as well as data on physical chemical properties, and environmental fate and persistence. Each record consists of chemical identification information and provides descriptive data on up to 23 topic areas, ranging from chemical properties to toxicity to environmental transport and fate. Records are in English. Available online through CCINFOline from the Canadian Centre For Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) and Chemical Information System (CIS) on CD-ROM through CCIN-FOdisc. 

In a continuous model river test system it can be shown that after passage through a sewage treatment plant ester sulfonates have no significant influence on the qualitative and quantitative composition of the biocenosis of a receiving water [113]. All the investigations into the environmental fate of a-sulfo fatty acid esters demonstrate that aquatic toxicity is alleviated by their fast ultimate biodegradability, which allows them to be classified as environmentally compatible. 

No information was found on the transformation of diisopropyl methylphosphonate in the atmosphere. Based on the results of environmental fate studies of diisopropyl methylphosphonate in distilled water and natural water, photolysis (either direct or indirect) is not important in the transformation of diisopropyl methylphosphonate in aquatic systems (Spanggord et al. 1979). The ultraviolet and infrared laser-induced photodegradation of diisopropyl methylphosphonate in both the vapor or liquid phase has been demonstrated (Radziemski 1981). Light hydrocarbon gases were the principal decomposition products. Hydrogen, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (C02), and water were also detected. 

The characteristics of the applied models have been described in detail in the chapters Environmental Fate Models [50] and A Revision of Current Models for Environmental and Human Health Impact and Risk Assessment for Application to Emerging Chemicals [49] and only a brief overview is given here. Since each model has its own approach (i.e., QWASI is focused on the aquatic system), the combined results are expected to give a wider view with in-depth analyses for different aspects compared to just one model with its special characteristics. 

Sanders, J.G. and G.R. Abbe. 1989. Silver transport and impact in estuarine and marine systems. Pages 5-18 in G.W. Suter II and M.A. Lewis (eds.). Aquatic Toxicology and Environmental Fate eleventh volume. Amer. Soc. Testing Mater., Spec. Tech. Publ. 1007, Philadelphia, PA 19103. 

Spade, A., McCarty, L. S. and Rand, G. M. (1995). Bioaccumulation and bioavailability in multiphase systems. In Fundamentals of Aquatic Toxicology. Effects, Environmental Fate and Risk Assessment, ed. Rand, G. M., Taylor and Francis, Washington DC, pp. 493-522. 

In this paper, the volatilization of five organophosphorus pesticides from model soil pits and evaporation ponds is measured and predicted. A simple environmental chamber is used to obtain volatilization measurements. The use of the two-film model for predicting volatilization rates of organics from water is illustrated, and agreement between experimental and predicted rate constants is evaluated. Comparative volatilization studies are described using model water, soil-water, and soil disposal systems, and the results are compared to predictions of EXAMS, a popular computer code for predicting the fate of organics in aquatic systems. Finally, the experimental effect of Triton X-100, an emulsifier, on pesticide volatilization from water is presented. 

Baughman, G.L. and T. A. Perenich. 1988. Fate of dyes in aquatic systems I Solubility and partitioning of some hydrophobic dyes and related compounds. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 7, 183-199. 

Yen, C-P.C., T.A. Perenich, and G.L. Baughman. 1989. Fate of dyes in aquatic systems II Solubility and octanol/ water partition coefficients of disperse dyes. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 8, 981-986. 

Geyer HJ, Muir DCG (1993) In Mansour M (ed) Fate and Prediction of Environmental Chemical in Soils, Plants, and Aquatic Systems, chapter 18. Lewis, Boca Raton Ann Arbor London Tokyo, pp 185-197... 

Andreux F., Scheunert I., Adrian P., and Schiavon M. (1993) The binding of pesticide residues to natural organic matter, their movement and their bioavailability. In Fate and Prediction of Environmental Chemicals in Soils, Plants, and Aquatic Systems (ed. M. Mansour). Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL, pp. 133-149. 

Fate and Prediction of Environmental Chemicals in Soils, Plants, and Aquatic Systems... 

A relatively broad variety of aquatic toxicity studies exists for nitro-substituted phenol, toluene, and benzene explosives and related compounds, but very little toxicological information is available for tetryl, cyclic nitramines, and the other energetic compounds discussed in this chapter. Several explosives, such as tetryl, are no longer manufactured and are, therefore, of diminishing environmental concern, although their persistence and the nature, stability, and toxicity of their breakdown products is not understood in sufficient detail and should be further investigated. A variety of other energetic compounds, for example, perchlorates, are used in military operations, and due to environmental concerns with their release, additional studies on their fate and effects in aquatic systems are recommended. 

Chromium can exist in several oxidation states from Cr(0), the metallic form, to Cr(Vl). The most stable oxidation states of chromium in the environment are Cr(lll) and Cr(Vl). Besides the elemental metallic form, which is extensively used in alloys, chromium has three important valence forms. The trivalent chromic (Cr(lll)) and the tetravalent dichromate (Cr(Vl)) are the most important forms in the environmental chemistry of soils and waters. The presence of chromium (Cr(Vl)) is of particular importance because in this oxidation state Cr is water soluble and extremely toxic. The solubility and potential toxicity of chromium that enters wetlands and aquatic systems are governed to a large extent by the oxidation-reduction reactions. In addition to the oxidation status of the chromium ions, a variety of soil/sediment biogeochemical processes such as redox reactions, precipitation, sorption, and complexation to organic ligands can determine the fate of chromium entering a wetland environment. 

As with nitrates, the increased demands on crop and livestock yields by an ever increasing population has required the intensive use of pesticides. Widespread application in agriculture has resulted in a significant diffuse source to aquatic systems. Many pesticides feature in the lists of priority pollutants (Table 9.3). The nature of environmental residues, behaviour and fate are still uncertain for many compounds . ... 

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