Organic anthropogenic pollutants

Ling N, Hickey CW, Burton GA. 1998. Are Antarctic marine organisms sensitive to anthropogenic pollutants NZ Nat Sci 23 106. 

Methylmercury species (or other metal alkyls) may be produced at a rate fastother organisms. They may accumulate in organisms. Metals and metalloids that have been reported to be biomethylated in minor amounts include Ge, Sn, As, Se, Te, Pd, Pt, Au, Hg, T1 and probably Pb. Anthropogenic pollution by alkylated metal ions is certainly more significant than biomethylation. Methylated tin species have been observed in near-shore polluted waters. For data on As, Sb, Se, and Te see the recent review by Andreae (1986a). 

The authors of the chapters include internationally acclaimed experts in their respective areas of specialization. Basic geochemical topics such as structures are included as well as diagenesis of organic natural products. Also discussed are anthropogenic pollutant substances in the marine environment and the effect of diagenesis and cycling on the distribution and fate of both toxic and nontoxic substances. I hope the combination of review and application chapters has produced a book that will be useful to many people in diverse fields. 

The condensed phosphates or polyphosphates are another important class of inorganic phosphates. In these compounds, two or more phosphate groups bond together via P - O - P bonds to form chains or in some cases cyclic species. In soils and waters polyphosphates generally account for only a small part of the total P content. However, these species are very reactive and in many places they are responsible for anthropogenic pollution of natural water, for instance, by detergents. The polyphosphates are formed also in reactions between orthophosphates of mineral fertilizers and soil organic matter and can be leached to surface waters (Kudeyarova and Bashkin, 1984 Kudeyarova, 1996). 

In chemical weathering, proton donors or acids of organic and inorganic origin are involved, where the proton acceptors are the minerals in the soil (Stumm et al., 1985). In the last 100 years, anthropogenic pollution has contributed to the natural source of protons and this in turn has affected weathering rates and types. 

In summaiy, the scientific research on the anthropogenic pollution of groundwater and riverine systems, especially by organic substances, comprising the sources, emission pathways, distribution and fate of anthropogenic contaminants still remains as an important challenge in environmental sciences. 

Among halogenated organic compounds, chlorinated compounds are the most common anthropogenic pollutants and tend to persist in the environment with longer half-... 

In order to predict the fate of an anthropogenic pollutant in natural waters, it is necessary to know how it is transported and how it is transformed, either biologically or abiotically, in the environment. For many compounds, photochemical degradation reactions are important destruction pathways. The behavior of a photochemically active compound in a surface layer, either one made up of surface-active or water-insoluble compounds, is likely to be dissimilar to its behavior in aqueous solution. Only a few studies have examined the question of the photochemical fates of organic compounds in natural surface layers in one recent example, Zadelis and Simmons reported that the photolysis of... 

Photocatalytic oxidation of various air pollutants currently is a rapidly developing field of heterogeneous pho-tocatalysis. Volatile organic compoxmds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides are the most important anthropogenic pollutants generated in urban and industrial areas. For example, volatile chlorinated organic compounds... 

In recent years, the determination of trace amounts of organic compovmds in environmental samples for routine water quality control has been performed using flow systems as an economical and straightforward alternative to chromatographic and electrophoretic methods. Great attention is specially paid to the development of FIA/SIA methods for the determination of anthropogenic pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and different families of pesticides... 

The most common and widespread anthropogenic pollutants currently emitted are sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO ,), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic chemicals (hydrocarbons), particulates, lead, and a variety of toxic chemicals. Table 9.7 lists important air... 

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