This book provides a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge on the fate and interaction of pharmaceuticals in soil-crop systems. It addresses the principles of their transport, uptake and metabolism and reviews methodologies for their analytical determination. It also discusses ecotoxicological effects arising from their presence and highlights bioremediation approaches for their removal. The use of treated wastewater to irrigate crops is becoming more widespread in regions where freshwater is limited. This practice conserves freshwater resources and contributes to nutrient recycling. However, concerns remain regarding the safety of irrigation with treated wastewater since it contains residues of pharmaceuticals that have survived treatment, which means that soil and fauna are potentially exposed to these xenobiotics. Various pathways govern the fate of pharmaceuticals in crop-soil systems, including soil degradation; formation of non-extractable residues; uptake by soil-dwelling organisms (e.g. earthworms); and uptake, transport, and metabolism in agricultural crops. Investigations into these aspects have only recently been initiated, and there is still a long way to go before a meaningful assessment of the impact of wastewater has been completed.

This book reviews the latest information on the assessment of surface and groundwater resources in Algeria. The authors cover a large diversity of topics, including the status and assessment of water resources, impacts of pesticides, soil droughts, analysis of flood characteristics, hydrogeological investigations and modeling applications, and evapotranspiration. Special attention is given to the impacts of climate changes on water resources. The assessment methods present in this book can be used or adapted to study other regions of North Africa, Middle East and/or in the Mediterranean with similar climate conditions as Algeria. This book and the companion volume Water Resources in Algeria - Part II: Water Quality, Treatment, Protection and Development will appeal to engineers, researchers, graduate students and policymakers interested in the field of groundwater and surface water assessment.

This book reviews the latest water quality protection and water resources development strategies in Algeria. It covers topics such as the assessment and prediction of water quality, salt-water intrusion, treatment of wastewater for reuse, and desalination as an alternative source of water. The methods presented in this book can also be applied in other regions with similar climate conditions. Together with the companion volume Water Resources in Algeria - Part I: Assessment of Surface and Groundwater Resources, this book provides researchers with essential reference material on tools and techniques for water quality assessment, treatment, reuse, desalination, protection, and development, and offers a valuable resource for engineers, graduate students and policymakers who are interested in sustainable water resources.

Volume 1 of the Sustainable Management of Sediment Resources mini-series is the first attempt to fill many of these gaps in knowledge and also in practice. The volume includes sections on:
* Sampling
* Characterization of contaminants in sediments being bioavailability the main issue
* Chemical analysis
* Biological analysis
* Effect directed analysis and toxicity
* Identification evaluation
* Benthos sediment quality assessment
* Modelling of pollutant fate and behaviour
* Sediment quality guidelines
This first volume is applicable to a wide audience, from students at the graduate level, to experienced researchers and laboratory personnel in academia, industry and government.
This volume also available as part of a 4-volume set, ISBN 0444519599. Discount price for set purchase.
* A broad overview on sediment quality and impact assessment of pollutants
* Suitable for both newcomers to the field of sediment treatment and specialists alike
* Outlines practical examples of methods used in sediment quality analysis

This volume offers an overview of the occurrence of emerging organic contaminants in Mediterranean rivers and their relevance to their chemical and ecological quality under water scarcity. With chapters covering the effects under multiple stress conditions of pharmaceuticals, polar pesticides, personal care products, and industrial chemicals, the observations presented can be applicable to other parts of the world where water scarcity is an issue . It is of interest to environmental chemists, ecologists, environmental engineers, and ecotoxicologists, as well as water managers and decision-makers.

Looking at the literature available, it is clear that there is a need for a book on LC-MS applications in environmental analysis. This book endeavours to answer the following questions: What interface to use to solve "my detection problem"? Can I obtain enough sensitivity for the confirmation of my compound in real-world environmental samples? Is there enough structural information?

The present book aims to provide a critical evaluation of LC-MS in environmental chemistry and it is structured in different areas. Apart from an introductory section with fundamental aspects, application areas using the most relevant interfacing systems (PB, TSP, ES) for the characterization of environmental compounds are included. In this sense, applications are discussed on the characterization of the most relevant compounds of environmental interest such as pesticides, detergents, dyes, polar metabolites, waste streams, organotin compounds and marine toxins with comparison between different interfacing systems. Finally, new methods and strategies in LC-MS, e.g. the use of capillary electrophoresis, MS together with on-line post-column systems in LC-MS are also shown.

By the nature of its content and written as it is by experienced practitioners, the book is intended to serve as a practical reference for analytical chemists who need to use LC-MS in environmental studies. Each chapter includes sufficient references to the literature to serve as a valuable starting point and also contains detailed investigations. The broad spectrum of the book and its application to environmental priority compounds makes it unique in many ways.

This book focuses on innovative treatment technologies for the elimination of emerging contaminants in wastewater and drinking water treatment processes. The book also discusses sources and occurrence of emerging contaminants in municipal and industrial waste, giving an overview of state-of-the-art analytical methods for their identification. Further important aspects covered include the acute and chronic effects and overall impact of emerging contaminants on the environment.

Chemical additives are used to enhance the properties of many industrial products. Since their release into the environment is a potential risk for man and nature, their fate and behavior have been investigated in the framework of the European Union-funded project RISKCYCLE. The results are presented in two volumes, Global Risk-Based Management of Chemical Additives I: Production, Usage and Environmental Occurrence and Global Risk-Based Management of Chemical Additives II: Risk-Based Assessment and Management Strategies. This book is the second of the two volumes and features two main parts. In the first part, experts in the field discuss different models related to the assessment of the potential risks posed by chemical additives and analyze their benefits and drawbacks. In the second part, specific case studies in which the models have been applied are presented and the reliability of the models is evaluated. This volume is an invaluable source of information for scientists and governmental agencies dealing with the risk assessment of chemicals on a global scale.

Chemical additives are used to enhance the properties of many industrial products. Since their release into the environment is a potential risk for man and nature, their fate and behavior were investigated in the framework of the European Union-funded project RISKCYCLE. The results are presented in two volumes, "Global Risk-Based Management of Chemical Additives I: Production, Usage and Environmental Occurrence" and "Global Risk-Based Management of Chemical Additives II: Risk-Based Assessment and Management Strategies." This book is the first of the two volumes and contains two main parts. The chapters of the first part provide a thorough review of the chemical additives used in the textile, plastics, lubricants, paper, leather and electronics industries, and describe the effect of each additive on the properties of the product. In the second part international case studies on the global trade of these chemicals and their impact on human health and the environment are presented.

This volume is an invaluable source of information for scientists and governmental agencies dealing with the risk assessment of chemicals on a global scale.

Water scarcity and the need for ecological sustainability have led to the introduction of treated waste water as an additional water resource in the national water resource management plans of Mediterranean countries. Summarizing the results generated within the European Union-funded project "INNOVA-MED, "this volume highlights the following topics: Application of innovative technologies and practices for waste water treatment and reuse adapted to the Mediterranean regionConstraints on the application of advanced treatments and reuse of reclaimed water and sludgeProblems and requirements of sustainable water management in the Mediterranean area

The book includes several examples of Mediterranean countries, such as Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Palestine and Spain, and presents their practical experiences in the application of innovative processes and practices for waste water treatment and reuse. "

sector. This ensured eventual transfer of the technology demonstrated at the wo- shops and Technical Meetings to marketable devices. BIOSET provided assistance for researchers from European laboratories to meet to exchange ideas, use equ- ment, and establish a basis for new joint projects. The secretariat of the Concerted Action BIOSET supported the Technical Meetings. There were three Technical Meetings held, two in Berlin in 1997 and 1998, and the third in Barcelona, in April 2000. The goal of these technical meetings was to join different research and industrial teams to evaluate the performance of their biosensor technology in field conditions with common and standardized surface and waste waters. As a result of these field experiments, the additional information that biosensors can offer to environmental monitoring was also evaluated. Thus, these three Technical Meetings were useful accompanying measures and practical additions to the currently organized yearly workshops. The concerted action BIOSET was f- lowed by the SENSPOL network. The 1st SENSPOL Workshop was held on the 9-11 May 2001 on Sensing Technologies for Contaminated Sites and Groundwater at the University of Alcala. There was one special Workshop on "Genotoxicity Biosensing (TECHNOTOX)" supported by the European Commission DG XII D-1 and BIOSET in the year 2000. The TECHNOTOX meeting at the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) in Mol was organized by Phillippe Corbisier (VITO), Peter-D. Hansen (TU Berlin) and Damia Barcelo (CSIC Barcelona).

Water scarcity affects hydrologic resources, systems connectivity, biodiversity, water quality, and river ecosystem functioning. It has direct impacts on economic sectors that use and depend on water, such as agriculture, tourism, industry, energy and transport. The Mediterranean Basin is one of the regions in the world most vulnerable to climate changes, as well as one of the most impacted by human water demand. This volume provides an in-depth view of the water quality and quantity implications of water scarcity. It highlights its possible causes and describes the effects in regions under Mediterranean climate. The topics covered include climate effects, water resources (use, storage and new sources), water quality (chemical and microbiological), and the effects on ecosystems suffering from water scarcity. This book is addressed to scientists and students, but also to managers involved in the necessary decision making process to face future periods of drought.

The application of nanotechnology in different consumer products has delivered new products with highly desirable properties, but at same time has opened a new window for a wide group of emerging contaminants and a new type of human exposure which needs to be assessed.

Most of the current human toxicological information on nanomaterials comes from nano-sized particles in air, and their effects via inhalation. Other routes of human exposure, such as water and food, and the effects on human health and the environment have been less studied. It is the recent research in these areas that is highlighted here in one of the first books covering the analysis and ecotoxicological evaluation of nanomaterials in food and the environment, with both matrices being of considerable interest. In addition to providing a global summary of recent research, this book shows how widely used chromatographic and spectroscopic methods can be added to the analytical arsenal of microscopic techniques that have commonly been used to characterize nanomaterials.
Describes the analytical techniques used to characterize nanomaterials and their applications in environmental or food samplesIncludes analysis and ecotoxicological evaluation of nanomaterials in food and environmental matricesTakes a detailed look at the research on emerging fields of human exposure to nanomaterials and their environmental risks

and used in munitions. Rather the requirements for the agent's military effects took precedence. In addition, the interaction among the political, technical, and legal challenges connected with the known or possible risks posed by CW agents is complex and sometimes not well understood. This is usually because technical considerations, when acted on, are almost invariably informed by political ones, such as various legal requirements. The book contains nine chapters covering different aspects of the research on environmental consequences of war and its aftermath and covers in one additional chapter more general issues such as prevention of war and its environmental c- sequences, the legal, political, and technical background to selected environmental and human health effects of CW agents, and the atmospheric transport and depo- tion of persistent organic pollutants under warfare conditions to more specific ones related to two main tragic examples: the war in the Balkans and the Gulf War. Aspects of the war in the Balkans cover contamination by heavy metals in Serbian national parks, the impact of NATO strikes on the Danube river basin, and the problems associated with transuranium elements. The Gulf War in Kuwait covers other problems related to the impact of oil contamination, the impact on grou- water resources, and the soil damage of ground fortifications among other envir- mental and health problems.

The book covers a critical compilation of analytical methods used for the monitoring of pesticides and their degradation products in water. It contains up-to-date material and is the direct result of the authors' experience in the field of pesticide analysis. The book is structured in six chapters, starting from general aspects of pesticides like usage, physicochemical parameters and occurrence in the environment. A second chapter is devoted to sampling from water matrices, stability methods of pesticides in water and quality assurance issues. The general chromatographic methods for pesticides are reported, including the newly developed electrophoresis methods and GC-MS and LC-MS confirmatory analytical methods. Sample preparation methodologies, including off-line and on-line techniques are described in the next two chapters, with a comprehensive list of examples of pesticides and many metabolites, including the use of different GC-methods and LC-methods. The final chapter is devoted to the development of biological techniques, immunoassays and biosensors, for the trace determination of pesticides in water samples.

The book answers one of the key problems in pesticide analysis: the diversity of chemical functional groups, with varying polarity and physicochemical properties. Pesticides and their metabolites have received particular attention during the last few years in environmental trace-organic analysis. For instance, in the case of groundwater, the use of pesticides has become a cause for concern. Under the right conditions, pesticides, such as fertilizer nitrogen, can move through the soil into groundwater, a phenomenon once thought improbable. The movement of agrochemicals in surface water flow can be, in some instances, a major problem, specially in the case of water soluble pesticides that are generally transported to estuarine and coastal waters. Estuarine waters feature gradients of both pollutant concentrations and physicochemical characteristics such as salinity, turbidity and pH, and all these parameters must be carefully considered when developing methods of analysis for trace organics in estuarine waters.

One of the key parameters in analytical determination is the environmental sampling. Different protocols and devices are needed for sampling sea-water samples - usually using large sample volumes of more than 50 litres either with LLE or SPE, with the problems encountered due to dissolved and particulate matter - which is different from drinking water and well water sampling. The representativeness of the sampling is also of concern.

The sample preparation of organic compounds from water matrices has been recognized to be a bottleneck and it has been traditionally neglected in the literature. We should comment following R.W. Frie's ideas - that the most sophisticated hardware is useless if the chemistry in the protocol does not work. During the last few years new adsorbents have appeared - carbon type, polymeric sorbents with high capacity and immunosorbents - which can more efficiently trap the more polar compounds.

The development of advanced automation methods based, usually on solid phase extraction techniques - PROSPEKT, OSP-2 and ASPEC XL - are examples of commercially available equipment that are of growing importance. These systems are generally coupled to LC and GC techniques.

Sampling and sample handling can not be regarded as separate techniques in the analytical process and both should be integrated into the whole analytical determination. For this reason, validation and confirmation methods, such as mass spectrometry, either GC-MS and/or LC-MS, are needed. These serve to check the quality assurance of the developed method. The discussion between multiscreening versus specific methods of analysis and the influence of the matrix (ground-, surface- and estuarine-water), is also a point of concern due to the diversity of chemical classes within the compounds of study.

Finally the use of rapid methods of analysis, which refer basically to biological techniques, biosensors and immunoassays are also of growing interest for the determination of pesticides in environmental matrices. The rapid development of these techniques, being more sensitive and that can work at different pH and drastic environmental conditions, like very different pH and salinity values, makes that these methods are very useful and complementary to conventional GC and/or LC techniques for the determination of pesticides.

This volume offers a comprehensive analysis of the water resources in the Souss-Massa river basin in southwestern Morocco and provides novel water-management approaches to narrow the gap between supply and demand for water. It evaluates conventional water resources surface water and groundwater and discusses in detail rainfall harvesting into dams along the Souss and Massa wadis. Further, it explores topics including the geology of the aquifer; the risk of over exploitation; alternative water resources, such as desalinated seawater and treated domestic wastewater, as well as management approaches like Data Development Analysis and the SALTMED model. With a focus on linking scientific research to practical applications and the demands of agriculture and associated agro-industry, urbanization and tourism, which compete for the limited water resources, the book appeals to environmental scientists, geologists, engineers and environmental managers.

Over the past fifteen years regulatory agencies have relied on their approaches to characterise and control the release of toxic substances into the aquatic environment: a GC/MS analysis for U.S. EPA designated 126 priority pollutants and 132 dangerous substances according to the European 76/464/CEE Directive and on the bioassays with aquatic bioorganisms.
"Emerging Contaminants" correspond in most cases to irregulated contaminants, e.g. surfactants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP), or gasoline additives.
These two volumes, 5/I and 5/O, of this Handbook deal with the analytical, toxicological and environmental issues of these toxicants. Based on results of up-to-date research, they give the reader a balanced view of this rapidly developing and complex subject.

This book deals mainly with the problems associated with the contamination of groundwater by MTBE and TBA, but ETBE is also considered. The book, written by recognized specialists in the field, is organized in sections covering state-of-the-art analytical methods, including specific isotopic analysis, occurrence in the environment, transport and degradation processes, treatment technologies and human health risks.

This volume provides an overview of the occurrence and fate of emerging contaminants, discusses advanced chemical analysis methods, toxicological and ecotoxicological effects as well as human exposure. One focus is on pharmaceuticals, in particular antibiotics, and the problems associated with their increased use in hospitals. Other covered emerging contaminants occurring e.g. in food, water, air or soil include brominated flame retardants, polar pesticides, phthalates, phosphate esters, perfluorinated compounds, personal care products, musk fragrances, disinfection byproducts, illicit drugs, and nanomaterials. The chapters written by experts are a valuable source of information for a broad audience, such as analytical chemists, environmental chemists and engineers, toxicologists, ecotoxicologists and epidemiologists working already in this field as well as newcomers.

The Ebro is a typical Mediterranean river characterized by seasonal low flows and extreme flush effects, with important agricultural and industrial activity that has caused heavy contamination problems. This volume deals with soil-sediment-groundwater related issues in the Ebro river basin and summarizes the results generated within the European Union-funded project "AquaTerra." The following topics are highlighted: Hydrology and sediment transport and their alterations due to climate change, aquatic and riparian biodiversity in the Ebro watershed, occurrence and distribution of a wide range of priority and emerging contaminants, effects of chemical pollution on biota and integration of climate change scenarios with several aspects of the Ebro s hydrology and potential impacts of climate change on pollution.

The primary objective of the book is to lay the foundation for a better understanding of the behavior of environmental pollutants and their fluxes with respect to climate and land use changes."

The current volumes, 5/I and 5/O in the Handbook of Environmental Chemistry Series, cover the analytical, toxicological and environmental issues of unregulated contaminants including surfactants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP), and gasoline additives, among priority pollutants identified by US and European environmental authorities. These books synthesize the results of up-to-date research to offer a balanced view of this rapidly developing and complex subject.

This volume offers an overview of the occurrence and distribution of personal care products in continental and marine waters, presents analytical methods and degradation technologies and discusses their impact on human health. Experts from different disciplines highlight major issues for each family of compounds related to their occurrence in the water column as well as in solid and biota samples, methodological strategies for their analysis, non-conventional degradation technologies, (eco)toxicity data and their human and environmental risk assessment. The book also includes a general introduction to personal care products, covering their properties, use, behaviour and regulatory framework, and a final chapter identifying knowledge gaps and future research trends. It will appeal to experts from various fields of research, including analytical and environmental chemistry, toxicology and environmental engineering.

There are a growing number of new chemicals in the environment that represent an ascertained or potential risk. Many of them can be found in sewage sludge and are the subject of this volume. Experts in the field highlight their occurrence and fate, risks of biosolid use, advanced chemical analysis methods, and degradation techniques with a special focus on biodegradation using fungi. In the final chapter conclusions and trends are offered as a point of departure for future studies. The double-disciplinary approach combining environmental analysis and engineering makes the book a valuable and comprehensive source of information for a broad audience, such as environmental chemists and engineers, biotechnologists, ecotoxicologists and professionals responsible for waste and water management.

This book focuses on innovative treatment technologies for the elimination of emerging contaminants in wastewater and drinking water treatment processes. The book also discusses sources and occurrence of emerging contaminants in municipal and industrial waste, giving an overview of state-of-the-art analytical methods for their identification. Further important aspects covered include the acute and chronic effects and overall impact of emerging contaminants on the environment.

The Llobregat belongs to the most thoroughly studied rivers in Europe and is a paradigm of the confluence of human and natural disturbances in a single basin. Because of its location in a very densely populated region and its Mediterranean character, the Llobregat supports a mixture of irregular flow, water abstraction, excess nutrients, mining debris, and a wide array of pollutants. The aquatic organisms strive to survive in a dramatically changing river that passes through a succession of dams, weirs and channels. The long-term river monitoring as well as the research that has been carried out in the river for a long time have provided an extensive knowledge of these disturbances and their effects on the biological communities. This book highlights the available information, with emphasis on the hydrological, chemical and biological elements interspersed in the river. Experts in the field discuss the main nutrient patterns and pollutant occurrence and the responses of the biological quality elements as well as the river ecosystem to the overall natural and man-made influences.