Joanna M. Cloy

A comparison of antimony and lead profiles over the past 2500 years in Flanders Moss ombrotrophic peat bog, Scotland

Two cores collected in 2001 and 2004 from Flanders Moss ombrotrophic peat bog in central Scotland were dated (14C, 210Pb) and analysed (ICP-OES, ICP-MS) to derive and compare the historical atmospheric deposition records of Sb and Pb over the past 2500 years. After correction, via Sc, for contributions from soil dust, depositional fluxes of Sb and Pb peaked from ca. 1920-1960 A.D., with >95% of the anthropogenic inventories deposited post-1800 A.D. Over the past two centuries, trends in Sb and Pb deposition have been broadly similar, with fluctuations in the anthropogenic Sb/Pb ratio reflecting temporal variations in the relative input from emission sources such as the mining and smelting of Pb ores (in which Sb is commonly present, as at Leadhills/Wanlockhead in southern Scotland), combustion of coal (for which the Sb/Pb ratio is approximately an order of magnitude greater than in Pb ores) and exhaust emissions (Pb from leaded petrol) and abrasion products from the brake linings (Sb from heat-resistant Sb compounds) of automobiles. The influence of leaded petrol has been most noticeable in recent decades, firstly through the resultant minima in Sb/Pb and 206Pb/207Pb ratios (the latter arising from the use of less radiogenic Australian Pb in alkylPb additives) and then, during its phasing out and the adoption of unleaded petrol, complete by 2000 A.D., the subsequent increase in both Sb/Pb and 206Pb/207Pb ratios. The extent of the 20th century maximum anthropogenic enrichment of Sb and Pb, relative to the natural Sc-normalised levels of the Upper Continental Crust, was similar at approximately 50- to 100-fold. Prior to 1800 A.D., the influence of metallurgical activities on Sb and Pb concentrations in the peat cores during both the Mediaeval and Roman/pre-Roman periods was discernible, small Sb and Pb peaks during the latter appearing attributable, on the basis of Pb isotopic composition, to the mining/smelting of Pb ores indigenous to Britain.

Historical accumulation rates of mercury in four Scottish ombrotrophic peat bogs over the past 2000 years

The historical accumulation rates of mercury resulting from atmospheric deposition to four Scottish ombrotrophic peat bogs, Turclossie Moss (northeast Scotland), Flanders Moss (west-central), Red Moss of Balerno (east-central) and Carsegowan Moss (southwest), were determined via analysis of (210)Pb- and (14)C-dated cores up to 2000 years old. Average pre-industrial rates of mercury accumulation of 4.5 and 3.7 microg m(-2) y(-1) were obtained for Flanders Moss (A.D. 1-1800) and Red Moss of Balerno (A.D. 800-1800), respectively. Thereafter, mercury accumulation rates increased to typical maximum values of 51, 61, 77 and 85 microg m(-2) y(-1), recorded at different times possibly reflecting local/regional influences during the first 70 years of the 20th century, at the four sites (TM, FM, RM, CM), before declining to a mean value of 27+/-15 microg m(-2) y(-1) during the late 1990s/early 2000s. Comparison of such trends for mercury with those for lead and arsenic in the cores and also with direct data for the declining UK emissions of these three elements since 1970 suggested that a substantial proportion of the mercury deposited at these sites over the past few decades originated from outwith the UK, with contributions to wet and dry deposition arising from long-range transport of mercury released by sources such as combustion of coal. Confidence in the chronological reliability of these core-derived trends in absolute and relative accumulation of mercury, at least since the 19th century, was provided by the excellent agreement between the corresponding detailed and characteristic temporal trends in the (206)Pb/(207)Pb isotopic ratio of lead in the (210)Pb-dated Turclossie Moss core and those in archival Scottish Sphagnum moss samples of known date of collection. The possibility of some longer-term loss of volatile mercury released from diagenetically altered older peat cannot, however, be excluded by the findings of this study.

A comparison of the isotopic composition of lead in rainwater, surface vegetation and tree bark at the long-term monitoring site, Glensaugh, Scotland, in 2007.

The lead concentrations and isotopic ratios (206Pb/207Pb, 208Pb/206Pb, 208Pb/207Pb) of 31 rainwater (September 2006-December 2007) and 11 surface vegetation (moss, lichen, heather) samples (October 2007) from the rural upland catchment of Glensaugh in northeast Scotland and of nine bark samples (October 2007) from trees, predominantly Scots pine, in or near Glensaugh were determined. The mean 206Pb/207Pb ratios for rainwater in 2006 and 2007 were similar to those previously determined for 2000 to 2003 at Glensaugh, yielding an average mean annual value of 1.151+/-0.005 (+/-1 SD) for the period from 2000, when an outright ban on leaded petrol came into force in the UK, to 2007. The mean 206Pb/207Pb ratio (1.146+/-0.004; n=7) for surface vegetation near the top (430-450 m) of the catchment was not significantly different (Students t test) from that of rainwater (1.148+/-0.017; n=24) collected over the 12-month period prior to vegetation sampling, but both were significantly different, at the 0.1% (i.e. p<0.001) and 1% (p<0.01) level, respectively, from the corresponding mean value (1.134+/-0.006; n=9) for the outermost layer of tree bark. When considered in conjunction with similar direct evidence for 2002 and indirect evidence (e.g. grass, atmospheric particulates, dated peat) for recent decades in the Glensaugh area, these findings confirm that the lead isotopic composition of surface vegetation, including that of suitably located moss, reflects that of the atmosphere while that of the outermost layer of Scots pine bark is affected by non-contemporaneous lead. The nature and relative extent of the different contributory sources of lead to the current UK atmosphere in the era of unleaded petrol, however, are presently not well characterised on the basis of lead isotopic measurements.

Stabilization of Organic Carbon via Chemical Interactions with Fe and Al Oxides in Gley Soils

Abstract The importance of soil organic carbon (SOC) stabilization via chemical interactions with Fe and Al oxide minerals within gley soils remains unclear. Changes in the proportions of Fe/Al oxides and SOC and N contents associated with Fe/Al oxides within the profiles of gley soils under contrasting hydrological regimes and freely draining control soils from Harwood Forest (northeast England) were investigated. Sequential selective dissolution techniques were used to measure Fe/Al oxide crystallinity and explore whether crystallinity differed between gleyed and freely draining soils. Extracts were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate the chemical characteristics of organic matter (OM) associated with Fe/Al oxides. Strongly crystalline Fe oxides were the dominant (∼50%–80% of total Fe oxides present) mineral phase in gley mineral soils. Contrasting gley soil hydrological regimes influenced total subsoil Fe and total and weakly crystalline Al oxide concentrations. Also, within-profile changes in strongly crystalline Fe oxide concentrations were linked to differences in hydrological and redox conditions. A large proportion of SOC (generally 70%–90% of total) seemed to be associated with Fe/Al oxides. Correlation plots, however, indicated that SOC contents were not linearly related to amounts of total Fe and Al oxides, weakly crystalline Fe and Al oxides, or strongly crystalline Fe oxides. The lack of linear correlations observed for these acidic soils may be caused by contributions from other extractable soil components and factors such as high organic loadings and insufficient amounts of Fe/Al oxides for interaction with SOC in topsoils and variable surface loadings of different organic inputs at different soil depths. Subsoil C/N ratios (∼18–21) were higher than those in extracted subsoil residues (∼9–17), suggesting that minerals other than Fe/Al oxides preferentially adsorbed N-rich microbially processed compounds. The OM associated with weakly and strongly crystalline Fe/Al oxides was chemically different, the latter generally having greater hydroxyl, aliphatic, carboxylate, and /or phenolic character and less carbohydrate character than the former. This research shows that interactions between Fe/Al oxides and SOM in redox-dynamic gley soils under different hydrological regimes are complex, and further investigations of SOC stabilization in these systems using selective dissolution and other complementary techniques are required.

Is environmental antimony a potential health problem

Honey is valuable food for mankind since the ancient times. It was the only sweetener till the start of the industrial sugar mass production. As honey plays an important role in our nutrition and its positive effects on health is well known, it is very important to study the nutritional properties and the origin of different honey samples. The usually determined quality parameters of honey: pH values, water content, sugar content, acidity, HMF content, enzyme activity, pollen content, amino acid content, ash content, etc. It is also important to know the content of the organic contaminants in honey. A short time ago there were some quality problems with Hungarian and Greek honey in the European Union. A toxic material (para-dichlorobensene) was found in honey originated from Greece. The amount was higher than the allowable limit in the ELf. Therefore, it is necessary to build up a good and applicable traceability system for honey. During the past few years the traceability concept has become increasingly familiar in many sectors of the food industry. Traceability is an essential tool for ensuring both production and product quality. The opportunity to connect traceability with the whole documentation and control system represents an effective means for boosting the consumers perception of a foods safety and quality. In our work we have done, which quality parameters can be used for a good identification system. We have analyzed the following parameters of national and Greek honey types: mineral contents (trace elements), pH values, sugar content, acidity, HMF content, diastase activity. We have also analyzed the para-dichlorobensene in the honey samples. The samples were taken directly from Hungarian beekeepers (all professionals) and supermarkets (area of geographical origin unknown). We have measured also Greek honey. The samples were originated from some Greek islands, near Athens and from some Greek supermarkets. For the traceability it is necessary to know the following parameters: element content-free amino acids content-pollen content. Besides, it is important to analyze organic contaminants in honey.