Stefano Albanese

Arsenic: Association of regional concentrations in drinking water with suicide and natural causes of death in Italy

Arsenic, as a toxin, may be associated with higher mortality rates, although its relationship to suicide is not clear. Given this uncertainty, we evaluated associations between local arsenic concentrations in tapwater and mortality in regions of Italy, to test the hypothesis that both natural-cause and suicide death rates would be higher with greater trace concentrations of arsenic. Arsenic concentrations in drinking-water samples from 145 sites were assayed by mass spectrometry, and correlated with local rates of mortality due to suicide and natural causes between 1980 and 2011, using weighted, least-squares univariate and multivariate regression modeling. Arsenic concentrations averaged 0.969 (CI: 0.543-1.396) µg/L, well below an accepted safe maximum of 10µg/L. Arsenic levels were negatively associated with corresponding suicide rates, consistently among both men and women in all three study-decades, whereas mortality from natural causes increased with arsenic levels. Contrary to an hypothesized greater risk of suicide with higher concentrations of arsenic, we found a negative association, suggesting a possible protective effect, whereas mortality from natural causes was increased, in accord with known toxic effects of arsenic. The unexpected inverse association between arsenic and suicide requires further study.

GEMAS: CNS concentrations and C/N ratios in European agricultural soil

A reliable overview of measured concentrations of TC, TN and TS, TOC/TN ratios, and their regional distribution patterns in agricultural soil at the continental scale and based on measured data has been missing - despite much previous work on local and the European scales. Detection and mapping of natural (ambient) background element concentrations and variability in Europe was the focus of this work. While total C and S data had been presented in the GEMAS atlas already, this work delivers more precise (lower limit of determination) and fully quantitative data, and for the first time high-quality TN data. Samples were collected from the uppermost 20cm of ploughed soil (Ap horizon) at 2108 sites with an even sampling density of one site per 2500km2 for one individual land-use class (agricultural) across Europe (33 countries). Laboratory-independent quality control from sampling to analysis guaranteed very good data reliability and accuracy. Total carbon concentrations ranged from 0.37 to 46.3wt% (median: 2.20wt%) and TOC from 0.40 to 46.0wt% (median: 1.80wt%). Total nitrogen ranged from 0.018 to 2.64wt% (median: 0.169wt%) and TS from 0.008 to 9.74wt% (median: 0.034wt%), all with large variations in most countries. The TOC/TN ratios ranged from 1.8 to 252 (median: 10.1), with the largest variation in Spain and the smallest in some eastern European countries. Distinct and repetitive patterns emerge at the European scale, reflecting mostly geogenic and longer-term climatic influence responsible for the spatial distribution of TC, TN and TS. Different processes become visible at the continental scale when examining TC, TN and TS concentrations in agricultural soil Europe-wide. This facilitates large-scale land-use management and allows specific areas (subregional to local) to be identified that may require more detailed research.

Geochemical Mapping of Urban Areas

Abstract Urbanization is becoming the global norm: the percentage of the global population living in urban settings increased from less than 30% in 1950 to 47% in 2000 and is expected to reach 60% by 2025. Over the last 4000 years, technological progress has changed the livability and quality of urban environments, not always influencing them for the better. Such progress has often left a long-term legacy of environmental problems that have the potential to negatively affect the health of succeeding generations. Urban soil geochemistry is strongly influenced by the effect of human activities on the environment. Building and industrial activities, motor vehicle emissions, and many other factors are responsible for releasing large amounts of organic and inorganic pollutants to the environment. At the urban scale, potentially harmful elements are the most diffuse contaminants, and soils can be considered their main receptacle. Many different approaches to urban soil mapping are reported in the literature; thus, the aim of this chapter is to synthesize the main considerations necessary to undertake urban mapping activities in terms of planning, sampling, chemical analyses, and data presentation. In this context, modern geographical information systems (GIS) represent an indispensable tool for better understanding the distribution, dispersion, and interaction processes of some toxic and potentially toxic elements. Discussion on the use of GIS in the urban environment is, therefore, also provided.