Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Introduction
The.major.objective.of.this.chapter.is.to.provide.basic.background.on.the.topic,.
that. is,. “environmental. contamination,. health. risks,. bioavailability,. and. eco-
logical.remediation.”.Basic.background.on.environmental.pollution.of.public.
concern.by.listing.some.known.cases.of.major.environmental.disasters.around.
the.world.since.the.1940s..This.is.followed.by.some.examples.of.environmen-
tal.degradation. in. our. region,.the.Pearl.River.Delta.(PRD),.which.has.under-
gone. rapid. socioeconomic. development. during. the. past. 30. years,. leading. to.
excessive.levels.of.contaminants.in.crops.and.ish.produced,.and.consequently,.
suspected.to.be.associated.with.some.of.the.health.problems.observed.in.the.
region,.such.as.high.mercury.(Hg).and.lead.(Pb).levels.in.autistic.children..We.
need.to.fully.understand.the.sources,.fates,.and.effects.of.these.environmental.
contaminants,.in.order.to.avoid.their.entry.into.our.food.production.systems.
and. minimize. the. chance. of. these. contaminants. transforming. to. more. toxic.
forms,.for.example,.from.inorganic.Hg.to.organic.form.
There.are.different.types.of.environmental.contaminants,.including.heavy.
metals,.persistent.organic.pollutants.(POPs),.and.emerging.chemicals.of.con-
cern..The.latter.is.a.moving.target,.especially.because.a.large.amount.of.chem-
icals.have.not.been.fully.tested.for.their.toxicity.before.placing.them.on.the.
market,.and.eventually.adverse.environmental.and.health.effects.are.revealed..
One. of. the. very. good. examples. is. lame. retardants,. which. has. become. a.
global. contaminant. after. DDT. and. PCB,. due. to. their. endocrine-.disruptive.
nature..In.the.PRD,.recycling.of.electronic.waste.(e-waste).imported.from.the.
United.States,.Japan,.and.European.Communities.by.taking.advantage.of.less.
stringent. environmental. regulations. and. cheaper. labor. cost. aggravated. the.
regional.environmental.and.health.problems..Ecological.restoration.based.on.
bioremediation.and.phytoremediation.of.these.contaminated.sites.would.be.
necessary.to.clean.up.these.sites,.especially.if.they.will.be.allocated.for.other.
usages,.after.the.industries.have.been.moved.to.other.regions.
Twenty-two. chapters. in. total. are. included. in. this. topic,. addressing. dif-
ferent.topics.related.to.environmental.contamination,.health.risks,.and.eco-
logical. restoration.. They. are. listed. under. four. major. parts:. Part. I:. Health.
Impacts.and.Risk.Assessment.(5.chapters),.Part.II:.Emerging.Chemicals.and.
Electronic.Waste.(5.chapters),.Part.III:.Ecological.Restoration.of.Contaminated.
Sites:. Bioremediation. (5. chapters),. and. Part. IV:. Ecological. Restoration. of.
Contaminated.Sites:.Phytoremediation.(6.chapters).
EnvironmentalPollutionofPublicConcern:SomeExamples
Population.growth,.urbanization,.and.industrialization.have.contributed.to.
the.emission.of.different.pollutants.into.different.ecological.compartments,.
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