Volume 24 (2013): Issue 1 (May 2013)

The aim of this study was to check whether the addition of waste rock dust to the soil contaminated with zinc will improve the yield of reed canary grass and reduce excessive amounts of zinc in its biomass. The study was carried out in the micro-plots made of concrete, as a two-factorial experiment, in a randomized complete block design, with four replicates. The first factor of the experiment was the level of soil contamination with zinc: 1) Zn₀ - the soil with natural Zn concentration; 2) Zn₁ - 200; 3) Zn₂ - 400; 4) Zn₃ - 800 mg/kg soil. The second factor was the level of remediation: 1) control, without remediation, 2) with remediation (rock dust applied at the rate 3 kg • m^-2). The results of the study indicate that application of waste rock dust can improve the conditions of reed canary grass growth in the soil contaminated with zinc. At the highest level of contamination (Zn₃), soil amendment with rock dust resulted in increased yields of reed canary grass dry matter, in two crops, by 136 and 176%, respectively, as compared with corresponding control objects without dust addition. At the same time, the concentrations of zinc in the plants grown in the soil amended with dust were about 16% lower, and the soluble forms of this element in soil, determined in extraction with 1 mol HCl • dm^-3, were about 25% lower, as compared with control plots.

Well and piped water quality was examined out in the area of the Platerow Commune in 2008. The study examined water from 18 household wells used as a source of water for consumption and household purposes, and piped water which is abstracted from two deep wells in Platerow. Water samples for testing were taken five times. The concentrations of physical and chemical parameters such as NO₃^- , PO₄^3- , Cl^-, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, total hardness and pH, EC were determined. Health risk due to the presence of NO₃^- ions in drinking water consumed by people was estimated in this paper. The Platerow Commune population consuming piped water abstracted from the well located in Platerow take in nitrates in the amounts which are within the low limit of safety margin (ADI : EDI = 6.76) although their concentration in water does not exceed the standard level. People drinking water from 78% examined wells ingest excess quantities of nitrates (safety margin <1), which, in the case of long-term exposure, can be harmful particularly for infants and pregnant women. Statistical analysis revealed negative correlation of nitrate concentration in well water with well depth and water pH, which indicates that there was an influx of NO₃^- ions to shallow groundwater.

A total of 26 water mite species were found in the Mietiulka River at Polesie National Park. The dominants were Limnesia fulgida (35.8%), Neumania vernalis (10.6%), Arrenurus bruzelii (7.6%), and A. batillifer (6.6%). All of the species collected belonged to taxa associated with standing water. Most abundant in the material collected were water mites associated with small pools (73.9%, 12 sp.). Considerably less numerous were vernal species (13.2%, 10 sp.), and tyrphobionts and tyrphophiles (9.4%, 2 sp.), while the proportion of lake species was negligible (3.5%, 2 sp.). The fauna of the Mietiulka river was very similar to the Hydrachnidia communities of standing water bodies in the vicinity. Due to substantial human impact on the river (straightening of the river bed, altered morphometry, hydrological connections with standing water bodies and drainage ditches), species associated with standing water were dominant and there were no taxa typical of river biocenoses. Renaturalization procedures would unquestionably lead to changes in the fauna so that it would be more natural and typical of rivers, with greater proportions of rheobiontic and rheophilic species.

The aim of the paper was to investigate the impact of the eutrophic dam reservoir on the fauna of Trichoptera of the mediumsized River Bystrzyca in the area of the Lublin Upland. Material collected at three sites above and three sites below the reservoir was analyzed with respect to: species composition and diversity, dominance and trophic structures, essential physical and chemical parameters of water, both at the species as well as assemblage level. The obtained results indicated the unfavorable influence of the reservoir on Trichoptera which was expressed by the decrease in the number of species and diversity below the dam, the disturbances of dominance and trophic structures as well as the increase in the number of specimens of the species insensitive to pollution. The more detailed characteristic of the representatives of the family Hydropsychidae is also given - their distribution and preferences against habitat conditions in the arrangement: river-reservoir-river.

The experiment was established in the laboratory of Grassland Department and Landscape Architecture Development at the University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in Siedlce in 2012. The study was carried out in Petri dishes in triplicate. In the study five species of grasses were used: Festulolium brauni, Dactylis glomerata, Poa pratensis, Lolium perenne, Lolium multiflorum and two legume species: Trifolium pratense and Medicago sativa. Nano-Gro stimulator was used as a study factor. The obtained results showed a significant effect of the used stimulator on the germination energy, and a varied effect of the growth of grasses.

Due to the existing threat of use of CWA, many countries developed special chemical formulations dedicated to remove CWA - the so-called military decontaminants. The function of the decontaminant is to neutralize the toxic properties of the contaminant through chemical reactions: oxidation and nucleophilic substitution.

The decontaminants released to the environment may transform to toxic products which have a harmful impact on plants and other soil biota. To evaluate the impact of these chemicals on plants phytotoxicity, early growth tests with Sinapis alba, Lepidium sativum and Sorghum saccharatum were used. Parallely with standard toxkit endpoints (seed germination and root elongation, data not presented here), seed vigor indexes and germination indexes were calculated. GI is a more sensitive endpoint in phytotoxicity testing than SVI. The EC50-72h values based on GI are about 2-3 times lower than those based on SVI. Very low PNEC soil values indicate that wide usage of such compositions in case of CWA release will cause damage to vegetation in the environment.

The experiment was conducted on 480 Hubbard Flex chickens (fast-growing) reared to 42 days of age and 480 Hubbard JA 957 chickens (slow-growing) reared to 63 day of age. Day-old chicks were randomly assigned to the three following groups according to the type of coccidiostat: C (control - no coccidiostat in the diet and birds not vaccinated against coccidiosis), A (plant coccidiostat adiCox® AP), and M (monensin coccidiostat). At the end of rearing period the results of the controlled production were presented, the chickens were slaughtered and samples of their intestines were collected for microflora composition analyses. The obtained results show that rearing time influenced the composition of enteric microflora (small intestine and blind gut). Moreover, a higher total count of bacteria was stated in intestinal digesta of the slow-growing chickens that were kept for three weeks longer than the Hubbard Flex chickens.

The study also proved a positive influence of the diet on the quantitative composition of enteric microflora. The lowest count of mesophilic bacteria and those from the Enterobacteriaceae family was observed in the chickens receiving adiCox® AP compared to the chickens of the control group and those receiving monensin.

Possible hazard and risk posed by organophosphate nerve agents (OP-NA) towards higher organisms and humans is well recognized, but scientific data about environmental effects of these compounds are still limited. The main aim of this study was to inspect if established interim military drinking water and soil standards for selected nerve agents are also safe for ecosystems. The results of this research may indicate whether taking additional decontamination actions are needed after incidental or intended release of OP-NA in the environment. Three OP-NA were selected as model compounds: soman, sarin and VX. Results from aquatic and soil ecotoxicity test were used to estimate the predicted no effect concentrations according to the EU methodology. Risk quotients were calculated both for water and soil compartments. The results of this study indicate that existing OPNA standards are underprotective for organisms living in soil and water. There is a necessity of preparing much more extensive testing strategy for chemical warfare agents’ assessment in the environment leading to reduced high uncertainty in current risk estimation.