Browsing by Author "Nathanail, C. Paul"
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Item Open Access Assessing significant harm to terrestrial ecosystems from contaminated land.(Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2005-12-01T00:00:00Z) Smith, Richard; Pollard, Simon J. T.; Weeks, J. M.; Nathanail, C. PaulAbstract. Terrestrial ecosystem risk assessment remains in its infancy by comparison with the aquatic discipline, yet it is advancing quickly in response to increasing concerns surrounding soil quality and the sustainable use of soil. Several international frameworks have been developed during the last decade to aid decision-makers as the need for scientifically derived tools for determining ecological risk from land contamination has been recognized. From the regulatory viewpoint, the priority is establishing what to protect in order to prevent ecological harm. This is a complex issue requiring clear objectives in a risk assessment context. The most important factor in assessing ecological harm is whether or not ecosystem function is altered as a result of land contamination and, if it is, judging the significance. A consensus is developing that ecological risk assessment should aim to protect populations rather than individuals. This paper critically reviews recent developments in risk assessment for terrestrial ecosystems and land contamination in the UK, with emphasis on deriving a measure of ecological harm to assess ecosystem function. We seek to further justify the use of earthworms as a favoured indicator species for protecting ecological function. Guidance on how to measure harm in relation to ecological function is, however, still lacking.Item Open Access Chemical pollution: a growing peril and potential catastrophic risk to humanity(Elsevier, 2021-05-12) Naidu, Ravi; Biswas, Bhabananda; Willett, Ian R.; Cribb, Julian; Singh, Brajesh Kumar; Nathanail, C. Paul; Coulon, Frederic; Semple, Kirk T.; Jones, Kevin C.; Barclay, Adam; Aitken, Robert JohnAnthropogenic chemical pollution has the potential to pose one of the largest environmental threats to humanity, but global understanding of the issue remains fragmented. This article presents a comprehensive perspective of the threat of chemical pollution to humanity, emphasising male fertility, cognitive health and food security. There are serious gaps in our understanding of the scale of the threat and the risks posed by the dispersal, mixture and recombination of chemicals in the wider environment. Although some pollution control measures exist they are often not being adopted at the rate needed to avoid chronic and acute effects on human health now and in coming decades. There is an urgent need for enhanced global awareness and scientific scrutiny of the overall scale of risk posed by chemical usage, dispersal and disposal.Item Open Access China's soil and groundwater management challenges: Lessons from the UK's experience and opportunities for China(Elseveir, 2016-03-10) Coulon, Frederic; Jones, Kevin; Li, Hong; Hu, Qing; Gao, Jingyang; Li, Fasheng; Chen, Mengfang; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Liu, Rongxia; Liu, Ming; Canning, Kate; Harries, Nicola; Bardos, Paul; Nathanail, C. Paul; Sweeney, Rob; Middleton, David; Charnley, Maggie; Randall, Jeremy; Richell, Martin; Howard, Trevor; Martin, Ian; Spooner, Simon; Weeks, Jason; Cave, Mark; Yu, Fang; Zhang, Fang; Jiang, Ying; Longhurst, Philip J.; Prpich, George; Bewley, Richard; Abra, Jonathan; Pollard, Simon J. T.There are a number of specific opportunities for UK and China to work together on contaminated land management issues as China lacks comprehensive and systematic planning for sustainable risk based land management, encompassing both contaminated soil and groundwater and recycling and reuse of soil. It also lacks comprehensive risk assessment systems, structures to support risk management decision making, processes for verification of remediation outcome, systems for record keeping and preservation and integration of contamination issues into land use planning, along with procedures for ensuring effective health and safety considerations during remediation projects, and effective evaluation of costs versus benefits and overall sustainability. A consequence of the absence of these overarching frameworks has been that remediation takes place on an ad hoc basis. At a specific site management level, China lacks capabilities in site investigation and consequent risk assessment systems, in particular related to conceptual modelling and risk evaluation. There is also a lack of shared experience of practical deployment of remediation technologies in China, analogous to the situation before the establishment of the independent, non-profit organisation CL:AIRE (Contaminated Land: Applications In Real Environments) in 1999 in the UK. Many local technology developments are at lab-scale or pilot-scale stage without being widely put into use. Therefore, a shared endeavour is needed to promote the development of technically and scientifically sound land management as well as soil and human health protection to improve the sustainability of the rapid urbanisation in China.