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Toxic air pollution handbook
Environmental Pollution 87 (1995) 255-258 © 1994 Elsevier Science Limited Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved ELSEVIER
BOOK REVIEWS
no different from that in freshwaters, where it has been easier and cheaper to investigate it experimentally. One wonders if it is necessary to repeat all of this investigation in coastal waters--the useful overviews in this volume, some of them from those with freshwater experience, make the point that the lessons have already been given, but perhaps not learned. Eutrophication, although theoretically reversible has often proved very intractable in practical restoration schemes. But assuredly more research is valuable to everyone. Promoting it gives governments time to react to problems or more usually time to devise strategies to evade them; it keeps large numbers of people making measurements that confirm what is already known or could be easily deduced by the perceptive; it keeps publishers in business and it creates the material for an army of those concerned with quality assessment and performance indicators in Universities and Research Institutes. We talk of an information revolution, an explosion of valuable facts, but information is not wisdom, which remains as scarce and valuable as ever. We should ask ourselves, as environmental scientists, are we being drawn more and more into the maelstrom that creates the problems to whose solution we think we are contributing? Or should we be indulging less in the comforting collection of data--most of which will be read and inspected by almost nobody, so vast is the collection available to us, or should we be publishing less, of greater significance, and using our time to lobby for a proper ultimate solution to environmental problems. This book is worthy, useful as an overview, competently put together, worth having. But like its fellows, might it not ultimately become nothing more than ephemeral monument?
Marine Coastal Eutrophication. Edited by R. A. Vollenweider, R. Marchetti & R. Viviani, Elsevier, Amsterdam, ISBN 0-444-89990-1, 1992, 1310 pp. Price: US $297.00. There is, of course, very little that is new under the sun, even that which shines abundantly over the Adriatic Sea, whose problem of large growths of dinoflagellates and bottom algae and floating rafts of mucilage stimulated the organisation of the conference that resulted in this volume. It is not slim; with a thickness of 5 cm and a coterie of 98 separately authored papers and several workshop reports and overviews, you will not read it entirely, though you may dip. The volume is a reprint of the papers published in a 1992 supplement of the journal, Science of the Total Environment--an example of the latest of publishers' ploys to make profits by unnecessary proliferation of the literature. But what of the contents? The eutrophication of the northern Adriatic due to the industrial and agricultural intensification of the River Po and its tributaries, particularly in the last three decades, has a familiar ring about it. The conclusions drawn by the participants of the workshops are also standard--not much can be done without nutrient control in the catchment. The problem is ultimately political, the environmental science has already been done to a sufficient extent to make the essential point. We await the truly green revolution for anything substantial to happen. The Adriatic area has had the twist of an extra problem of floating masses of mucilage, which offend the elegantly unclad bathers of the Italian coastal resorts, though few, in any case, seem actually to enter the water. Following the 35 papers associated with eutrophication of the Adriatic, the conclusion is that something should be done; the conclusion of the seven concerning the mucilage is that it is a natural phenomenon. A build up of secreted algal polysaccharides is associated with low rainfall and high atmospheric pressure. Mucilage accumulation has apparently been recorded not only in 1988 and 1989, when it stimulated a very latin panic, but in 1729, 1750, 1850. 1872, 1873, 1891, 1893, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1920, 1922, 1931 and 1966. There might be some link with changing demography in the area and one cannot help thinking that if eutrophication has increased the algal crops, the intensity of the mucilage accumulation, under the appropriate weather conditions, might just be increased aiso. The remaining 53 papers concern eutrophication problems in the Baltic, eastern Mediterranean, Indonesia, Western India and Brazil. We have such problems also, of course, in the southern North Sea and all British estuaries. Eutrophication in coastal wate1"ois, in principle
Toxic Air Pollution Handbook. Edited by David Patrick, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, ISBN 0-442-00903-8, 1994, 588 pp. Price: £86. David Patrick joined the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 to implement hazardous air pollution control regimes introduced by the 1970 amendment to the Clean Air Act. He left in 1990, having advised on the 1990 amendments to the Act which set out programmes for rational control of emissions to air of the 189 substances which the Agency judges to be of greatest environmental significance, on grounds of their toxicity and likelihood of accidental or authorised release to the atmoshpere. He has now encouraged nearly 30 of those who he collaborated with while at EPA to contribute to a 255
256
Book reviews
handbook which deals expertly and in detail with all aspects of its subject. The book opens with an explanation of the rationale for choice of the chemicals and sources which EPA has obtained authority to regulate. Lucid and authoritative chapters follow each dealing with a step in a logical sequence for control of pollution by air toxics. There are two initial threads in the sequence, identification o f pollutants and identification of sources, which converge on estimation of population risks and-selection of regulatory options. The first thread progresses by consideration of toxicity and dose response assessment; the second via quantification of emissions, dispersion, transformation and deposition, population analysis and estimation of human uptake. The authors recognise that effective control of air toxics requires knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, meteorology, law, economics and techniques of publication. Largely they succeed in their aim of making all chapters transparent to any relevant specialist, given reasonable diligence and application, but this does not mean that every chapter is an easy read. However, whilst all chapters give a n adequate account of underlying theory, there is an admirable emphasis on the practicalities. A particular strength of the book is the breadth of its referencing, which makes it very easy for the reader to progress to relevant literature, data bases or software. UK legislation on control of air toxics (the 1990 [Environmental Protection Act) is much less prescriptive than that now in place in the US, but places more onus on the process operator to prove the acceptability under local circumstances of what he or she proposes to do. Early indications suggest that process operators, even for major installations subject to integrated pollution control, are having difficulty in assessing the environmental impact of their operations as the first step towards determining best practicable environmental option (BPEO) and proving that they are employing best available techniques not entailing excessive costs (BATNEEC). The Toxic Air Pollution Handbook could be of enormous help to regulator and regulated alike as they struggle to turn the promise of U K regulations into reality. It will be invaluable also to those who represent the public interest in their attempts to decide whether what has been done in their name is indeed adequate-if they can afford it! It would be even better if local David Patricks around the world could be persuaded to produce comparable compilations tailored to their circumstances. Tom Crossett
Soil Chemistry and its Applications. Edited by M. Cresser, K. Killham & T. Edwards, Cambridge University Press, 1993, 192 pp. Price: £13.95 paperback, £35.00 hardback.
This is an excellent introductory text for undergraduate students who are studying soil and environmental science, agriculture and forestry. It is written in a clear and direct manner, with relevant and up-to-date references for further reading. It starts with a provocatively tiffed chapter entitled 'Why study soil chemistry?' which sets the tone for the book. The authors take up the current recognition that soils are central to many agricultural, air and water quality issues and has lagged behind in terms of public consciousness (after air and water). They correctly point out that the study of soil must not be isolated and needs to be integrated into whole ecosystem and regional/global studies. Two chapters follow which deal respectively with the inorganic and organic components of soil. This give enough basic understanding for the logical regression to the coverage of soil chemical reactions which follows. Important specific features of soil chemistry are simply explained, such as cation-exchange, soil pH and oxidation-reduction. As well as these, the more general issue of biogeochemical cycling of nutrients is covered along with a brief introduction of how these might be measured. A clear account is given of soil fertility, covering intrinsic fertility and management factors such as use of fertilizers and lime. As elsewhere in the book, the aim is to give an understanding o f the basics of concepts and issues, and is this not the place to learn exactly how to evaluate soil fertility? The chapter on 'Soil chemistry and freshwater quality' is the only one (of eight) which I found repetitive and not as tightly written as the rest of the book. This may be due to some extent to the fact that it is one of the later chapters. Coverage of soil pollution is good chemically, but does not consider its effects. This is excusable as it would stray too far into biology. However, the chapter begins with a definition of pollution which says that it may or may not be associated with effects on human, animal or plant health. Leaving aside that this may be leaving out microorganisms, it could also confuse the reader. There is another word, 'contamination', which some use interchangeably with, and others completely differently to 'pollution'. The former is taken to involve increased concentrations of substances in the environment but without negative effects on organisms. The latter is usually associated with negative effects. The authors avoid using the word 'contamination' until the closing sentences of this chapter, when it appears to be used as a synonym for pollution. The final chapter gives a brief but excellent overview of the future of soil chemistry, which is stimulating enough to inspire students and researchers interested in this subject. I thoroughly recommend this book as an affordable and very readable way of obtaining a grounding in soil chemistry and its central role in influencing productivity and quality of the wider environment. Prof. S. P. McGrath
BOOK REVIEWS
no different from that in freshwaters, where it has been easier and cheaper to investigate it experimentally. One wonders if it is necessary to repeat all of this investigation in coastal waters--the useful overviews in this volume, some of them from those with freshwater experience, make the point that the lessons have already been given, but perhaps not learned. Eutrophication, although theoretically reversible has often proved very intractable in practical restoration schemes. But assuredly more research is valuable to everyone. Promoting it gives governments time to react to problems or more usually time to devise strategies to evade them; it keeps large numbers of people making measurements that confirm what is already known or could be easily deduced by the perceptive; it keeps publishers in business and it creates the material for an army of those concerned with quality assessment and performance indicators in Universities and Research Institutes. We talk of an information revolution, an explosion of valuable facts, but information is not wisdom, which remains as scarce and valuable as ever. We should ask ourselves, as environmental scientists, are we being drawn more and more into the maelstrom that creates the problems to whose solution we think we are contributing? Or should we be indulging less in the comforting collection of data--most of which will be read and inspected by almost nobody, so vast is the collection available to us, or should we be publishing less, of greater significance, and using our time to lobby for a proper ultimate solution to environmental problems. This book is worthy, useful as an overview, competently put together, worth having. But like its fellows, might it not ultimately become nothing more than ephemeral monument?
Marine Coastal Eutrophication. Edited by R. A. Vollenweider, R. Marchetti & R. Viviani, Elsevier, Amsterdam, ISBN 0-444-89990-1, 1992, 1310 pp. Price: US $297.00. There is, of course, very little that is new under the sun, even that which shines abundantly over the Adriatic Sea, whose problem of large growths of dinoflagellates and bottom algae and floating rafts of mucilage stimulated the organisation of the conference that resulted in this volume. It is not slim; with a thickness of 5 cm and a coterie of 98 separately authored papers and several workshop reports and overviews, you will not read it entirely, though you may dip. The volume is a reprint of the papers published in a 1992 supplement of the journal, Science of the Total Environment--an example of the latest of publishers' ploys to make profits by unnecessary proliferation of the literature. But what of the contents? The eutrophication of the northern Adriatic due to the industrial and agricultural intensification of the River Po and its tributaries, particularly in the last three decades, has a familiar ring about it. The conclusions drawn by the participants of the workshops are also standard--not much can be done without nutrient control in the catchment. The problem is ultimately political, the environmental science has already been done to a sufficient extent to make the essential point. We await the truly green revolution for anything substantial to happen. The Adriatic area has had the twist of an extra problem of floating masses of mucilage, which offend the elegantly unclad bathers of the Italian coastal resorts, though few, in any case, seem actually to enter the water. Following the 35 papers associated with eutrophication of the Adriatic, the conclusion is that something should be done; the conclusion of the seven concerning the mucilage is that it is a natural phenomenon. A build up of secreted algal polysaccharides is associated with low rainfall and high atmospheric pressure. Mucilage accumulation has apparently been recorded not only in 1988 and 1989, when it stimulated a very latin panic, but in 1729, 1750, 1850. 1872, 1873, 1891, 1893, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1920, 1922, 1931 and 1966. There might be some link with changing demography in the area and one cannot help thinking that if eutrophication has increased the algal crops, the intensity of the mucilage accumulation, under the appropriate weather conditions, might just be increased aiso. The remaining 53 papers concern eutrophication problems in the Baltic, eastern Mediterranean, Indonesia, Western India and Brazil. We have such problems also, of course, in the southern North Sea and all British estuaries. Eutrophication in coastal wate1"ois, in principle
Toxic Air Pollution Handbook. Edited by David Patrick, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, ISBN 0-442-00903-8, 1994, 588 pp. Price: £86. David Patrick joined the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 to implement hazardous air pollution control regimes introduced by the 1970 amendment to the Clean Air Act. He left in 1990, having advised on the 1990 amendments to the Act which set out programmes for rational control of emissions to air of the 189 substances which the Agency judges to be of greatest environmental significance, on grounds of their toxicity and likelihood of accidental or authorised release to the atmoshpere. He has now encouraged nearly 30 of those who he collaborated with while at EPA to contribute to a 255
256
Book reviews
handbook which deals expertly and in detail with all aspects of its subject. The book opens with an explanation of the rationale for choice of the chemicals and sources which EPA has obtained authority to regulate. Lucid and authoritative chapters follow each dealing with a step in a logical sequence for control of pollution by air toxics. There are two initial threads in the sequence, identification o f pollutants and identification of sources, which converge on estimation of population risks and-selection of regulatory options. The first thread progresses by consideration of toxicity and dose response assessment; the second via quantification of emissions, dispersion, transformation and deposition, population analysis and estimation of human uptake. The authors recognise that effective control of air toxics requires knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, meteorology, law, economics and techniques of publication. Largely they succeed in their aim of making all chapters transparent to any relevant specialist, given reasonable diligence and application, but this does not mean that every chapter is an easy read. However, whilst all chapters give a n adequate account of underlying theory, there is an admirable emphasis on the practicalities. A particular strength of the book is the breadth of its referencing, which makes it very easy for the reader to progress to relevant literature, data bases or software. UK legislation on control of air toxics (the 1990 [Environmental Protection Act) is much less prescriptive than that now in place in the US, but places more onus on the process operator to prove the acceptability under local circumstances of what he or she proposes to do. Early indications suggest that process operators, even for major installations subject to integrated pollution control, are having difficulty in assessing the environmental impact of their operations as the first step towards determining best practicable environmental option (BPEO) and proving that they are employing best available techniques not entailing excessive costs (BATNEEC). The Toxic Air Pollution Handbook could be of enormous help to regulator and regulated alike as they struggle to turn the promise of U K regulations into reality. It will be invaluable also to those who represent the public interest in their attempts to decide whether what has been done in their name is indeed adequate-if they can afford it! It would be even better if local David Patricks around the world could be persuaded to produce comparable compilations tailored to their circumstances. Tom Crossett
Soil Chemistry and its Applications. Edited by M. Cresser, K. Killham & T. Edwards, Cambridge University Press, 1993, 192 pp. Price: £13.95 paperback, £35.00 hardback.
This is an excellent introductory text for undergraduate students who are studying soil and environmental science, agriculture and forestry. It is written in a clear and direct manner, with relevant and up-to-date references for further reading. It starts with a provocatively tiffed chapter entitled 'Why study soil chemistry?' which sets the tone for the book. The authors take up the current recognition that soils are central to many agricultural, air and water quality issues and has lagged behind in terms of public consciousness (after air and water). They correctly point out that the study of soil must not be isolated and needs to be integrated into whole ecosystem and regional/global studies. Two chapters follow which deal respectively with the inorganic and organic components of soil. This give enough basic understanding for the logical regression to the coverage of soil chemical reactions which follows. Important specific features of soil chemistry are simply explained, such as cation-exchange, soil pH and oxidation-reduction. As well as these, the more general issue of biogeochemical cycling of nutrients is covered along with a brief introduction of how these might be measured. A clear account is given of soil fertility, covering intrinsic fertility and management factors such as use of fertilizers and lime. As elsewhere in the book, the aim is to give an understanding o f the basics of concepts and issues, and is this not the place to learn exactly how to evaluate soil fertility? The chapter on 'Soil chemistry and freshwater quality' is the only one (of eight) which I found repetitive and not as tightly written as the rest of the book. This may be due to some extent to the fact that it is one of the later chapters. Coverage of soil pollution is good chemically, but does not consider its effects. This is excusable as it would stray too far into biology. However, the chapter begins with a definition of pollution which says that it may or may not be associated with effects on human, animal or plant health. Leaving aside that this may be leaving out microorganisms, it could also confuse the reader. There is another word, 'contamination', which some use interchangeably with, and others completely differently to 'pollution'. The former is taken to involve increased concentrations of substances in the environment but without negative effects on organisms. The latter is usually associated with negative effects. The authors avoid using the word 'contamination' until the closing sentences of this chapter, when it appears to be used as a synonym for pollution. The final chapter gives a brief but excellent overview of the future of soil chemistry, which is stimulating enough to inspire students and researchers interested in this subject. I thoroughly recommend this book as an affordable and very readable way of obtaining a grounding in soil chemistry and its central role in influencing productivity and quality of the wider environment. Prof. S. P. McGrath