Petri Porvari | University of Helsinki (original) (raw)

Papers by Petri Porvari

Research paper thumbnail of Development of fish mercury concentrations in Finnish reservoirs from 1979 to 1994

The Science of the total environment, Jan 10, 1998

Mercury (Hg) concentrations in burbot (Lota lota), perch (Perca fluviatilis), northern pike (Esox... more Mercury (Hg) concentrations in burbot (Lota lota), perch (Perca fluviatilis), northern pike (Esox lucius), roach (Rutilus rutilus), whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) and peled (C. peled) were monitored in 18 reservoirs situated in western and northern Finland over a period of 16 years (1979-1994). The reservoirs were impounded from 1964 to 1980. The surface areas ranged between 1 and 417 km2. Data from downstream sites and reference lakes were compared to reservoir mercury data. Generally, fish Hg concentrations in reservoirs exceeded those in natural lakes. Shortly after inundation, fish mercury concentrations clearly increased and remain 15-25 years above background concentrations. The mean Hg concentrations in standardized 1 kg pike from 1989 to 1993 was 0.45 mg/kg in natural lakes and 0.58 mg/kg in reservoirs. The 1 mg/kg fish Hg level recommended by health authorities as the upper limit for human consumption was still exceeded in two reservoirs 20 years old or more. The two large...

Research paper thumbnail of Environmental Atlas for the Coastal Area of Finland

Research paper thumbnail of Sources and fate of mercury in aquatic ecosystems

Research paper thumbnail of Mercury levels of fish in Tucuruí hydroelectric reservoir and in River Mojú in Amazonia, in the state of Pará, Brazil

Science of The Total Environment, 1995

High mercury (Hg) levels were found in fish of Tucurui reservoir and River MojG polluted by mercu... more High mercury (Hg) levels were found in fish of Tucurui reservoir and River MojG polluted by mercury due to gold mining activities. The highest Hg concentrations were measured in predatory fish 1.3 + 0.89 mg/kg, N = 120, intermediate values in planktivorous and omnivorous fish (0.32 f 0.20 mg/kg, N = 89) and the lowest values in herbivorous fish (0.11 + 0.11 mg/kg, N = 14). Tucurui reservoir is thoroughly polluted by mercury. Only the side basin of Caraip6 had a little less mercury in fish. Tucunar6 (Cichlu temensis)

Research paper thumbnail of Arvio Talvivaaran kaivoksen kipsisakka-altaan vuodon haitoista ja riskeistä vesiympäristölle

Research paper thumbnail of Kivennäismaan uudistushakkuun vaikutus kasvinravinteiden ja orgaanisen aineen huuhtoutumiseen; raportti Kurussa ja Janakkalassa sijaitsevien tutkimusalueiden tuloksista

Research paper thumbnail of Temporal trends in the bulk deposition and atmospheric concentration of acidifying compounds and trace elements in the Finnish Integrated Monitoring catchment Valkea-Kotinen during 1988-2011

Research paper thumbnail of The effects of forestry on Hg bioaccumulation in nemoral/boreal waters and recommendations for good silvicultural practice

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1579 0044 7447 38 7 373, Nov 1, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of Mercury in Nordic freshwater fish: An assessment of spatial variability in relation to atmospheric deposition

Data on mercury levels in freshwater fish (mainly pike, perch, trout and char), from Norway, Swed... more Data on mercury levels in freshwater fish (mainly pike, perch, trout and char), from Norway, Sweden and Finland have been collected in a common database to assess spatial patterns as well as relationships with environmental factors such as atmospheric mercury deposition. A preliminary evaluation of fish Hg data from >1500 lakes shows that Hg levels referring to a 1-kg pike are highest in low-altitude lakes of the southern regions S. Norway, S+C. Sweden, and C. Finland, where regional medians are 0.5-0.8 mg/kg fw. In these regions, about 50-80 % of the lakes exceed 0.5 mg/kg and about 5-20(40) % of the lakes exceed 1.0 mg/kg. Fish Hg levels in high-altitude lakes are lower than in low-altitude lakes in the corresponding region.

Research paper thumbnail of Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme 2007-2013 The Baltic environment, food and health: from habits to awareness. Feasibility Study

The Baltic Sea, the food we eat, and what all this means If you thought your health and well-bein... more The Baltic Sea, the food we eat, and what all this means If you thought your health and well-being are the only things affected by what you eat, think again. New research from Finland shows how you can help mitigate the burden and risks triggered by hazardous substances found in the food supply chain, by choosing the right foods and following dietary guidelines. Researchers from the Foodweb project, coordinated by MTT Agrifood Research Finland, put the spotlight on the Baltic Sea, saying the food supply chain is playing havoc with this body of water. Conversely, the hazardous substances accumulated in the marine ecosystem can also increase our risk of consuming unsafe foods. The Foodweb partners generated information on the environmental load of varied foods and the environmental risks associated with them. This helps shed light on the foods that should be chosen for consumption. The researchers investigated the effects of the food supply chain on the Baltic Sea. They paid particula...

Research paper thumbnail of Atmospheric and catchment mercury concentrations and fluxes in Fennoscandia

Research paper thumbnail of Estimating the development of ecotoxicological pressure on water systems from pesticides in Finland 2000–2011

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2015

Chemical pollution is, globally, a serious problem that can be induced e.g. by pesticide usage. R... more Chemical pollution is, globally, a serious problem that can be induced e.g. by pesticide usage. Reduction of health and environmental risks of pesticides is a goal in the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) via the EU agricultural strategy. In this study, potential environmental impacts of agricultural plant protection products (PPP) were studied, in Finland, using freshwater ecotoxicity impact, in the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) approach, as an indicator. Potential impacts of these chemicals were studied between 2000 and 2011, and substance sale data (active ingredient kg/year) was surveyed by the Finnish Chemical and Safety Agency. The most sold agricultural PPPs in Finland are herbicides. Total sales amounted to 1707.5 tonnes in 2011, which means 0.7 kg/ha, if counted for the total agricultural land of the country. PPP emissions from field application to the different environmental compartments were modelled on the average Finnish agriculture circumstances with PestLCI. The emissions were converted into impacts using the life cycle inventory assessment (LCIA), using characterisation factors from USEtox™. The model was customised to fit Finnish regional environmental conditions by obtaining the relevant parameters from GIS. According to the results, ecotoxic pressure decreased over the period, mainly because of the decreased sales of the main hazardous substance fluazinam. Single very hazardous substances had a strong contribution tothe total impact. No correlation between the sales amount and ecotoxic pressure was found, thus PPP risks cannot be indicated based only on their sale amount. The main contributors to the total potential ecotoxic impact were fungicides, and the most hazardous substances were fluazinam (used on potato), aclonifen (used mostly on peas, carrot and onion), methiocarb (strawberries), pendimethalin (carrot, onion), and prochloraz (cereals, oil seeds). In conclusion, the first priority in the usage of this LCA approach is to identify environmental impacts of single hazardous PPPs and according to that to develop environmental management of plant protection and, if needed, build up restrictions which are specifically directed to causes of impacts.

Research paper thumbnail of The simulations suggest that if the internal mehtylation inputs of MeHg to the lake surface could be important for seepage lakes (up to 67% of total input) and significant for drainage lakes (35%)

Research paper thumbnail of Arktisen luonnon tila

Research paper thumbnail of The spatial allocation of air pollutants in Finnish regional emission model

Research paper thumbnail of A simple concept for GIS-based estimation of population exposure to primary fine particles from vehicular traffic and domestic wood combustion

tainio, m., Karvosenoja, n., Porvari, P., raateland, a., tuomisto, J. t., Johansson, m., Kukkonen... more tainio, m., Karvosenoja, n., Porvari, P., raateland, a., tuomisto, J. t., Johansson, m., Kukkonen, J. & Kupiainen, K. 2009: a simple concept for Gis-based estimation of population exposure to primary fine particles from vehicular traffic and domestic wood combustion. Boreal Env. Res. 14: 850-860.

Research paper thumbnail of Metallien taustapitoisuudet ja haitallisten aineiden seuranta Suomen pintavesissä–Ehdotus laatunormidirektiivin toimeenpanosta

Research paper thumbnail of Mercury in Nordic ecosystems

Research paper thumbnail of Mercury in Perch (Perca fluviatilis) from Sweden and Finland

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2013

ABSTRACT High mercury concentrations in freshwater fish from the Nordic region have been of conce... more ABSTRACT High mercury concentrations in freshwater fish from the Nordic region have been of concern for a long time. Ongoing monitoring of key ecological species occurs in these countries to follow the situation. Here, we investigated spatial and temporal trends in mercury concentrations in European perch (Perca fluviatilis) within the Swedish and Finnish aquatic environments, collated from national monitoring programmes collected between 1974 and 2005 (n = 5,172). Data were length and weight adjusted to remove perch size as a confounding factor. Temporal trend analyses and t tests comparing pre- and post-1996 mercury concentrations for each country (1974–1995; 1996–2005; perch adjusted to 200 g/25 cm), showed a significant decrease in mercury concentration in perch from Sweden (p < 0.001) and a possible increase in mercury concentration in perch from Finland (p < 0.001). No statistically significant geographical trends were seen. Average mercury concentrations exceeded both the current environmental quality standard (EQS) of 20 ng/g wet weight (ww) and a discussed EQS for the Nordic region of 200–250 ng/g ww. Despite large reductions in mercury use and production in these countries, concentrations in perch continue to be higher here than in other European areas, posing a continued environmental risk.

Research paper thumbnail of Methylmercury production in flooded soils: A laboratory study

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 1995

The effect of soil flooding on methylmercury (MeHg) production was studied by placing humus and p... more The effect of soil flooding on methylmercury (MeHg) production was studied by placing humus and peat with water in 40 liter vessels. Total mercury (Tot-Hg), MeHg, nutrients, total organic carbon (TOC) and color were measured in water. Potential mercury methylation and demethylation rates in water and in flooded soils (humus and peat) were measured using radiochemical methods under aerated and

Research paper thumbnail of Development of fish mercury concentrations in Finnish reservoirs from 1979 to 1994

The Science of the total environment, Jan 10, 1998

Mercury (Hg) concentrations in burbot (Lota lota), perch (Perca fluviatilis), northern pike (Esox... more Mercury (Hg) concentrations in burbot (Lota lota), perch (Perca fluviatilis), northern pike (Esox lucius), roach (Rutilus rutilus), whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) and peled (C. peled) were monitored in 18 reservoirs situated in western and northern Finland over a period of 16 years (1979-1994). The reservoirs were impounded from 1964 to 1980. The surface areas ranged between 1 and 417 km2. Data from downstream sites and reference lakes were compared to reservoir mercury data. Generally, fish Hg concentrations in reservoirs exceeded those in natural lakes. Shortly after inundation, fish mercury concentrations clearly increased and remain 15-25 years above background concentrations. The mean Hg concentrations in standardized 1 kg pike from 1989 to 1993 was 0.45 mg/kg in natural lakes and 0.58 mg/kg in reservoirs. The 1 mg/kg fish Hg level recommended by health authorities as the upper limit for human consumption was still exceeded in two reservoirs 20 years old or more. The two large...

Research paper thumbnail of Environmental Atlas for the Coastal Area of Finland

Research paper thumbnail of Sources and fate of mercury in aquatic ecosystems

Research paper thumbnail of Mercury levels of fish in Tucuruí hydroelectric reservoir and in River Mojú in Amazonia, in the state of Pará, Brazil

Science of The Total Environment, 1995

High mercury (Hg) levels were found in fish of Tucurui reservoir and River MojG polluted by mercu... more High mercury (Hg) levels were found in fish of Tucurui reservoir and River MojG polluted by mercury due to gold mining activities. The highest Hg concentrations were measured in predatory fish 1.3 + 0.89 mg/kg, N = 120, intermediate values in planktivorous and omnivorous fish (0.32 f 0.20 mg/kg, N = 89) and the lowest values in herbivorous fish (0.11 + 0.11 mg/kg, N = 14). Tucurui reservoir is thoroughly polluted by mercury. Only the side basin of Caraip6 had a little less mercury in fish. Tucunar6 (Cichlu temensis)

Research paper thumbnail of Arvio Talvivaaran kaivoksen kipsisakka-altaan vuodon haitoista ja riskeistä vesiympäristölle

Research paper thumbnail of Kivennäismaan uudistushakkuun vaikutus kasvinravinteiden ja orgaanisen aineen huuhtoutumiseen; raportti Kurussa ja Janakkalassa sijaitsevien tutkimusalueiden tuloksista

Research paper thumbnail of Temporal trends in the bulk deposition and atmospheric concentration of acidifying compounds and trace elements in the Finnish Integrated Monitoring catchment Valkea-Kotinen during 1988-2011

Research paper thumbnail of The effects of forestry on Hg bioaccumulation in nemoral/boreal waters and recommendations for good silvicultural practice

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1579 0044 7447 38 7 373, Nov 1, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of Mercury in Nordic freshwater fish: An assessment of spatial variability in relation to atmospheric deposition

Data on mercury levels in freshwater fish (mainly pike, perch, trout and char), from Norway, Swed... more Data on mercury levels in freshwater fish (mainly pike, perch, trout and char), from Norway, Sweden and Finland have been collected in a common database to assess spatial patterns as well as relationships with environmental factors such as atmospheric mercury deposition. A preliminary evaluation of fish Hg data from >1500 lakes shows that Hg levels referring to a 1-kg pike are highest in low-altitude lakes of the southern regions S. Norway, S+C. Sweden, and C. Finland, where regional medians are 0.5-0.8 mg/kg fw. In these regions, about 50-80 % of the lakes exceed 0.5 mg/kg and about 5-20(40) % of the lakes exceed 1.0 mg/kg. Fish Hg levels in high-altitude lakes are lower than in low-altitude lakes in the corresponding region.

Research paper thumbnail of Central Baltic INTERREG IV A Programme 2007-2013 The Baltic environment, food and health: from habits to awareness. Feasibility Study

The Baltic Sea, the food we eat, and what all this means If you thought your health and well-bein... more The Baltic Sea, the food we eat, and what all this means If you thought your health and well-being are the only things affected by what you eat, think again. New research from Finland shows how you can help mitigate the burden and risks triggered by hazardous substances found in the food supply chain, by choosing the right foods and following dietary guidelines. Researchers from the Foodweb project, coordinated by MTT Agrifood Research Finland, put the spotlight on the Baltic Sea, saying the food supply chain is playing havoc with this body of water. Conversely, the hazardous substances accumulated in the marine ecosystem can also increase our risk of consuming unsafe foods. The Foodweb partners generated information on the environmental load of varied foods and the environmental risks associated with them. This helps shed light on the foods that should be chosen for consumption. The researchers investigated the effects of the food supply chain on the Baltic Sea. They paid particula...

Research paper thumbnail of Atmospheric and catchment mercury concentrations and fluxes in Fennoscandia

Research paper thumbnail of Estimating the development of ecotoxicological pressure on water systems from pesticides in Finland 2000–2011

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2015

Chemical pollution is, globally, a serious problem that can be induced e.g. by pesticide usage. R... more Chemical pollution is, globally, a serious problem that can be induced e.g. by pesticide usage. Reduction of health and environmental risks of pesticides is a goal in the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) via the EU agricultural strategy. In this study, potential environmental impacts of agricultural plant protection products (PPP) were studied, in Finland, using freshwater ecotoxicity impact, in the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) approach, as an indicator. Potential impacts of these chemicals were studied between 2000 and 2011, and substance sale data (active ingredient kg/year) was surveyed by the Finnish Chemical and Safety Agency. The most sold agricultural PPPs in Finland are herbicides. Total sales amounted to 1707.5 tonnes in 2011, which means 0.7 kg/ha, if counted for the total agricultural land of the country. PPP emissions from field application to the different environmental compartments were modelled on the average Finnish agriculture circumstances with PestLCI. The emissions were converted into impacts using the life cycle inventory assessment (LCIA), using characterisation factors from USEtox™. The model was customised to fit Finnish regional environmental conditions by obtaining the relevant parameters from GIS. According to the results, ecotoxic pressure decreased over the period, mainly because of the decreased sales of the main hazardous substance fluazinam. Single very hazardous substances had a strong contribution tothe total impact. No correlation between the sales amount and ecotoxic pressure was found, thus PPP risks cannot be indicated based only on their sale amount. The main contributors to the total potential ecotoxic impact were fungicides, and the most hazardous substances were fluazinam (used on potato), aclonifen (used mostly on peas, carrot and onion), methiocarb (strawberries), pendimethalin (carrot, onion), and prochloraz (cereals, oil seeds). In conclusion, the first priority in the usage of this LCA approach is to identify environmental impacts of single hazardous PPPs and according to that to develop environmental management of plant protection and, if needed, build up restrictions which are specifically directed to causes of impacts.

Research paper thumbnail of The simulations suggest that if the internal mehtylation inputs of MeHg to the lake surface could be important for seepage lakes (up to 67% of total input) and significant for drainage lakes (35%)

Research paper thumbnail of Arktisen luonnon tila

Research paper thumbnail of The spatial allocation of air pollutants in Finnish regional emission model

Research paper thumbnail of A simple concept for GIS-based estimation of population exposure to primary fine particles from vehicular traffic and domestic wood combustion

tainio, m., Karvosenoja, n., Porvari, P., raateland, a., tuomisto, J. t., Johansson, m., Kukkonen... more tainio, m., Karvosenoja, n., Porvari, P., raateland, a., tuomisto, J. t., Johansson, m., Kukkonen, J. & Kupiainen, K. 2009: a simple concept for Gis-based estimation of population exposure to primary fine particles from vehicular traffic and domestic wood combustion. Boreal Env. Res. 14: 850-860.

Research paper thumbnail of Metallien taustapitoisuudet ja haitallisten aineiden seuranta Suomen pintavesissä–Ehdotus laatunormidirektiivin toimeenpanosta

Research paper thumbnail of Mercury in Nordic ecosystems

Research paper thumbnail of Mercury in Perch (Perca fluviatilis) from Sweden and Finland

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2013

ABSTRACT High mercury concentrations in freshwater fish from the Nordic region have been of conce... more ABSTRACT High mercury concentrations in freshwater fish from the Nordic region have been of concern for a long time. Ongoing monitoring of key ecological species occurs in these countries to follow the situation. Here, we investigated spatial and temporal trends in mercury concentrations in European perch (Perca fluviatilis) within the Swedish and Finnish aquatic environments, collated from national monitoring programmes collected between 1974 and 2005 (n = 5,172). Data were length and weight adjusted to remove perch size as a confounding factor. Temporal trend analyses and t tests comparing pre- and post-1996 mercury concentrations for each country (1974–1995; 1996–2005; perch adjusted to 200 g/25 cm), showed a significant decrease in mercury concentration in perch from Sweden (p < 0.001) and a possible increase in mercury concentration in perch from Finland (p < 0.001). No statistically significant geographical trends were seen. Average mercury concentrations exceeded both the current environmental quality standard (EQS) of 20 ng/g wet weight (ww) and a discussed EQS for the Nordic region of 200–250 ng/g ww. Despite large reductions in mercury use and production in these countries, concentrations in perch continue to be higher here than in other European areas, posing a continued environmental risk.

Research paper thumbnail of Methylmercury production in flooded soils: A laboratory study

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 1995

The effect of soil flooding on methylmercury (MeHg) production was studied by placing humus and p... more The effect of soil flooding on methylmercury (MeHg) production was studied by placing humus and peat with water in 40 liter vessels. Total mercury (Tot-Hg), MeHg, nutrients, total organic carbon (TOC) and color were measured in water. Potential mercury methylation and demethylation rates in water and in flooded soils (humus and peat) were measured using radiochemical methods under aerated and