Jerome Nriagu - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Jerome Nriagu

WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, Aug 23, 2004

Various types of activated carbons were developed from organic sewage sludge (SS) using H 2 SO 4 ... more Various types of activated carbons were developed from organic sewage sludge (SS) using H 2 SO 4 , H 3 PO 4 and ZnCl 2 as chemical activation reagents. The surface morphology of the SS carbons was examined, and the activation mechanisms of the chemical reagents were extensively discussed. The surface areas of the activated carbons were within 289-555 m 2 /g. ZnCl 2 activated carbon had the highest adsorption capability for Hg(II), followed by H 3 PO 4 and H 2 SO 4 activated carbons, and the adsorption followed the Freundlich isotherm model. The leaching amount of As, Cr(VI), Cd, Hg and Pb from the SS carbons was below the wastewater disposal limits issued by the Ministry of Environment of Japan. Accordingly, it is believed that the activated carbons developed in this study are safe and practical for utilization in mercury removal from industrial wastewater.

Bioactive Compounds in Health and Disease, 2020

Different definitions for the concepts of information, information transfer, i.e. communication a... more Different definitions for the concepts of information, information transfer, i.e. communication and its effect and efficiency of false, but also correct information, especially from the environmental sector, are given. "THE TEN ECOLOGICAL COMMANDMENTS" developed by Menke-Glückert at the end of the 1960s and the 9th commandment "Do not pollute information", in particular, are examined in more detail and understood practically as a currently unchanging law in our existing world societies. The "Ethics Consensus", derived from "THE TEN ECOLOGICAL COMMANDMENTS" and developed by Markert at the end of the 1990s, reflects both theoretical and practical levels of action that many people in our highly diverse world societies can support. From a scientific point of view, this article deals in particular with the so-called B & B technologies, i.e. bioindication and biomonitoring of chemical elements, their chemical speciation as well as organic substances...

ACS Symposium Series, 2002

Page 1. Chapter 3 Arsenic Carbonate Complexes in Aqueous Systems Janice S. Lee and Jerome O. Nria... more Page 1. Chapter 3 Arsenic Carbonate Complexes in Aqueous Systems Janice S. Lee and Jerome O. Nriagu Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 ...

Journal of Hazardous Materials, 1994

This chapter aims to provide insights into current knowledge and gaps in our understanding of the... more This chapter aims to provide insights into current knowledge and gaps in our understanding of the infl uence that trace metals in the environment have on the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. By reducing immune function, trace metal defi ciencies may substantially contribute to the global burden of diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria. Improved methods and biomarkers for assessing the risks of trace metals defi ciencies and toxicities are required. Human activities may be contributing to trace metal defi ciency in soils and plants, which is a risk factor for infectious diseases in many countries, by exacerbating the preponderance of cereals and cash crops that reduce food diversity and micronutrient intake. Adaptive strategies are needed to reverse these trends. The microbiomes of the body are in the frontline for exposure to metals and crucial in moderating the outcome of host-parasite interactions. Anthropogenic activities have led to increased toxic metal exposure, and effects on human hosts need clarifi cation. Metal toxicities can also impair the immune system and hence increase the susceptibility to infectious pathogens. Climate change affects metal speciation and the build-up of trace elements in the human food chain, with as yet unknown outcomes on infectious disease. Food processing and the use of metallic nanomaterials can alter human exposure to metals in ways that can infl uence the host-pathogen competition for metals. The effects of metals on human health may also be mediated through modifi cation of the epigenome, conferring drug resistance on pathogenic bacteria and enhancing/reducing human tolerance to infectious parasites. The emerging metals cerium, gadolinium,

Science of The Total Environment

Trace Metals in the Environment, 2000

Cancer Causes & Control, Jan 19, 2010

Objective-Arsenic in drinking water has been linked with the risk of urinary bladder cancer, but ... more Objective-Arsenic in drinking water has been linked with the risk of urinary bladder cancer, but the dose-response relationships for arsenic exposures below 100 µg/L remain equivocal. We conducted a population-based case-control study in southeastern Michigan, USA, where approximately 230,000 people were exposed to arsenic concentrations between 10 and 100 µg/L. Methods-This study included 411 bladder cancer cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2004, and 566 controls recruited during the same period. Individual lifetime exposure profiles were reconstructed, and residential water source histories, water consumption practices, and water

Mineral Deposits and the Evolution of the Biosphere, 1982

Handbook of Applied Spatial Analysis, 2009

A key component of environmental epidemiologic research is the assessment of historic exposure to... more A key component of environmental epidemiologic research is the assessment of historic exposure to environmental contaminants. The continual expansion of space-time databases, coupled with the recognized need to incorporate mobility histories in environmental epidemiology, has highlighted the deficiencies of current software to visualize and process space-time information for exposure assessment (Mather et al. 2004; Pickle et al. 2005). This need

Annals of Internal Medicine, 1985

Scientific Reports, 2018

Deteriorating water quality from aging infrastructure, growing threat of pollution from industria... more Deteriorating water quality from aging infrastructure, growing threat of pollution from industrialization and urbanization, and increasing awareness about waterborne diseases are among the factors driving the surge in worldwide use of point-of-entry (POE) and point-of-use (POU) filters. Any adverse influence of such consumer point-of-use systems on quality of water at the tap remains poorly understood, however. We determined the chemical and microbiological changes in municipal water from the point of entry into the household plumbing system until it leaves from the tap in houses equipped with filters. We show that POE/POU devices can induce significant deterioration of the quality of tap water by functioning as traps and reservoirs for sludge, scale, rust, algae or slime deposits which promote microbial growth and biofilm formation in the household water distribution system. With changes in water pressure and physical or chemical disturbance of the plumbing system, the microorganis...

Case-control geographic clustering for residential histories accounting for risk factors and cova... more Case-control geographic clustering for residential histories accounting for risk factors and covariates

Science of The Total Environment, 1984

ABSTRACT

Science of The Total Environment, 2003

A comprehensive, time-averaged inventory of subaerial emissions of mercury from volcanoes that we... more A comprehensive, time-averaged inventory of subaerial emissions of mercury from volcanoes that were active between 1980 and 2000 is derived based on the HgySO ratios of the exhalations. Worldwide flux of mercury from 2 volcanic eruptions is estimated to be 57 tyyear while the flux from degassing activities is 37.6 tyyear. After correcting for 'unmeasured' SO emissions, the total global flux of Hg to the atmosphere is estimated to be 112 tyyear. There 2 are regional differences in average emissions during the 20-year period, with the estimated fluxes being 29 tyyear in South and Central America, 27 tyyear in Southeast Asia; 24 tyyear in North America (including Hawaii), 4.1 tyyear in Australia, 3.4 tyyear in Japan and northern Asia, 3.1 tyyear in Europe and western Asia and 2.3 tyyear in Africa.

Chemosphere, 2003

In the present paper, inorganic arsenic species and chemical parameters in groundwater were deter... more In the present paper, inorganic arsenic species and chemical parameters in groundwater were determined to investigate the factors related to the distribution of arsenic species and their dissolution from rock into groundwater. For the study, groundwater and core samples were taken at different depths of two newly drilled wells in Huron and Lapeer Counties, Michigan. Results show that total arsenic concentrations in the core samples varied, ranging from 0.8 to 70.7 mg/kg. Iron concentration in rock was about 1800 times higher than that of arsenic, and there was no correlation between arsenic and iron occurrences in the rock samples. Arsenic concentrations in groundwater ranged from <1 to 171 lg/l. The arsenic concentration in groundwater depended on the amount of arsenic in aquifer rocks, and as well decreased with increasing depth. Over 90% of arsenic existed in the form of As(III), implying that the groundwater systems were in the reduced condition. The results such as high ferrous ion, low redox potential and low dissolved oxygen supported the observed arsenic species distribution. There was no noticeable difference in the total arsenic concentration and arsenic species ratio between unfiltered and filtered (0.45 lm) waters, indicating that the particulate form of arsenic was negligible in the groundwater samples. There were correlations between water sampling depth and chemical parameters, and between arsenic concentration and chemical parameters, however, the trends were not always consistent in both wells.

Environmental Health Perspectives, 2006

Opponents of the precautionary principle often complain that it is not a sufficient tool for deci... more Opponents of the precautionary principle often complain that it is not a sufficient tool for decision making. They're rightexcept that, as far as I know, no one ever said it was. It should be part of the process, but it can be only a part, and Myers and Raffensberger have put together an excellent guidebook for those who want to implement it. Perhaps they'll even convince some who still doubt its usefulness. The volume begins with a checklist of points that we should consider when decisions are being made. Nothing dramatically new-all good common sense, really-but the ideas are important and too often overlooked. The contributors then expand on the points and give examples of how they have-or have not-been put into practice. These illustrations are valuable intrinsically; also, when you are trying to convince your government to act, it helps to have examples of how other countries have taken similar action without dire economic or social consequences, and how doing nothing may turn out to be more expensive in the long run, or even the not-so-long run. Anyone interested in environmental policy will find this book stimulating and useful, but the editors themselves acknowledge that there is much more to be done, and in my view what is most needed is more input from scientists. As far as I can tell, although some of the contributors were trained in science, none is currently employed as a scientist. That's not really surprising in a book about policy, but working scientists do have a different perspective on things. People who are not scientists often place too much credence in what the corporations and the scientific establishment tell them. It is certainly important to understand that the arguments are about values as well as science, but that doesn't mean we should let the science-based points go by default. Just as we demand that our opponents take values