Abstract
The sources and uses of xenobiotics in urban environments are very diverse, making structured approaches to source and use classification a fundamental requirement for effective pollution management. This chapter provides a general introduction to the topic of substance source and use identification, highlighting the key differences between different types of sources (e.g. processes vs. commodities; natural vs. anthropogenic etc.) and different types of uses (e.g. active vs. passive; dispersive vs. non-dispersive, etc.). Examples of relevant classification systems and their applications are also given, and the diversity of potential xenobiotic sources and uses is clearly demonstrated through the description of a series of ‘archetypes’ (i.e. model examples). The chapter concludes with an overview of useful source tracking approaches (e.g. database mining, marketing surveys, forensic approaches etc.).
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Notes
- 1.
The term xenobiotic is used here to refer to substances which are foreign to biological systems. This includes substances which may be found in an organism but not produced by it, and which are potentially detrimental to life. This definition includes artificially synthesised compounds as well as naturally occurring elements and compounds which, due to anthropogenic activities, are present at unnaturally high concentrations in the environment.
- 2.
An environmental pollutant is a contaminant with the propensity to adversely alter the physical, chemical or biological properties of the environment.
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Acknowledgements
The ideas presented in this chapter have been discussed within the framework of the ScorePP project - “Source Control Options for Reducing Emissions of Priority Pollutants”, contract no. 037036 within the Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development section of the European Community’s Sixth Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration. ScorePP is coordinated by the Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark.
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Donner, E., Eriksson, E., Holten-Lützhøft, HC., Scholes, L., Revitt, M., Ledin, A. (2010). Identifying and Classifying the Sources and Uses of Xenobiotics in Urban Environments. In: Fatta-Kassinos, D., Bester, K., Kümmerer, K. (eds) Xenobiotics in the Urban Water Cycle. Environmental Pollution, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3509-7_2
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