chemodynamics and environmental modeling: an introduction

1
INCA Networks Units which operate within the structure of the Consortium - and of the Consortium itself - is indispensable. The Con- sortium has therefore commissioned an assessment proce- dure (both scientific and structural) to the Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) of Twente University (NL). This organism, which is specialised in research evalu- ation on a European level, guarantees an assessment of the institution under examination based on international stand- ards. The CHEPS has recently conducted an assessment of all the chemistry groups in Holland. The International Com- mittee is composed of the following: Prof. A. Amaral, Rector of the University of Oporto and delegate for the evaluation of the Conference of the Eu- ropean Rectors Prof. Luisi (ETH, Zurich, Switzerland) Prof. Preston (University of Liverpool, UK) Prof. Zwanemburg (University of Nijmegen, NL) Prof. Parlar (Technical University of Munich, Germany) Dott. Luciano Crisuoli was assigned as the Minister's delegate for the Consortium's assessment The assessment work was concluded one year ago; and the recommendations, evaluations, scores and suggestions given by the Referees Committee have been collected in a book (The research in the field of Chemistry for the Environment in Italy: a research and management evaluation of the Consorzion Interuniversitario La Chimica per l'Ambiente), published by the University of Twente. This book is avail- able upon request. With the assessment, the Consortium has been the first in Italy to immediately offer a complete pic- ture of its Research Units and management to the Ministry of Research and other public institutions. Book Reviews Chemodynamics and Environmental Modeling: An Introduction Authors: Stefan Trapp, Michael Matthies Publisher: Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg NewYork 1998.1SBN 3-540-63096-1 Book + computer disk XVl + 285 pages Modeling is an integral part of the exposure assessment of chemicals. Understanding the fate of "existing" or old chemicals and predicting the environmental behavior of new ones, hazard and risk assessment, ranking of priority chemicals (Persistent Organic Pollutants/POPs/, high volume chemicals, etc.), protecting special areas (e.g. marine environ- ments) are important applications of any exposure modeling method. This book, which extends and updates a precursor book written in Ger- man [1], consists of three parts: 1. Textbook (173 pp.) written by Trapp and Matthies (including 7 pp of refer- ences) 2. CemoS User's Manual (109 pp.) written by Guido Baumgarten, Bernhard Reiter, Sven Scheil, Stefan Schwartz and Jan-Oliver Wagner 3. Computer disk containing the software CemoS 1.10 (Chemical Exposure Model System) The following comments refer to the textbook. A detailed review of the software would be desirable, since competing models specifically devel- oped for chemical assessment (e.g. EUSES 1.0) suffer from severe intransparency and may not be flexible enough for the solution of ques- tions outside the narrow chemicals legislation agenda. The book grew out of courses held at the University of Osnabriick where both authors" have been teaching together until recently (Stefan Trapp is now professor at the Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Den- mark; Michael Matthies is head of the Institute of Environmental Systems Research at the University of Osnabriick, Germany). There are further roots going back to GSF in Munich, where the authors and others de- veloped modular models which can be looked at as precursors of those presented here. It is important to note this continuity since, in contrast to several other countries, exposure modeling of environmental chemi- cals in Germany has, until recently, hardly found any serious encour- agement from the federal government. The authors, however, kept up their work in this field and this kind of persistence in the sciencesphere finally led, among other things, to this book. The textbook section (173 pp.) contains 11 chapters: 1. Why Model Chemical Exposure? 2. Compartment Systems 3. Transport and Transformation Processes 4. Partitioning of Chemicals in the Environment 5. Multi-Media Models 6. Contaminants in Surface Water 7. Transport and Transformation in Surface Water 8. Atmospheric Transport Models 9. Uptake by Plants 10. Model for Food Chain 11. Data Estimation plus a section on "Solutions of the Exercises" and 7 pages of References. As can be seen from the headings, all essential elements for multi-media modeling are presented. The chapters contain more information, how- ever, than is required for simple box models which are in the center of the treatment. The fundamental processes leading to distribution, deg- radation and accumulation are described and the physical background needed for the understanding is provided. The same is true for the struc- turing of the models, starting with simple examples of compartments and the mathematics involved in defining and solving the differential equations which are the basis of these models. The level of the models, which can be combined like building blocks, however, is about III or 1V on the Mackay scale (i.e. involving transfer, degradation and advec- tion), the troublesome fugacity approach is avoided. For many years, the treatment of the soil/plant/air interfaces has been a very weak point in all models. In Chapter 9, a treatment based on re- cent research by the authors and their coworkers is presented which will hopefully improve exposure modeling in the future: many parts of the world are covered by a plant canopy and cannot, therefore, be treated like naked soil. Finally, I would like to mention that I used the German version of the book as an aid in constructing simple models for the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and found useful instructions for several processes poorly described in EUSES and similar programs. Compared to the German version, the English version is said to be corrected in several instances. I hope that the book will have a large readership and many users. To- gether with Scheringer's treatment of persistence [2], we are confident that this book will help to contribute to a revival of exposure analysis. Prof. Dr. Walter KI6pffer C,A.U., D-63303 Dreieich/Frankfurt C.A.U. @ t-online.de:WalterKIceDffer @r References [1] TRAPP, S.; MATI'HIES, M.: Dynamik von Schadstoffen - Umwelt- modellierung mit CemoS. Eine Einfiihrung. Springer, Berlin 1996 [2] SCrrEV,~GER, M.: Persistenz und Reichweite von Umweltchemikalien. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim 1999, reviewed in UWSF - Z. Umwelt- chem. Okotox. 11 (1999) 289-290 74 ESPR - Environ. Sci, & Pollut. Res. 7 (2) 2000

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Page 1: Chemodynamics and environmental modeling: An introduction

INCA Networks

Units which operate within the structure of the Consortium - and of the Consortium itself - is indispensable. The Con- sortium has therefore commissioned an assessment proce- dure (both scientific and structural) to the Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) of Twente University (NL). This organism, which is specialised in research evalu- ation on a European level, guarantees an assessment of the institution under examination based on international stand- ards. The CHEPS has recently conducted an assessment of all the chemistry groups in Holland. The International Com- mittee is composed of the following:

�9 Prof. A. Amaral, Rector of the University of Oporto and delegate for the evaluation of the Conference of the Eu- ropean Rectors

�9 Prof. Luisi (ETH, Zurich, Switzerland) �9 Prof. Preston (University of Liverpool, UK)

�9 Prof. Zwanemburg (University of Nijmegen, NL) �9 Prof. Parlar (Technical University of Munich, Germany) �9 Dott. Luciano Crisuoli was assigned as the Minister's

delegate for the Consortium's assessment

The assessment work was concluded one year ago; and the recommendations, evaluations, scores and suggestions given by the Referees Committee have been collected in a book (The research in the field of Chemistry for the Environment in Italy: a research and management evaluation of the Consorzion Interuniversitario La Chimica per l'Ambiente), published by the University of Twente. This book is avail- able upon request. With the assessment, the Consortium has been the first in Italy to immediately offer a complete pic- ture of its Research Units and management to the Ministry of Research and other public institutions.

Book Reviews

Chemodynamics and Environmental Modeling: A n I n t r o d u c t i o n

Authors: Stefan Trapp, Michael Matthies Publisher: Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg NewYork 1998.1SBN 3-540-63096-1

Book + computer disk XVl + 285 pages

Modeling is an integral part of the exposure assessment of chemicals. Understanding the fate of "existing" or old chemicals and predicting the environmental behavior of new ones, hazard and risk assessment, ranking of priority chemicals (Persistent Organic Pollutants/POPs/, high volume chemicals, etc.), protecting special areas (e.g. marine environ- ments) are important applications of any exposure modeling method. This book, which extends and updates a precursor book written in Ger- man [1], consists of three parts:

1. Textbook (173 pp.) written by Trapp and Matthies (including 7 pp of refer- ences)

2. CemoS User's Manual (109 pp.) written by Guido Baumgarten, Bernhard Reiter, Sven Scheil, Stefan Schwartz and Jan-Oliver Wagner

3. Computer disk containing the software CemoS 1.10 (Chemical Exposure Model System)

The following comments refer to the textbook. A detailed review of the software would be desirable, since competing models specifically devel- oped for chemical assessment (e.g. EUSES 1.0) suffer from severe intransparency and may not be flexible enough for the solution of ques- tions outside the narrow chemicals legislation agenda.

The book grew out of courses held at the University of Osnabriick where both authors" have been teaching together until recently (Stefan Trapp is now professor at the Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Den- mark; Michael Matthies is head of the Institute of Environmental Systems Research at the University of Osnabriick, Germany). There are further roots going back to GSF in Munich, where the authors and others de- veloped modular models which can be looked at as precursors of those presented here. It is important to note this continuity since, in contrast to several other countries, exposure modeling of environmental chemi- cals in Germany has, until recently, hardly found any serious encour- agement from the federal government. The authors, however, kept up their work in this field and this kind of persistence in the sciencesphere finally led, among other things, to this book. The textbook section (173 pp.) contains 11 chapters: 1. Why Model Chemical Exposure? 2. Compartment Systems 3. Transport and Transformation Processes 4. Partitioning of Chemicals in the Environment 5. Multi-Media Models 6. Contaminants in Surface Water 7. Transport and Transformation in Surface Water 8. Atmospheric Transport Models

9. Uptake by Plants 10. Model for Food Chain 11. Data Estimation plus a section on "Solutions of the Exercises" and 7 pages of References.

As can be seen from the headings, all essential elements for multi-media modeling are presented. The chapters contain more information, how- ever, than is required for simple box models which are in the center of the treatment. The fundamental processes leading to distribution, deg- radation and accumulation are described and the physical background needed for the understanding is provided. The same is true for the struc- turing of the models, starting with simple examples of compartments and the mathematics involved in defining and solving the differential equations which are the basis of these models. The level of the models, which can be combined like building blocks, however, is about III or 1V on the Mackay scale (i.e. involving transfer, degradation and advec- tion), the troublesome fugacity approach is avoided.

For many years, the treatment of the soil/plant/air interfaces has been a very weak point in all models. In Chapter 9, a treatment based on re- cent research by the authors and their coworkers is presented which will hopefully improve exposure modeling in the future: many parts of the world are covered by a plant canopy and cannot, therefore, be treated like naked soil.

Finally, I would like to mention that I used the German version of the book as an aid in constructing simple models for the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, and found useful instructions for several processes poorly described in EUSES and similar programs. Compared to the German version, the English version is said to be corrected in several instances. I hope that the book will have a large readership and many users. To- gether with Scheringer's treatment of persistence [2], we are confident that this book will help to contribute to a revival of exposure analysis.

Prof. Dr. Walter KI6pffer C,A.U., D-63303 Dreieich/Frankfurt

C.A.U. @ t-online.de:WalterKIceDffer @r

References

[1] TRAPP, S.; MATI'HIES, M.: Dynamik von Schadstoffen - Umwelt- modellierung mit CemoS. Eine Einfiihrung. Springer, Berlin 1996

[2] SCrrEV,~GER, M.: Persistenz und Reichweite von Umweltchemikalien. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim 1999, reviewed in UWSF - Z. Umwelt- chem. Okotox. 11 (1999) 289-290

74 ESPR - Environ. Sci, & Pollut. Res. 7 (2) 2000