This report provides the scientific supporting information & rationale for the development of Canadian soil quality guidelines for benzene for the protection of environmental health. Information is provided on benzene physical & chemical properties, analytical methods, benzene production & uses, sources & levels of benzene in the Canadian environment, environmental fate & behaviour of benzene in soil & water & sediments, and behaviour & effects in biota (terrestrial plants & invertebrates, soil microbes, livestock & wildlife), and behaviour & effects of benzene in humans & mammals, including metabolism and acute & chronic toxicity. The final sections describe how the soil quality guidelines for benzene were derived and set out the guidelines for agricultural, residential/parkland, commercial, & industrial land use, groundwater protection for aquatic life & livestock watering, human & background exposure, and protection of potable groundwater. Areas for future research are also summarized.

This book is dedicated to the occurrence and behaviour of PHEs in the different compartments of the environment, with special reference to soil. Current studies of PHEs in ecosystems have indicated that many industrial areas near urban agglomerates, abandoned or active mines, major road systems and ultimately also agricultural land act as sources and at the same time sinks, of PHEs and large amounts of metals are recycled or dispersed in the environment, posing severe concerns to human health. Thanks to the collaboration of numerous colleagues, the book outlines the state of art in PHEs research in several countries and is enforced with case studies and enriched with new data, not published elsewhere. The book will provide to Stakeholders (both Scientists Professionals and Public Administrators) and also to non-specialists a lot of data on the concentrations of metals in soils and the environment and the critical levels so far established, in the perspective to improve the environmental quality and the human safety.

Despite the connections between soils and human health, there has not been a great amount of attention focused on this area when compared to many other fields of scientific and medical study. Soils and Human Health brings together authors from diverse fields with an interest in soils and human health, including soil science, geology, geography, biology, and anthropology to investigate this issue from a number of perspectives. The book includes a soil science primer chapter for readers from other fields, and discusses the ways the soil science community can contribute to improving our understanding of soils and human health. Features Discusses ways the soil science community can contribute to the improvement of soil health Approaches human health from a soils-focused perspective, covering the influence of soil conservation and contact with soil on human health Illustrates topics via case studies including arsenic in groundwater in Bangladesh; the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam; heavy metal contamination in Shipham, United Kingdom and Omaha, Nebraska, USA; and electronic waste recycling in China. In a scientific world where the trend has often been ever-increasing specialization and increasingly difficult communication between fields and subfields, the interdisciplinary nature of soils and human health studies presents a significant challenge going forward. Fields with an interest in soils and human health need to have increased cross-disciplinary communication and cooperation. This book is a step in the direction of accessibility and innovation, elucidating the state of knowledge in the meeting of soil and health sciences, and identifying places where more work is needed.

This report provides the scientific supporting information & rationale for the development of Canadian soil quality guidelines for the protection of environmental health for toluene, ethylbenzene, & xylenes (TEX). Information is provided on TEX physical & chemical properties, analytical methods, TEX production & uses, global sources of TEX, sources & levels of TEX in the Canadian environment, environmental fate & behaviour of TEX in soil & water, and behaviour & effects in biota (terrestrial plants & invertebrates, soil microbes, livestock & wildlife), and behaviour & effects of TEX in humans & mammals, including uptake, metabolism, elimination, & toxicity. The final sections describe how the soil quality guidelines for TEX were derived and set out the guidelines for agricultural, residential/parkland, commercial, and industrial land use. Areas for future research are also summarized.

This document is intended to provide an overview of the major components of surface and ground water quality and how these relate to ecosystem and human health. Local, regional and global assessments of water quality monitoring data are used to illustrate key features of aquatic environments, and to demonstrate how human activities on the landscape can influence water quality in both positive and negative ways. Clear and concise background knowledge on water quality can serve to support other water assessments.

"Malathion is a registered insecticide and acaricide used on a wide variety of sites including agricultural and non-agricultural sites. In 2018 (the most recent year for which data are available), over 25 000 kg of malathion was sold in Canada. Malathion may be released into surface water or soil as runoff from the application site. Malathion is not usually found in drinking water sources in Canada. Low levels of malathion have been found in several Canadian provinces. The maximum reported concentrations are well below the MAC. Malathion is rarely detected in foods"--Executive summary.