The introduction of synthetic organic chemicals into the environment during the last few decades has given rise to major concern about the ecotoxicological effects and ultimate fate of these compounds. The pollutants that are considered to be most hazardous because of their intrinsic toxicity, high exposure level, or recalcitrant behavior in the environment have been placed on blacklists and other policy priority lists. The fate of synthetic compounds that enter the environment is mainly determined by their rate of biodegradation, which therefore also has a major effect on the degree of bioaccumulation and the risk of ecotoxicological effects. The degree and rate of biodegradation is also of critical importance for the feasibility of biological techniques to clean up contaminated sites and waste streams. The biodegradation of xenobiotics has thus been the subject of numerous studies, which resulted in thousands of publications in scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings. These studies led to a deeper understanding of the diversity of biodegradation processes. As a result, it has become possible to enhance the rate of degradation of recalcitrant pollutants during biological treatment and to design completely new treatment processes. At present, much work is being done to expand the range of pollutants to which biodegradation can be applied, and to make treatment techniques less expensive and better applicable for waste streams which are difficult to handle.

The introduction of synthetic organic chemicals into the environment during the last few decades has given rise to major concern about the ecotoxicological effects and ultimate fate of these compounds. The pollutants that are considered to be most hazardous because of their intrinsic toxicity, high exposure level, or recalcitrant behavior in the environment have been placed on blacklists and other policy priority lists. The fate of synthetic compounds that enter the environment is mainly determined by their rate of biodegradation, which therefore also has a major effect on the degree of bioaccumulation and the risk of ecotoxicological effects. The degree and rate of biodegradation is also of critical importance for the feasibility of biological techniques to clean up contaminated sites and waste streams. The biodegradation of xenobiotics has thus been the subject of numerous studies, which resulted in thousands of publications in scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings. These studies led to a deeper understanding of the diversity of biodegradation processes. As a result, it has become possible to enhance the rate of degradation of recalcitrant pollutants during biological treatment and to design completely new treatment processes. At present, much work is being done to expand the range of pollutants to which biodegradation can be applied, and to make treatment techniques less expensive and better applicable for waste streams which are difficult to handle.

This volume, written by a range of international experts, covers a wide range of topics involving organic fluorine compounds. Each chapter is preceded by a summary and includes extensive illustrations and references. The chapters cover atmospheric chemistry, application of 19F NMR, partition, degradation and transformation, naturally occurring organic fluorine compounds, toxicology of perfluoroalkanes and phosphorofluoridates, and application of aromatic compounds to the elucidation of the mechanism of cytochrome P450.

Information Resources in Toxicology, Third Edition is a sourcebook for anyone who needs to know where to find toxicology information. It provides an up-to-date selective guide to a large variety of sources--books, journals, organizations, audiovisuals, internet and electronic sources, and more. For the Third Edition, the editors have selected, organized, and updated the most relevant information available. New information on grants and other funding opportunities, physical hazards, patent literature, and technical reports have also been added.This comprehensive, time-saving tool is ideal for toxicologists, pharmacologists, drug companies, testing labs, libraries, poison control centers, physicians, legal and regulatory professionals, and chemists. - Serves as an all-in-one resource for toxicology information - New edition includes information on publishers, grants and other funding opportunities, physical hazards, patent literature, and technical reports - Updated to include the latest internet and electronic sources, e-mail addresses, etc. - Provides valuable data about the new fields that have emerged within toxicological research; namely, the biochemical, cellular, molecular, and genetic aspects

Environmental and Ecological Chemistry is a component of Encyclopedia of Chemical Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. The Theme on Environmental and Ecological Chemistry prsents the essential aspects such as: Fundamental Environmental Chemistry; Atmospheric Chemistry; Soil Chemistry; Aquatic Chemistry; Ecological Chemistry; Chemistry of Organic Pollutants Including Agrochemicals. These volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.

This document contains the report from the OECD/UNEP Workshop on the Use of Multimedia Models for Estimating Overall Persistence and Long-range Transport in the Context of PBTs/POPs Assessment, held on 29-31 October 2001 in Ottawa, Canada, together ...