Effect of Water Hardness on the Toxicity of Cobalt and Nickel to a Freshwater Fish,Capoeta fusca

Objective To determine the effects of water hardness on the toxicities of cobalt （Co） and nickel （Ni） to a freshwater fish, Capoetafusca. Methods Toxicity was investigated by static bioassay. Fish were exposed to cobalt （as COCI2） and nickel （as NiCI2） for 96 h in waters with two levels of hardness （＂hard＂ and ＂very hard＂, nominally 130 mg/L and 350 mg/L as CaCO3, respectively）. Results Water hardness had a significant effect on the acute toxicity of both elements. The 96 h LC50 values for Co were 91.7 mg/L and 204.8 mg/L in hard and very hard waters, respectively, and for Ni the 96 h LC50 values were 78.0 mg/L and 127.2 mg/L, respectively. Conclusion The fish were more sensitive to Co and Ni toxicity in hard water than in very hard water; very hard water protects C. fusca against the toxicity of Co and Ni.

Proximal Femoral Cortical Thickness and Medullary Canal Diameter in Soft and Hard Water Regions

This study compared proximal femoral morphology in patients living in soft and hard water regions. The proximal femoral morphology of two groups of 70 patients living in hard and soft water regions with a mean age of 72.29 (range: 50 to 87 years) was measured using an antero-posterior radiograph of the non-operated hip with magnification adjusted. The medullary canal diameter at the level of the lesser trochanter (LT) was significantly wider in patients living in the hard water region (mean width: 1.9 mm wider;p = 0.003). No statistical significant difference was found in the medullary canal width at 10 cm below the level of LT, Dorr index, or Canal Bone Ratio (CBR). In conclusion, the proximal femoral morphology does differ in patients living in soft and hard water areas. These results may have an important clinical bearing in patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery. Further research is needed to determine whether implant survivorship is affected in patients living in hard and soft water regions.

Comparative Evaluation of Calcium, Magnesium, Copper and Zinc Removal by Wood Ash, Sodium Carbonate and Sodium Hydrogen Phosphate

Remediation via adsorption process has been proven to be one of the best water treatment technologies globally. Many adsorbents, including agricultural wastes, have been considered for the removal of a variety of pollutants from water. However, most of the studies reported in the literature used metal concentrations below 1000 ppm. It is also known that initial metal concentrations in polluted aqueous solutions, as well as metal and adsorbent type, are some of the factors that affect metal removal. Therefore, this project examined the remediation of water contaminated by 1000 ppm of lead, zinc, copper, magnesium, and calcium ions using wood ash, sodium hydrogen phosphate (dibasic), and sodium carbonate (dibasic). Comparative analysis of the results showed the order of order of metal removal by the adsorbents as: dibasic phosphate (Ca > Cu > Pb > Zn > Mg);dibasic Carbonate (Pb ~ Ca > Zn > Cu > Mg);Wood ash (Mg > Cu > Zn > Pb > Ca). These results suggest that metal and adsorbent type as well as the inherent chemical properties of these metal cations may contribute to the varying binding affinity of the metals to the adsorbent ligand(s) and thus, affect the extent of metal removal. It is equally worthy to note that wood ash more effectively removed hardness metals (Mg and Ca) from water than the inorganic phosphate and carbonate ions.