Butterwick L, de Oude N, Raymond K
Environmental Resources Limited, London, England.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 1989 Jun;17(3):339-71. doi: 10.1016/0147-6513(89)90055-9.
Boron is a naturally occurring material and is used in industrial and domestic products. Its major release into the environment is through weathering processes and wastewater discharge. Boron is an essential nutrient for plants, but can above certain concentrations be toxic to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. This paper assesses the ecotoxicology and environmental safety of boron. It draws together the data for toxicological effects of boron and compares these with environmental concentrations of boron, measured in Europe and the U.S.A. Generally, environmental concentrations of boron found in surface water are below levels identified as toxic to aquatic organisms. Concentrations high enough to produce toxic effects in laboratory tests are found in areas where weathering of boron-rich formations and deposits occurs, such as in the southwestern United States. However, reproducing populations of the most sensitive species, rainbow trout, have been observed in surface waters in these regions, indicating no cause for concern. The prime concern for effects on terrestrial plants centers on the use of irrigation water with elevated levels of boron. At present, there is no evidence of widespread damage to crops resulting from this practice. In some areas, wastewater is used for irrigation and crops grown under these conditions are generally confined to those relatively insensitive to boron toxicity. Good irrigation practices will be necessary, however, in arid regions with high evapotranspiration rates and care will be needed when using wastewater, particularly in areas with naturally high boron levels. It is not anticipated that there will be any significant increase in the discharge of boron to the environment in the foreseeable future. The use of boron-containing products is expected to increase, but glass will remain the dominant market and the use of boron in detergents in Europe is expected to decrease due to the introduction of bleach activators and liquid detergents. There is a possibility that perborate may be used in detergents in the U.S.A.; however, the estimated increase in boron concentrations is likely to be environmentally insignificant.
硼是一种天然存在的物质，用于工业和家庭产品中。它主要通过风化过程和废水排放进入环境。硼是植物必需的营养元素，但浓度超过一定限度时，对水生生物和陆地生物可能有毒。本文评估了硼的生态毒理学和环境安全性。它汇总了硼的毒理学效应数据，并将这些数据与在欧洲和美国测量的硼的环境浓度进行了比较。一般来说，地表水中发现的硼的环境浓度低于对水生生物有毒的水平。在美国西南部等硼含量丰富的地层和矿床发生风化的地区，在实验室测试中发现了足以产生毒性效应的浓度。然而，在这些地区的地表水中观察到了最敏感物种虹鳟的繁殖种群，这表明无需担忧。对陆地植物影响的主要关注点集中在使用硼含量升高的灌溉水。目前，没有证据表明这种做法会对作物造成广泛损害。在一些地区，废水被用于灌溉，在这些条件下种植的作物通常限于对硼毒性相对不敏感的作物。然而，在蒸发蒸腾率高的干旱地区，良好的灌溉做法是必要的，使用废水时需要谨慎，特别是在硼含量天然较高的地区。预计在可预见的未来，硼向环境中的排放不会有任何显著增加。含硼产品的使用预计会增加，但玻璃仍将是主要市场，由于引入了漂白活化剂和液体洗涤剂，预计欧洲洗涤剂中硼的使用量会减少。在美国，过硼酸盐有可能用于洗涤剂中；然而，估计硼浓度的增加在环境方面可能微不足道。
