Role of nitric oxide in the genotoxic response to chronic microcystin-LR exposure in human–hamster hybrid cells

Microcystin-LR(MC-LR) is the most abundant and toxic microcystin congener and has been classified as a potential human carcinogen(Group 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying the genotoxic effects of MC-LR during chronic exposure are still poorly understood. In the present study, human–hamster hybrid(AL) cells were exposed to MC-LR for varying lengths of time to investigate the role of nitrogen radicals in MC-LR-induced genotoxicity. The mutagenic potential at the CD59 locus was more than 2-fold higher(p 0.01) in ALcells exposed to a cytotoxic concentration(1 μmol/L) of MC-LR for 30 days than in untreated control cells, which was consistent with the formation of micronucleus. MC-LR caused a dose-dependent increase in nitric oxide(NO) production in treated cells. Moreover, this was blocked by concurrent treatment with the NO synthase inhibitor NG-methyl-L-arginine(L-NMMA), which suppressed MC-LRinduced mutations as well. The survival of mitochondrial DNA-depleted(ρ0) ALcells was markedly decreased by MC-LR treatment compared to that in ALcells, while the CD59 mutant fraction was unaltered. These results provided clear evidence that the genotoxicity associated with chronic MC-LR exposure in mammalian cells was mediated by NO and might be considered as a basis for the development of therapeutics that prevent carcinogenesis.     

Toxicity-based assessment of the treatment performance of wastewater treatment and reclamation processes

The reclamation and reuse of wastewater is one of the possible ways to relieve the serious fresh water resource crisis in China. Efficient reclamation treatment technologies ensure the safe reuse of reclaimed water. In order to screen out and evaluate technologies appropriate for reclamation treatment, a great deal of efforts have been brought to bear. In the present study, a toxicity-based method including a Photobacterium phosphoreum test for acute toxicity and SOS/umu test for genotoxicity, accompanied by the traditional physicochemical parameters DOC (dissolved organic carbon) and UV₂₅₄ (absorbance at 254 nm), was used to measure the treatment performance of different reclamation processes, including the anaerobic-anoxic-oxic biological process (A²O) and subsequent physical/chemical reclamation processes (ultrafiltration, ozonation, chlorination). It was found that for the secondary effluent after the A²O process, both the toxicity and physicochemical indices had greatly decreased compared with those of the influent. However, chemical reclamation processes such as ozonation and chlorination could possibly raise toxicity levels again. Fortunately, the toxicity elevation could be avoided by optimizing the ozone dosage and using activated carbon after ozonation. It was noted that by increasing the ozone dosage to 10 mg/L and employing activated carbon with more than 10 min hydraulic retention time, toxicity elevation was controlled. Furthermore, it was shown that pre-ozonation before activated carbon and chlorination played an important role in removing organic compounds and reducing the toxicity formation potential. The toxicity test could serve as a valuable tool to evaluate the performance of reclamation processes.     

Soil warming effect on net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide during the transition from winter carbon source to spring carbon sink in a temperate urban lawn

The significant warming in urban environment caused by the combined effects of global warming and heat island has stimulated widely development of urban vegetations. However, it is less known of the climate feedback of urban lawn in warmed environment. Soil warming effect on net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of carbon dioxide during the transition period from winter to spring was investigated in a temperate urban lawn in Beijing, China. The NEE (negative for uptake) under soil warming treatment (temperature was about 5℃ higher than the ambient treatment as a control) was -0.71 μmol/(m².sec), the ecosytem was a CO₂ sink under soil warming treatment, the lawn ecosystem under the control was a CO₂ source (0.13 μmol/(m².sec)), indicating that the lawn ecosystem would provide a negative feedback to global warming. There was no significant effect of soil warming on nocturnal NEE (i.e., ecosystem respiration), although the soil temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) of ecosystem respiration under soil warming treatment was 3.86, much lower than that in the control (7.03). The CO₂ uptake was significantly increased by soil warming treatment that was attributed to about 100% increase of α (apparent quantum yield) and A_max (maximum rate of photosynthesis). Our results indicated that the response of photosynthesis in urban lawn is much more sensitive to global warming than respiration in the transition period.     

Anthraquinone acted as a catalyst for the removal of triphenylmethane dye containing tertiary amino group: Characteristics and mechanism

Herein, we found that anthraquinone (AQ) acted as a catalyst for the rapid and effective removal of triphenylmethane dye containing tertiary amino group (TDAG). Results showed that AQ had an enhanced catalytic reactivity towards the removal of TDAG compared to hydro-quinone, which was further proved and explained using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. AQs could achieve a TDAG removal efficiency and rate of approximately 100% and 0.3583 min⁻¹, respectively, within 20 min. Quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) tests indicated that the superoxide radical (O₂^•−) generated through the catalytic reduction of an oxygen molecule (O₂) by AQ contributed to the effective removal of the TDAG. In addition, it was found that the electrophilic attack of the O₂^•− radical on the TDAG was the driving force for the dye degradation process. Decreasing the pH led to protonation of the substituted group of AG, which resulted in formation of an electron deficient center in the TDAG molecule (TDAG-EDC⁺) through delocalization of the π electron. Therefore, the possibility of the electrophilic attack for the dye by the negative O₂^•- radical was significantly enhanced. This study revealed that the H⁺ and the O₂^•− generated by the catalytic reduction of O₂ have synergistic effects that led to a significant increase in the dye removal rate and efficiency, which were higher than those obtained through persulfate oxidation.     

Influence of gaseous and particulate species on neutralization processes of polar aerosol and snow — A case study from Ny-Ålesund

The inter-conversion of nitrogen and sulfur species between the gas and particulate phases and their interaction with alkaline species influences the acidity of the aerosols and surface snow. To better understand these processes, a short field campaign was undertaken in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, during 13th April 2012 to 24th April 2012. Air measurements were carried out through a particulate sampler equipped with denuders and filter packs for simultaneous collection of trace gases (HNO₃, NO₂, SO₂ and reactive nitrogen compounds) and aerosols, with daily collection of snow samples. Ionic composition of the samples was analyzed using ion chromatography technique. The results suggested that nitrate-rich aerosols are formed when PAN (peroxy acetyl nitrate) disassociates to form NO₂ and HNO₃ which further hydrolyzes to form pNO₃^? (particulate nitrate). This resulted in a high contribution of pNO₃^? (62%) to the total nitrogen budget over the study area. The acidity of the aerosols and snow evaluated through cation/anion ratio (C/A) indicated alkaline conditions with C/A > 2. The bicarbonates/carbonates of Mg^2 + played an important role in neutralization processes of surface snow while the role of NH₃ was dominant in aerosol neutralization processes. Such neutralization processes can increase the aerosol hygroscopicity causing warming. Chloride depletion in the snow was significant as compared to the aerosols, indicating two important processes, scavenging of coarse sea salt by the snow and gaseous adsorption of SO₂ on the snow surface. However, a more systematic and long term study is required for a better understanding of the neutralization processes and chemical inter-conversions.     

Biochemical and microbial soil functioning after application of the insecticide imidacloprid

Imidacloprid is one of the most commonly used insecticides in agricultural practice, and its application poses a potential risk for soil microorganisms. The objective of this study was to assess whether changes in the structure of the soil microbial community after imidacloprid application at the field rate (FR, 1 mg/kg soil) and 10 times the FR (10× FR, 10 mg/kg soil) may also have an impact on biochemical and microbial soil functioning. The obtained data showed a negative effect by imidacloprid applied at the FR dosage for substrate-induced respiration (SIR), the number of total bacteria, dehydrogenase (DHA), both phosphatases (PHOS-H and PHOS-OH), and urease (URE) at the beginning of the experiment. In 10× FR treated soil, decreased activity of SIR, DHA, PHOS-OH and PHOS-H was observed over the experimental period. Nitrifying and N₂-fixing bacteria were the most sensitive to imidacloprid. The concentration of NO₃^- decreased in both imidacloprid-treated soils, whereas the concentration of NH₄⁺ in soil with 10× FR was higher than in the control. Analysis of the bacterial growth strategy revealed that imidacloprid affected the r- or K-type bacterial classes as indicated also by the decreased eco-physiological (EP) index. Imidacloprid affected the physiological state of culturable bacteria and caused a reduction in the rate of colony formation as well as a prolonged time for growth. Principal component analysis showed that imidacloprid application significantly shifted the measured parameters, and the application of imidacloprid may pose a potential risk to the biochemical and microbial activity of soils.     

Biological methane production coupled with sulfur oxidation in a microbial electrosynthesis system without organic substrates

Methane is produced in a microbial electrosynthesis system (MES) without organic substrates. However, a relatively high applied voltage is required for the bioelectrical reactions. In this study, we demonstrated that electrotrophic methane production at the biocathode was achieved even at a very low voltage of 0.1 V in an MES, in which abiotic HS⁻ oxidized to SO₄²⁻ at the anodic carbon-cloth surface coated with platinum powder. In addition, microbial community analysis revealed the most probable pathway for methane production from electrons. First, electrotrophic H₂ was produced by syntrophic bacteria, such as Syntrophorhabdus, Syntrophobacter, Syntrophus, Leptolinea, and Aminicenantales, with the direct acceptance of electrons at the biocathode. Subsequently, most of the produced H₂ was converted to acetate by homoacetogens, such as Clostridium and Spirochaeta 2. In conclusion, the majority of the methane was indirectly produced by a large population of acetoclastic methanogens, namely Methanosaeta, via acetate. Further, hydrogenotrophic methanogens, including Methanobacterium and Methanolinea, produced methane via H₂.     

Cloning and expression of the first gene for biodegrading microcystin LR by Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms are a growing environmental problem worldwide in natural waters, the biodegradation is found to be the most efficient method for removing microcystins (MCs) produced by harmful cyanobacteria. Based on the isolation of a promising bacterial strain of Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05 for biodegrading MCs, we for the first time cloned and expressed a gene USTB-05-A (HM245411) that is responsible for the first step in the biodegradation of microcystin LR (MC-LR) in E. coli DH5αup, with a cloning vector of pGEM-T easy and an expression vector of pGEX-4T-1, respectively. The cell-free extracts (CE) of recombinant E. coli DH5αup containing USTB-05-A had high activity for biodegrading MC-LR. The initial MC-LR concentration of 40 mg/L was completely biodegraded within 1 hr in the presence of CE with a protein concentration of 0.35 mg/mL. Based on an analysis of the liquid chromatogram-mass spectrum (LC-MS), the enzyme encoded by gene USTB-05-A was found to be active in cleaving the target peptide bond between 3-amino-9-methoxy-2,6, 8-trimethyl-10-phenyl-deca-4,6-dienoic acid (Adda) and arginine of MC-LR, and converting cyclic MC-LR to linear MC-LR as a first product that is much less toxic than parent MC-LR, which offered direct evidence for the first step on the pathway of MC-LR biodegradation by Sphingopyxis sp. USTB-05.     

Intensified inactivation of model and environmental bacteria by an atmospheric-pressure air-liquid discharge plasma compared with chlorination

Water-borne pathogenic bacteria are always the top priority to be removed through disinfection process in water treatment due to their threat to human health. It was necessary to develop novel disinfection methods since the conventional chlorine disinfection was inefficient in inactivating chlorine-resistant bacteria, inducing the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) bacteria and forming disinfection by-products (DBPs). In this study, the inactivation of four model strains including Gram-negative (G⁻), Gram-positive (G⁺) and environmental samples by atmospheric-pressure air-liquid discharge plasma (ALDP) was assessed systematically. The results showed that ALDP was superior in inactivating all of the samples compared with chlorination. During 10 min ALDP treatment, the G⁻ bacteria were completely inactivated, and the G⁺ one was inactivated by more than 4.61 logs. The inactivation of bacteria from a campus lake and a wastewater treatment plant effluent exceeded 99.82% and 97.78%, respectively. For G⁻ bacteria, ALDP resulted in a much lower (10²∼10³ times) levels of VBNC cells than chlorination. ALDP could effectively remove the chlorine-resistant bacteria. More than 96.41% of the intracellular DNA and 99.99% of the extracellular DNA were removed, whereas it was only 56.35% and 12.82% for chlorination. ALDP had a stronger ability to destroy cell structure than chlorination, presumably due to the existence of ROS (·OH, ¹O₂ and O₂⁻). GC-MS analysis showed that ALDP produced less DBPs than chlorination. These findings provided new insights for the application of discharge plasma in water disinfection, which could be complemental or alternative to the conventional disinfection methods.     

Methyl tertiary-butyl ether inhibits THP-1 macrophage cholesterol efflux in vitro and accelerates atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice in vivo

The biosafety of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), mainly used as a gasoline additive, has long been a contentious topic. In addition to its routine toxicities, MTBE has been demonstrated to disrupt glucose and lipid metabolism and contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes as well as obesity. As one of the morbidities related to dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis is worthy of being investigated under MTBE exposure. Since foam cells derived from macrophages play pivotal roles during atherosclerosis development, we studied the effects of MTBE on macrophages in vitro and assessed the effect of MTBE on atherosclerosis plaque formation with the ApoE^?/? mouse model in vivo for the first time. Our results demonstrated that exposure to MTBE at environmentally relevant concentrations decreased the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1, which are responsible for macrophage cholesterol efflux, at both mRNA and protein levels in THP-1 macrophages. Consequently, treatment with MTBE inhibited the transport of cholesterol from macrophages to High-density lipoprotein. ApoE^?/? mice exposed to MTBE at environmentally relevant concentrations (100, 1000 μg/kg) displayed significant increases in lesion area in the aorta and aortic root compared to vehicle-treated ones. Further analysis indicated that MTBE exposure enhanced the macrophage-specific marker Mac-2 contents within plaques in the aortic root, implying that MTBE could promote macrophage-derived foam cell formation and thus accelerate atherosclerosis plaque formation. We for the first time demonstrated the pro-atherogenic effect of MTBE via eliciting disruption of macrophage cholesterol efflux and accelerating foam cell formation and atherosclerosis plaque development.     

中国典型城市机动车排放演变趋势

选择中国12个典型城市建立1990~2009年机动车排放清单,分析各城市机动车排放历史演变趋势.结果显示,1990~2009年,研究各城市CO、VOCs、NOx和PM排放因子分别降低57%~81%、53%~78%、22%~74%和31%~76%.20年间,各城市CO和VOCs排放量总体在2000年后陆续达到增长峰值后开始下降,总量分别增长1.0倍和1.4倍;NOx和PM排放量总体保持持续增长,分别增长3.2倍和3.3倍.各城市汽油车是CO和VOCs排放主要贡献源,LDA-G、MDTB-G和HDTB-G对各城市机动车CO和VOCs排放的贡献和分别为约70%~90%和约50%~85%,其中LDA-G的排放贡献明显提高.LDA-G、MDTB-G、MDTB-D和HDTB-D贡献了80%~90%的NOx排放,其中MDTB-D和HDTB-D的排放贡献率从平均57.8%上升为72.7%.对于PM,MDTB-D和HDTB-D占排放的70%~90%.此外,部分城市摩托车排放的贡献不容忽视.     

国外保护矿业环境的矿业立法择优

勘探尤其是开采对环境的污染和破坏是比较典型的,为此,世界绝大多数国家制订了独立于矿产资源法的《矿业法》,从立法资源上保证保护矿业环境的法律构建.国外《矿业法》以源头控制、全过程控制、无过错和合力等立法原则,贯通于行政特许权授予为主并综合运用矿业主体激励、市场力量、公众参与等其他管理方式之中,构建成立体性保护矿业环境的法律制度.国外矿业法择优显得我国取代《矿业法》的《矿产资源法》关于矿业环境保护的规定过分“吝啬“.     

小兴安岭泥炭藓沼泽生态系统中的汞

研究了小兴安岭汤旺河流域中的泥炭、土壤和植物样品的汞,泥炭地总汞的平均含量为65.8～186.6ng/g;高于黑龙江土壤A层汞平均含量,也高于美国佛罗里达大沼泽国家公园和瑞典Birkeness湿地的含量.甲基汞平均含量为0.16～1.86ng/g;约占总汞的0.2%～1.4%,泥炭地总汞最高浓度出现在5～10cm深处,为186.6ng/g,甲基汞最高浓度出现在10～15cm处,为1.86ng/g,均随深度增加而减少.甲基汞含量与总汞没有很强的相关性(P=0.05,r=0.28)     

我国四个港湾疏浚物石油污染

文中叙述了１９８８￣１９９０年间，我国４个港湾－大连湾、天津港、深圳湾及珠江河段各疏浚区疏浚物中油类污染调查及分布状况。文中介绍了站位布设原则，样品采集、样品处理、分析测试方法。进行了沾污疏浚物油类出溶出实验，认为油类溶出实验是估价疏浚物油类污染的程度的重要手段。讨论了４港湾疏浚物油类污染水平。大连湾海域疏浚物石油污染明显，珠江河段，深圳湾及天津港疏浚物稍受影响，基本上是清洁的。     

鸭绿江口潮滩沉积物间隙水中的营养盐

通过对鸭绿江口潮滩区2个采样点采集的柱状样分析、培养实验,测定了沉积物间隙水中的营养盐和沉积物中的S^2-结果表明,鸭绿江口潮滩区沉积物间隙水中的NO₃^-含量平均值为3.0μmol/L,垂直分布变化不大.PO₄^3-和SiO₃^2-的含量范围分别为0.8～70.4μmol/L,111.6～1054.3μmol/L,且两者垂直变化类似,随沉积物深度的增加先增加后下降.沉积物中硫化物的分布是随深度增加,含量升高.鸭绿江口潮滩区沉积物Eh、pH的测定结果显示,在13cm以下,Eh降为负值,沉积物还原性逐渐增强.而pH自上而下变化不大.由分子扩散公式计算结果表明,鸭绿江口潮滩区营养盐均由沉积物向上覆水扩散.     

上海城郊夏季大气VOCs在臭氧生成中的作用

为研究上海市夏季臭氧高发季节大气VOCs在臭氧生成中作用,选取2018年5～8月大气臭氧较高的时段,在淀山湖科学观测研究站对103种挥发性有机物、臭氧和氮氧化物等环境污染物进行观测.结果表明,上海臭氧高发季节大气平均φ（VOCs）为32.7×10^-9,羰基化合物是VOCs的主要组分,所占质量分数达35.0%.羰基化合物中甲醛体积分数最高,其次是丙酮,占12种测量羰基化合物总量的82.8%. 5月环境空气的化学反应活性最强,总的臭氧生成潜势（OFP）为337.2μg·m^-3,甲醛贡献率最大.烷烃、烯烃和芳香烃的日变化呈现夜高昼低规律,在早晨出现小峰值,与交通排放影响有关;而醛酮类日变化呈现昼高夜低规律,与光化学反应的二次生成过程有关.OBM模拟结果显示,5～6月属于臭氧生成的VOCs控制区,7～8月属于过渡区.     

深圳市夏季臭氧污染研究

以2009年8月为例分析了深圳市夏季臭氧污染情况及污染气象特征,基于二维空气质量模式对臭氧污染控制进行数值模拟. 结果表明:深圳市８月各监测点均存在臭氧超标现象,污染形势严峻;副热带高压控制和热带气旋外围下沉气流是造成夏季出现高浓度臭氧的主要天气过程,此时大气边界层混合层高度在500～800 m,且近地面风速约在5 ms以内,不利于污染物扩散;臭氧的生成受前体物挥发性有机物(VOC)和氮氧化物(NO_x)排放的共同影响,其中VOC排放的影响较大,深圳市臭氧控制应以降低VOC排放量为重点,模拟得出对VOC和NO_x按25∶1～40∶1的比例协同减排可有效降低臭氧污染.      

瑞丽城区一氧化碳污染的现状

经监测，瑞丽市城区街道空气中一氧化碳的日平均浓度己超过国家二级标准，其主要来源是汽车尾气排放，而且其浓度与汽车流量呈线性正相关。主导风与街道斜交，在街道峡谷内形成旋涡流场，使ＣＯ向背风面扩散并沿街道输送，导致局部测点浓度过高。目前控制ＣＯ浓度宜限制尾气超标汽车入城并合理分流入城汽车。     

Mercury in leaf litter in typical suburban and urban broadleaf forests in China

Leaf litterfall plays an important role in transporting atmospheric mercury to soil in forests area.     

上海冬季公共交通出行PM1污染暴露特征

使用DustTrakTM-II-8530粉尘仪对上海市居民出行的典型公共交通出行(地铁和公交车)的PM1暴露水平进行了平行监测,以了解其暴露特征.结果表明,公交车和地铁出行的单程平均PM1暴露浓度分别为(0.079±0.067)mg/m3和(0.065±0.056)mg/m3;交通工具内的暴露浓度低于户外步行的暴露浓度,尤其是地铁车厢内.公交车和地铁出行的单程暴露剂量分别为(0.028±0.024)mg和(0.034±0.033)mg.公交车出行的暴露剂量主要来源于车内,其贡献率达52.2%;地铁出行的暴露剂量主要来源于地面步行段(42.4%)及进站候车(44.2%).2种出行方式之间的暴露剂量和暴露浓度相对大小的不同表明,空气污染对公众健康影响的分析需要综合考虑出行方式和呼吸速率等的影响.