A contemporary landscape of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions leads to inevitable phenomena of low birthweight

The objective of the study is to empirically examine the air pollution, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and low birth weight in Pakistan through the cointegration and error correction model over a 36-year time period, i.e., between 1975 and 2012. The study employed the Johansen cointegration technique to estimate the long-run relationship between the variables, while an error correction model was used to determine the short-run dynamics of the system. The study was limited to the following variables, including carbon dioxide emissions, methane emissions, nitrous oxide emissions, GHG emissions, and low birth weight in order to manage robust data analysis. The results reveal that air pollution and GHG emissions significantly affects the low birth weight in Pakistan. In the long run, carbon dioxide emissions act as a strong contributor for low birth weight, as the coefficient value indicates there is a more elastic relationship (i.e., ?1.214, p?p?p?相似文献   

全氟辛酸(PFOA)对菲律宾蛤仔体内酶活性的影响

采用半静态毒性实验方法,将菲律宾蛤仔(Ruditapes philippinarum)分别暴露于0.2、2、20μg·L-1的全氟辛酸(perfluorooctanoic acid,PFOA)中,在处理后第1、3、6、10、15、21天分别取样,测定整体组织中超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)、谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶(GST)、7-乙氧基异吩噁唑酮脱乙基酶(EROD)活性和过氧化脂质(LPO)含量。酶活性分析结果显示:PFOA对菲律宾蛤仔组织SOD、CAT和POD活性均呈现先促进后抑制的作用;低浓度组SOD活性在暴露第1天达到最高,显著高于对照组(P<0.01);中高浓度组SOD活性在暴露第6天达到最低;暴露1~15 d,低浓度组CAT活性均显著高于对照组(P<0.05);高浓度组CAT活性在暴露第6天得到显著诱导,其余时间基本处于抑制状态;中浓度组POD活性在暴露第3天即达到最高,高浓度组POD活性基本一直处于抑制状态;随着PFOA暴露时间的延长,菲律宾蛤仔组织LPO含量呈现了先降低后升高的趋势;各浓度组中EROD的活力都显著被诱导(P<0.01),与处理浓度呈正相关;中高浓度组的GST活性在胁迫期间变化比较显著,呈现诱导-抑制的变化规律。研究表明,PFOA暴露能够引起菲律宾蛤仔组织抗氧化酶和生物转化酶的变化,可以与其他敏感性指标一起作为指示早期海洋PFOA污染的生物标志物。     

生活垃圾堆肥浸提液组成及其演化规律

堆肥浸提液与渗滤液组成相似,研究生活垃圾堆肥浸提液组成与演化特征可以为堆肥过程污染控制和堆肥质量改善提供科学依据。通过基本理化指标和三维荧光光谱分析,研究了生活垃圾堆肥浸提液的组成和转化特性。结果显示,在堆肥一次和二次发酵过程中,浸提液p H由5.43上升至9.24,无机阴离子无显著变化,电导率(EC)稳定在7.50m S/cm上下波动,ORP为正值,总氮从611.08 mg/L下降至177.43 mg/L,NH+4-N和NO-3-N浓度变化不明显,NO-2-N从未检出到后期达10.28 mg/L,有机氮从246.64 mg/L下降至172.52 mg/L。溶解性有有机物含量(DOC)从7 419.00 mg/L降至5 569.00 mg/L,其中的有机物发生降解和转化,生成胡敏酸和富里酸等物质。浸提液中重金属Fe、Cd、Cu、Zn、Cr、Mn、Ni和As浓度升高。通过研究发现,在堆肥中添加木屑等填料可以降低浸提液中NH+4-N的浓度,具有除臭作用,同时对p H值、EC和ORP均有调节作用,能提高堆肥的土地可利用性。     

Mercury in dental amalgam: Are our health care workers at risk?

Dental amalgam in fillings exposes workers to mercury. The exposure to mercury was investigated among 1871 dental health care workers. The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of mercury exposure among dental compared to nondental health care workers and to determine other risk factors for mercury exposure. Respondents answered questionnaires to obtain demographic, personal, professional, and workplace information and were examined for their own amalgam fillings. Chronic mercury exposure was assessed through urinary mercury levels. In total, 1409 dental and 462 nondental health care workers participated in the study. Median urine mercury levels for dental and nondental health care workers were 2.75 μg/L (interquartile range [IQR] = 3.0175) and 2.66 μg/L (IQR = 3.04) respectively. For mercury exposure, there were no significant risk factor found among the workers involved within the dental care. The Mann–Whitney test showed that urine mercury levels were significantly different between respondents who eat seafood more than 5 times per week compared to those who eat it less frequently or not at all (p = 0.003). The urinary mercury levels indicated significant difference between dental workers in their practice using squeeze cloths (Mann–Whitney test, p = 0.03). Multiple logistic regression showed that only the usage of cosmetic products that might contain mercury was found to be significantly associated with the urinary mercury levels (odds ratio [OR] = 15.237; CI: 3.612–64.276). Therefore, mean urinary mercury levels of health care workers were low. Exposure to dental amalgam is not associated with high mercury exposure. However, usage of cosmetic products containing mercury and high seafood consumption may lead to the increase of exposure to mercury.

Implications: Exposure to the high levels of mercury from dental amalgam can lead to serious health effects among the dental health care workers. Nationwide chronic mercury exposure among dental personnel was assessed through urinary mercury levels. Findings suggest low urinary mercury levels of these health care workers. Exposure to dental amalgam is not associated with high mercury exposure. However, the usage of cosmetic products containing mercury and high seafood consumption may lead to the increase of exposure to mercury.     

Composting industry under the Chinese municipal solid waste sorting policy: challenges,opportunities, and directions

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

The ‘I see you’ prey–predator signal of Apis cerana is innate

An ‘I see you’ (ISY) prey–predator signal can co-evolve when such a signal benefits both prey and predator. The prey benefits if, by producing the signal, the predator is likely to break off an attack. The predator benefits if it is informed by the signal that the prey is aware of its presence and can break off what is likely to be an unsuccessful and potentially costly hunt. Because the signal and response co-evolve in two species, the behaviour underlying an ISY signal is expected to have a strong genetic component and cannot be entirely learned. An example of an ISY signal is the ‘shimmering’ behaviour performed by Asian hive bee workers in the presence of their predator Vespa velutina. To test the prediction that bee–hornet signalling is heritable, we let honey bee workers of two species emerge in an incubator so that they had never been exposed to V. velutina. In Apis cerana, the shimmering response developed 48 h post-emergence, was strong after 72 h and increased further over 2 weeks. In contrast, A. mellifera, which has evolved in the absence of Asian hornets, did not produce the shimmering signal. In control tests, A. cerana workers exposed to a non-threatening butterfly did not respond with the shimmering signal.     

预氧化技术在油田污水处理中的应用研究

预氧化技术是随着油田污水处理的需要发展起来的一种新技术。预氧化的目的就是把二价铁离子转化为三价铁,并在后期通过添加化学药剂沉淀出来,从而提高水质稳定性,降低后续处理过程的结垢现象。目前采用的预氧化技术主要有两种:化学预氧化和电化学预氧化。详细介绍预氧化技术,并通过与传统工艺技术的对比总结了预氧化技术的特点;分析了两种预氧化技术的异同;并通过这两种技术在油田的实际应用情况对它们的应用水质、运行管理、加药情况等方面进行了对比研究,总结了两种技术的优缺点及适用水质,并对该技术以后的推广应用提出相应建议。     

基于DOC+CDPF后处理技术的公交车实际道路颗粒物排放特性

利用车载排放测试系统,对柴油公交车安装氧化催化转化器(DOC)+催化型颗粒捕集器(CDPF)前后的实际道路工况颗粒物排放特性进行了研究。安装DOC+CDPF前后,稳态工况下,颗粒物数量排放(PN)、质量排放(PM)分别在车速为25,30 km/h降幅最大;瞬态工况下,随着加速度的增加,PN、PM排放率降幅逐渐增大;颗粒粒径分布规律不同,安装前呈单峰或双峰分布,而安装后呈三峰分布,粒径124.1 nm左右降幅最大。