Effects of multiple but low pesticide loads on aquatic fungal communities colonizing leaf litter

In the first tier risk assessment (RA) of pesticides, risk for aquatic communities is estimated by using results from standard laboratory tests with algae, daphnids and fish for single pesticides such as herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. However, fungi as key organisms for nutrient cycling in ecosystems as well as multiple pesticide applications are not considered in the RA. In this study, the effects of multiple low pesticide pulses using regulatory acceptable concentrations (RACs) on the dynamics of non-target aquatic fungi were investigated in a study using pond mesocosm. For that, fungi colonizing black alder (Alnus glutinosa) leaves were exposed to multiple, low pulses of 11 different pesticides over a period of 60 days using a real farmer''s pesticide application protocol for apple cropping. Four pond mesocosms served as treatments and 4 as controls. The composition of fungal communities colonizing the litter material was analyzed using a molecular fingerprinting approach based on the terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (t-RFLP) of the fungal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of the ribonucleic acid (RNA) gene(s). Our data indicated a clear fluctuation of fungal communities based on the degree of leaf litter degradation. However significant effects of the applied spraying sequence were not observed. Consequently also degradation rates of the litter material were not affected by the treatments. Our results indicate that the nutrient rich environment of the leaf litter material gave fungal communities the possibility to express genes that induce tolerance against the applied pesticides. Thus our data may not be transferred to other fresh water habitats with lower nutrient availability.     

The Swedish joint action method against drink driving—a study of suspected drink drivers' own experiences

Objective: In Sweden, a joint action method called SMADIT is in use, where the police quickly offer help from the social services or the dependency care and treatment service to suspected drink drivers. The objective of this article is to analyze the experiences of suspected drink drivers who accepted the offer of help and what it meant for them. The knowledge can be used to improve procedures and consultations. Furthermore, it can allow the basic premises of the method to be examined; for example, the importance of offering help quickly.

Methods: To enable comparisons over time, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 suspected drink drivers on 2 occasions with 1 year between.

Results: To varying degrees the informants knew about their alcohol problems but were unsure whether they would have sought help by themselves. Therefore, the original ideas of the method with an initial contact with the social services or the dependency care and treatment service within 24 h was found to be important. However, the results also showed that some of the informants needed some time before the first meeting because they were in shock from the drink driving incident or in need of sleep. Therefore, the drink driver's situation and individual wishes always have to be considered. The article also shows that an encouraging attitude among the police, the social services, and the dependency care and treatment service is important for the success of the SMADIT method.

The informants are satisfied with the method and in retrospect the incident and the SMADIT offer of help are described as a turning point in their lives. One year after being offered help the informants were no longer focused solely on the personal consequences of drink driving, as they were shortly after the incident. Instead, they had gained insights into the harm they could have done to other road users when they drove while drunk.

Conclusions: One conclusion from this article is that SMADIT, as an innovative method that can be deployed more rapidly than other alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures, should be considered as a good complement to conventional methods to deal with drink driving. Based on the results, we recommend a trial of the joint action method against drink driving in other jurisdictions.     

Material Flow Analysis: a tool to support environmental policy decision making. Case-studies on the city of Vienna and the Swiss lowlands

This paper discusses the use of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) as a tool to support policy decision making in the field of resource and environmental management. In terms of policy, MFA can be used for early recognition, priority setting, to analyse and improve the effectiveness of measures and to design efficient material management strategies in view of sustainability. MFA has a high potential to be implemented as a guiding tool at the regional level, for example as part of a regional environmental management and audit system or as a part of the Local Agenda 21 process. Material management based on MFA is complementary to traditional environmental and resource management strategies, which have tended to focus heavily on specific environmental compartments, and measure the concentration of substances in various media. MFA, in contrast, provides an overview of the total system by linking the anthroposphere (that part of the biosphere in which humans' activities take place) with the environment. This system approach shifts the focus away from the back-end so-called 'filter strategies' to more pro-active front-end measures. MFA examines short- and long-term loadings rather than concentrations and highlights current and potential material accumulations, called material stocks. These stocks represent either potential environmental problems (e.g. large stocks of hazardous materials) or a potential source of future resources (e.g. urban mining). In this way, MFA can assist precautionary policy making by highlighting future environmental or resource issue problems without relying on signals of environmental stress. The objective of materials management is: firstly, to analyse material flows and stocks; secondly, to evaluate these results; and thirdly, to control material flows in view of certain goals such as sustainable development. MFA is an excellent tool for the first objective and is well suited to generate a base for the other two objectives. MFA results can be compared against environmental standards or can be interpreted using assessment or indicator methodologies (such as environmental impact assessment or ecological footprints). Selected results from two studies, carried out for the city of Vienna (substance management) and the Swiss lowlands (timber management), illustrate the use of MFA as a tool for early recognition (resource depletion and environmental quality), for priority setting and for effective policy making.     

The effect of atmospheric thermal conditions and urban thermal pollution on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Bangladesh

This study assessed the effect of temperature and thermal atmospheric conditions on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in Bangladesh. In particular, differences in the response to elevated temperatures between urban and rural areas were investigated. Generalized additive models (GAMs) for daily death counts, adjusted for trend, season, day of the month and age were separately fitted for urban and rural areas. Breakpoint models were applied for determining the increase in mortality above and below a threshold (equivalent) temperature. Generally, a 'V'-shaped (equivalent) temperature-mortality curve with increasing mortality at low and high temperatures was observed. Particularly, urban areas suffered from heat-related mortality with a steep increase above a specific threshold. This adverse heat effect may well increase with ongoing urbanization and the intensification of the urban heat island due to the densification of building structures. Moreover, rising temperatures due to climate change could aggravate thermal stress.     

Influence of the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in rhizosphere and bulk soil

In agricultural plant production nitrification inhibitors like 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) are used to retard the microbial nitrification process of fertilized ammonium to enhance the nitrogen supply for cultivated crops and to reduce nitrogen losses from the production system. Besides the well-known ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) it is known for a few years that also ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are able to perform the first step in nitrification, hence being also a target for a nitrification inhibitor. However, so far no information are available concerning the effectiveness of DMPP and its extent towards AOB and AOA, neither in bulk soil nor in the root-rhizosphere complex. We investigated in a field experiment performed according to agricultural practice the effect of DMPP on the abundance of AOB and AOA two, four and eight weeks after fertilization. We observed impaired abundances of AOB but not of AOA in both soil compartments that were still visible eight weeks after application, possibly indicating a reduced effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitor in our study.     

Apportioning black carbon to sources using highly time-resolved ambient measurements of organic molecular markers in Pittsburgh

We present highly time-resolved measurements of organic molecular markers in downtown Pittsburgh, which are used to investigate sources contributing to atmospheric aerosols in the area. Two-hour average concentrations of condensed-phase and semivolatile organic species were measured using a Thermal Desorption Aerosol GC/MS (TAG). Concentrations for mobile source markers like hopanes had regular diurnal and day-of-week patterns. Pairing high time-resolved measurements with meteorological data helped identify contributions from known point sources for markers correlated with wind direction. Black carbon (BC), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and organic molecular markers were apportioned to sources using the Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor models. Diesel and gasoline mobile source factors were identified as the main sources of BC in the downtown Pittsburgh area, contributing 67% and 20% of the study-average BC. 13% of the BC was associated with a source factor tentatively identified as an industrial or regional source. The high time resolution of the TAG has the potential to provide important new insight into source apportionment efforts using organic molecular marker measurements.     

Invertebrates control metal/metalloid sequestration and the quality of DOC/DON released during litter decay in slightly acidic environments

Plant litter and organic sediments are a main sink for metals and metalloids in aquatic ecosystems. The effect of invertebrate shredder (a key species in litter decay) on metal/metalloid fixation by organic matter is described only under alkaline water conditions whereas for slightly acidic waters nothing can be found. Furthermore, less is known about the effect of invertebrate shredders on the quality of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) released during litter decay. We conducted an experiment to investigate the impact of invertebrate shredder (Gammarus pulex) on metal/metalloid fixation/remobilization and on the quality of DOC/DON released under slightly acidic water conditions. During decomposition of leaf litter, invertebrate shredder facilitated significantly the emergence of smaller particle sizes of organic matter. The capacity of metal fixation was significantly higher in smaller particles (POM 2,000?C63???m) compared to original leaf litter and litter residues. Thus, G. pulex enhanced metal fixation by organic partition of sediments by increasing the amount of smaller particle of organic matter in aquatic ecosystems. In contrast, the capacity of metal/metalloid fixation in the smallest fraction of POM (<63???m) was lower compared with leaf residues in treatment without invertebrates. Remobilization of metals and metalloids was very low for all measured elements. A significant effect of invertebrates on quantitative formation of DOC/DON was confirmed. The quality of released DOC/DON, which may affect metal/metalloid remobilization, was also significantly affected by invertebrate shredders (e.g., more carboxylates). Hence, invertebrate shredder enhanced significantly the fixation of metals/metalloids into POM in slightly acidic environments.     

An international comparative study of end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling systems

End-of-life vehicles (ELV) have become a global concern as automobiles have become popular worldwide. An international workshop was held to gather data and to discuss 3R policies and ELV recycling systems, their background and present situation, outcomes of related policies and programs, the framework of recycling and waste management, and case studies on related topics in several countries and regions, as well as the essential points of the comparison. Legislative ELV recycling systems are established in the EU, Japan, Korea, and China, while in the US, ELV recycling is managed under existing laws on environmental protection. Since automobile shredding residue (ASR) has a high calorific value and ash content, and includes heavy metals as well as a mass of unclassified fine particles, recycling ASR is considered highly difficult. Countries with a legislative ELV system commonly set a target for recovery rates, with many aiming for more than 95 % recovery. In order to reach this target, higher efficiency in ASR recovery is needed, in addition to material recycling of collectable components and metals. Environmentally friendly design was considered necessary at the planning and manufacturing stages, and the development of recycling systems and techniques in line with these changes are required for sound ELV management.     

In vitro biotransformation of surfactants in fish. Part I: linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (C12-LAS) and alcohol ethoxylate (C13EO8)

Developing regulatory activities (e.g., REACh, [DGEE. 2003. Directorates General Enterprise and Environment. The new EU chemicals legislation REACH. DG Enterprise, Brussels, Belgium. (http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/reach/index_en.htm)]) will require bioaccumulation to be assessed for thousands of chemicals. Further, there is increasing pressure to reduce, refine or replace animal tests. Given this scenario, there is an urgent need to evaluate the feasibility of in vitro systems to supply data useful for bioaccumulation estimation. Subcellular and cellular hepatic systems were tested to determine the biotransformation of two surfactants: C12-2-LAS (2-phenyl dodecane p-sulfonate) and an alcohol ethoxylate C13EO8 (Octaethylene glycol monotridecyl ether). The subcellular systems tested were liver homogenates and microsomes from the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Cellular systems consisted of primary hepatocytes from the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and PLHC-1 cells, hepatocarcinoma cells from the desert topminnow (Poeciliopsis lucida). All in vitro systems were exposed to radiolabeled test compounds and assayed for biotransformation using liquid scintillation and thin layer chromatographic methods. First-order kinetics were used to estimate rates of biotransformation. Bioconcentration of test materials in fish were predicted using an in vitro to in vivo metabolic rate extrapolation model linked to a mass-balance model commonly used to predict bioaccumulation in fish. Subcellular biotransformation rates for each of the surfactants were greatest with microsomes. Cellular loss rates exceeded subcellular rates, leading to lower predicted BCF values. Predicted BCFs corresponded closely to measured values in several fish species, verifying the utility of in vitro systems in refining Kow-only-based BCFs via the inclusion of biotransformation rates.