The structure of the fire fighting foam surfactant Forafac®1157 and its biological and photolytic transformation products

For several decades, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) has widely been used as a fluorinated surfactant in aqueous film forming foams used as hydrocarbon fuel fire extinguishers. Due to concerns regarding its environmental persistence and toxicological effects, PFOS has recently been replaced by novel fluorinated surfactants such as Forafac®1157, developed by the DuPont company. The major component of Forafac®1157 is a 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamide alkylbetaine (6:2 FTAB), and a link between the trade name and the exact chemical structure is presented here to the scientific community for the first time. In the present work, the structure of the 6:2 FTAB was elucidated by ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁹F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. Moreover, its major metabolites from blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) and turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and its photolytic transformation products were identified. Contrary to what has earlier been observed for PFOS, the 6:2 FTAB was extensively metabolized by blue mussel and turbot exposed to Forafac®1157. The major metabolite was a deacetylated betaine species, from which mono- and di-demethylated metabolites also were formed. Another abundant metabolite was the 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamide. In another experiment, Forafac®1157 was subjected to UV-light induced photolysis. The experimental conditions aimed to simulate Arctic conditions and the deacetylated species was again the primary transformation product of 6:2 FTAB. A 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamide was also formed along with a non-identified transformation product. The environmental presence of most of the metabolites and transformation products was qualitatively demonstrated by analysis of soil samples taken in close proximity to an airport fire training facility.     

Comparison of methods for evaluation of activity of photocatalytic films

Objective

This work aims to investigate the correlation between the photocatalytic activity determined by methylene blue bleaching (DIN 52980), stearic acid degradation, and degradation of acetone in gas phase.

Method

The photocatalytic TiO₂ coatings included in this investigation ranged from thin commercially available coatings (Activ^TM and BioClean^TM) and ready to use suspensions (Nano-X PK1245) to lab-produced PVD and sol?Cgel coatings. XRD analysis of the photocatalytic coatings showed that all the coatings consisted of nanocrystalline anatase, although the thickness and porosity varied considerably.

Results

The study showed that the reproducibility of the activity measurements was good. However, more importantly, the investigation showed that there is a good correlation between the activities determined by the different methods even though the characteristics of the photocatalytic coatings and the organic probe molecules varied considerably.

Conclusion

The overall findings of this work suggest that there is a good correlation between the investigated methods. These results are promising for the future work concerning standardization of methods for determination of the activity of photocatalytic films.     

Exposure to radiation from global system for mobile communications at 1,800 MHz significantly changes gene expression in rat hippocampus and cortex

We have earlier shown that radio frequency electromagnetic fields can cause significant leakage of albumin through the blood–brain barrier of exposed rats as compared to non-exposed rats, and also significant neuronal damage in rat brains several weeks after a 2 h exposure to a mobile phone, at 915 MHz with a global system for mobile communications (GSM) frequency modulation, at whole-body specific absorption rate values (SAR) of 200, 20, 2, and 0.2 mW/kg. We have now studied whether 6 h of exposure to the radiation from a GSM mobile test phone at 1,800 MHz (at a whole-body SAR-value of 13 mW/kg, corresponding to a brain SAR-value of 30 mW/kg) has an effect upon the gene expression pattern in rat brain cortex and hippocampus—areas where we have observed albumin leakage from capillaries into neurons and neuronal damage. Microarray analysis of 31,099 rat genes, including splicing variants, was performed in cortex and hippocampus of 8 Fischer 344 rats, 4 animals exposed to global system for mobile communications electromagnetic fields for 6 h in an anechoic chamber, one rat at a time, and 4 controls kept as long in the same anechoic chamber without exposure, also in this case one rat at a time. Gene ontology analysis (using the gene ontology categories biological processes, molecular functions, and cell components) of the differentially expressed genes of the exposed animals versus the control group revealed the following highly significant altered gene categories in both cortex and hippocampus: extracellular region, signal transducer activity, intrinsic to membrane, and integral to membrane. The fact that most of these categories are connected with membrane functions may have a relation to our earlier observation of albumin transport through brain capillaries.     

Using ecosystem-services assessments to determine trade-offs in ecosystem-based management of marine mammals

The goal of ecosystem-based management (EBM) is to support a sustainable and holistic multisectored management approach, and is recognized in a number of international policy frameworks. However, it remains unknown how these goals should be linked to assessments and management plans for marine fauna, such as mammals and fish stocks. It appears particularly challenging to carry out trade-off analyses of various ocean uses without a framework that integrates knowledge of environmental, social, and economic benefits derived from nonstationary marine fauna. We argue this gap can be filled by applying a version of the ecosystem-service approach at the population level of marine fauna. To advance this idea, we used marine mammals as a case study to demonstrate what indicators could operationalize relevant assessments and deliver an evidence base for the presence of ecosystem services and disservices derived from marine mammals. We found indicators covering common ecosystem service categories feasible to apply; examples of indicator data are already available in the literature for several populations. We encourage further exploration of this approach for application to marina fauna and biodiversity management, with the caveat that conceptual tensions related to the use of the ecosystem service concept itself needs to be addressed to ensure acceptance by relevant stakeholders.     

Concentration of organochlorine pesticides in wine corks

Wine corks were extracted and analyzed for 23 organochlorine pesticides, including alpha-, beta-, and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCH), hexachlorobenzene, DDT, DDE and DDD, chlordane, endosulfan, dieldrin, aldrin, and endrin. This was done to investigate the occurrence, concentrations, composition profiles, and possible sources of organochlorine contamination. All groups of compounds were detected in every sample investigated, with the exception of aldrin and endrin. The total concentrations of organochlorine compounds in all samples ranged from 75-120 ng/g lipid, and for most compounds, the concentrations of organochlorines in cork were consistent with published data for other plant tissues. Differences in the relative abundances of the various classes of organochlorine pesticides were substantial and were probably due to differences in the pesticide usage practices of the various regions in which the cork producing trees were grown.     

Morphology of grooming limbs in species of Petrolisthes and Pachycheles (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Porcellanidae): a scanning electron microscopy study

The morphology of the grooming limbs, the 5th pair of pereiopods, was studied by scanning electron microscopy in six species of porcellanid crabs, Petrolisthes cabrilloi, P. cinctipes, P. armatus, P. galathinus, Pachycheles monilifer, and Pachycheles rudis, and their function was inferred by comparison with findings from previous studies. Grooming limb morphology was almost identical among the four Petrolisthes species and differed little compared to that of the two Pachycheles species. The 5th pereiopods bore a basal tuft of mechanoreceptive setae, three different types of grooming setae armed with setules or denticles, two types of smooth sensilla for location and identification of fouling objects, and a terminal, toothed chela for picking firmly attached objects off the gills and body. The grooming limb was extremely flexible and could reach most parts of the body, including the gill chamber on the opposite side. The grooming limb morphology in Petrolisthes cabrilloi is consistent with its wellknown effectiveness in preventing parasitism by the rhizocephalan Lernaeodiscus porcellanae. Grooming setae remove recently attached cyprids, while the chela can grip and remove the much smaller, firmly attached kentrogons. Porcellanid crabs not known to host rhizocephalans, however, had grooming limbs almost identical to those of Petrolisthes cabrilloi despite their previously demonstrated failure to prevent settlement and infestation by L. porcellanae larvae. The effectiveness of P. cabrilloi in removing kentrogons, therefore, seems also to depend on behavioral adaptations whereby this species recognizes the parasite larvae as high-threat objects.     

Odor Thresholds by Forced-Choice Dynamic Triangle Olfactometry: Reproducibility and Methods of Calculation

The reproducibility of odor thresholds determined by forced-choice dynamic triangle olfactometry was studied employing panels of 23- 45 subjects who tested 12 odorants, with four replications for one (1-butanol). Depending on the selection of panelists, their number, and between-session differences in olfactometer variables, the standard deviation of log(threshold) values ranged from 0.12 (same session, different panels of nine) to 0.37 (different sessions, different panels of nine).

Among the demographic factors, only age was found significant; those below age of 30 were 1.6-3 times more sensitive than the older group. No systematic sensitivity difference was found between females and males, and nonsmokers and smokers.

Suspicion has been raised in the literature that the method used here, ASTM E679, yields biased results. It is shown for panels of 6-45 members that such biases are inconsequential if the range of concentration presented to the panelists is large enough, and the group threshold is well within that range. The Hall-Ellis method of calculation may have a slight advantage for panels of less than eight subjects, but such small panels are not advisable because of their high variability. The method based on the detectability index exhibited more scatter and would need an impracticaliy large number of measurements.