Organophosphorous compounds and oxidative stress: a review

Organophosphorous compounds (OP) have largely been used as pesticides globally. These chemicals induce oxidative stress as a possible mechanism of action, which has been a focus of toxicological research for the last decade. This review evaluated the presence of oxidative stress, balance between total antioxidant capacity, and oxygen free radicals associated with OP compound exposure. Oxidative stress induced by OP leads to disturbances in function of different organs and tissues. Evidence indicates that stimulation of free radical production, induction of lipid peroxidation, and disturbance of the total antioxidant capacity are mechanisms of toxicity induced by most OP. Thus, use of antioxidants may be beneficial in treatment of OP poisoning, which remains to be elucidated with further clinical trials.     

Enzymatic and cellular level effects of nickel∗

The effects of Ni on hepatic enzymes of tilapia, viz. acid‐ and alkaline phosphatases, catalase and glucose‐6‐phosphatase, both under in vivo and in vitro conditions reflected the following tendencies. In vivo conditions indicated maximal increase in activity for acid phosphatase at 3.00 ppm, equivalent to 28.5%, followed by a slight decrease and increase thereafter. As for alkaline phosphatase, gradual increase in activity was observed with maximal activity at 9 ppm of Ni, equivalent to 16.8%. Catalase demonstrated similar tendencies with maximal activity at 9.0 ppm, equivalent to 101.2%. In the case of glucose‐6‐phosphatase, the tendency was the reverse with maximal inhibition at 9.00 ppm, i.e. 41.9%. In contrast to in vivo conditions, in vitro systems indicated that all investigated enzymes were inhibited in the region of 4–10% except for catalase which demonstrated a slight increase by 5–6% in activity between concentrations of 10–15 ppm of Ni but thereafter continuous inhibitory effects prevailed.

At cellular level, exposure of tilapia to a lethal dose of 9 ppm of Ni indicated not much of an adverse effect except for a slight depletion in fat and glycogen content. In the case of mitochondria, they were normal and a few large secondary lysosomes were observed. In relation to the cell membrane no dramatic change was detected.     

Herbicides interactions with cow manure and field soil organic matter

The direct interaction of the herbicide metazachlor ‐chosen as an example‐ with the soil organic matter has been studied by laboratory incubation of old and young cow manures containing metazachlor. The extraction efficiencies of solvents of increasing polarities indicated the formation of association compounds by bonds weaker than covalent between metazachlor and the organic matter: electron donor‐acceptor complexes, hydrogen bonding complexes, and complexes by both bonding types. Laboratory incubation of metazachlor in soil of low organic matter content indicated that the soil mineral part only had a diluting effect on the soil organic matter capacity to adsorb metazachlor. Similar association compounds were observed in the soil of a cauliflower field crop. Their concentrations were greater in the plots treated with organic fertilizers than in the organic fertilizers untreated plots. The free‐ unbound metazachlor was faster metabolized than the one bound to the soil organic matter, explaining why the organic fertilizer treatments slow down the herbicide soil biodegradation during the main first crop period. Inclusion of metazachlor in the field soil humic acids lattice ‐another kind of herbicide association compound with the soil organic matter‐ occurred at crop end when most of the metazachlor was metabolized; the soil concentrations of this kind of association compound thus was low, so that the release after crop of metazachlor in the environment has no practical significance.     

加速溶剂萃取-固相萃取净化-超高效液相色谱串联质谱法测定土壤中11种全氟化合物

采用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱联用法（UPLC-ESI-MS/MS）,建立了分析土壤中11种全氟化合物（PFCs）的方法.以甲醇作为萃取剂,样品经加速溶剂萃取仪（ASE）萃取,固相萃取净化后,使用UPLC-ESI-MS/MS联用仪分析样品中11种PFCs.在6 min内就可快速稳定地将所选取的11种全氟化合物分离,且最低检测浓度为0.518—3.520 pg.g-1之间,这些化合物在土壤中的平均添加回收率在71.2%—119.2%之间.应用此方法测得宜兴市水稻土样品中所选取的PFCs含量为0.006—0.780 ng.g-1之间.     

挥发性有机物混合暴露对小鼠脑组织的氧化损伤及学习记忆能力的影响

为探讨挥发性有机物混合急性暴露对小鼠脑组织氧化损伤及学习记忆能力的影响,选用雄性昆明种小鼠50只,随机分为对照组和4个染毒组。1到4号染毒组中甲醛、苯、甲苯和二甲苯浓度依次为:(1.0+1.1+2.0+2.0)、(3.0+3.3+6.0+6.0)、(5.0+5.5+10.0+10.0)、(10.0+11.0+20.0+20.0)mg·m~(-3)。各染毒组混合气体组分的浓度分别是我国室内空气质量标准(GB/T18883—2002)的10、30、50和100倍。结果显示,在Morris水迷宫实验第4天,2、3和4号染毒组小鼠的逃避潜伏期分别为(68.9±10.3)、(72.2±4.0)和(71.5±5.1)s,比对照组(48.5±10.1)s显著延长(P<0.05或P<0.01),但小鼠的脑体比和抓力在染毒期间没有明显变化。同时,随着染毒剂量的增加,小鼠脑组织中GSH含量显著降低,ROS和MDA含量显著升高。研究表明,挥发性有机物混合暴露可导致小鼠学习记忆能力降低,而脑组织氧化损伤可能是引起神经毒性,导致学习记忆能力降低的原因之一。     

Effects of design parameters on performance and cost analysis of combined ultraviolet-biofilter systems treating gaseous chlorobenzene based on mathematical modeling

A conceptual mathematical model was used to evaluate the design parameters of a combined ultraviolet (UV)-biofilter system, and perform a cost analysis. Results showed that the UV light source strength and the gas residence times in the UV system (UVRT) and biofilter (EBRT) had positive effects on the overall chlorobenzene removal efficiency of the system. High ratio of UVRT to EBRT improved the removal efficiency, suggesting that the UV system has a greater effect on the overall performance of the system compared with the biofilter. Analysis of the capital and operating costs showed that the capital costs of the standalone biofilter system were much higher than those of the standalone UV system. However, the biofilter operating costs were lower than those of the UV system. The operating costs of the combined UV-biofilter system increased with increasing UVRT/EBRT ratio, whereas its capital costs decreased.     

Indoor carbonyl compounds in an academic building in Beijing, China: concentrations and influencing factors

Carbonyl compounds in indoor air are of great concern for their adverse health effects. Between February and May, 2009, concentrations of 13 carbonyl compounds were measured in an academic building in Beijing, China. Total concentration of the detected carbonyls ranged from 20.7 to 189.1 μg·m^-3, and among them acetone and formaldehyde were the most abundant, with mean concentrations of 26.4 and 22.6 μg·m^-3, respectively. Average indoor concentrations of other carbonyls were below 10 μg·m^-3. Principal component analysis identified a combined effect of common indoor carbonyl sources and ventilation on indoor carbonyl levels. Diurnal variations of the carbonyl compounds were investigated in one office room, and carbonyl concentrations tended to be lower in the daytime than at night, due to enhanced ventilation. Average concentrations of carbonyl compounds in the office room were generally higher in early May than in late February, indicating the influence of temperature. Carbonyl source emission rates from both the room and human occupants were estimated during two lectures, based on one-compartment mass balance model. The influence of human occupants on indoor carbonyl concentrations varies with environmental conditions, and may become significant in the case of a large human occupancy.     

四川省天然源VOCs排放量的估算和时空分布

利用遥感影像解译的土地利用现状和植被资料,对四川省天然源VOCs的排放情况和时空分布进行研究,建立了四川省天然源VOCs的排放清单.2012年四川省天然源VOCs的排放量为1413.74kt.其中异戊二烯占29.4%,为415.53kt,单萜烯占30.2%,为427kt,其他VOCs占40.4%,为571.215kt.排放量具有夏季高冬季低的典型特征,夏季占全年排放量的44%,冬季占9%.天然源VOCs的排放主要集中在林地密集和日照时间长的达州、巴中、广元、绵阳、乐山、眉山、攀枝花等地.研究表明,四川省天然源臭氧潜势为6134kt, 二次气溶胶的生成潜势为136kt.这说明其对环境空气质量的影响不容忽视.     

Peregrine falcon egg pollutants

The role of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) as a bioindicator for the accumulation of organohalogen compounds and other persistent organic pollutants has been established in field studies. Biometric indices for damage caused by pollutants such as the shell thickness and the shell index were determined and the egg contents were analyzed for various pollutants by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. A wide range of chemically activated luciferase expression (CALUX®) bioassays were performed on subsamples of the eggs.

The following organohalogen compounds were found in the eggs of 2009: dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane, heptachlor epoxide, hexachlorobenzene, dieldrin, hexachlorocyclohexane, polychlorobiphenyls and polychlorodibenzodioxins and polychlorodibenzofurans, polybromodiphenyl ethers, hexabromocyclododecane, tetrabromobisphenyl A, perfluoro compounds, and mercury. The DDT metabolite, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE) (11,800 ng/g dry matter), was found to be the most highly concentrated egg contaminant followed by 2,2′,4,4′,5,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl (3800 ng/g). After a past general drop in pollution level, most egg contaminants presently plateau at levels that may still exceed limit values in foods of animal origin (DDE) or even toxicological thresholds (polychlorobiphenyls + polychlorodibenzodioxins, polybromodiphenyl ethers, perfluorooctanesulfonate, methylmercury).

Accumulation of DDE could be shown in peregrine falcon eggs from the uplands of Southwest Germany with elevations up to 1500 m, presumably due to its global distribution and its cold condensation in higher altitudes. In contrast, the concentration of polychlorobiphenyls in falcon eggs decreases with elevation, indicating that these pollutants originate mainly from conurbations and local industrial sites.

Significant negative correlations were found between both shell index and thickness and the concentration of Hg. A deleterious effect is also evident from a no-observed-adverse-effect level of 120 ng MeHg per gram egg determined by other authors in chronic feeding studies with ibises, which resulted in decreased egg productivity and male homosexual nesting and courtship behavior. The average Hg concentration in the peregrine falcon eggs from 2009 is almost four times higher than this level. MeHg accounted for 82.5% of the Hg present in the eggs of 2009 and 2010.

The cell test DR CALUX® for screening of dioxin-like activities can be used to detect not only the 29 regulated dioxin-like substances but also many other persistent organic pollutants with dioxin-like potencies, such as mixed halogenated dioxins/biphenyls. In our case, the results of bioanalytical screening methods showed no additional effect of other compounds with dioxin-like activity.

Ninety-three out of 177 analytes sought could be detected in the eggs. Chlorinated paraffins, organotin compounds, some pesticides that are still in use, and phthalic esters with the exception of traces of diethylhexyl phthalate could be excluded. All pollutants found in the eggs belong to substance classes banned by the Stockholm and Minamata Conventions.     

广州市饮用水中挥发性有机物的研究

饮用水中的挥发性有机化合物（VOCs）来源于水源水受到的环境污染或是在净化消毒工艺处理工程中反应产生的副产物,可对人体健康造成极大的危害。改革开放以来,广州人口和经济得到突飞猛进的发展,也带来了包括饮用水安全在内的诸多严重的社会和环境问题。虽然饮用水中VOCs的研究已经得到越来越多的重视,但是目前对广州市饮用水中挥发性有机物的研究还鲜有报道。本文在广州市中心城区选取15个不同位置的采样点进行了自来水水样采集,并利用吹扫-捕集-气相色谱-质谱（GC-MS）联用系统分析技术测定水中 VOCs 的种类和三卤甲烷的质量浓度。结果表明,广州市中心城区的自来水中VOCs有20种,以三卤甲烷（THMs）和芳香烃类为主,占了所检出的物质总量的78%以上。THMs中四种化合物（氯仿、一溴二氯甲烷、二溴一氯甲烷、溴仿）的检出率达100%,总三卤甲烷的平均质量浓度为46.46μg· L-1,最大值为53.31μg· L-1,最小值39.91μg· L-1。根据2006版国家饮用水标准,四种三卤甲烷质量浓度均低于标准限值,符合标准要求。对市面上一般的瓶装水的研究发现,瓶装水中三卤甲烷的质量浓度非常低,总三卤甲烷平均质量浓度仅为1.47μg·L-1,约是自来水中质量浓度的1/30。为了解温度及煮沸对自来水中 THMs 质量浓度的影响,本研究设计了实验进行探究。结果发现加热至沸腾过程中,THMs质量浓度随温度升高而升高,而沸腾后THMs骤降,煮沸5 min可降低水中约95%的THMs,接近瓶装水中THMs质量浓度。