Contribution of tobacco smoke to environmental benzene exposure in Germany

The concentrations of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) constituents including benzene were measured in the living rooms of 10 nonsmoking households and 20 households with at least one smoker situated in the city and suburbs of Munich. In the city, the median benzene levels during the evening, when all household members were at home, were 8.1 and 10.4 μg/m³ in nonsmoking and smoking homes, respectively. The corresponding levels of 3.5 and 4.6 μg/m³ were considerably lower in the suburbs. Median time-integrated 1-week benzene concentrations in the city were 10.6 μg/m³ in nonsmoking homes and 13.1 μg/m³ in smoking homes. In the suburbs, the corresponding values were 3.2 and 5.6 μg/m³. While the benzene concentrations in nonsmoking homes located in the city were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in suburban nonsmoking households, no difference was found between smoking and nonsmoking households located either in the city or in the suburbs. Individual exposures to benzene and to specific markers for tobacco smoke of all household members (82 nonsmokers and 32 smokers) were determined by questionnaire, personal monitoring, and biomonitoring. Within the city, the benzene exposure determined by personal samplers was 11.8 μg/m³ for nonsmokers living in nonsmoking homes and 13.3 μg/m³ for nonsmokers in smoking homes. The corresponding values for nonsmokers living in the suburbs were 5.9 and 6.9 μg/m³, respectively. Neither difference was statistically significant. Nonsmokers living in nonsmoking households in the city had significantly higher exposure to benzene compared to their counterparts living in the suburbs (personal samplers: 11.8 vs 5.9 μg/m³, p < 0.001; benzene in exhalate: 2.4 vs. 1.1 μg/m³, p < 0.05; trans,trans-muconic acid excretion in urine: 92 vs. 54 μg/g creatinine, p < 0.05). Nonsmokers from all households with smokers were significantly more exposed to benzene than nonsmokers living in the nonsmoking households (personal samplers: 13.2 vs. 7.0 μg/m³, p < 0.05; benzene in exhalate: 2.6 vs. 1.8 μg/m³, p < 0.01; trans,trans-muconic acid excretion in urine: 73 vs. 62 μg/g creatinine), but the contribution of ETS to the total benzene exposure was relatively low compared to that from other sources. Analysis of variance showed that at most 15% of the benzene exposure of nonsmokers living in smoking homes was attributable to ETS. For nonsmokers living in nonsmoking households benzene exposure from ETS was insignificant.     

Nachhaltige Entwicklung von Managementstrategien: Multikriterielle Bewertungs- und Entscheidungshilfe-Instrumente im Umweltbereich

Zur Unterstützung von Bewertungs- und Entscheidungsprozessen über die Nachhaltigkeit von Managementstrategien, deren Auswirkungen durch unterschiedlich dimensionierte Indikatoren gemessen werden, gibt es verschiedene mathematische Methoden. In diesem Beitrag werden die Prinzipien dieser sog. multikriteriellen Bewertungs- und Entscheidungshilfeinstrumente beispielhaft anhand einer Auswahl von Strategien für ein Nachhaltiges Wassermanagement vorgestellt, sowie Vor- und Nachteile herausgearbeitet. Es wird gezeigt, dass sich die Verfahren insbesondere in Transparenz, Objektivit?t und durch den Grad an Partizipation durch Akteure z.T. erheblich unterscheiden. W?hrend die Hassediagrammtechnik sich an den naturwissenschaftlich begründbaren Datenmatrix orientiert und somit eine objektive und transparente Bewertung und Datenanalyse liefert, haben Konkordanzanalyse, Nutzwertanalyse, PROMETHEE und AHP ihre St?rken in der M?glichkeit, Akteure bzw. Stakeholder am Entscheidungsprozess partizipieren zu lassen. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A00OI029 00003     

Impacts on industry of Europe's emerging chemicals policy REACh

For Europe, a new regime in chemicals regulation is about to start. After the proposal of the European Commission concerning the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACh) passed its readings in the European Parliament and some differences with the European Council of Ministers were resolved, the regulation will come into force in June 2007. This paper is focused on the question how serious the cost burdens for industry induced by REACh will be, and whether the New European Member States (NMS) which joined the European Union in May 2004 will be able to cope with the regulation. This evaluation has been done by assessing the legislative, administrative and economic framework in New Member States and by analysing real business cases in companies. The empirical showcase business impact studies are at the same time of interest for companies of EU-15 states, other European countries who may implement the regulation, and even for exporters of raw materials and chemicals outside Europe, who will also have to comply with REACh if they market in the European Community. The results give no indications that REACh adoption will bring significant drawbacks to companies in the NMS. The emerging regulation will bring challenges for individual companies, especially for small and medium-sized ones, but for the European chemical industry as a whole, there is no question that it will be able to cope with REACh burdens without losing its global competitiveness.     

Röntgenreflex-Intensitätsverteilung bei Anwesenheit von Eigenspannungen I. und II. Art

The Science of Nature -