A new multipollutant, no-threshold air quality health index based on short-term associations observed in daily time-series analyses

Air quality indices currently in use have been criticized because they do not capture additive effects of multiple pollutants, or reflect the apparent no-threshold concentration-response relationship between air pollution and health. We propose a new air quality health index (AQHI), constructed as the sum of excess mortality risk associated with individual pollutants from a time-series analysis of air pollution and mortality in Canadian cities, adjusted to a 0-10 scale, and calculated hourly on the basis of trailing 3-hr average pollutant concentrations. Extensive sensitivity analyses were conducted using alternative combinations of pollutants from single and multipollutant models. All formulations considered produced frequency distributions of the daily maximum AQHI that were right-skewed, with modal values of 3 or 4, and less than 10% of values at 7 or above on the 10-point scale. In the absence of a gold standard and given the uncertainty in how to best reflect the mix of pollutants, we recommend a formulation based on associations of nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter of median aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microm with mortality from single-pollutant models. Further sensitivity analyses revealed good agreement of this formulation with others based on alternative sources of coefficients drawn from published studies of mortality and morbidity. These analyses provide evidence that the AQHI represents a valid approach to formulating an index with the objective of allowing people to judge the relative probability of experiencing adverse health effects from day to day. Together with health messages and a graphic display, the AQHI scale appears promising as an air quality risk communication tool.     

Combustion characteristics of simulated gas fuel in a 30 kg/h scale pyrolysis-melting incinerator

Combustion characteristics of gas fuel in a pyrolysis-melting incinerator having a 30kg/h capacity were investigated. Pyrolyzed gas from waste was simulated by propane that was injected in the combustion chamber, and burnt through multi-staged combustion by distributing the combustion air to primary, secondary, and tertiary air nozzles. Temperatures and the concentrations of gas components in the combustion chamber were measured. Combustion performance was evaluated with respect to the temperature distribution and combustion gas concentrations of O(2), CO and NO(x). Using secondary air and/or tertiary air, the combustion performance was improved, and, in particular, NO(x) concentration decreased significantly following the tertiary air injection.     

Assessment of Human Health Risk of Dioxin in Korea

This study assessed the daily exposure to dioxin using comparable approach methods in order to predict the human health risks of dioxin on the general adult population and incinerator workers in Korea. The health risk assessment of dioxin involved four scenarios (General-Direct, General-Breast Milk, General-Blood, and Worker-Blood). The risks were described in terms of the excess cancer risk and the MOEs (Margin-Of-Exposure) for cancer, reproductive dysfunctions, endometriosis, and neurobehavioral effects. The adult daily intake (General-Direct) of dioxin was estimated to be 0.50 pg-TEQ/kg-day based on the dioxin concentrations in the environmental media and foods in Korea. The average dioxin concentrations in General-Breast Milk, General-Blood, and Worker-Blood were 15.13 pg-TEQ/g fat, 14.57 pg-TEQ/g lipid, and 22.90 pg-TEQ/g lipid, respectively. The lifetime average daily doses (LADDs) of dioxin for General-Breast Milk, General-Blood, and Worker-Blood were estimated to be 1.35 pg-TEQ/kg day, 0.99 pg-TEQ/kg day, and 1.15 pg-TEQ/kg day, respectively. Although the estimated risks of cancer and reproductive dysfunctions were not unusually high in any of the four scenarios, the MOE values for the neurobehavioral effects on infants were not sufficiently high to guarantee the safety against this endpoint.     

Rhamnolipid morphology and phenanthrene solubility at different pH values

The effect of pH and rhamnolipids on the solubility of phenanthrene was investigated in a sand-water system. Batch phenanthrene solubilization experiments in this system showed that the highest phenanthrene solubility occurred at pH 5 in the presence of 240 and 150 mg L(-1) rhamnolipids. As the pH was increased from 5 to 7, the apparent solubility of phenanthrene decreased and then stabilized from pH 7 to 8. At pH 4, a dramatic decrease in phenanthrene solubility was observed. This result is in contrast to previous findings obtained in an aqueous system without soil particles. To investigate the reason for this decrease, the critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) were measured in the presence or absence of sand particles, and the maximum amount of sorbed biosurfactant at each pH was calculated based on the differences of the two CMC values. More rhamnolipid molecules were lost by the sorption into sand particles at pH 4 than at other pH values; this explains the dramatic decrease of solubility at pH 4 in the sand-water system. To confirm the explanation for the different solubilizing capacity that results from the structural change of biosurfactant aggregate, cryo-transmission electron microscopy was used. Micrographs showed that the rhamnolipid morphology changed from large lamellar sheets, to vesicle, and then to micelle as the pH increased. The large and multilamellar vesicles at pH 5 were considered to be the most effective structure for the solubilization of phenanthrene.     

Spatial trends of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in avian species: utilization of stored samples in the Environmental Specimen Bank of Ehime University (es-Bank)

The present study determined concentrations and patterns of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in specimens of open sea, and Japanese coastal and inland avian species, which have been stored in the Environmental Specimen Bank of Ehime University (es-Bank), to examine the spatial trends. PBDEs and PCBs were detected in all the muscle samples analyzed, suggesting that PBDE pollution has spread even to the remote open sea areas, as in the case of PCBs. Japanese coastal and inland birds accumulated higher concentrations of PBDEs than open sea birds. In addition, higher PBDE/PCB concentration ratios were observed in Japanese coastal and inland birds than in open sea birds, indicating the input of PBDEs into the Japanese terrestrial environment. Compositions of PBDEs varied among avian species with a predominance of BDE47 or BDE153. This could be due to differences in their habitat, food habit and/or biotransformation capacity of PBDEs.     

Characteristics of liquid product from the pyrolysis of waste plastic mixture at low and high temperatures: influence of lapse time of reaction

Pyrolysis of a waste plastic mixture (high-density polyethylene: low-density polyethylene: polypropylene: polystyrene = 3:2:3:1) into a liquid product was carried out in a stirred semi-batch reactor at low (350 degrees C) and high (400 degrees C) temperatures. The effect of lapse time of reaction in the reactor and also degradation temperature on the characteristics of the liquid product from pyrolysis of the mixture was investigated. Liquid products were described by cumulative amount distribution, paraffin, olefin, naphthene and aromatic (PONA) distribution and molecular weight distribution. Their characteristic was quite differed with a lapse time of reaction and also at a low and high degradation temperatures, because of the different physicochemical properties of the plastic types in the mixture. With increase of lapse time of reaction, the order for the main products in PONA components obtained at 350 degrees C was firstly aromatic products and then olefin products, while at 400 degrees C the order was firstly aromatic products, then olefin products and finally paraffin products. The experiments also showed from the molecular weight distribution of liquid PONA components that the paraffin and olefin products had a wide distribution by mainly random scission of polymer, but in the case of olefin products were produced by an end-chain scission mechanism as well as random scission mechanism, as evidenced by much more light olefin products. This phenomenon was evident at a higher degradation temperature. Also, both the light olefin and naphthene products with a molecular weight of around 120, as a main product, showed a similar trend as a function of lapse time, which had a maximum fraction at 343 min (at 350 degrees C) and 83 min (at 400 degrees C). Among PONA components, the highest concentrations of aromatic products were obtained with a molecular weight of around 100 at the fastest lapse time of reaction, regardless of degradation temperature. It was concluded that the characteristics of liquid product on the pyrolysis of plastic mixtures were strongly influenced by lapse time of reaction and degradation temperature.     

Preparation of coal slurry with organic solvents

In this study, various organic solvents were used to prepare coal slurries and the rheological and thermal properties of coal-organic solvent slurries were examined. Solvents with molecules containing unpaired electrons (high basicity) show high extraction power and cause swelling of coal. Therefore, coal-organic solvent slurries usually showed higher viscosities compared to coal-water slurry. In addition, coal slurries prepared by alcohols and cyclohexanone demonstrated lower settling rates but a high specific sedimentation volume presumably because these solvents swelled coal particles well and led to the formation of weak gel structures in the bulk. In addition, ethanol and cyclohexanone are capable of breaking a considerable amount of hydrogen bonds in coal and subsequently opening up the structures. Thus, more surface area is available for combustion and the combustion rate of coal slurries was increased.     

Concentrations and activity ratios of uranium isotopes in the groundwater of the Okchun Belt in Korea.

Groundwater samples obtained from the Okchun Belt in Korea were separated into particulate and filtered fraction using a 0.45 microm membrane filter and concentrations and activity ratios of uranium isotopes in the fractions were determined by chemical separation and alpha-spectrometric measurements. Most of the uranium isotopes in the groundwater were found in the filtered water. Only less than 1% of the total uranium was detected in the particulate fraction. The concentrations and activity ratios of uranium isotopes in the groundwater measured in this study were variable, depending upon sampling site. Owing to a rapid material exchange between the subterranean hot waters and the rock strata, the concentrations of 238U in the groundwater in the hot spring area were found to be about four times higher than those elsewhere. Because of the alpha-particle recoil effect, the activity ratios of 234U/238U in the groundwater taken at "cold" spring sites were variable within the range 1.20 to 3.58, depending on the residence time of the groundwater. In the hot spring area, the activity ratios of 234U/238U were close to the equilibrium value (1.10 +/- 0.07) due to rapid erosion of the rock strata by the hot spring water.     

Influence of five organic antifouling candidates on spore attachment and germination of a fouling alga Ulva pertusa

Screening of test chemicals or formulations for antifouling (AF) activity is important to get first hand information on their nontoxic repelling activities. Especially spores of a fouling alga, Ulva pertusa were used in this study to test the AF efficiency of five organic chemicals. Coatings made with 100 microg cm2 of citral and eugenol significantly inhibited the spore attachment. A low concentration (1 microg cm2) of solanesol exhibited effective AF activity against spore attachment. Spore germination was sensitive to different AF candidates screened in this study. Based on the attachment and germination response of Ulva pertusa spores, AF efficiency of five organic AF candidates is discussed.     

Evaluation of antifouling activity of eight commercially available organic chemicals against the early foulers marine bacteria and Ulva spores

Environmental impacts caused by tin and copper based commercial antifouling (AF) paints were proved to be detrimental to aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, a search of environmental friendly AF compounds to be used in marine paint to protect the surface of maritime developmental structures from the unwanted biofouling is a burning issue of the present time. Commercially available eight organic chemicals--allyl isothiocyanate, beta-myrecene, cis-3-hexenyl acetate, citral, ethyl heptanoate, eugenol, methyl caproate, and octyl alcohol were evaluated forAF activities using both laboratory and field assays. The test chemicals were found to repel the target motile marine bacteria--Alteromonas marina, Bacillus atrophaeus, Roseobactergallaeciensis and Shewanella oneidensis and motile spores of the green alga, Ulva pertusa. The bacterial and Ulva spore repulsion activities of the test chemicals were measured by chemotaxis and agar diffusion methods respectively interestingly these test chemicals were less toxic to the test fouling species. The toxicity of the test chemicals was measured by using antibiotic assay disks against the bacteria and motility test against Ulva spores. Moreover, in field assay, all test chemicals showed a perfect performance ofAF activity showing no fouling during the experimental period of one year Such results and commercial as well as technical feasibility of the test chemicals firmly showed the possibility of using as alternatives of the existing toxic AF agents.