Distribution of six anticancer drugs and a variety of other pharmaceuticals,and their sorption onto sediments,in an urban Japanese river

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The distributions of 31 pharmaceuticals grouped into nine therapeutic classes, including six anticancer drugs, were investigated in the waters and...     

Photodegradation of tetraphenyltin contained in polychlorinated biphenyl-based transformer oil simulants in alkaline 2-propanol solution

The photodegradation of tetraphenyltin (TePT) contained in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-based transformer oil simulants by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in alkaline 2-propanol solutions was examined. In the absence of PCBs, the TePT level fell to below 1% of the initial concentration within 30 min. In the absence of both PCBs and an alkali, the concentrations of tri-, di-, and monophenyltins initially increased to a few milligrams per liter, and then reduced to below the detection limits within 90 min. The addition of an alkali to the reaction solution slightly accelerated the photodecomposition of TePT. The decomposition of other phenyltins (PTs) was also accelerated. When PCBs with concentrations of approximately 80 times the initial TePT concentration were added, only a small fraction of the TePT decomposed within 100 min. Moreover, the levels of PTs did not change during irradiation. TePT and other PTs did decompose when the level of PCBs was reduced to the same concentration as that of TePT; however, the decomposition rates were slower than those in the absence of PCBs. In the actual treatment process, TePT and other PTs in PCB-based transformer oil are decomposed by catalytic reduction, which is used after UV irradiation. Therefore, in the actual treatment of PCB-based transformer oil wastes, pollution due to PTs can be prevented.     

Cryptic invasion of northeast Pacific estuaries by the Asian polychaete, Hediste diadroma (Nereididae)

The estuarine polychaete, Hediste diadroma (Nereididae), of eastern Asia was found at all six sites sampled in October 2009 in northeast Pacific estuaries, including the Columbia River, along a 300-km stretch of coastline in Washington and Oregon, USA. The immature worms were returned to the laboratory in Japan where 13 of them were cultured to sexual maturity after 5–7 months. These worms had the diagnostic, epitoke-specific spinigers that distinguish H. diadroma from all other Hediste species. Their egg sizes (140–170 μm), paragnath numbers on the proboscis, and chromosome number (2n = 28) were also consistent with those previously reported for the Japanese population of H. diadroma. The widespread distribution of H. diadroma indicates that it is a successful invader of the North American Pacific and it may have long escaped detection because of its morphological similarity to the native species, H. limnicola. The long pelagic life of H. diadroma larvae could have facilitated its successful trans-ocean dispersal with ballast water of ships.     

Pinonaldehyde and some other organics in rain and snow in central Japan.

Solvent-extractable organic compounds in the rain and snow collected at local cities in the mountainous region in central Japan, were analyzed by GC/MS and GC. Pinonaldehyde (2,2-dimethyl-3-acetyl-cyclobutyl-ethanal), an atmospheric reaction product of alpha-pinene, was detected in the rain and snow for the first time, and n-alkanes (C17-C33), fatty acids (C8-C23), and benzoic acid were also detected as major organic components. Concentrations of pinonaldehyde, C17-C33 n-alkanes, C8-C11 fatty acids, C12-C23 fatty acids and benzoic acid ranged between <0.02-13, 0.10-35, 0.55-5.7, 4.2-19 and <0.02-6.0 microg/l, respectively. Their composition showed some difference in summer and winter. In summer, fatty acids and benzoic acid were more abundant, while pinonaldehyde and n-alkanes were much less. Higher photochemical reactivity and higher bioactivity in summer could explain these seasonal changes except for pinonaldehyde, which would suffer from further oxidation in the atmosphere after its photochemical production from alpha-pinene. Predominance of pinonaldehyde and C12-C23 fatty acids in the rain and snow showed a remarkable contrast to n-alkanes in aerosol phase, which were the most abundant components. It indicated that oxygenated products from biogenic compounds might be important as cloud condensation nuclei in forest areas.     

Particulate organic carbon and nitrogen in the eastern pacific ocean

Particulate organic carbon and nitrogen in sea water were measured in samples collected along a line 155°W; 50° N-15°S, during the cruise of R.V. “Hakuho-Maru” (KH-69-4). High concentrations of particulate matter were generally found at or near the sea surface; the concentrations decreased rapidly with depth. A consistent minimum was located in the depth range 150 to 250 m through the entire section sampled. The subsurface maximum layers roughly coincided with the chlorophyll maximum, but several irrregularities were noted. One of the most remarkable features of the vast stratum below 200 m depth was the presence of distinctively regional variation in concentration of particulate material through the entire section. In the section, we could define at least 6 large water parcels, vertically oriented, all with significantly different concentrations of both carbon and nitrogen. Variation in the deep water ranged from less than 5 μgC/l to more than 50 μgC/l. Correlation analysis between carbon concentration and apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) of ambient water for all samples showed that the carbon from particle-poor water parcels consistently decreased with increasing AOU, levelling to a practically constant low of around 5 to 10 μgC/l, whereas the carbon from particle-rich parcels was anomalously high (10 to 50 μgC/l) in the range of high AOU, and showed no consistent trend of convergence. The intergrated amount of particulate carbon in the total water column at each station was in the range 20 to 150 gC/m². More than 90% of this total amount was in the water column below 200 m depth, and the correlation of total amount of particulate material between the surface layer (0 to 200 m) and the water column below 200 m depth was highly significant. These observations are considered to indicate that the downward transport of these materials may be much quicker than so far estimated, at least in some localized areas.     

Composition of green turtle feeding aggregations along the Japanese archipelago: implications for changes in composition with current flow

In order to develop effective conservation strategies for endangered migratory species, the link between feeding and breeding grounds needs to be clarified. In this study, the genetic compositions of consecutive Japanese feeding aggregations of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) along the Kuroshio Current were examined by mixed-stock analyses of mitochondrial DNA control-region sequences. The results indicated that the southern feeding aggregation around Yaeyama (24.3°N, 124.0°E) was sourced from various Pacific rookeries in the Yaeyama, Ogasawara, Western Pacific, and Indian Oceans and Southeast Asia. Among northern feeding aggregations, the Ginoza (26.5°N, 128.0°E) aggregation was also sourced from the Western Pacific Ocean, but the Nomaike (31.4°N, 130.1°E), Muroto (33.2°N, 134.2°E), and Kanto (35.6°N, 140.5°E) aggregations were contributed mostly by the closer Ogasawara rookeries. The reduced contribution from tropical Pacific rookeries to northern feeding aggregations and the significant correlation between genetic differentiation and geographical distance matrices of feeding aggregations indicated that most hatchlings from these regions transported by the Kuroshio Current settle in upstream feeding grounds along the Japanese archipelago, implying that current flow influences the composition of feeding aggregations. Differences in the composition of relatively close neritic feeding aggregations have important conservation implications, for which both regional and multinational conservation strategies are needed.     

Excitation spectra in the fluorometric determination of chlorophyll-a and pheophytin-a

In the fluorometric method of chlorophyll determination, the ratio of fluorescence intensities for chlorophyll-a before and after acidification (the so called acid factor) varies in a fairly wide range. The variation has been explained by the influence of accessory pigments, the use of different acids for converting chlorophyll to pheophytin, or the use of different emission filters and photomultipliers. The authors found that the acid factor of chlorophyll-a is highly dependent on the selection of the excitation wave length.