Mass balance of arsenic and antimony in municipal waste incinerators

The arsenic and antimony balance in two municipal waste incinerators was investigated. Initially, the production rates of ash and wet scrubber effluent were estimated. Then the arsenic and antimony in the ash and wet scrubber effluent were determined, which gave an estimate of the elemental balance. The total amounts of arsenic and antimony in the municipal waste were 0.9 g/t and 30–44 g/t, respectively. The distributions to fly ash were 45–47% and 33–74% for arsenic and antimony, respectively. The distribution mechanisms of arsenic and antimony are discussed from the viewpoints of their thermodynamics as well as their initial valencies, which greatly affect their behaviour. Received: July 2, 1998 / Accepted: February 27, 1999     

Measurements of radon around closed uranium mines

There are several waste rock yards at closed uranium mines around Ningyo-toge, in the Western Honshu Island of Japan, and measurements of radon were carried out by both the passive method and the sampling method around these yards. As comparatively high radon concentrations were observed in two districts through routine measurements, more detailed measurements were made by the passive method in these districts. The impact of radon emanation from the waste rock yards was small for both residential districts and around these yards when considering the natural background level of radon. In addition, by simultaneous continuous measurements of radon and its progeny at two locations, it was estimated that the effective dose caused by the representative uranium waste rock yards was less than the public effective dose limit of 1 mSv year(-1) at the fenced boundary of the waste rock site.     

Anthropogenic radionuclides in the Japan Sea: their distributions and transport processes

The anthropogenic radionuclides, (90)Sr, (137)Cs and (239+240)Pu, were measured in the water column of the Japan Sea/East Sea during 1997-2000. The vertical profiles of radionuclide concentrations showed: exponential decrease with depth for (90)Sr and (137)Cs, and surface minimum/subsurface maximum for (239+240)Pu. These results do not differ substantially from results reported previously. The area-averaged concentrations of radionuclides in the Japan Sea are higher than those found in the Northwest Pacific Ocean below surface layer showing the accumulation of the radionuclides in the deep waters in the Japan Sea. Concerning spatial distributions, the area of high (137)Cs inventory extends from the Japan Basin into the Yamato Basin. It is suggested that wintertime convection of water, occurring mainly in the Japan Basin, causes the radionuclides to sink. The nuclides then advect into the Yamato Basin after detouring around the Yamato Rise.     

Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Reducing the Emission of Nitrogen Oxides in Asia

The purpose of this study is to evaluate cost-effective reduction strategies for nitrogen oxides (NO _x ) in the Asian region. The source-receptor relationships of the Lagrangian “puff” model of long-range transportation, ATMOS-N, were used to calculate the wet/dry deposition of the nitrogen (N) in Asia. Critical loads of N deposition in Asia were calculated from the relationships between the critical load of sulfur (S) and balance of N in and out using the data of S critical load of RAINS-ASIA. The cost functions of N reduction of Asian countries were derived by the regression analysis with the data of cost functions of European countries used in RAINS. In order to assess the environmental impact, the gaps between N deposition and critical load of N were calculated. The emission of NO _x was reduced in some cases of this model, and the changes of gaps between N deposition and critical load were observed as well as the changes of the reduction cost. It is shown that a uniform reduction of NO _x emissions by countries in Asia is not cost-effective strategy.     

The prenatal diagnosis of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) by mutation analysis

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is an important cause of hereditary stroke. Mutations in the Notch3 gene are clearly causally linked to this progressive vascular disorder. Cerebral ischemic attacks, cognitive decline, strokes, and vascular dementia constitute the major manifestations of this disorder. This report details the prenatal detection of a Notch3 mutation in the fetus of a couple where the father had a known mutation in this gene. This is the first report of a prenatal diagnosis of CADASIL, and another example of a serious, highly penetrant, and relentlessly progressive degenerative genetic disorder presenting decades after birth and for which prenatal diagnosis is an option. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anthropogenic radionuclides in sediment in the Japan Sea: distribution and transport processes of particulate radionuclides

Distributions of anthropogenic radionuclides ((90)Sr, (137)Cs and (239+240)Pu) in seabed sediment in the Japan Sea were collected during the period 1998-2002. Concentration of (90)Sr, (137)Cs and (239+240)Pu in seabed sediment was 0.07-1.6 Bq kg(-1), 0.4-9.1 Bq kg(-1) and 0.002-1.9 Bq kg(-1), respectively. In the northern basin of the sea (Japan Basin), (239+240)Pu/(137)Cs ratios in seabed sediment were higher and their variation was smaller compared to that in the southeastern regions of the sea. The higher (239+240)Pu/(137)Cs ratios throughout the Japan Basin were considered to reflect production of Pu-enriched particles in the surface layer and substantial sinking of particulate materials in this region. In the southern regions of the Japan Sea (<38 degrees N), both inventories and (239+240)Pu/(137)Cs ratios in sediment were larger than those in the other regions. In the southern Japan Sea, observations suggested that supply of particulate radionuclides by the Tsushima Warm Current mainly enhanced accumulation of the radionuclides in this region.     

T cell-derived IL-5 production is a sensitive target of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

The immune system is one of the organs most vulnerable to the toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Among the various immunotoxic effects of TCDD, the thymus involution and suppression of IgM antibody production are well known sensitive reactions of the thymocytes and B cells affected by TCDD. Recently, we reported that TCDD greatly inhibits the production of type-2 helper T (Th2) cell-derived cytokines, especially IL-5, by the splenocytes in mice immunized with ovalbumin (OVA). In the present study, we investigated the dose-dependency of these TCDD immunotoxic effects in OVA-immunized mice to identify the most sensitive target. Mice of two age groups, 6 weeks old and 3 weeks old, were dosed with 0.3, 1.0, or 3.0 microg TCDD/kg and immunized with OVA using alum as an adjuvant. Seven days later, the thymus weight, thymocyte population, antigen-specific IgM in the plasma, and IL-5 production by the splenocytes were examined. Among them, IL-5 production was significantly suppressed by all three doses of TCDD and reduced to about 30% by even a small dose of 0.3 microg TCDD/kg in both age groups. The thymus weight was significantly reduced by 1.0 microg or 3.0 microg TCDD/kg, but IgM production was not affected by up to 3.0 microg/kg of TCDD in both age groups. Taken together, the Th2 cell-derived IL-5 production was the most sensitive endpoint detecting TCDD toxicity among those examined. Our results also suggest that effector T cells are targets more vulnerable to TCDD toxicity than thymocytes or antibody-producing B cells in the OVA-immunized mice.