Life cycle of PCBs and contamination of the environment and of food products from animal origin

This report gives a summary of the historic use, former management and current release of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Germany and assesses the impact of the life cycle of PCBs on the contamination of the environment and of food products of animal origin. In Germany 60,000 t of PCBs were used in transformers, capacitors or as hydraulic oils. The use of PCB oils in these “closed applications”, has been banned in Germany in 2000. Thirty to 50% of these PCBs were not appropriately managed. In West Germany, 24,000 t of PCBs were used in open applications, mainly as additive (plasticiser, flame retardant) in sealants and paints in buildings and other construction. The continued use in open applications has not been banned, and in 2013, an estimated more than 12,000 t of PCBs were still present in buildings and other constructions. These open PCB applications continuously emit PCBs into the environment with an estimated release of 7–12 t per year. This amount is in agreement with deposition measurements (estimated to 18 t) and emission estimates for Switzerland. The atmospheric PCB releases still have an relevant impact on vegetation and livestock feed. In addition, PCBs in open applications on farms are still a sources of contamination for farmed animals. Furthermore, the historic production, use, recycling and disposal of PCBs have contaminated soils along the lifecycle. This legacy of contaminated soils and contaminated feed, individually or collectively, can lead to exceedance of maximum levels in food products from animals. In beef and chicken, soil levels of 5 ng PCB-TEQ/kg and for chicken with high soil exposure even 2 ng PCB-TEQ/kg can lead to exceedance of EU limits in meat and eggs. Areas at and around industries having produced or used or managed PCBs, or facilities and areas where PCBs were disposed need to be assessed in respect to potential contamination of food-producing animals. For a large share of impacted land, management measures applicable on farm level might be sufficient to continue with food production. Open PCB applications need to be inventoried and better managed. Other persistent and toxic chemicals used as alternatives to PCBs, e.g. short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), should be assessed in the life cycle for exposure of food-producing animals and humans.     

Hexabromocyclododecane diastereomers in fish and suspended particulate matter from selected European waters—trend monitoring and environmental quality standard compliance

The brominated flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) was monitored in fish and sediment (from one lake) or suspended particulate matter (SPM; from five rivers) at European freshwater sites to study the effects of reduction measures implemented by HBCD producers and users in recent years. Bream (Abramis brama) were sampled annually between 2007 and 2013 in the rivers Götaälv/SE, Rhône/FR, Western Scheldt/NL, Mersey/UK, and Tees/UK and in Lake Belau/DE. Sediment/SPM was taken every second year between 2008 and 2014. HBCD was analyzed by LC/MS/MS allowing the determination of the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-diastereomers. For most sites, a decrease in ∑HBCD was observed in fish (e.g., in the Rhône and Western Scheldt by about 80 and 60%, respectively, with significantly decreasing trends, p < 0.01). In the Rhône, HBCD also decreased in SPM. At the sampling site in the Tees which was impacted by a former HBCD point source, fish HBCD levels decreased only after a major flood event in 2013. While fish data indicate a decline in environmental HBCD concentrations at most sites with diffuse emissions, SPM data were less conclusive. The European environmental quality standard for HBCD in fish of 167 μg kg^?1 wet weight was met by all fish samples in 2013.     

Impact of climate change on vulnerability of forests and ecosystem service supply in Western Rhodopes Mountains

The vulnerability of forest ecosystem services to climate change is expected to depend on landscape characteristic and management history, but may also be influenced by the proximity to the southern range limit of constituent tree species. In the Western Rhodopes in South Bulgaria, Norway spruce is an important commercial species, but is approaching its current southern limit. Using climate sensitive forest models, we projected the impact of climate change on timber production, carbon storage, biodiversity and soil retention in two representative landscapes in the Western Rhodopes; a lower elevation landscape (1000–1450 m a.s.l) dominated by mixed species forests, and a higher elevation landscape (1550–2100 m a.s.l.) currently dominated by spruce. In both landscapes climate change is projected to induce a shift in forest composition, with drought-sensitive species, such as Norway spruce, being replaced by more drought-tolerant species such as Scots pine and black pine at lower elevations. In the higher elevation landscape a reduction in spruce growth is projected, particularly under the more severe climate change scenarios. Under most climate scenarios a reduction in growing stock is projected to occur, but under some scenarios a moderate increase in higher elevation stands (>1500 m a.s.l.) is expected. Climate change is projected to negatively influence carbon storage potential across landscapes with the magnitude depending on the severity of the climate change scenario. The impact of climate change on forest diversity and habitat availability is projected to differ considerably between the two landscapes, with diversity and habitat quality generally increasing at higher elevations, and being reduced at lower elevations. Our results suggest that if currently management practices are maintained the sensitivity of forests and forest ecosystem services in the Western Rhodopes to climate change will differ between low and higher elevation sites and will depend strongly on current forest composition.     

Monitoring of hexabromocyclododecane diastereomers in fish from European freshwaters and estuaries

Background and aims  

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is a brominated flame retardant used mainly in polystyrene foam as well as in textile applications. In recent years, measures were taken to reduce HBCD emissions during its production and use. To evaluate the efficacy of these measures, a monitoring project was initiated with fish as bioaccumulation indicators.     

Assessment of the interrelation between photooxidation and biodegradation of selected polyesters after artificial weathering

Three commercially available biodegradable polymers, two different aromatic-aliphatic copolyesters and polylactic acid, intended for the fabrication of agricultural mulching films, in addition to other applications, were subjected to a series of tests with the aim of studying the relationship between their photooxidation and biodegradation. Photooxidation resulted in the rearrangement of polymeric chains, in the case of both copolyesters the events led to polymeric chain crosslinking and the formation of insoluble polymeric gel. The tendency was significantly more pronounced for the copolyester with the higher content of the aromatic constituent. As regards polylactic acid photochemical reactions were not accompanied by crosslinking but instead provoked chain scissions. A biodegradation experiment showed that, despite marked structural changes, the extent of photooxidation was not the decisive factor, which significantly modified the rate of biodegradation in all three materials investigated. The specific surface area of the sample specimens was shown to be more important.     

Solubilities of selected organic electronic materials in pressurized hot water and estimations of aqueous solubilities at 298.15 K

Increasing production and disposal of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays for smartphones and tablets may have impact on the environment depending on the aqueous solubility of the pertinent chemicals. Here, aqueous solubilities are presented for several compounds, mostly aromatic amines, used as hole transport materials in the OLED displays. Solute selection includes 1,4-bis(diphenylamino)benzene, tetra-N-phenylbenzidine, 4,4′-bis(N-carbazolyl)-1,1′-biphenyl, 1,3,5-tris(diphenylamino)benzene, and 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene. The solubilities are those in pressurized hot water (PHW), i.e., measured at elevated temperature (up to 260 °C) and pressure. The semi-quantitative estimates of room-temperature solubilities of the solutes have been obtained from extrapolations of the solubilities in PHW. For the compounds studied, the estimated aqueous solubilities at room temperature do not exceed 2 × 10^?11 g of the solute per 1 kg of water. Aqueous solubilities of triphenylamine have also been measured and used to upgrade a recent group-contribution model of aqueous solubilities of organic nonelectrolytes with the parameters for the nitrogen atom in aromatic amines.     

Emissions of biogenic VOC from forest ecosystems in central Europe: Estimation and comparison with anthropogenic emission inventory

This paper describes a method of estimating emission fluxes of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) based on the approach proposed by Guenther et al. (1995) and the high-resolution Corine land-cover 2000 database (1 × 1 km resolution). The computed emission fluxes for the Czech Republic (selected for analysis as being representative of a heavily cultivated, central European country) are compared with anthropogenic emissions, both for the entire country and for individual administrative regions. In some regions, BVOC emissions are as high as anthropogenic emissions; however, in most regions the BVOC emissions are approximately 50% of the anthropogenic emissions. The yearly course of BVOC emissions (represented by monoterpenes and isoprene) is presented, along with the spatial distribution of annual mean values. Differences in emission distributions during winter (January) and summer (June) are also considered.     

Can city QOL indicators be objective and relevant? Towards a participatory tool for sustaining urban development

The paper concludes its first section by answering the title question: no, QOL indicators cannot be purely objective but yes, they can be relevant while being subjective. The second section develops a framework for making measures of urban QOL more relevant. The objective is that such indicators can be a useful tool for sustaining urban development into the next millennium. The framework consists of three elements: (a) a process—QOL indicators should be locally developed through an approach that combines expertise with stakeholder consultation; (b) an output—developing, collecting and evaluating QOL measurements should be linked to implementation of policies, programmes and/or projects; and (c) a method—a series of tested guidelines should be applied to ensure that QOL indicators are realistic, both logistically (they can be collected) and analytically (they are appropriate measures). Real-world examples are used to illustrate points made in the paper.