Human viral pathogens are pervasive in wastewater treatment center aerosols

Wastewater treatment center(WTC) workers may be vulnerable to diseases caused by viruses, such as the common cold, influenza and gastro-intestinal infections. Although there is a substantial body of literature characterizing the microbial community found in wastewater, only a few studies have characterized the viral component of WTC aerosols,despite the fact that most diseases affecting WTC workers are of viral origin and that some of these viruses are transmitted through the air. In this study, we evaluated in four WTCs the presence of 11 viral pathogens of particular concern in this milieu and used a metagenomic approach to characterize the total viral community in the air of one of those WTCs. The presence of viruses in aerosols in different locations of individual WTCs was evaluated and the results obtained with four commonly used air samplers were compared.We detected four of the eleven viruses tested, including human adenovirus(h Ad V),rotavirus, hepatitis A virus(HAV) and Herpes Simplex virus type 1(HSV1). The results of the metagenomic assay uncovered very few viral RNA sequences in WTC aerosols, however sequences from human DNA viruses were in much greater relative abundance.     

重庆城区大气颗粒物的元素、离子及物相组成研究

采用X－射线能谱（EDX），傅立叶红外光谱（FT－IR），X－射线衍射（XRI）对重庆市区大气颗粒污染物的元素组成，离子，物相组成进行顾研究，EDX检出了S，Cl,K,Ca,Ti,Cr,Mn,Fe,Cu,Se,Sr,Zr,Rb,Ga,Hg,Zn,Ni元素，FT－IR光谱发现主要存在SO4^2-,NH4^ 和NO3^-,XRD结果表明存在CaSO4.2H2O,α-SiO2,(NH4)2Ca(SO4)2.2H2O,(NH4)2SO4等4个主要物相以及Fe3O4,CaCO3等物相，初步讨论了重庆大气颗粒物的污染来源及其时间，空间分布。     

南充市空气中可吸入颗粒物污染水平分析

本文在连续1年又5个月同步采样的基础上，测得南充市市辖三城区5个采样监测点环境空气中PM10的浓度及其时空变化进行了分析。结果表明，PM10的日平均浓度范围为0．020～1．030mg／m^3，超标率达38．0％；周日均浓度在0.040～0．520mg／m^3之间，超标率达到了37．8％。空气污染最重为嘉陵城区，其次为高坪城区，再次为石油学院、炼油厂和市府二院。浓度季节变化特征表现为冬季最高，其次为秋季，再次为春季，最轻为夏季。     

Potential effects of particulate matter from combustion during services on human health and on works of art in medieval churches in Cyprus

Indoor and outdoor particulate matter (PM_0.3-10) number concentrations were established in two medieval churches in Cyprus. In both churches incense was burnt occasionally during Mass. The highest indoor PM_0.5-1 concentrations compared with outdoors (10.7 times higher) were observed in the church that burning of candles indoors was allowed. Peak indoor black carbon concentration was 6.8 μg m⁻³ in the instances that incense was burning and 13.4 μg m⁻³ in the instances that the candles were burning (outdoor levels ranged between 0.6 and 1.3 μg m⁻³). From the water soluble inorganic components determined in PM₁₀, calcium prevailed in all samples indoors or outdoors, whilst high potassium concentration indoors were a clear marker of combustion. Indoor sources of PM were clearly identified and their emission strengths were estimated via modeling of the results. Indoor estimated PM_0.3-10 mass concentrations exceeded air quality standards for human health protection and for the preservation of works of art.     

Accumulation and quantitative estimates of airborne lead for a wild plant (Aster subulatus)

Foliar uptake of airborne lead is one of the pathways for Pb accumulation in plant organs. However, the approximate contributions of airborne Pb to plant organs are still unclear. In the present study, aerosols (nine-stage size-segregated aerosols and total suspended particulates), a wild plant species (Aster subulatus) and the corresponding soils were collected and Pb contents and isotopic ratios in these samples were analyzed. Average concentration of Pb was 96.5 ± 63.5 ng m⁻³ in total suspended particulates (TSP) and 20.4 ± 5.5 ng m⁻³ in the fine fractions of size-segregated aerosols (SSA) (<2.1 μm), higher than that in the coarser fractions (>2.1 μm) (6.38 ± 3.71 ng m⁻³). Enrichment factors show that aerosols and soils suffered from anthropogenic inputs and the fine fractions of the size-segregated aerosols enriched more Pb than the coarse fractions. The order of Pb contents in A. subulatus was roots > leaves > stems. The linear relationship of Pb isotope ratios (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb) among soil, plant and aerosol samples were found. Based on the simple binary Pb isotopic model using the mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratios in TSP and in SSA, the approximate contributions of airborne Pb into plant leaves were 72.2% and 65.1%, respectively, suggesting that airborne Pb is the most important source for the Pb accumulation in leaves. So the combination of Pb isotope tracing and the simple binary Pb isotope model can assess the contribution of airborne Pb into plant leaves and may be of interest for risk assessment of the exposure to airborne Pb contamination.     

Aerial measurement of radioxenon concentration off the west coast of Vancouver Island following the Fukushima reactor accident

In response to the Fukushima nuclear reactor accident, on March 20th, 2011, Natural Resources Canada conducted aerial radiation surveys over water just off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Dose-rate levels were found to be consistent with background radiation, however a clear signal due to ¹³³Xe was observed. Methods to extract ¹³³Xe count rates from the measured spectra, and to determine the corresponding ¹³³Xe activity concentration, were developed. The measurements indicate that ¹³³Xe concentrations on average lie in the range of 30-70 Bq/m³.     

Mutagenic and recombinagenic activity of airborne particulates, PM10 and TSP, organic extracts in the Drosophila wing-spot test

The genotoxicity associated with air pollution in the city of Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), was assessed in November (spring) and January (summer). We applied the somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) in Drosophila melanogaster in its standard version with normal bioactivation (ST) and in its variant with increased cytochrome P450-dependent biotransformation capacity (HB). The data indicated the genotoxicity of TSP and PM10 collected in November, in both ST and HB crosses. The genotoxic activity of the PM10 material in the spring sample was exclusively associated with the induction of mitotic recombination, whereas the TSP genetic toxicity was due to both recombinational as well as point and/or chromosomal mutation events. Considering PM10 collected in January, a positive response--100% (17.10 m3/ml) concentration--was observed in the HB cross, which was not detected in the ST cross.     

Method to analyze the regional life loss risk by airborne chemicals released after devastating earthquakes: A simulation approach

Widespread chemical plants render human life more vulnerable to major natural disasters such as earthquakes. Recognizing the potential cascading threats initiated by a devastating earthquake, a general methodology for assessing the life loss risks introduced by airborne hazardous chemical dispersion following seismically induced chemical release (SICR) was proposed. With a 600 km × 600 km region in North China as a demonstrative study area, the dispersion of ammonia released from multiple relevant chemical plants that were supposed to be damaged by a devastating earthquake was simulated in a probabilistic manner. Using an ammonia toxicity-fatality relationship and its toxicity concentration threshold, regional life loss and spatial spread were evaluated. The life loss risk was found to be non-prominent but would be very contingent on unfavorable meteorological conditions. Non-parametric correlation analysis revealed that the respective effects of meteorological mixing parameters on the risk exhibit new features in a disaster context, that is, stronger mixing would cause elevation of risk in a region. This preliminary research implied that the risk of chemical-induced life loss after a devastating earthquake deserves attention and a thorough uncertainty evaluation in the future.     

Short-term inhalation exposure evaluations of airborne antibiotic resistance genes in environments

Antibiotic resistance is a sword of Damocles that hangs over humans. In regards to airborne antibiotic resistance genes (AARGs), critical knowledge gaps still exist in the identification of hotspots and quantification of exposure levels in different environments. Here, we have studied the profiles of AARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and bacterial communities in various atmospheric environments by high throughput qPCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We propose a new AARGs exposure dose calculation that uses short-term inhalation (STI). Swine farms and hospitals were high-risk areas where AARGs standardised abundance was more abundant than suburbs and urban areas. Additionally, resistance gene abundance in swine farm worker sputum was higher than that in healthy individuals in other environments. The correlation between AARGs with MGEs and bacteria was strong in suburbs but weak in livestock farms and hospitals. STI exposure analysis revealed that occupational intake of AARGs (via PM₁₀) in swine farms and hospitals were 110 and 29 times higher than in suburbs, were 1.5 × 10⁴, 5.6 × 10⁴ and 5.1 × 10² copies, i.e., 61.9%, 75.1% and 10.7% of the overall daily inhalation intake, respectively. Our study comprehensively compares environmental differences in AARGs to identify high-risk areas, and forwardly proposes the STI exposure dose of AARGs to guide risk assessment.     

沈阳市烟囱分布对大气污染的影响

本文介绍采用航空遥感技术和实地调查研究相结合的方法,分析了沈阳市烟囱数量、高度、密度以及高、中、低架烟囱的分布状况和特点,同时与大气污染监测结果对照分析了沈阳市煤烟型大气污染的规律及特点,研究了沈阳市烟囱分布对大气污染的影响。最后,提出了沈阳市燃煤污染的防治途径。