Microbial secondary metabolites in school buildings inspected for moisture damage in Finland, The Netherlands and Spain

Secondary metabolites produced by fungi and bacteria are among the potential agents that contribute to adverse health effects observed in occupants of buildings affected by moisture damage, dampness and associated microbial growth. However, few attempts have been made to assess the occurrence of these compounds in relation to moisture damage and dampness in buildings. This study conducted in the context of the HITEA project (Health Effects of Indoor Pollutants: Integrating microbial, toxicological and epidemiological approaches) aimed at providing systematic information on the prevalence of microbial secondary metabolites in a large number of school buildings in three European countries, considering both buildings with and without moisture damage and/or dampness observations. In order to address the multitude and diversity of secondary metabolites a large number of more than 180 analytes was targeted in settled dust and surface swab samples using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) based methodology. While 42%, 58% and 44% of all samples collected in Spanish, Dutch and Finnish schools, respectively, were positive for at least one of the metabolites analyzed, frequency of detection for the individual microbial secondary metabolites - with the exceptions of emodin, certain enniatins and physcion - was low, typically in the range of and below 10% of positive samples. In total, 30 different fungal and bacterial secondary metabolites were found in the samples. Some differences in the metabolite profiles were observed between countries and between index and reference school buildings. A major finding in this study was that settled dust derived from moisture damaged, damp schools contained larger numbers of microbial secondary metabolites at higher levels compared to respective dust samples from schools not affected by moisture damage and dampness. This observation was true for schools in each of the three countries, but became statistically significant only when combining schools from all countries and thus increasing the sample number in the statistical analyses.     

Vegetation, Soil, and Animal Indicators of Rangeland Health

We studied indicators of rangeland health on benchmark sites with long, well documented records of protection from stress by domestic livestock or histories of environmental stress and vegetation change. We measured ecosystem properties (metrics) that were clearly linked to ecosystem processes. We focused on conservation of soil and water as key processes in healthy ecosystems, and on maintenance of biodiversity and productivity as important functions of healthy ecosystems. Measurements from which indicators of rangeland health were derived included: sizes of unvegetated patches, cover and species composition of perennial grasses, cover and species composition of shrubs and herbaceous perennials, soil slaking, and abundance and species composition of the bird fauna. Indicators that provided an interpretable range of values over the gradient from irreversibly degraded sites to healthy sites included: bare patch index, cover of long-lived grasses, palatability index, and weighted soil surface stability index. Indicators for which values above a threshold may serve as an indicator of rangeland health include: cover of plant species toxic to livestock, cover of exotic species, and cover of increaser species. Several other indicator metrics were judged not sensitive nor interpretable. Examples of application of rangeland health indicators to evaluate the success of various restoration efforts supported the contention that a suite of indicators are required to assess rangeland health. Bird species diversity and ant species diversity were not related to the status of the sample site and were judged inadequate as indicators of maintenance of biodiversity.     

Field measurement of lead in workplace air and paint chip samples by ultrasonic extraction and portable anodic stripping voltammetry

On-site measurement of lead in workplace air filter samples and paint chip samples by ultrasonic extraction and anodic stripping voltammetry (UE-ASV) was evaluated in the field during renovation and remodeling activities in residences having leaded paint. Aerosol and paint samples were collected using standard techniques, and the samples were analyzed on-site for lead content by portable UE-ASV. Lead in sample extracts was subsequently determined by atomic absorption (AA) spectrometry in a fixed-site laboratory. The remaining sample extracts plus undissolved material (air filters or paint particles) were then subjected to hot plate digestion in concentrated nitric acid-30% hydrogen peroxide prior to AA analysis for lead. Field UE-ASV lead data were thereby compared to UE-AA and hot plate digestion-AA results from fixed-site laboratory lead measurement. Determination of lead in air filter samples by UE-ASV (over the range of 5 microg to approximately 800 microg Pb per sample) was extremely well correlated with lead measurement by UE-AA and hot plate digestion-AA procedures. However, a significant negative bias associated with ASV measurement was observed, and this was attributed to a matrix effect. Lead measurement in paint chip samples by UE-ASV (over the range of approximately 10 to approximately 550 microg Pb g(-1)) was well correlated with lead measurement by UE-AA and hot plate digestion-AA procedures. However, correlation and precision were lower for lead measurement in paint samples as compared to aerosol samples, and a negative bias was also observed. Lead measurements by UE-AA were compared to lead determinations by hot plate digestion-AA; these data were highly correlated and demonstrated no significant bias. Thus it was concluded that the ultrasonic extraction procedure performed equivalently to hot plate digestion. It was reasoned that matrix effects due to the preparation and analysis of paint chip particles resulted in greater imprecision as well as negative bias by ASV measurement. Despite significant negative bias in this sample set, UE-ASV offers promise for on-site measurement of lead in samples of interest in occupational and environmental health.     

Analysis of agricultural drought using vegetation temperature condition index (VTCI) from Terra/MODIS satellite data

The most commonly used normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from remote sensing often fall short in real-time drought monitoring due to a lagged vegetation response to drought. Therefore, research recently emphasized on the use of combination of surface temperature and NDVI which provides vegetation and moisture conditions simultaneously. Since drought stress effects on agriculture are closely linked to actual evapotranspiration, we used a vegetation temperature condition index (VTCI) which is more closely related to crop water status and holds a key place in real-time drought monitoring and assessment. In this study, NDVI and land surface temperature (T _s) from MODIS 8-day composite data during cloud-free period (September–October) were adopted to construct an NDVI–T _s space, from which the VTCI was computed. The crop moisture index (based on estimates of potential evapotranspiration and soil moisture depletion) was calculated to represent soil moisture stress on weekly basis for 20 weather monitoring stations. Correlation and regression analysis were attempted to relate VTCI with crop moisture status and crop performance. VTCI was found to accurately access the degree and spatial extent of drought stress in all years (2000, 2002, and 2004). The temporal variation of VTCI also provides drought pattern changes over space and time. Results showed significant and positive relations between CMI (crop moisture index) and VTCI observed particularly during prominent drought periods which proved VTCI as an ideal index to monitor terminal drought at regional scale. VTCI had significant positive relationship with yield but weakly related to crop anomalies. Duration of terminal drought stress derived from VTCI has a significant negative relationship with yields of major grain and oilseeds crops, particularly, groundnut.     

Airborne enzyme measurements to detect indoor mould exposure

Mould in buildings constitutes a threat to health. Present methods to determine the moulds comprise counting of spores or determination of viable moulds which give imprecise measures of total mould cell biomass. Analysis of ergosterol and β-glucan as markers of mould cell biomass is expensive and cumbersome. To evaluate if airborne enzyme activity was related to mould in buildings air samples were taken using an impinger technique or cellulose filters in 386 rooms in 141 buildings. The samples were analysed for the activity of N-acetylhexosaminidase (NAHA) and expressed as enzyme units per m(3) (EU per m(3)). The highest value found in a building was used for the classification of the building and was related to the results from the subsequent technical inspection. In buildings without mould damage, the NAHA activity was generally below 20 EU per m(3). In buildings with mould damage, almost all the buildings had activities above 20 EU per m(3) (specificity 85%). At 30 EU per m(3) the specificity was 100%. Measurements of airborne enzyme activity have a high sensitivity and specificity to identify buildings with mould problems. The method can be used in the investigations of building related symptoms or for home exposure characteristics when investigating diseases such as asthma that can be related to mould exposure.     

Evaluation of genotoxicity of coal fly ash in Allium cepa root cells by combining comet assay with the Allium test

Fly ash is a by-product of coal-fired electricity generation plants. Its utilization and disposal is of utmost importance. Using onion (Allium cepa) root tip system, the present study was carried out to evaluate the potential toxic and genotoxic effects of fly ash, collected from a thermal power plant in West Bengal, India. Prior to testing, the collected fly ash sample was mixed with sand in different proportions. Allium bulbs were allowed to germinate directly in fly ash and after five days the germinating roots were processed for the Allium test. Additionally, the Allium test was adapted for detecting DNA damage through comet assay. The results from the Allium test indicate that fly ash at 100% concentration inhibits root growth and mitotic indices; induces binucleated cells as a function of the proportion, but is not toxic at very low concentration. In the comet assay, a statistical increase for DNA strand breaks was found only at higher concentrations. The sample was analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometer for Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cd and As, whose presence could partly be responsible for the toxicity of fly ash. The study concludes that the classical Allium test can give a more comprehensive data when done in combination with the comet assay, which is faster, simpler and independent of mitosis. Also when fly ash is used for other purposes in combination with soils, it should be judiciously used at very low concentrations in order to protect the ecosystem health from any potential adverse effects.     

地表水高锰酸盐指数自动监测仪差异性研究

针对地表水高锰酸盐指数自动监测仪质量控制合格率偏低及样品和试剂消耗量大的问题,分别选择3种国产及3种进口的不同型号监测仪,通过工艺比较、性能测试、低浓度及较高浓度实际水体环境下的质量控制测试及长时间连续在线监测4个方面进行差异性研究。结果表明:不同仪器采用不同工艺,影响标准物质核查结果及运行维护成本和便捷性;不同仪器性能测试结果基本符合要求;不同仪器质量控制合格率差异显著,标准物质核查合格率(低浓度的为32%~57%,高浓度的为44%~80%)低于实际水体比对(低浓度实际水体为66%~79%,较高浓度实际水体为71%~100%),国产仪器质量控制合格率与进口仪器整体相当;不同仪器连续在线监测数据有效率及相对偏差±20%内的数据量占比差异显著,而国产仪器与进口仪器在这2个方面整体差异较小。     

Measuring strategies and monitoring of the indoor environment

This paper presents key elements on which to base the design of a strategy for a particular indoor environment measurement task. Starting from a general strategy for responding to occupant complaints and conducting epidemiological and intervention studies the paper concentrates on selected key elements, with focus on air contaminants. Strategies for grouping of occupants with the purpose of exposure assessment should aim at optimising exposure contrast between groups, and grouping according to buildings may not be the proper choice. Occupant exposure can be measured by personal sampling or constructed from measured concentrations in microenvironments and activity patterns. The cause of temporal and spatial variability is discussed and guidance is given on the number of samples needed to detect a given change in true concentration level. The sick building syndrome (SBS) is defined as those situations where a high proportion of building occupants are complaining about mucous membrane or skin irritation, general symptoms. When investigating SBS, questionnaires should be used to collect structured information from occupants on perception of environmental conditions, psychosocial factors and symptoms. There is as yet no consensus on choice of length of reference period for reporting symptoms and for estimating exposure. Finally, methods for identifying and quantification of sources of air contaminants are discussed, including lab-scale or full-scale simulation, on-site measurement of source emission, air monitoring, surface sampling, and modelling.     

Development and sensitivity analysis of a global drinking water quality index

The UNEP GEMS/Water Programme is the leading international agency responsible for the development of water quality indicators and maintains the only global database of water quality for inland waters (GEMStat). The protection of source water quality for domestic use (drinking water, abstraction etc) was identified by GEMS/Water as a priority for assessment. A composite index was developed to assess source water quality across a range of inland water types, globally, and over time. The approach for development was three-fold: (1) Select guidelines from the World Health Organisation that are appropriate in assessing global water quality for human health, (2) Select variables from GEMStat that have an appropriate guideline and reasonable global coverage, and (3) determine, on an annual basis, an overall index rating for each station using the water quality index equation endorsed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. The index allowed measurements of the frequency and extent to which variables exceeded their respective WHO guidelines, at each individual monitoring station included within GEMStat, allowing both spatial and temporal assessment of global water quality. Development of the index was followed by preliminary sensitivity analysis and verification of the index against real water quality data.     

Externalities of Fugitive Dust

It is known that fugitive dust can cause human health and environmental problems, alone or in combination with other air pollutants. These problems are referred to as ‘external costs’ that have been traditionally ignored. However, there is a growing interest towards quantifying externalities to assist policy and decision-making. With this in mind, the present study aimed at discussing the environmental regulations that deal with fugitive dust, the impact of fugitive dust on human health and global climate system, and the available methods for calculating fugitive dust externalities. The damage cost associated with human health and global environmental problems was predicted based on the environmental strategy priority model. The damage cost estimated by the model ranged from 40 to 374 EUR/kg of emitted fugitive dust with a mean value of 120 EUR/kg of emitted fugitive dust. It was also found that PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ have contributed to about 60% and 36% of the estimated damage cost, respectively. The remaining 4% was attributed to both nitrate and sulfate aerosols.     

加热方式对固体废物水分含量测定的影响研究

通过条件实验确定烘箱加热法的恒重条件,确定微波加热法、红外加热法和烘箱加热法测定固体废物水分含量的最佳样品称取量。采用3种方法的最佳条件分别测定了10余种不同类型的固体废物的水分含量,比较了3种方法的测定时间、精密度和测定值的差异性。结果表明：烘箱加热法的最佳恒重条件为前后2次测定差值不超过最终测定质量的±0.1%。烘箱加热法最优称样量范围为25~45 g,红外加热法和微波加热法的最优称样量分别为3.0 g和2.5 g。烘箱加热法所需测定时间最长,约8~28 h,红外加热法和微波加热法所需测定时间分别为4~65 min和1~2 min。3种方法中烘箱加热法精密度最好,且样品水分含量越高精密度越好,烘箱加热法、红外加热法和微波加热法的相对标准偏差范围分别为0.31%~12%、4.6%~18%和1.1%~22%。在0.05的显著性水平上,3种方法测定值不存在显著性差异。     

固定污染源烟气监测中含湿量测试方法优化研究

根据烟气二噁英采样须收集冷凝水的特点,利用理想气体状态方程计算烟气含湿量,得到简化公式,将该简化公式法与阻容法、FTIR法用于测定4类不同行业企业烟气的含湿量,并对测定结果做比对。结果表明,4类不同〖JP〗行业企业简化公式法的测量结果RSD为1.0%~4.2%,相对偏差为-4.21%~-0.25%;在湿度较高的测量条件下,简化公式法的测量结果RSD与相对偏差均＜5%。该方法可作为固定污染源烟气手工监测中含湿量测量的一种辅助方法和质控措施。     

基于熵权综合健康指数法的瀛湖水生态系统健康评估

瀛湖是南水北调丹江口水库重要的水源涵养区,承担着丹江口水库60%的供水量,又是沿线乡镇和安康市城区饮用水水源地。在充分调查的基础上,采用综合健康指数法对1986—2012年之间瀛湖的水生态系统健康状况进行了评估,结果表明,1986—2005年,瀛湖水生态系统健康指数呈逐渐下降趋势,健康状态由健康降至一般病态;2005—2012年之间,瀛湖水生态系统健康指数总体呈上升趋势,健康状态除2010年为一般病态外,其余均为亚健康状态。     

基于多级灰关联法的博斯腾湖水生态健康评价

采用生态系统健康结构和功能指标建立了由物理化学指标体系、生态指标体系2个二级指标体系组成的生态系统健康评价指标体系。将多级灰关联理论引入系统综合评价之中,采用多级灰关联评价方法和综合营养状态指数评价方法相结合,对博斯腾湖自2001年以来水生态健康变化情况进行了综合评价与分析。评价结果显示,自2001年以来博斯腾湖的生态系统健康状态总体情况为中等,自2007年以来生态系统健康综合指数呈一定的下降趋势,并找出了导致水环境恶化的主要原因。     

Effects of moisture damage and renovation on microbial conditions and pupils' health in two schools--a longitudinal analysis of five years

Airborne microbes and pupils' symptoms were monitored in a moisture-damaged (index) school and a reference school for five consecutive years. These surveys were carried out in two separate years before the renovation of the index school, during the renovation, and one and two years after the renovation. Microbial concentrations were higher in the index school than those in the reference school before and during renovation, but afterwards, the levels decreased to the level of the reference school. The effect of remediation was seen as an altered mycobiota in the index school. Year-to-year variation of microbial concentrations, probably due to climatic factors, caused a peak in both schools but their difference remained. Several symptoms were more prevalent in the moisture-damaged school than in the reference school, but the differences disappeared during the renovations. These results emphasize the importance of using a reference building in assessing the microbial conditions of a moisture damaged building. Furthermore, microbial concentrations reflected well the technical condition of the construction, but the reported symptoms of the occupants did not strictly follow the timely fluctuation in microbial conditions.     

Coral lipids and environmental stress

Environmental monitoring of coral reefs is presently limited by difficulties in recognising coral stress, other than by monitoring coral mortality over time. A recent report described an experiment demonstrating that a measured lipid index declined in shaded corals. The technique described might have application in monitoring coral health, with a decline in coral lipid index as an indicator of coral stress. The application of the technique as a practical monitoring tool was tested for two coral species from the Great Barrier Reef. Consistent with the previous results, lipid index for Pocillopora damicornis initially declined over a period of three weeks in corals maintained in filtered seawater in the dark, indicating possible utilization of lipid stored as energy reserves. However, lipid index subsequently rose to near normal levels. In contrast, lipid index of Acropora formosa increased after four weeks in the dark in filtered seawater. The results showed considerable variability in lipid content between samples from the same colony. Results were also found to be dependent on fixation times and sample weight, introducing potential error into the practical application of the technique. The method as described would be unsuitable for monitoring environmental stress in corals, but the search for a practical method to monitor coral health should continue, given its importance in coral reef management.     

Reliability of differing densities of sample grids used for the monitoring of forest condition in Europe

Concern about the possible deterioration of forest health led to the establishment in the 1980s of inventories of forest condition throughout Europe. International standardisation of the programmes was sought and a number of recommendations were made concerning sampling and assessment procedures. One of the most important rulings was that the assessment should be made on a systematic grid, the minimum density of which was 16×16 km. However, many countries adopted denser sampling grids, with 4×4 km being used in several countries and 1×1 km being used in the Netherlands. With five or more years of monitoring completed, there is a growing belief that a rapid and irreversible decline in forest health is not occurring. Consequently, some countries/regions are seeking to reduce their annual investment in forest health monitoring.The precision of national/regional estimates of forest health can be directly related to the sample size. As the sample size decreases, so also does the precision of the estimates. This is illustrated using data collected in Switzerland in 1992 and using grid densities of 4×4 km, 8×8 km, 12×12 km and 16×16 km. The value of the data is dependent on the sample size and the degree to which it is broken down (by region or species). The loss of precision associated with most subdivisions at the 8×8 km grid level remains acceptable, but a sharp deterioration in the precision occurs at the 12×12 km and 16×16 km grid levels. This has considerable implications for the interpretation of the inventories from those countries using a 16×16 km grid. In Switzerland, a reduction from the current 4×4 km grid to an 8×8 km grid (i.e. 75% reduction in sample size) would have relatively little impact on the overall results from the annual inventories of forest health.     

2001—2021年黑龙江省森林植被生态质量变化分析

通过统计分析及空间插值等方法,使用气象和遥感数据,分析2001—2021年黑龙江省林区主要植被生长季的气候条件及植被生态质量变化特征。结果表明：2001—2021年黑龙江省林区生长季降水量、平均气温和日照时数分别呈增加、增加和减少趋势。在水分、热量整体逐步增加的背景下,气候条件有利于改善植被生态质量。2021年生长季大部分林区植被生态质量为优和良等级;与多年平均比较,85%以上的林区呈偏好趋势,尤其是中部、东南部部分林区呈很好趋势。植被生态质量指数平均每10 a增大43,99%以上的林区呈提高趋势,特别是北部、东南部及中部部分林区改善明显。     

Quantitative PCR analysis of fungi and bacteria in building materials and comparison to culture-based analysis

Prolonged moisture on building materials can lead to microbial growth on them. Microbes can emit spores, metabolites and structural parts into the indoor air and thus, cause adverse health effects of people living and working in these buildings. So far, culture methods have been used for assessment of microbial contamination of building materials. In this work, we used quantitative PCR (qPCR) for the detection of selected fungal and bacterial groups in 184 building materials of different types and compared the results with culture-based analysis. Nine either commonly found species, genera or groups of fungi, or those considered as moisture damage indicators, and one bacterial genus, Streptomyces, were determined using qPCR. Fungi and mesophilic actinomycetes were also cultivated using standard media and conditions of the routine analysis. The bacterial genus Streptomyces and the fungal group Penicillium/Aspergillus/Paecilomyces were the most prevalent microbial groups in all building material types, followed by Stachybotrys chartarum and Trichoderma viride/atroviride/koningii. The highest prevalences, concentrations and species diversity was observed on wooden materials. In general, the results of the two methods did not correlate well, since concentrations of fungi and streptomycetes were higher and their occurrence more prevalent when determined by qPCR compared to culture-based results. However, with increasing concentrations, the correlation generally increased. The qPCR assay did not detect Aspergillus versicolor and Acremonium strictum as often as culture.     

Classification of moisture and aeration regimes in sub-boreal forest soils

One hundred and two white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) stands were studied in the Sub-boreal Spruce zone of British Columbia and were quantitatively classified into seven soil moisture regimes (moderately dry, slightly dry, fresh, moist, very moist, wet, and very wet) according to actual/potential evapotranspiration ratio, depth to gleyed layer or prominent mottling, and depth to groundwater table. The delineated soil moisture regimes demonstrated strong relationships with the composition of understory vegetation and white spruce foliar nutrients and site index. These relationships implied that the three differentiating characteristics used in the classification provided a good estimation of growing-season soil water supply. In addition to soil moisture regimes, three soil aeration regimes (adequate, restricted, and deficient) were delineated according to presence or absence of gleyed horizons and groundwater table, slope gradient, and soil texture. These soil aeration regimes helped in explaining the variation in white spruce site index, especially on water-surplus sites. Thus, an integrated classification of soil moisture-aeration regimes was proposed to explain the effect of soil moisture and aeration on white spruce productivity.The results of this study gave further evidence that soil moisture and aeration regimes, differentiated on the basis of climatic data and soil morphological properties, are useful measures of soil moisture and aeration conditions in sub-boreal forest soils.