Barbel (Barbus graellsii) is a freshwater fish used as a sentinel species in environmental monitoring programmes and ecotoxicological studies in northern Spain, particularly in the Ebro River basin, the largest freshwater resource in Spain. We developed specific primers for the quantification of CYP1A and metallothionein (MT)-1 and -2 gene expression by QRT-PCR in barbel in order to assess their suitability in biological effect monitoring of dioxin-like compounds and metals. All three genes responded as expected in laboratory tests, using model inducers. Hepatic CYP1A mRNA levels showed a twofold induction in fish injected intraperitoneally with beta-naphthoflavone, whereas MT-1 and MT-2 gene expression was strongly induced by cadmium (15- and 13-fold, respectively) and mercury (five- and eightfold). Barbel populations from different sites on the Ebro River basin showed a good correlation between the historical records of organochlorine pollution, CYP1A expression levels and EROD activity. Nevertheless, although metallothionein protein levels in the liver of wild fish correlated with hepatic levels of mercury, MT-1 and MT-2 gene expression did not correlate with the mercury content or with the concentration of metals in sediments from the sites inhabited by the fish. These results demonstrate the utility of barbel CYP1A-mRNA expression, but not that of MT-1 or MT-2, as a biomarker in field studies. The tools and protocols developed here are likely to apply to other species of the genus Barbus, with some 700 species distributed throughout most of the Old World. 相似文献
Aldicarb and aldoxycarb pesticides were applied to potato fields in central Wisconsin to study the degradation and movement of their carbamate residues within the soil profile. Aldicarb and aldoxycarb residues degraded at similar rates with half-lives ranging from 0.9 to 1.4 months. Although unsaturated-zone residue measurements indicated relatively minor differences among the three plots, residues were detected in shallow groundwater beneath plots treated with aldicarb or aldoxycarb at planting. Residues beneath the plot treated with aldicarb at emergence were much lower and the timing of these residues suggests they might have resulted from migration of residues from the plot treated with aldicarb at planting. This study confirms the results of previous and concurrent research programs which suggest that emergence applications of aldicarb reduce the potential for residues to enter shallow groundwater without reducing insect control or potato yields. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The organochlorine pollution by chlordecone, an insecticide spread in the past in banana plantations, is now recognized as a major ecological,... 相似文献
The research program Sustainable Coastal Zone Management (SUCOZOMA), which was started in 1996 by the Swedish Foundation of Strategic Environmental Research, was motivated by the recognition of increasingly severe global, regional and national coastal problems. The program approached the complex issues of coastal eutrophication, fishing practices, and overexploited coastal resources, with a concerted effort involving multidisciplinarity, stakeholder cooperation, and a focus on the problems perceived as most serious by the public and decision-makers. As the program was concluded in 2004 it had resulted in the completion or near-completion of 22 doctoral dissertations and approximately one hundred publications. More than 40 scientists were involved in the program. G?teborg University was the host university, but important research teams have also been located at Stockholm University, the Beijer Institute, and the Kristineberg Marine Research Station of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and within the National Board of Fisheries. During the program, networks of stakeholders were established and SUCOZOMA had contributed to numerous political and administrative processes relevant for integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). SUCOZOMA program results can be grouped into different categories. Many of the projects in the two phases of the program produced results which can be defined as technical or practical and available for direct implementation in, e.g. mussel cultivation, restoration and safeguarding of spawning areas, seal-safe fishing gear or sustainable fishing of underexploited species. Other results can be characterized as policy oriented, and the impact of these can only be fairly evaluated as new policies are put into effect. SUCOZOMA resulted in important new knowledge regarding coastal science and management, but also concerning the organization required to conduct an end-user oriented multidisciplinary program effectively. 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Environmental friendly products particularly natural dyes are going to be much popular around the globe due to their non-toxic and bio-degradable... 相似文献
Environmental Science and Pollution Research - PCB forensic science is the process of identifying the source(s) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at a site in the context of a legal proceeding to... 相似文献
A quality assurance program was incorporated into the National Crop Loss Assessment Network (NCLAN) program, designed to assess the economic impacts of gaseous air pollutants on major agricultural crops in the United States. To satisfy US EPA requirements that all environmental data collected be of known and documented quality, adequate for the intended use, the quality assurance program developed standardized research and monitoring protocols among sites, and included a range of audit and review procedures. The goal of the quality assurance program was to quantitatively describe the overall quality of data collected in terms of precision, accuracy, completeness, representativeness, and comparability. From this program, it can be concluded that (1) project data quality objectives were valuable for determining the acceptability of data from diverse sites, (2) standardized protocols ensured data comparability among research sites, (3) independent on-site audits served to evaluate protocol adherence, and (4) precision and accuracy measurements provided a way to assess data quality, determine data acceptability, and indicate the need for instrument adjustment or repair. 相似文献
Environmental noise has been growing in recent years, causing numerous health problems. Highly sensitive environments such as hospitals deserve special attention, since noise can aggravate patients’ health issues and impair the performance of healthcare professionals. This work consists of a systematic review of scientific articles describing environmental noise measurements taken in hospitals between the years 2015 and 2020. The researchers started with a consultation of three databases, namely, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. The results indicate that for the most part, these studies are published in journals in the fields of medicine, engineering, environmental sciences, acoustics, and nursing and that most of their authors work in the fields of architecture, engineering, medicine, and nursing. These studies, which are concentrated in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, use as reference values sound levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Leq measured in hospital environments showed daytime values ranging from 37 to 88.6 dB (A) and nighttime values of 38.7 to 68.8 dB (A). Leq values for outdoor noise were 74.3 and 56.6 dB (A) for daytime and nighttime, respectively. The measurements were taken mainly inside hospitals, prioritizing more sensitive departments such as intensive care units. There is a potential for growth in work carried out in this area, but research should also include discussions about guidelines for improvement measures aimed at reducing noise in hospitals.
Diuron is a biologically active pollutant present in soil, water and sediments. A synthesis of literature data on its physicochemical properties, partitioning behaviour, abiotic and biotic transformations, toxicological and ecotoxicological impacts has been here performed. Data have shown that diuron is generally persistent in soil, water and groundwater. It is also slightly toxic to mammals and birds as well as moderately toxic to aquatic invertebrates. However, its principal product of biodegradation, 3,4-dichloroaniline exhibits a higher toxicity and is also persistent in soil, water and groundwater. Thus, diuron indirectly possesses a significant amount of toxicity and could be a potential poisoning pesticide contaminant of groundwater. Unfortunately, groundwater contamination will still persist despite the progressive suppression of diuron (Directive 200/60/CE). Therefore, determining the main factors influencing its degradation and its ecotoxicological effects on the environment and health could provide a basis for further development of bioremediation processes. 相似文献
Occupants sat in a thermally-neutral environmental chamber for 2 h at a time and rated the following sensory attributes: magnitude of eye irritation and its acceptability, throat irritation and its acceptability, nose irritation and its acceptability, odor and its acceptability, and overall acceptability. Without the knowledge of the judges, cigarette smoking began at one or another time during occupancy. Smoking rate was tailored to achieve environmentally realistic levels of carbon monoxide, 2 ppm or 5 ppm above ambient background. Although the 2-ppm condition caused significant irritation above baseline, dissatisfaction among the occupants averaged only about 10%. The 5-ppm condition caused steadily increasing irritation and dissatisfaction in excess of 20% over time. Electrostatic precipitation of the paniculate matter diminished the magnitude of irritation and odor consistently, though not dramatically. It had a less consistent effect on dissatisfaction. Blockage of the nose via a noseclip in order to eliminate odor cues had no effect on eye irritation and implied that previous assessments of eye irritation in the presence of the possible biasing cue of odor can be trusted. The degree of dissatisfaction aroused from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) correlates very strongly with perceived intensity of irritation or odor, with overall dissatisfaction deriving almost exclusively from whichever channel (eyes, throat, etc.) is most severely affected. 相似文献
For years educators have been striving for vocational realism in the classroom, that is, an in vivo work training program. Drawbacks to this system, however, have been student attitudes and conceptions of the nature of the programs. To the student population, vocational programs resembled the usual stereotype “school.” The solution to this problem was not simple. In order to achieve a real life simulation of work, teachers would need to grant additional freedom to students, which presents a calculated risk to the student and the instructor. 相似文献