Levels of airborne man-made mineral fibres in U.K. dwellings. II—Fibre levels during and after some disturbance of loft insulation

In this study airborne levels of MMMF were determined in 11 dwellings during and after disturbance of loft insulation. The disturbance was in two stages.

• 1.(a) Minor disturbance. Household items (such as suitcases) stored in the lofts were moved around for about 10 min. The disturbance to the insulation material was kept to a minimum.
• 2.(b) Major disturbance. Insulation wools were physically handled for about 30 min, simulating the disturbance associated with activities such as rewiring or plumbing.

About 250 samples of air were collected on membrane filters and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in conjunction with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. A few selected samples were analyzed by phase contrast optical microscopy (PCOM). During physical disturbance of the insulation, fibre levels in lofts measured over a 4-h period were up to 0.03 f ml⁻¹. Personal exposure during the disturbance activity was up to 0.2 f ml⁻¹. Contamination of the living space was not detected even though the access door to the loft remained open throughout the disturbance and sampling period.     

Characterization of cytotoxicity of airborne particulates from urban areas of Lahore

A number of species (organic and inorganic) in airborne particulates cause the toxicity to living being. The potential of in vitro test methods were explored for toxicity assessment of trace toxic elements (inorganic species) present in ambient air on human being (lungs). A year long sampling of airborne particles (PM_2.5) was carried (April 2008 to March 2009) in Lahore, Pakistan. A total of thirty nine samples were collected on 47 mm Zefluor Teflon filter membranes and each was analysed to characterize for the elements: Sb, As, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Pb, Mn, Hg using ICP-MS in water extract and total acid digestate. The samples cytotoxicity was also established using lung derived cells and MTS colorimetric assays. This generated dose response curves and IC₅₀ values for the elemental mixtures identified on the Teflon filter membrane. The results indicated that even at low concentrations airborne elemental mixtures displayed an additive toxic effect.     

Comparison of filter materials used for sampling of mutagens and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ambient airborne particles

The filter material used in high-volume sampling of ambient airborne particles was investigated for its influence on mutagenicity and PAH content of the particles.The particles were collected simultaneously with glass-fibre filters (G filters) and Teflon filters (T filters) or Teflon-coated filters (Tc filters). Sampling was carried out 17 times at different locations in The Netherlands.The use of G filters lead to slightly higher mutagenicity in almost all experiments. In addition every sample collected with this filter material contained substantially higher concentrations of the lower molecular weight PAH which are partly present in the vapour phase. In contrast some experiments revealed slightly lower concentrations of non-volatile PAH which are sensitive to chemical conversion under atmospheric conditions.A multivariate analysis of the concentrations did hardly show any influence of the filter material. The main factor affecting the PAH profile was volatility; factor analysis revealed chemical reactivity as a second factor.The differences between the concentrations of the volatile PAH can be explained by the lower pressure drop across the G filters, resulting in less artifactual evaporation. In addition, adsorption of these compounds from the gas phase on this filter material was found.The latter phenomenon may also explain the differences in mutagenicity, as it has been shown that PAH adsorbed on glass-fibre material react with gaseous air components to form mutagens. The lower concentrations of non-volatile PAH on the G filters points directly to conversion which may also have contributed to the differences in mutagenicity.It is not possible to decide whether the chemical conversion on the T and the Tc filters (demonstrated with factor analysis) has an artifactual origin or takes place in the ambient air before the air reaches the filter.It is concluded, that the differences in mutagenicity between the filter materials are too small to support the use of T or Tc filters instead of G filters in mutagenicity studies.The adsorption of volatile PAH on filter material makes it uncertain to what extent high-volume sampling by filtration leads to over- or underestimation of the volatile PAH present in the particulate phase of the air.     

Analysis of particulate organics in a forest atmosphere by thermodesorption GC/MS

Aerosol samples from a forest site were collected on glass fiber filters, and particulate bound organics were analyzed by a thermodesorption GC/MS procedure. A conventional GC injector was modified to enable the insertion of loaded filter samples without disarranging the GC-system. Seven commercial glass fiber filter types were tested for performance with regard to sampling and analysis requirements. Sixty-six substances were detected in aerosol samples, 40 organics, mainly n-alkanes, phthalic acid esters, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, n-alkane nitriles and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HCs) were identified. Comparative measurements of samples collected at an urban site and in flat showed only small differences for the ratio of the main constituents identified.     

京津地区大气微生物本底研究

大气微生物包括细菌、霉菌、放线菌、病毒等。从环境保护角度看,它们是空气污染物,有些细菌和霉菌能使人、动物、植物致病,很多细菌和霉菌使工农业原料和产品腐败霉烂。因此,大气微生物是一个值得重视的环境问题。 大气微生物是气挟微生物,随着气流的流动而飘移,其来源复杂,在研究其问题和规律性时就存在着一定的困难。对大气微生物的研究可以追溯到十七世纪,但在本世纪以来,特别是近几十年,很多国家如美国、法国、英国、印度、瑞典、日本和我国等都开展了研究。1978年在慕尼黑召开了第一届国际大     

基于16S rRNA基因测序法分析北京霾污染过程中PM2.5和PM10细菌群落特征

2013年1月8~14日,北京出现了严重的霾污染.霾污染时高浓度的大气颗粒物增加了暴露人群的健康风险,而大气中的微生物也可能带来一些风险,但目前对霾污染时大气中微生物组成了解较少.本研究选取了2013年1月8~14日北京7d的PM2.5和PM10采样样本,通过对细菌16S rRNA基因V3区扩增和Mi Seq测序,得到PM2.5和PM10中的细菌群落结构特征,并将结果与相同采样样本的宏基因组测序结果及三项国外基于16S rRNA基因测序方法的大气中细菌研究结果进行了比较.研究发现7 d连续采样条件下,PM2.5中细菌群落结构在门和属的水平上均差别不大.在属级别上,节杆菌属(Arthrobacter)和弗兰克氏菌属(Frankia)是北京冬季大气中细菌群落的主要类群.16S rRNA基因测序与宏基因组测序结果对比分析发现,在属级别上,两种分析方法中有39个相同的属类群(两种分析方法丰度前50的细菌类群合并所得),弗兰克氏菌属(Frankia)和副球菌属(Paracoccus)在16S rRNA基因测序分析结果中相对含量较多,而考克氏菌属(Kocuria)和地嗜皮菌属(Geodermatophilus)在宏基因组测序结果中相对含量较高.在门和属的水平上,PM2.5和PM10中细菌群落结构特征呈现出相似的规律.在门水平上,放线菌门(Actinobacteria)在PM2.5中的相对百分比较大,而厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)在PM10中的相对百分比较大.在属水平上,梭菌属(Clostridium)在PM10中的相对百分比较大.与三项国外基于16S rRNA基因测序研究结果对比发现,尽管在采样地点和采样时间上有较大差异,大气中普遍存在一些相同的细菌类群,且近地面大气细菌群落结构特征相似度较高,区别于高空对流层中细菌群落结构特征.     

Vapor adsorption artifact in the sampling of organic aerosol: Face velocity effects

The concentration (μgC m⁻³) of aerosol organic carbon as determined by collection with quartz fiber filters was found to exhibit a significant decrease with increasing filter face velocity. A similar face velocity dependence was found for organic carbon on back-up quartz fiber filters behind either quartz fiber front filters (QQ combination) or Teflon membrane front filters (TQ combination). Additionally, the concentration of organic carbon on the back-up filter in the TQ combination was always greater than on the back-up filter in the QQ combination. The most likely explanation for these observations is the adsorption or organic vapors onto the filter medium itself. The amount of organic carbon adsorbed onto the quartz fiber front filter can be approximated by measuring the amount of organic carbon on a quartz fiber back-up filter behind a Teflon front filter with both filter combinations sampling at the same face velocity. Making the correction in such a manner removes most of the face velocity dependence inthe resultant concentrations. For 24 h sampling in Portland, Oregon, at a face velocity of 40 cm s⁻¹, the correction exceeded 50% for uncorrected organic carbon concentrations of 2 μgC m⁻³ but decreased to 15% at 16 μgC m⁻³.     

北京市居家空气微生物污染特征

在北京市选取31户有1岁至10岁儿童的家庭进行空气微生物取样,系统研究了室内家庭空气微生物污染特征.结果表明,北京市居家环境空气微生物总浓度变化范围为269～13066 CFU·m-3,均值为2658 CFU· m-3,空气细菌浓度变化范围为47 ～ 12341 CFU·m-3,均值为1821 CFU·m-3,空气真菌浓度变化范围为62～3498 CFU·m-3,均值为837 CFU·m-3.空气细菌和真菌浓度百分比分别为61.0％和39.0％,细菌浓度明显高于真菌浓度.居家环境优势细菌属依次为微球菌属(Micrococcus)、芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)、葡萄球菌属(Staphylococcus)和库克菌属(Kocuria),4属细菌百分比约占63.1％ ～70.9％,优势真菌属为青霉属(Penicillium)、枝孢属(Cladosporium)、曲霉属(Aspergillus)、链格孢属(Alternaria)和茎点霉属(Phoma),分别约占总数的36.0％、17.8％、9.3％、5.3％和3.6％.文中最后针对北京市居家环境空气微生物污染的现状及其来源,从宠物饲养、空调清理、室内外优良环境的保持及垃圾处理、室内花卉种植等方面提出了治理建议.     

Asphalt fractions in airborne particles from highway traffic and the accumulation in plants

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Urban precipitation chemistry: A review and synthesis

Urban sampling sites have been specifically excluded from recent large networks for measuring chemical composition of precipitation. Because information on precipitation composition in urban areas is needed for a variety of current applications, it is useful to summarize present knowledge. Most of the available information is based on samples of bulk precipitation, collected by continuously open collectors. This method is now widely acknowledged to be of limited value because of its poor sampling characteristics for dry deposition. For many ions, particularly those residing on large airborne particles, urban bulk sampling yielded considerably higher concentrations than found in samples collected in ‘wet-only’ samplers. Spatial variability of ionic concentrations in urban areas is expressed in terms of the sample standard deviation of site precipitation-weighted means, as a percentage of the overall urban mean. Median values of the most major ions were near 30%; half of the available measurements were between 20 and 47%. Differences between urban and nearby rural concentrations of ions in precipitation were often reported. Those ions with some tendency to occur in higher concentrations in cities included Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, NO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻ and Cl⁻. These differences should be viewed with caution, however, because they were usually based on one or two, possibly unrepresentative, rural sampling sites. Seasonal variations of urban [H⁺] were different in Europe and the U.S. Highest concentrations occurred in winter in Europe, but in summer in the U.S. There is a pressing need for additional urban precipitation chemistry monitoring and research.     

Spatially resolved monitoring for volatile organic compounds using remote sector sampling

Sector sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is conducted within an integrated sampling scheme and relies on a wind direction sensor. The wind sensor directs whole air, sampled at a constant rate, into either an “IN” sector canister or an “OUT” sector canister; when the wind comes from the suspected emissions area, sample is routed into the IN sector canister; otherwise, sample is collected in the OUT sector canister. This method is analogous to “upwind/downwind” sampling but does not require two distinct sites or manual sampler control. For this set of experiments, the IN and OUT sectors were 90 and 270°, respectively, and the IN sector was centered on the VOC source. Two sampling sites were used. The first was about 2 miles north-northeast of a group of industrial facilities, and the second was located about 1 mile south-southeast of the same sources. Sites were operated concurrently with one sampler each; a third sampler was rotated between the sites to obtain duplicate samples. The air samples were analysed by gas chromatography for VOCs. The resultant data comparisons between IN and OUT duplicate samples show good correlation with expected VOC emissions, which were determined by grab samples within the target area. A t-test method for interpreting the sometimes subtle differences between IN and OUT sample data is presented.     

Determination of formaldehyde by HPLC as the DNPH derivative following high-volume air sampling onto bisulfite-coated cellulose filters

A method is described for the specific collection of formaldehyde as hydroxymethanesulfonate on bisulfate-coated cellulose filters. Following extraction in aqueous acid and removal on unreacted bisulfite, the hydroxymethanesulfonate is decomposed by base, and HCHO is determined by DNPH (2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine) derivatization and HPLC. Since the collection efficiency for formaldehyde is moderately high even when sampling ambient air at high-volume flow rates, a limit of detection of 0.2 ppbv is achieved with 30 min sampling times. Interference from acetaldehyde co-collected as 1-hydroxyethanesulfonate is <5% using this procedure. The technique shows promise for both short-term airborne sampling, and as a means of collecting mg-sized samples of HCHO on an inorganic matrix for carbon isotopic analyses.     

Direct comparison of cellulose and quartz fiber filters for sampling submicrometer aerosols in the marine boundary layer

Paired high-volume aerosol samples of 20–60-h duration were collected using identical Sierra Model 235 cascade impactors during a July–September 1991 research cruise in the Atlantic Ocean. Whatman 41 cellulose fiber was used for the final filter in one impactor and a quartz fiber filter was used for the final filter in the other impactor during each of 17 sampling intervals. A paired t-test of measured nonseasalt sulfate (NSS) mass concentrations indicates that the retention efficiencies of the two materials for this primarily submicrometer species are indistinguishable under the conditions of our sampling. A paired t-test of ammonium concentrations indicates slightly higher concentrations on Whatman 41, suggesting, perhaps, a positive artifact due to sorption of ammonia vapor.     

Microbial and size characterization of airborne particulate matter collected on sticky tapes along US–Mexico border

Particulate matter(PM) emissions from various sources can affect significantly human health and environmental quality especially in the Chihuahuan Desert region along US–Mexico border. The objective of this study was to use the low-cost sticky tape method to collect airborne PM for size characterization and identification of fungal spores. Sticky tape samplers were placed at 1.0 and 2.0 m above the ground surface at experimental sites in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and at 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 m at New Mexico sites, USA. Soil samples were collected in both countries to determine fungal diversity, texture and moisture content Dust particles collected from all of the experimental sites had a dominant texture of clay( 0.002 mm). The dominant textures identified from soil samples collected from the US and Mexican sites were loam and sandy clay loam, respectively. Alternaria, Penicillium and Fusarium were frequently found funguses in the US sites while Alternaria and Aspergillus were commonly observed in the Mexican sites. The sticky tapes also showed a similar diversity of fungal microorganisms present in the airborne PM at both Mexico and US sites Alternaria, Penicillium and Aspergillus were the three groups of airborne fungal microorganisms consistently present in the US and Mexican sites. The low-cost sticky tape method has the potential to be used for characterizing different airborne microorganisms and dust particles.     

Effectiveness of Poliovirus Concentration and Recovery from Treated Wastewater by Two Electropositive Filter Methods

Enteric viruses are often present in low numbers in various water matrices. Virus sampling therefore involves multiple concentration steps to condense large samples down to small volumes for detection by cell culture or molecular assays. The NanoCeram^® Virus Sampler has been demonstrated to be effective for the recovery of viruses from tap water, surface waters, and seawater. The goal of this study was to evaluate a new method using NanoCeram^® filters for the recovery of poliovirus 1 (PV-1) from treated wastewater. Activated sludge effluent samples were spiked with PV-1 and concentrated in side-by-side tests by two methods: (1) NanoCeram^® filtration, elution with sodium polyphosphate buffer, secondary concentration via centrifugal ultrafiltration; and (2) 1MDS filtration, elution with beef extract, secondary concentration via organic flocculation. The virus retention and elution efficiencies did not differ significantly between the two methods. In contrast, the secondary concentrate volume was smaller for the NanoCeram^® method (8.4 vs. 30 mL) and the secondary concentration efficiencies were different between the two methods with 98 % for centrifugal ultrafiltration (NanoCeram^®) and 45 % for organic flocculation (1MDS). The overall method efficiencies were significantly different (P ≤ 0.05) with the NanoCeram^® method yielding a 57 % and the 1MDS a 23 % virus recovery. In addition, there appeared to be less interference with viral detection via polymerase chain reaction with the NanoCeram^® concentrates. This NanoCeram^® method therefore is able to efficiently recover PV-1 from large volumes of wastewater and may serve as an inexpensive alternative to the standard 1MDS filter method for such applications.     

Levels of airborne man-made mineral fibres in U.K. dwellings. I—Fibre levels during and after installation of insulation

This paper gives the details of airborne levels of man-made mineral fibres (MMMF) found during installation of loft insulation in 12 dwellings. About 250 samples of air were collected and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).Respirable fibre levels measured in static samples collected in the lofts during installation generally were < 0.1 f ml⁻¹. In living spaces respirable fibre levels were< 0.006 f ml⁻¹. Personal samples on the installers gave < 1 f ml⁻¹, with the exception of a fine glass fibre blanket. A few selected samples were also analyzed by phase contrast optical microscopy (PCOM) which showed lower values than those recorded by TEM. Static gravimetric concentrations in the lofts were in the 0.3–6.5 mg m⁻³ range, and in the living spaces 0.11–0.44 mg m⁻³, but in both environments most of this dust was not MMMF.     

湖泊水体悬浮物中痕量砷的测定方法

重金属在悬浮物和水相中的分配是水体重金属形态研究的重要组成部分,对于追踪水体中重金属元素的来源、迁移转化规律以及重金属生态与健康效应具有重要意义.水中砷元素以其极强的毒性严重危害人类的健康,已越来越引起政府和社会的广泛关注.然而,目前关于痕量悬浮物中砷测定的前处理过程及室内分析的方法与质量控制的叙述不够详尽,有必要对此做深入的研究.本文针对悬浮物较少的水域,选用7个滇池水样,采用不同滤膜、不同预处理方法、不同消解用酸及消解时间,测定并比较砷空白值,试图通过改变实验条件降低空白值,探索前处理的最佳条件及步骤.结果表明,对于悬浮物较少的湖泊水域,采用预称重的醋酸纤维膜过滤水样、载有颗粒物的滤膜冷冻干燥、HNO3-HCl O4加热共消解36 h,消解上清液用氢化物发生原子荧光光度计测定砷空白值低于悬浮物一个数量级以上,膜空白砷相对标准偏差为2.80%~11.38%,膜空白加标回收率为83%~103%;与滇池5个实际样品验证误差范围0.27%~6.92%.此方法可以可靠地获得悬浮物中的砷含量,在砷含量较低的水体悬浮物测定方面具有优势.     

五氟苄基羟胺衍生与GC/MS联用分析大气中的单羰基化合物和多羰基化合物

利用涂布五氟苄基羟胺（PFBHA）的Tenax-TA作为固体吸附剂,采取主动采样的方式采集大气中羰基化合物,再经溶剂洗脱和氮吹浓缩后用气相色谱/质谱（GC/MS）分析,成功检测到14种单羰基化合物和2种二羰基化合物（乙二醛与甲基乙二醛）.研究表明：在吸附剂的装载量为50mg的前提下,当衍生剂的涂布量为260nmol,采集流速为50mL·min^-1时,采集效果最佳.羰基化合物的检测限、平行样的相对标准偏差和样品的加标回收率范围分别为0.54～3.83ng·m^-3、1.0%～14.2%、89.2%～113.8%.该方法在实际大气样品中合适的采样时间为0.5～8.0h.利用此法对上海市宝山区大气中羰基化合物进行了检测,成功检测到16种羰基化合物,且具有明显的日变化趋势.     

Measurement of atmospheric elemental carbon: Real-time data for Los Angeles during summer 1987

Two fundamentally different techniques for measuring atmospheric elemental carbon (EC) aerosol were compared to validate the methods. One technique, photoacoustic spectroscopy, was used to measure the optical absorption (λ = 514.5 nm) of in situ atmospheric aerosol in real time. This optical absorption can be converted to EC concentration using the appropriate value of the absorption cross-section for C, so that a comparison could be made with the second technique, thermal-optical analysis of filter-collected samples, which measures the collected EC by combustion. Solvent extraction of the filter samples prior to the thermal analysis procedure was required to minimize errors due to pyrolysis of organic carbon. Excellent 1:1 correlation of atmospheric EC concentrations resulted for measurements by the photoacoustic method vs the thermal method over coincident sampling times. The linear regression gave y = 1.006 (±0.056) x+0.27 (±0.56) with r = 0.945 (n = 41), where y is the photoacoustic EC concentration and x is the thermal elemental carbon concentration, both in μg m⁻³. This data set was collected in Los Angeles as part of the Southern California Air Quality Study (SCAQS) during the summer 1987, and supplements the results of an earlier, more limited data set taken in Dearborn, MI. The diurnal variability of EC aerosol in Los Angeles during SCAQS, as determined by photoacoustic spectroscopy, is discussed.     

Characterization and source identification of respirable particulate matter in Athens,Greece

Twenty-seven samples of respirable particulate matter (RP) were collected in central Athens during the summer of 1987. The samples were analyzed for the concentration SO₄²⁻ and NO₃⁻ (collected with Teflon and nylon filters and analyzed by ion-chromatography); organic and elemental carbon (collected on quartz fiber filters and analyzed with a thermo-optical method); and 20 elements (collected on Teflon filters and analyzed by proton-induced X-ray emission spectroscopy). Simultaneously collected samples for SO₂ and HNO₃ were also evaluated (collected with annular denuders and analyzed by ion-chromatography). T The average RP concentration measured was 80.7 μg m⁻³, well above the USEPA annual standard for PM₁₀ aerosol. In addition, high levels of organic (16.9 μg m⁻³) and elemental carbon (4.2 μg m⁻³) were found. Correlations between aerosol carbon and Br, Pb, NO and NMHC (all > 0.8) confirm that gasoline and diesel powered vehicles are one of the major sources of pollution in the region. Correlations between RP and Al, Si, K, Ca and Fe also suggest that soil aerosols contribute to the high RP concentrations. Enrichment factors for the RP samples relative to the composition of soil in the Athens basin indentify major contributions from vehicles (Pb and Br) and industrial operations (S, Ti, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn). Based on these results, a Chemical Mass Balance receptor model was applied to each of the 27 samples and the contributions to RP from soil (4.5 %), vehicles (20.3 %), steel industries (4.6. %) and cement plant emissions (3.2 %) estimated. Other major components of the RP were SO₄²⁻ (13.0 %) and organic carbon from non-vehicle and industrial sources (15.5 %).