Dietary cadmium exposure and kidney stone incidence: A population-based prospective cohort study of men & women

Cadmium exposure is associated with increased urinary calcium excretion. Hypercalciuria is recognised as a major risk factor for kidney stone formation. Increased prevalence of kidney stones among those occupationally exposed to cadmium has previously been suggested. Food is the main source of cadmium exposure in the general population with tobacco representing an important additional source among smokers.We aimed to assess the association between dietary cadmium exposure and kidney stone incidence in two large population-based, prospective cohorts of men (Cohort of Swedish Men; COSM) and women (The Swedish Mammography Cohort; SMC). Those with a history of kidney stones were excluded.At baseline 1997, men (45–79 yrs) and women (48 to 83 yrs), completed a self-administered questionnaire on diet and lifestyle. During 12 years of follow-up, we ascertained 707 cases of kidney stones in men and 290 in women through linkage of the cohorts to the national inpatient and outpatient registers. Individual dietary cadmium exposure was estimated using dietary data and concentrations of cadmium in food. Hazard ratios (HR) were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards regression models with adjustment for other risk factors.Estimated dietary cadmium exposure was not associated with increased kidney stone incidence among men HR 0.97 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77–1.23) or women HR 0.99 (95% CI: 0.89–1.43), comparing the highest tertile with the lowest. In conclusion, our results do not support a strong association between dietary cadmium and kidney stone risk at the exposure levels seen in the general population.     

Influence of the incorporation of high-and low-density polyethylene granules in mortar matrices on the characteristics of solidified radioactive waste

Granules of high density polyethylene (PEHD) and low density polyethylene (PELD) were used in preparation of the mortar matrices in the immobilization process of radioactive waste materials containing ¹³⁷Cs. The diameter of granulate forms varied from 0.2 to 2.0 mm. Four types of PEHD and PELD, forming four types of matrix materials, were used instead of ordinarily used stone granules of 2 mm average diameter, to decrease the porosity and density of the mortar matrix and avoid the segregation of stone particles on the bottom of the immobilized radioactive waste cylindric form. The physico-chemical characteristics of the radioactive waste mortar mixture form were improved, especially the radionuclide leach-rate. It decreased from 4% for the material prepared with stone granules to 2.5% to 3% for the materials prepared with PEHD and PELD. Mechanical strengths of the mortar-radioactive waste mixture samples prepared with PELD and PEHD were notably higher, 14 to 18 MPa, than the monoliths prepared with the ordinary stone granules, 11 MPa. Using PEHD and PELD as granules in the radioactive waste mortar mixture, the weight of the final, full-sized immobilized monolith was up to 25% lower than material with stone granules.     

The composting potential of different organic solid wastes: experience from the island of Crete

For the past 20 years, the National Foundation for Agricultural Research in Crete and the School of Agricultural Technology of the Technological and Educational Institute of Crete have been involved in a number of research and development activities, related to the production and evaluation of compost derived from a variety of local solid, mainly agricultural organic wastes. Materials such as olive press cake, olive tree leaves (OTL) and branches, vine branches (VB), pressed grape skins (PGS), pig manure (PM), sewage sludge and the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) have been evaluated for their behaviour during composting, their compatibility in mixtures and the quality of the end product. The quality evaluation included both a detailed physiochemical (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nutrients concentration, heavy metal concentration, etc.) and biological analyses (pathogenic microorganisms). It also included an agronomic evaluation, in which composts were used either as a soil amendment or as a component for substrates in open air or covered (greenhouse) cultivation mainly of local vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.). All materials were composted successfully, especially when mixed. The end products contained large amounts of organic matter, usually combined with an increased EC value. Pressed grape skins should be considered as the ideal raw material, producing a high quality compost, with the lowest EC value (1.57 mS cm(-1)) and the largest organic matter concentration (84.50%), compared to all other materials. When any of the produced compost was used in a ratio of 30% by volume (v/v), it increased plant growth, whereas in larger volumes, it presented phytotoxic behaviour, inhibiting both root and shoot development.     

Microbial degradation of hydrocarbons in Ismailia canal water

The biodegradation of hydrocarbons was performed in refinery wastewater obtained by natural microbial flora in Ismailia canal water. About 87% of hydrocarbons were degraded after 9 days under simulated natural conditions. It was found that the addition of fuel oil to the canal water, which already contained significant amounts of refinery wastewater, retarded biological degradation. Percentage of degradation was found to be 67%. This increase in the hydrocarbons concentration affects dramatically on the generation rate of microorganisms present naturally in canal water.     

Radioactivity concentration in liquid and solid phases of scale and sludge generated in the petroleum industry

Scales and sludge generated during oil extraction and production can contain uranium, thorium, radium and other natural radionuclides, which can cause exposure of maintenance personnel. This work shows how the oil content can influence the results of measurements of radionuclide concentration in scale and sludge. Samples were taken from a PETROBRAS unit in Northeast Brazil. They were collected directly from the inner surface of water pipes or from barrels stored in the waste storage area of the E&P unit. The oil was separated from the solids with a Soxhlet extractor by using aguarras at 90+/-5 degrees C as solvent. Concentrations of 226Ra and 228Ra in the samples were determined before and after oil extraction by using an HPGe gamma spectrometric system. The results showed an increase in the radionuclide concentration in the solid (dry) phase, indicating that the above radionuclides concentrate mostly in the solid material.     

Emissions from heated indoor dust

Settled indoor dust was collected from a university building, and the fine fraction was heated in the temperature range of 50-250 degrees C. Emissions of compounds were analysed and identified in a system consisting of a thermal desorption unit coupled to a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The heating took place in both an oxidative (air) and an inert (He) atmosphere. The results indicate that oxidation of adsorbed compounds occurred, as well as decomposition of the dust itself. The emission in air started somewhere between 150 and 200 degrees C, with aldehydes and ketones as the main compounds. When heated in the inert atmosphere, semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) were emitted at temperatures above 150 degrees C. These compounds were not found in the air system, probably due to oxidation. Based on the obtained results we recommend that the temperature of hot surfaces in indoor environments should be kept below 150 degrees C to avoid oxidation of indoor dust and minimise the emissions.     

Quantitative determination of volatile organic compounds in indoor dust using gas chromatography-UV spectrometry

A novel technique, gas chromatography-UV spectrometry (GC-UV), was used to quantify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in settled dust from 389 residences in Sweden. The dust samples were thermally desorbed in an inert atmosphere and evaporated compounds were concentrated by solid phase micro extraction and separated by capillary GC. Eluting compounds were then detected, identified, and quantified using a diode array UV spectrophotometer. Altogether, 28 compounds were quantified in each sample; 24 of these were found in more than 50% of the samples. The compounds found in highest concentrations were saturated aldehydes (C5-C10), furfuryl alcohol, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT), 2-furaldehyde, and benzaldehyde. Alkenals were also found, notably 2-butenal (crotonaldehyde), 2-methyl-propenal (methacrolein), hexenal, heptenal, octenal, and nonenal. The concentrations of each of the 28 compounds ranged between two to three orders of magnitude, or even more. These results demonstrate the presence of a number of VOCs in indoor dust, and provide, for the first time, a quantitative determination of these compounds in a larger number of dust samples from residents. The findings also illustrate the potential use of GC-UV for analysing volatile compounds in indoor dust, some of which are potential irritants (to the skin, eyes or respiratory system) if present at higher concentrations. The potential use of GC-UV for improving survey and control of the human exposure to particle-bound irritants and other chemicals is inferred.     

Aqueous, solid and gaseous partitioning of selenium in an oxic sandy soil under different microbiological states

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of microorganisms on the behaviour of selenium in natural soil maintained under strictly aerobic conditions. Six-day batch experiments were performed with soils constrained to different microbiological states, either by sterilisation or by adding organic substrates. Selenium was added to the soil as selenite. The distribution of selenium in the gaseous, liquid and solid phases of the batch was measured. Selenium partitioning between the various solid phases was investigated by chemical sequential extractions. Active microorganisms played major effects on the distribution of selenium within the soil. On the one hand, microorganisms could promote selenium volatilisation (in relatively small amounts), leading to the spreading of selenium compounds outside the soil. On the other hand, microbial activities increased both amount of selenium retained by the soil and the strength of its retention (less exchangeable selenium), making selenium less susceptible to remobilisation.     

Composition and quantification of the anthropogenic and natural fractions of wastes collected from the stormwater drainage system for discussions about the waste management and people behavior

A study was made of the composition of wastes collected from the pipes of the stormwater drainage system of Sorocaba, SP, Brazil (600 thousand inhabitants). A total of 10 samples weighing at least 100 kg each were sorted into 19 items to determine the fraction that can be considered natural (earth/sand, stones, organic matter, and water, the latter determined after oven-drying the samples) and the anthropogenic fraction (the remaining 15 items, especially construction and demolition wastes and packaging). Soil/sand was found to be the main item collected (52.5 % dry weight), followed by the water soaked into the waste (24.3 %), which meant that all the other wastes were saturated in mud, whose contents varied from 6.4 % (glass) to 87.2 % (metalized plastics packaging). In general, 83 % of the collected wastes can be classified as “natural,” but the remaining 17 % represent 2,000 kg of the most varied types of wastes discarded improperly every day on the streets of the city. This is an alarming amount of wastes that may clog parts of the drainage systems, causing troubles for all the population (like flooding) and must be strongly considered in municipal solid wastes management and in environmental education programs.     

Fate of oil from two major oil spills: Role of microbial degradation in removing oil from the Amoco Cadiz and IXTOC I spills

The fate of oil was examined in intertidal sediments impacted by the Amoco Cadiz spill in Brittany, France, and in surface waters contaminated by the IXTOC I well blowout in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico. The role of microbial degradation in removing the contaminating hydrocarbons was assessed by laboratory determinations of numbers of hydrocarbon utilizing microorganisms, measurement of microbial hydrocarbon biodegradation potentials, by chemical analyses of samples incubated under controlled conditions and by examination of the evolution of the hydrocarbon mixture in field samples collected after the spill. Analyses included the use of ¹⁴C radiolabelled hydrocarbon tracers, glass capillary-gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Numbers of hydrocarbon utilizing microorganisms were found to be elevated by several orders of magnitude in oil contaminated samples. Numbers of hydrocarbon utilizing microorganisms appear to provide a useful index of environmental hydrocarbon contamination. However, environmental constraints on microbial processes appear to be most important in determining actual rates of biodegradation rather than numbers of available hydrocarbon utilizing microorganisms. Very high rates of degradation were found in intertidal sediments impacted by the Amoco Cadiz spill. In contrast, rates of degradation in the Gulf of Mexico were found to be much lower, partly due to nutrient limitations and partly due to the formation of large masses of oil-water emulsion or mousse.     

Performance studies of a low heat rejection engine operated on non-volatile vegetable oils with exhaust gas recirculation

During recent decades, considerable effort has been expended world-wide to reduce dependency on petroleum fuels for power generation and transportation through the search for suitable alternative fuels that are environmentally friendly. In this respect, vegetable oils are a promising alternative to diesel fuel. However, the high viscosity, poor volatility and cold flow characteristics of vegetable oils can cause some problems such as injector coking, severe engine deposits, filter gumming and piston ring sticking and thickening of lubrication from long-term use in diesel engines. These problems can be eliminated or minimised by transesterification of the vegetable oils to form monoesters. Although transesterification improves the fuel properties of vegetable oil, the viscosity and volatility of biodiesel are still worse than those of petroleum diesel fuel. The performance of a diesel engine with such biodiesel operation can be improved further with the concept of the low heat rejection (LHR) engine. In the LHR engine, combustion surfaces on the pistons, cylinder walls and valves can be coated with ceramic materials. The objective of this study was to apply the LHR engine concept for improving engine performance when either honge biodiesel, known as honge oil methyl ester (HOME), or neem biodiesel, known as neem oil methyl ester (NOME) oils was used as an alternative fuel. For this purpose, experiments were conducted on a single cylinder, four-stroke, direct injection, water-cooled compression ignition engine using diesel, HOME and NOME oils at different injection timings of 19, 23 and 27° before top dead centre (BTDC) with and without the induction of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). The percentage of EGR was varied from 5 to 20% in steps of 5%. The results showed that specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency were improved for both of the biodiesel fuels in the LHR engine. An EGR of 10% resulted in better performance with trade-off between oxides of nitrogen and hydrocarbons/carbon monoxide emissions and hence 10% EGR is taken as the best of the range from 5 to 20%. However, readings with other EGR ratios are not reported.     

OPTIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CRUDE PALM OIL INDUSTRY IN THAILAND THROUGH ENHANCEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

The crude palm oil industry plays an important role in the economic development of Thailand and in enhancing the economic welfare of the population. Despite obvious benefits of this industrial development, it also significantly contributes to environmental degradation, both at the input and the output sides of its activities. On the input side, crude palm oil mills use large quantities of water and energy in the production process. On the output side, manufacturing processes generate large quantities of wastewater, solid waste/by-products and air pollution. Current industrial wastes and recoverable materials are empty fruit bunches, fibers, shells and ash. It is estimated that in 2003, a total of 2.1 million ton of solid wastes/by-products and 2.5 million m³ of wastewater were generated. The concept of the industrial ecosystem points at the potential of industrial waste recycling resembling food chains, food webs and nutrient cycles of nature. Following the notion of industrial ecology crude palm oil mills can develop a number of waste recycling and reuse systems. This paper analyzes the nature of these industrial ecosystems, divided in in-plant ecosystems (clean technology options) and external waste exchange between crude palm oil industries and other economic activities in Thailand.     

鄱阳湖洲滩植被健康状态评价及其典型不健康年水文条件分析

在气候变化、人类活动的共同影响下,湿地生态系统退化的形势日益严峻。因此,开展浅水湖泊洲滩植被健康状态评价,探索导致湖泊洲滩植被结构和功能退化的原因具有十分重要的意义。通过构建逐层聚合的指标体系,运用综合健康指数法(EHCI)对鄱阳湖洲滩植被健康状态进行评价;并通过不健康年份湖泊水情与多年平均湖泊水情的对比,揭示对洲滩植物健康状态影响最为显著的湖泊水情。主要结论如下:(1)1989~2010年春季,鄱阳湖洲滩植被处于健康和亚健康状态的年份约占总体的80%,不健康年份约占总体的20%;同时段的秋季,鄱阳湖洲滩植被在健康和亚健康状态的年份约占总体的85%,不健康年份约占总体的15%。1989~2010年,鄱阳湖年均洲滩植被健康状态均在健康与亚健康之间,无不健康年份。鄱阳湖洲滩植被健康状态在年尺度上表现出比单一季节更好的稳定性。(2)涨水期水情是影响鄱阳湖春季洲滩植被健康状态的主要水文要素。1989~2010年春,鄱阳湖洲滩植被不健康年份发生在典型的春旱年份2005年和典型的春涝年份2010年。丰水期水情是影响鄱阳湖秋季洲滩植被健康状态的主要水文要素。1989~2010年秋,鄱阳湖洲滩植被不健康年份出现在典型的丰水期高水情年份1999年和典型的丰水期低水情年份2001年。就鄱阳湖年均水位波动状况而言,其具有比单一季节水位波动更好的稳定性,因此导致鄱阳湖洲滩植被全年的总体健康状态比单一季节具有更好的稳定性。本研究结果对于科学的认识鄱阳湖洲滩植被现状及其变化原因具有重要的现实意义,也为鄱阳湖洲滩湿地管理、生态修复及工程决策提供了重要的科学依据。     

Abundance and diversity of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in lakes exposed to Chernobyl-derived ionising radiation

Littoral (lake shore) macroinvertebrate communities were studied in eight natural lakes affected by fallout from the Chernobyl accident. The lakes spanned a range in ¹³⁷Cs contamination from 100 to 15500 kBq m⁻² and estimated external dose rates ranged from 0.13 to 30.7 μGy h⁻¹. General linear models were used to assess whether abundance of individuals, taxon richness, Berger-Parker dominance and Shannon-Wiener diversity varied across the lakes. Step-wise multiple regressions were used to relate variation in total abundance, taxon richness, Berger-Parker dominance, Shannon-Wiener diversity, taxon richness within major groups of macroinvertebrates and abundance of the more common individual taxa to the measured environmental characteristics (conductivity, pH, total hardness and phosphate; lake area, lake maximum depth and total external dose) of the lakes. No evidence was found in this study that the ecological status of lake communities has been influenced by radioactive contamination from the Chernobyl accident. Indeed, the most contaminated lake, Glubokoye, contained the highest richness of aquatic invertebrates. Taxon richness in the eight study lakes varied from 22 (Svyatskoe #7) to 42 (Glubokoye) which spans a range typical for uncontaminated lakes in the region. Since ⁹⁰Sr is readily-absorbed by Mollusca, estimated dose rates to this group exceeded those for other invertebrate groups in two lakes (Perstok and Glubokoye). However this study found no association between mollusc diversity or abundance of individual snail species and variation between lakes in the external radiation dose. Indeed Glubokoye, the lake most contaminated by ⁹⁰Sr, had the highest richness of freshwater snails per sample (an average of 8.9 taxa per sample).     

Gamma-dose rates from terrestrial and Chernobyl radionuclides inside and outside settlements in the Bryansk Region, Russia in 1996-2003

In order to estimate current external gamma doses to the population of the Russian territories contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl accident, absorbed gamma-dose rates in air (DR) were determined at typical urban and suburban locations. The study was performed in the western districts of the Bryansk Region within the areas of 30 settlements (28 villages and 2 towns) with the initial levels of 137Cs deposition ranging from 13 to 4340 kBqm(-2). In the towns, the living areas considered were private one-story wooden and stone houses. DR values were derived from in situ measurements performed with the help of gamma-dosimeters and gamma-spectrometers as well as from the results of soil samples analysis. In the areas under study, the values of DR from terrestrial radionuclides were 25+/-6, 24+/-5, 50+/-10, 32+/-6, 54+/-11, 24+/-8, 20+/-6, 25+/-8, and 18+/-5 nGyh(-1) at locations of kitchen gardens, dirt surfaces, asphalt surfaces, wooden houses, stone houses, grasslands inside settlement, grasslands outside settlement, ploughed fields, and forests, respectively. In 1996-2001, mean normalized (per MBqm(-2) of 137Cs current inventory in soil) values of DR from (137)Cs were 0.41+/-0.07, 0.26+/-0.13, 0.15+/-0.07, 0.10+/-0.05, 0.05+/-0.04, 0.48+/-0.12, 1.04+/-0.22, 0.37+/-0.07, and 1.15+/-0.19 microGyh(-1) at the locations of kitchen gardens, dirt surfaces, asphalt surfaces, wooden houses, stone houses, grasslands inside settlement, grasslands outside settlement, ploughed fields, and forests, respectively. The radiometric data from this work and the values of occupancy factors determined for the Russian population by others were used for the assessments of annual effective doses to three selected groups of rural population. The normalized (per MBqm(-2) 137Cs current ground deposition) external effective doses to adults from 137Cs ranged from 0.66 to 2.27 mSvy(-1) in the years 1996-2001, in accordance with professional activities and structures of living areas. For the areas under study, the average external effective doses from 137Cs were estimated to be in the range of 0.39-1.34 mSvy(-1) in 2001. The average external effective doses from natural radionuclides appeared to be lower than those from the Chernobyl fallout ranging from 0.15 to 0.27 mSvy(-1).     

Radiological effects on populations of Oligochaeta in the Chernobyl contaminated zone

A detailed investigation of 3 populations of Oligochaete species (Dero obtusa, Nais pseudobtusa and Nais pardalis) has been carried out in a contaminated lake of the close-in Chernobyl zone and in a control lake. Hydrochemical indices and concentrations of heavy metals, chloro-organic compounds and (90)Sr in bottom sediments have been measured. Absorbed doses were calculated on the basis of the results of radiochemical analysis and assessed directly with thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD). Stimulation of paratomous division (asexual reproduction) was found in one species of worm (D. obtusa), and activation of sexual reproduction in the two other species studied. An increase in the amount of cytogenetic damage in the somatic cells of worms from the contaminated lake was found and an attempt was made to assess the relative contributions of radiation and chemical exposure on the basis of analyses of inter-cellular aberration distributions and the types of chromosome aberrations observed in the cells.     

Model simulations of the fate of 14C added to a Canadian shield lake

Carbon-14 was added to the epilimnion of a small Canadian Shield lake to investigate primary production and carbon dynamics. The nature of the spike and subsequent monitoring allowed the investigation of both short-term and longer-term processes relevant to evaluating impacts of accidental and routine releases and of solid waste disposal. Data from this experiment were used in the BIOMOVS II program as a validation test for modelling the fate of the ¹⁴C added to the lake. Four models were used: (1) a simple probabilistic mass balance model of a lake; (2) a relatively complex deterministic model; (3) a complex deterministic model; and (4) a more complex probabilistic model. Endpoints were ¹⁴C concentrations in water, sediment and lake whitefish over a thirteen year period. Each model produced reasonable predictions when compared to the range of the observed data and when uncertainty in model predictions is taken into consideration. The simple lake model did not account for internal recycling of ¹⁴C and, in this respect, its predictions were not as realistic as those of the more complex models for concentrations in water. However, the simple model predictions for the ¹⁴C inventory remaining in lake sediment were closest to the observed values. Overall, the more complex probabilistic model was the most accurate in simulating ¹⁴C concentrations in water and in whitefish but it overestimated ¹⁴C retention in the lake sediments, as did the other complex models. Choice of parameter values for transfer rate to sediment and gaseous evasion are important in influencing model predictions. Although predicted concentrations of ¹⁴C in fish of dynamic models were more accurate than those using equilibrium bioconcentration factors typically used in assessments, large variability in observed ¹⁴C concentrations in whitefish emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the important processes that influence these contaminant concentrations.     

Colonized beads as inoculum for marine biodegradability assessment: Application to Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate

An innovative biodegradation test system was developed in order to fill the current gap for cost effective and environmentally relevant tools to assess marine biodegradability. Glass beads were colonized by a biofilm in an open flow-through system of seawater with continuous pre-exposure to Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) (20 μg/L). Thereafter, such colonized beads were added as inoculum in different test systems. [¹⁴C]-LAS (5–100 μg/L) was added and primary and ultimate biodegradation were assessed. The bacterial density collected on the beads (10⁹ bact./mL beads) was ca. 3 orders of magnitude higher than the typical seawater content. The LAS mineralization lag phase duration decreased from 55 to < 1 days and the mineralization extent increased from 53 to 90% as the colonized beads volume increased from 10 to 275 mL. This is the first demonstration of marine bacteria's ability to mineralize LAS. On the opposite, less than 13% LAS was mineralized in seawater only. The colonized beads possibly enhanced the probability to encounter the full degraders' consortium in a low volume of seawater (100 mL).     

Level and origin of iodine-129 in the Baltic Sea

Environmental samples, such as seawater, seaweed, lake water, lake sediment and grass collected from the Baltic Sea area were analyzed for 129I and 127I by radiochemical neutron activation analysis. In 2000, the concentration of 129I in the seawater from Borholm and M?en in the Baltic Sea has reached 6.0 x 10(-13) and 16 x 10(-13) g/l, respectively, these are more than two orders of magnitude higher than the global fallout level. The highest value of 270 x 10(-13) g/l being found in the seawater from the Kattegat. By comparison of the level of 129I in the lake water and precipitation in this region, it is estimated that more than 95% of 129I in the Baltic Sea originates from reprocessing emissions, especially from the French nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at La Hague. More than 30% of 129I in the south Baltic and 93% in the Kattegat directly originates from the marine discharges of the European reprocessing plants.