Response to W. Kramer: The human sex odds at birth after the atmospheric atomic bomb tests,after Chernobyl,and in the vicinity of nuclear facilities: comment (doi:10.1007/s11356-011-0644-8)

Introduction

This paper is in response to criticism of our article “The human sex odds at birth after the atmospheric atomic bomb tests, after Chernobyl, and in the vicinity of nuclear facilities” published in Environ Sci Pollut Res 18(5):697–707, 2011.

Methods

Our findings and methods concerning the disturbed human sex odds at birth have been criticized in this journal for being artifacts of data mining, that the concept of statistical significance was misunderstood, and that confounding factors have not been accounted for. Here, we show that this criticism has no basis. We applied well-established statistical methods to large official data sets, and confounding is less important at the level of secular sex odds trends in aggregated annual figures from countries or continents.

Results and conclusions

Moreover, our results are strengthened by recent findings concerning increased infant death sex odds in Germany and increased Down syndrome prevalence at birth across Europe after Chernobyl. Prompted by our studies, an official investigation in Lower Saxony, Germany, by the “Niedersächsisches Landesgesundheitsamt (NLGA)” confirmed our observation of severely escalated sex odds within 40 km distance from the nuclear storage site in Gorleben, Germany.

     

Derivation of soil to plant transfer factors of radiocesium in Northern Greece after the Chernobyl accident, and comparison with greenhouse experiments

Radiocesium contamination of cereals, due to the Chernobyl accident, was systematically studied in two selected experimental agricultural farms in Northern Greece for the years 1987, 1988 and 1989. Radiocesium contamination of all annual crops is very low, of the order of 1 Bq kg(-1), and appears to be, for the first 3 years after the Chernobyl accident, time independent, the differences lying within the experimental error. Transfer factors, relating radiocesium deposition to contamination of crops, are deduced from the experimental results. Results are also discussed in the framework of UNSCEAR's empirical model, and the corresponding parameters are deduced. In addition, greenhouse experiments show that the obtained Transfer Factors are independent of the initial radiocesium deposition and that radiocesium from the Chernobyl fallout behaves differently from usual experimental sources, such as (137)CsCl.     

137Cs determination and mutagenicity tests in wild Mus musculus domesticus before and after the Chernobyl accident

Wild rodents were collected alive in a suburban area to the north of Rome before, during, 6 months and 1 year after the Chernobyl accident. Radionuclide determinations to assess their content of (137)Cs and mutagenicity tests (bone-marrow micronucleus test and sperm abnormalities assay) were performed on the captured animals. The results obtained for the species Mus musculus domesticus (which was the rodent captured in highest numbers), compared with the results obtained before the fallout, showed an increase of both micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MPCEs/1000 PCEs) and (137)Cs content during and after the fallout.     

Ecological half-life of caesium in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus)

Biological half-lives for various radionuclides have been determined for many animals kept in the laboratory or under controlled conditions. Only occasionally has been it possible to determine the ecological half-lives of radionuclides in wild animals, where the contamination has occurred in their natural habitats. Following the fallout from the Chernobyl accident and its subsequent ingestion by wildlife, no one knew how long it would take the wild animals to eliminate the radionuclides, and in particular radiocaesium, from their bodies. In this study of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), bucks (males)were shot at weekly/fortnightly intervals from mid-May till the end of July, as part of the annual cull on an area, which included some young forestry (Stone Chest-National Grid Reference NY48090), planted in 1971/72. The ration of 137Cs:134Cs, typical of the Chernobyl fallout, was seldom observed in these animals due to the highly variable concentrations of 137Cs originating from bomb fallout. Therefore, 134Cs was used instead because its presence was almost entirely due to the Chernobyl fallout. After using log10 transformation of the 134Cs concentrations, a significant (p < 0.01) regression was obtained which accounted for 85% of the variation. From the regression, the ecological half-life for 134Cs was found to be 28.3 days.     

Fallout traces of the Fukushima NPP accident in southern West Siberia (Novosibirsk,Russia)

Background  

The fallout of artificially produced radioactive isotopes has been recorded at a site in southern West Siberia (54°50′43.6″ N, 083°06′22.4″ E, Novosibirsk, Russia).     

The human sex odds at birth after the atmospheric atomic bomb tests,after Chernobyl,and in the vicinity of nuclear facilities: comment

The recent claim made in this journal that nuclear bomb tests and the Chernobyl disaster caused distortions in the secondary sex ratio is shown to be a likely artifact of data mining, misused statistics, and misreading of the evidence. In particular, the concept of statistical “significance” and its limitations do not seem to be fully understood, and important confounding factors have not been accounted for.     

Measurement of plutonium isotopes, 239Pu and 240Pu,in air-filter samples from Seville (2001–2002)

Since the last nuclear atmospheric test carried out by the People Republic of China in 1980 and since the Chernobyl accident in 1986, the plutonium hasn't been directly released into the atmosphere. However, nowadays, it is still present in the troposphere. This is due to plutonium-bearing soil particles physical resuspension processes. In this work, we study for the first time the temporal variation of plutonium isotopes, ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴⁰Pu, baseline concentrations on a monthly basis in surface air from Seville (Spain), and their correlation with some tracers of mineral dust, during 2001 and 2002. The Pu analyses were performed by low-energy Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). The ²³⁹Pu plus ²⁴⁰Pu (^239+240Pu) activity levels achieved maximums during the summer period, characterized by the absence of rains, and minimums during the rainy seasons, laying in the range 1–20 nBq m^?3. The ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu two-year average atomic ratio was 0.18 ± 0.03, in agreement with the fallout plutonium. A good correlation with Pu and Al and Ti levels is observed. They are crustal components usually used as tracers of African dust over European countries. The hypothesis of the influence of the Saharan dust intrusions is supported as well through the study of Total Ozone Mass Spectrometer (TOMS) daily images.     

Radiocaesium activity concentrations in potatoes in Croatia after the Chernobyl accident and dose assessment

Systematic investigations of (137)Cs and (134)Cs activity concentrations in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) for the post-Chernobyl period (1986-2005) in the Republic of Croatia are summarized. The correlation between (137)Cs activity concentrations in fallout and potatoes, has been found to be very good, the correlation coefficient being r = 0.88 with P(t) < 0.001 for 18 degrees of freedom. As the radiocaesium levels in potatoes decreased exponentially, the mean residence time of (137)Cs in potatoes was estimated by fitting the measured activity concentrations to the exponential curve. The mean residence time was found to be 6.8 +/- 1.1 years, the standard deviation being estimated by the Monte Carlo simulations. The initial observed (134)Cs:(137)Cs activity ratio in potatoes has been found to be quite variable, but slightly lesser than the theoretically predicted value of 0.5, calculated by applying the known inventory of these radionuclides in the Chernobyl reactor to the equation for the differential radioactive decay. This can be explained by presence of the pre-Chernobyl (137)Cs in soil that originated from nuclear fallout. The annual effective doses received by (134)Cs and (137)Cs intake due to consumption of potatoes estimated for an adult member of the Croatian population were found to be very small, as the per caput Dose for the entire 1986-2005 period was calculated to be about 2.9 microSv, (134)Cs accounting approximately for 1/3 of the entire dose. Therefore, after the Chernobyl accident consumption of potatoes was not the critical pathway for human intake of radiocaesium from the environment in Croatia.     

Microfibril angle in wood of Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris) after irradiation from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident

The secondary cell wall structure of tracheids of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), especially the angle of microfibrils in the S(2) layer, was examined in wood deposited prior to and after the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Microscopic analysis was carried out on wood samples collected in October 1997 from breast height of three pine trees 16, 30 and 42 years old. The polluted site was located in a distance of 5 km south from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant where radioactive contamination in 1997 was 3.7 x 10(5) kBq m(-2). Anatomical analysis showed that the structure of the secondary cell wall in tracheids formed after the Chernobyl accident was changed. Changes occurred both in S(2) and S(3) layers. The angle of microfibrils in S(2) layer in wood deposited after the Chernobyl accident was different in comparison to this measured in wood formed prior to the disaster. The intensity of the changes, i.e. alteration of the microfibrils angle in S(2) layer and unusual pattern of the S(3) layer, depended on the age of the tree and was most intensive in a young tree.     

Whole effluent assessment of industrial wastewater for determination of bat compliance

Background, aim and scope  

The applicability of the Whole Effluent Assessment concept for the proof of compliance with the “best available techniques” has been analysed with paper mill wastewater from Germany by considering its persistency (P), potentially bio-accumulative substances (B) and toxicity (T).     

The association between maternal nonylphenol exposure and parity on neonatal birth weight: A cohort study in Taiwan

Background

The aim of this study was to explore the association between NP exposure and parity and their effect on neonatal birth weight.

Methods

A cohort of pregnant women was established in a medical center in North Taiwan. Urinary NP concentration was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescent detection and adjusted using creatinine. A multivariable regression model was fit to determine the association between the maternal NP level in each trimester and neonatal birth weight. The odds ratios (ORs) of infant birth weight below the 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles, comparing pregnant women with the different NP exposure levels, was estimated using a logistic regression.

Results

Of the 162 pregnant women in the study, 99 were multiparas and 63 were primiparas. After adjusting for other covariates, the NP level in the second trimester had a significant association with birth weight in the primiparas (β = −182.49 g, p value = 0.02). The OR of low infant birth weight, comparing pregnant women with different NP levels, was increased by decreasing the cutoff percentile for birth weight (OR = 1.18 for the 50th percentile, 2.12 for the 25th percentile, and 7.81 for the 10th percentile). The odds of primiparas with high NP level having a low neonatal birth weight increased to 3.87, 11.77, and 9.40 for the three different percentiles (p value < 0.05).

Conclusion

Maternal NP exposure level is associated with an increased risk of low neonatal weight. Primiparas are especially at risk, and the second trimester of pregnancy may be the critical stage of exposure.     

The potential of lichens as long-term biomonitors of natural and artificial radionuclides

Lichens were used as biomonitors of Chernobyl fallout 137Cs, of cosmogenic 7Be and of radioactive members of the natural uranium and thorium decay chains. Samples were taken from two locations in France, including lichens sampled at different distances of a coal fired power plant and close to a uranium ore processing waste disposal site. All samples were analyzed gamma-spectrometrically after equilibrium concentrations of short-lived isotopes had been attained. Activity concentrations of the members of the uranium and thorium decay chains in Parmelia sulcata sampled 1994 decrease with distance from the plant, whereas in lichens taken at the waste disposal site a decrease with time was observed. Comparison of 7Be activity concentrations measured in lichens with atmospheric deposition rates confirms that P. sulcata can be used as a quantitative biomonitor of radioactive trace substances. Retention half-lives calculated with a simple one-compartment model are 2.6 +/- 1.2 years for cesium, which was detected in all samples even more than a decade after the Chernobyl accident, and of 0.7 (+/- 0.1) to 3.3 (+/- 0.7) years for lead. Consequences of our results for model identifiability and parameter estimation of a two-compartment model are discussed.     

Artificial radioactivity in environmental media (air, rainwater, soil, vegetation) in Austria after the Fukushima nuclear accident

Several environmental media in Austria were monitored for artificial radionuclides released during the Fukushima nuclear accident. Air (up to 1.2 mBq/m³ particulate ¹³¹I) and rainwater (up to 5.2 Bq/L ¹³¹I) proved to be the media best suited for the environmental monitoring, allowing also a temporal resolution of the activity levels. Significant regional differences in the wet deposition of ¹³¹I with rain could be observed within the city of Vienna during the arrival of the contaminated air masses. Forward-trajectory analysis supported the hypothesis that the contaminated air masses coming from the northwest changed direction to northeast over Northern Austria, leading to a strong activity concentration gradient over Vienna. In the course of the environmental monitoring of the Fukushima releases, this phenomenon—significant differences of ¹³¹I activity concentrations in rainwater on a narrow local scale (8.1 km)—appears to be unique. Vegetation (grass) was contaminated with ¹³¹I and/or ¹³⁷Cs at a low level. Soil (up to 22 Bq/kg ¹³⁷Cs) was only affected by previous releases (nuclear weapon tests, Chernobyl). Here, also significant local differences can be observed due to different deposition rates during the Chernobyl accident. The effective ecological half-lives of ¹³⁷Cs in soil were calculated for four locations in Austria. They range from 7 to 30 years. No Austrian sample investigated herein exceeded the detection limit for ¹³⁴Cs; hence, the Fukushima nuclear accident did not contribute significantly to the total radiocesium inventory in Austrian environmental media. The levels of detected radioactivity were of no concern for public health.     

Uptake and elimination,and effect of estrogen-like contaminants in estuarine copepods: an experimental study

Background, aim, and scope  

In recent years, anthropogenic chemicals which can disrupt the hormonal systems of both humans and wildlife have been raised to a major cause of concern. The aim of the present work was to determine the bioconcentration factors of the two major alkylphenols (AP) of the Seine Estuary [4-nonylphenol (4 NP) and nonylphenol acetic acid (NP1EC)] and of the synthetic estrogen, estrogen ethinylestradiol (EE2), in Eurytemora affinis after exposure in a continuous flow-through system under environmental realistic conditions. Moreover, the elimination of these compounds in copepods from the Seine Estuary has been investigated by measuring concentrations after 1 week in clean water in comparison to background levels.     

Petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in ten commercial fish species along Tamilnadu coast,Bay of Bengal,India

Background, aim, and scope  

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons in ten commercial fish species and water samples in three estuaries along Tamilnadu coast, Bay of Bengal, India.     

Laboratory and field evidence of the photonitration of 4-chlorophenol to 2-nitro-4-chlorophenol and of the associated bicarbonate effect

Background, aim and scope  

Photochemical processes can decontaminate the aqueous environment from xenobiotics, but they also produce secondary pollutants. This paper presents field and laboratory evidence of the transformation of 4-chlorophenol (4CP) into 2-nitro-4-chlorophenol (2N4CP).     

Radioactive isotope uptake in a grass-legume association

The radioactive uptake of Medicago sativa and Rye grass in a pasture exposed to the fallout from the Chernobyl reactor accident, was determined in four consecutive harvests covering a period of one year after the accident,In plants of Medicago sativa, inoculated with an effective Rhizobia meliloti strain isolated from Greek soils, a high degree of biological nitrogen fixation was observed at all harvests using N-15 techniques. At the second and third harvests, the percentage nitrogen derived from fixation (%NdfF), the percentage nitrogen derived from soil (%NdfS), as well as the radioactive uptake from the soil remained stable. At the fourth harvest, however, the %NdfF decreased while the %NdfS and the radioactive uptake from soil significantly increased. At the first harvest the radioactivity in both plants, caused mainly by direct fallout contamination, was considerably higher than that observed at the later harvests. Medicago sativa contained significantly less radioactivity than the grass at all harvests, although both plants were grown under the same environmental conditions. Even at the fourth harvest, almost one year after the initial contamination, the radioactivity of grass remained at high levels ( 20 Bq g(-1) of protein) while in Medicago sativa it assumed considerably lower values (3.6 Bq g(-1) of protein). A possible involvement of biological nitrogen fixation in the reduction of radioactive uptake is discussed. Finally, certain practical conclusions are drawn with respect to a safer management of pastures exposed to radioactivity.     

Potential malaria outbreak in Germany due to climate warming: risk modelling based on temperature measurements and regional climate models

Purpose  

Climate warming can change the geographic distribution and intensity of the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as malaria. The transmitted parasites usually benefit from increased temperatures as both their reproduction and development are accelerated. Lower Saxony (northwestern Germany) has been a malaria region until the 1950s, and the vector species are still present throughout Germany. This gave reason to investigate whether a new autochthonous transmission could take place if the malaria pathogen was introduced again in Germany.     

Changes in toxicity and Ah receptor agonist activity of suspended particulate matter during flood events at the rivers Neckar and Rhine — a mass balance approach using in vitro methods and chemical analysis

Background, aim, and scope  

As a consequence of flood events, runoff and remobilized sediments may cause an increase of ecotoxicologically relevant effects from contaminant reservoirs. Aquatic and terrestrial organisms as well as cattle and areas of settlement are exposed to dislocated contaminants during and after flood events. In this study, the impacts of two flood events triggered by intense rain at the rivers Neckar and Rhine (Southern Germany) were studied. Effects in correlation to flood flow were assessed at the river Neckar using samples collected at frequent intervals. River Rhine suspended particulate matter (SPM) was sampled over a longer period at normal flow and during a flood event. Three cell lines (H4L1.1c4, GPC.2D.Luc, RTL-W1) were used to compare Ah receptor agonist activity in different biotest systems. Multilayer fractionation was performed to identify causative compounds, focusing on persistent organic contaminants.     

On the limits of the air pollution predictability: the case of the surface ozone at Athens, Greece

Purpose  

The aim of this study is to investigate the potential effects of increased urbanization in the Athens city, Greece on the intrinsic features of the temporal fluctuations of the surface ozone concentration (SOC).