The acute toxicity of bisphenol A and lignin-derived bisphenol in algae,daphnids, and Japanese medaka

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Risk assessing newly synthesized chemicals prior to their applications is extremely important, if we want to ensure substitution of risky chemicals...     

Indicators for Chemicals: Sources,impacts and policy performance (5 pp)

Background Different types of indicators have been developed to describe the impact of chemicals on society and environment. Due to the high number of substances and their different types of use, most of these indicators are directed to specific areas of interest – regarding workplace safety, environmental health or consumer health. They address a specific subset of chemicals and can be used for monitoring enterprise-specific, national or international management measures. Main Features A survey of existing indicators for chemicals has shown that indicators already exist for a remarkable number of problem fields. As soon as the release and the environmental fate of chemicals are taken into account, the complexity of the approaches increases considerably. The distinction between indicators for drivers, pressures, state, impacts and responses, as proposed by the European Environmental Agency, supports the identification of proper indicators for a specific type of problem. Discussion and Conclusions. No single indicator exists which is able to cover the whole range of chemicals and their applications. Several indicator approaches cover at least a subset of the most relevant substances. If they are intended to be used for European monitoring, robust data must be provided by EU Member States. Chemicals in enterprises (ancillary inputs as well as process chemicals) are an important element of in-plant material flow management – in terms of occupational safety and health as well as environmental protection. Existing indicators for hazardous chemicals can be a valuable tool for process and product refinement regarding hazardous chemicals, especially for enterprises. Outlook Indicators for production and impact of chemicals, as well as policy performance indicators, are essential elements in order to monitor the management of chemicals. They have to be established for the national and for the EU level.     

SCRAM: A scoring and ranking system for persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances for the North American Great Lakes

Hundreds of chemical contaminants have been identified in the Great Lakes System of North America. Depending on the agency or organization, various subset lists of these contaminants have been identified as chemicals of potential concern. However, there is no agreement on the method that should be used to make management decisions. Except for consensus on approximately 40 chemicals that most North American agencies agree can cause deleterious effects if released into the environment, no agreement has been reached regarding the priority that contaminants should receive for further action. That leaves hundreds of chemicals that have been, are being, or potentially could be released into the environment that have not been evaluated yet. A profile for potential chemicals of concern is generally thought to include persistence in the environment, potential to bioaccumulate, and ability to cause toxic effects at environmentally relevant concentrations. Except for the International Joint Commission’s definition of persistence (> 8 weeks residence time in air, water, soil or sediment), there is little concurrence about what defines these characteristics. For instance, the State of Michigan currently has no established definitions or profiles of persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic substances. Furthermore, there is no standard process to rank chemicals relative to these characteristics. The Chemical Scoring and Ranking Assessment Model (SCRAM) has been developed to provide a process to rank-order chemicals based on these characteristics. The SCRAM system was developed primarily for use in the Great Lakes region of North America and particularly in Michigan, but it is not site-specific. Use of this system may assist in pollution prevention activities and other future chemical control efforts, allowing attention to be focused first on those chemicals likely to present the greatest hazard.     

Exposure patterns of UV filters, fragrances, parabens, phthalates, organochlor pesticides, PBDEs, and PCBs in human milk: correlation of UV filters with use of cosmetics

In order to assess potential risks of exposure to environmental chemicals, more information on concomitant exposure to different chemicals is needed. We present data on chemicals in human milk of a cohort study (2004, 2005, 2006) of 54 mother/child pairs, where for the first time, cosmetic UV filters, synthetic musks, parabens and phthalate metabolites were analyzed in the same sample along with persistent organochlor pollutants (POPs), i.e., organochlor pesticides and metabolites, polybrominated diphenylethers and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The two groups of chemicals exhibited different exposure patterns. Six out of seven PCB congeners and a majority of pesticides were present in all milk samples, with significant correlations between certain PCB congener and pesticide levels, whereas the cosmetic-derived compounds, UV filters, parabens and synthetic musks, exhibited a more variable exposure pattern with inter-individual differences. UV filters were present in 85.2% of milk samples, in the range of PCB levels. Comparison with a questionnaire revealed a significant correlation between use of products containing UV filters and their presence in milk for two frequently used and detected UV filters, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor and octocrylene, and for the whole group of UV filters. Concentrations of PCBs and organochlor pesticides were within ranges seen in Western and Southern European countries. For several POPs, mean and/or maximum daily intake calculated from individual concentrations was above recent US EPA reference dose values. Our data emphasize the need for analyses of complex mixtures to obtain more information on inter-individual and temporal variability of human exposure to different types of chemicals.     

Do aquatic effects or human health end points govern the development of sediment-quality criteria for nonionic organic chemicals ?

The equilibrium partitioning theory may be used to describe the partitioning of nonionic organic chemicals between water, sediment, and aquatic biota. This paradigm was employed to compare the relative magnitudes of organic carbon-normalized sediment-quality criteria that are intended to protect either benthic organisms from the direct toxic effects of sediment-associated chemicals or humans from the indirect health effects posed by the ingestion of contaminated aquatic animals. Comparison of calculated sediment-quality criteria for a variety of hydrophobic chemicals suggests that human health-based end points often result in more restrictive criteria than aquatic effects-based values. Review of published field data indicates that the equilibrium partitioning paradigm may, depending on contaminant class, either over- or underestimate the extent to which sediment-associated contaminations are bioaccumulated. Despite the limitations of adopting this simple theory for criteria development, calculations reveal that regulatory decisions involving sediments contaminated with such chemicals may be dictated by human health concerns if current risk assessment methodologies are applied.     

First report on development of quantitative interspecies structure-carcinogenicity relationship models and exploring discriminatory features for rodent carcinogenicity of diverse organic chemicals using OECD guidelines

Different regulatory agencies in food and drug administration and environmental protection worldwide are employing quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to fill the data gaps related with properties of chemicals affecting the environment and human health. Carcinogenicity is a toxicity endpoint of major concern in recent times. Interspecies toxicity correlations may provide a tool for estimating sensitivity towards toxic chemical exposure with known levels of uncertainty for a diversity of wildlife species. In this background, we have developed quantitative interspecies structure-carcinogenicity correlation models for rat and mouse [rodent species according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines] based on the carcinogenic potential of 166 organic chemicals with wide diversity of molecular structures, spanning a large number of chemical classes and biological mechanisms. All the developed models have been assessed according to the OECD principles for the validation of QSAR models. Consensus predictions for carcinogenicity of the individual compounds are presented here for any one species when the data for the other species are available. Informative illustrations of the contributing structural fragments of chemicals which are responsible for specific carcinogenicity endpoints are identified by the developed models. The models have also been used to predict mouse carcinogenicities of 247 organic chemicals (for which rat carcinogenicities are present) and rat carcinogenicities of 150 chemicals (for which mouse carcinogenicities are present). Discriminatory features for rat and mouse carcinogenicity values have also been explored.     

Agricultural chemicals and sustainable development: the agricultural environment Kuznets curve based on spatial panel model

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Excessive delivery of agricultural chemicals seriously threatens the ecology and environment of agricultural areas and restricts the sustainable...     

White rot fungi can be a promising tool for removal of bisphenol A,bisphenol S,and nonylphenol from wastewater

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) are a wide group of chemicals that interfere with the endocrine system. Their similarity to natural steroid...     

The California TEAM study: Breath concentrations and personal exposures to 26 volatile compounds in air and drinking water of 188 residents of Los Angeles,Antioch, and Pittsburg,CA

The U.S. EPA carried out a study of personal exposures to 26 volatile organic chemicals in the air, drinking water, and exhaled breath of 188 California residents in 1984. Sixteen chemicals were often found above quantifiable limits in the personal air samples, but only the four trihalomethanes were often found in drinking water. The highest exposures were to 1,1,1-trichloroethane, para-dichlorobenzene, xylenes, benzene, and tetrachloroethylene. Indoor air concentrations generally exceeded outdoor air concentrations, particularly at the higher percentiles. Breath concentrations of eight chemicals showed significant correlations with preceding personal air concentrations in the two visits to Los Angeles. Smoking, employment, and automobile-related activities were identified as important sources of personal exposure to a number of target compounds.     

Mechanism of concentration addition toxicity: they are different for nonpolar narcotic chemicals, polar narcotic chemicals and reactive chemicals

According to the toxicity mechanism of the individual chemicals, the concentration addition toxicity mechanism is revealed for nonpolar-narcotic-chemical mixtures, polar-narcotic-chemical mixtures and reactive-chemical mixtures, respectively. For nonpolar-narcotic-chemical mixtures, the partitioning of individual chemicals from water to biophase was determined, and the result shows that their concentration additive effect results from no competitive partitioning among individual chemicals. For polar-narcotic-chemical mixtures, their toxicity are contributed by two factors (the total baseline toxicity and the hydrogen bond donor activity of individual chemicals), and it is the concentration additive effect for either of these two factors that leads to their concentration addition toxicity. In addition, the interactions between the reactive chemicals and the biological macromolecules are discussed thoroughly. The results suggest that the net effect of these interactions is zero, and it is this zero net effect that leads to the concentration addition toxicity mechanism for reactive-chemical mixtures.     

Comparative acute toxicity of organic pollutants and reference values for crustaceans. I. Branchiopoda, Copepoda and Ostracoda

The acute toxicity of 468 organic pollutants to planktonic crustaceans (Branchiopoda, Copepoda and Ostracoda) from pre-existing data was compared by means of statistical analysis and relative tolerance indices (Trel). A surrogate species commonly used in toxicity bioassays (Daphnia magna) showed toxicity levels--within one order of magnitude--similar to all other Cladocera species, at least for 82% of the chemicals studied. All neurotoxic insecticides except neonicotinoids, PCBs, organometallic compounds and PAHs are the most toxic substances to these organisms. Sensitivity levels among taxa were compared for individual chemicals as well as groups of chemicals with similar characteristics. Whilst there are marked differences in sensitivity among taxa and particular groups of chemicals, no consistent trends were found for freshwater and saltwater species in relation to the latter groups. No correlation between LC50 and size of these organisms was found other than by chance, making extrapolations based on allometric equations impossible.     

Laboratory screening of distribution,conversion and mineralization of chemicals in the soil-plant-system and comparison to outdoor experimental data

A laboratory screening method is presented which yields data on residue disappearance and conversion of ¹⁴C-labelled chemicals in the soil-plant-system. For 11 chemicals it is shown that a relative prediction resulting in a correct ranking for outdoor long-term behaviour is possible.     

Persistent organic pollutants in water and surface sediments of Taihu Lake,China and risk assessment

Organic pollutants, especially persistent organic pollutants were examined in the water and surface sediments of Taihu Lake, China. Both 12 water and 12 sediment samples were collected over the lake. C-18 solid-phase extraction technique was applied to extract organic pollutants in collected water samples. Soxhlet extraction procedure was used to extract organic pollutants in sediment samples. The analysis was performed by GC-MS controlled by a Hewlett Packard chemstation. Two hundred and seventy-three kinds of organic chemicals in water were examined, 200 more than that detected in 1985; 188 kinds of chemicals in sediments were detected as well. Among them 21 kinds of chemicals belong to priority pollutants as well as 17 kinds to be the endocrine disruptors. The concentrations of the pollutants were more than 2 times higher than that in 1985. The possible source and relation to anthropogenic activity were discussed.     

Endocrine modulation, inhibition of ovarian development and hepatic alterations in rainbow trout exposed to polluted river water

Under laboratory conditions, female rainbow trout were exposed to graded concentrations of water from the River Lambro, a polluted tributary of the River Po, and to the effluent of a large wastewater treatment plant which flows into the River Lambro. In field exposures, trout were held in cages in the River Po upstream and downstream from the confluence of the River Lambro. After 10-day (laboratory) and 30-day (laboratory and field) exposures, trout were examined for several chemical, biochemical and histological endpoints. The results indicated that exposure to complex mixtures of chemicals, including estrogen receptor agonists, aryl-hydrocarbon receptor agonists, and probably antiandrogens, had occurred. Exposure altered the plasma levels of 17β-estradiol and testosterone, and some treatments also enhanced the activity of hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase. Gonadal histology showed varying levels of degenerative processes characterised by oocyte atresia, haemorrhages, melano-macrophage centres (MMCs), and oogonia proliferation. Liver histology showed less severe effects.     

The effects of bisphenol A given in ovo on bursa of Fabricius development and percentage of acid phosphatase positive lymphocyte in chicken

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Bisphenol A (BPA), one of the endocrine disrupting chemicals, is the object of great concern because of its widespread use throughout the world. In...     

The development and application of centrifugal flotation systems in wastewater treatment

Flotation as a wastewater treatment technique is designed to remove all particles generally encountered as very fine emulsions, suspended solids, and colloids from wastewater. Historically, Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) has been used to achieve this removal. More recently, other flotation techniques such as induced air, electro, cavitational, and Centrifugal Flotation Systems (CFS) have been applied in wastewater treatment. CFS use centrifugal force to enhance mixing of particles and bubbles with treatment chemicals and accelerate solid/liquid separation. In the most recent design, centrifugal hydrocyclone mixing was combined with small dissolved-air flotation bubbles leading to the development of the hybrid, dissolved-air centrifugal flotation.     

Evaluation of age, gender and regional concentration differences for dioxin-like chemicals in the Australian population

The results of this study provide a measure of the levels of dioxin-like compounds (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls) in pooled blood serum collected throughout Australia in 2003. De-identified samples selected from surplus pathology samples were stratified on the basis of gender, region and age. In total 9090 samples were collected and analysed as 96 pools. Dioxin-like chemicals were detected in all strata. The mean and median levels expressed as TEQ values for all pooled samples were 10.9+/-1.0 pg TEQ g(-1) lipid and 8.3 pg TEQ g(-1) lipid. For males and females the mean levels were 10.4+/-0.6 pg TEQ g(-1) lipid and 11.5+/-1.5 pg TEQ g(-1) lipid, respectively. A direct relationship of increasing dioxin-like chemical levels with increasing age was observed and could be described by the following equation: Levels in blood expressed as pg TEQ g(-1) lipid = 3.3 exp(0.0251 age) (r2 = 0.87). No significant differences were observed in the levels of dioxin-like chemicals in samples collected from males and females. In addition, the levels of dioxin-like chemicals across the five regions were similar within each age range. In summary, the levels of dioxin-like chemicals in the Australian population are low compared to international levels and are similar across all regions of Australia within each designated age range. The levels of these chemicals increase with age and can be estimated if the age of an individual is known.     

Leaching of fenamiphos,fenamiphos sulfoxide and fenamiphos sulfone in soil columns

Abstract

Leaching of fenamiphos and its thiooxidation products, sulfoxide and sulfone, has been studied in two different soils in laboratory conditions. Fenamiphos was much less mobile than its derivatives. A large volume of water was necessary to leach completely the three chemicals. Fenamiphos required an amount of water twice as large as that required by either sulfoxide or sulfone. Mobility and leaching efficiency of the chemicals examined were highly dependent on the properties of the two soils considered.     

Analysis of 4-nonylphenols, phthalates, and polychlorinated biphenyls in soils and biosolids

When sewage sludge is added to agricultural land, organic chemicals contaminants are also added. The fate of these chemicals, particularly those shown to have oestrogenic potential, has received much research and regulatory interest in recent years. A method was developed for the analysis of 4-nonylphenols, phthalates, and PCB congeners in soils, mesophilic anaerobially digested dewatered (MADD) sewage sludge, and MADD sludge-amended soil. After Soxhlet-extraction, the 4-nonylphenols and phthalates were separated from the PCBs on an isolute cyanopropyl SPE cartridge and analysed by GC-MS directly. The PCBs were acid treated on a Bakerbond PCB-A cartridge, then passed through a gel filtration column of Biobeads SX-3 resin, before GC-MS analysis. The method was successfully validated and then used for routine analysis, where average recoveries of the surrogate standards were 83+/-17% (4-n-heptylphenol), 96+/-11% (dimethyl-tere-phthalate), 101+/-12% (dibenzyl-phthalate), and 79+/-13% (PCBs 6, 54, 104, 155, and 198).