Increased risk of preterm delivery among people living near the three oil refineries in Taiwan

The petrochemical and petroleum industries are two of the main sources of industrial air pollution in Taiwan. Data used in this study concern outdoor air pollution and the health of individuals living in communities in close proximity to oil refinery plants. The prevalence of delivery of preterm birth infants was significantly higher in mothers living near the oil refinery plants than in control mothers in Taiwan. After controlling for several possible confounders (including maternal age, season, marital status, maternal education, and infant sex), the adjusted odds ratio was 1.14 (95% CI=1.01-1.28) for delivery of preterm infants for mothers living near oil refinery plants. These data provide further support for the hypothesis that air pollution can affect the outcome of pregnancies.     

流域绿水管理博弈建模及应用分析

绿水资源表示水循环通过降水渗透入土壤非饱和层并由植物蒸腾或土壤蒸发返回大气层的水汽,是农业作物生产的重要基础,但是通常被传统流域水资源管理所忽视。基于流域水量平衡和蓝水绿水综合思维,将绿水资源纳入流域水资源管理体系。在绿水信贷理念和博弈建模分析框架下,结合SWAT分布式水文模型、多目标优化及情景比较分析,利用绿水管理措施合理优化配置流域蓝水绿水资源,采用绿水生态补偿协调处理上下游利益冲突的博弈问题,探索性地提出了流域绿水管理博弈框架。该框架通过博弈建模可以识别分析流域绿水管理问题的博弈空间、博弈结构和纳什均衡等博弈特征;通过合作博弈约束条件改进的多目标优化,可以计算流域绿水管理情景的绿水补偿标准和帕累托最优收益。将建立的绿水管理博弈框架应用于涟水流域实例研究,NSE、R2、PBIAS、p-factor与r-factor等模拟效果评价和不确定性分析结果表明,涟水流域SWAT分布式水文模型的蓝水绿水模拟均达到可信程度。上下游收益变化、绿水补偿标准与帕累托最优解集等博弈分析结果显示,涟水流域整体社会经济与生态环境收益明显改善,其帕累托最优收益平均增长2.72亿元/a,年均绿水补偿标准折合1.94、1 253.7元/hm²。实例分析表明提出的绿水管理博弈框架在涟水流域具有较好的适用性和可行性。因此,该方法可以为流域蓝水绿水管理试点研究及其绿水补偿标准核定提供相关理论依据和技术参考,具有一定程度的的应用价值和现实意义。     

Effect of Soybean Cultivation on Soil Collembola Community in Marshland of Sanjiang Plain,China

The Sanjiang Plain, the largest inland freshwater marshland in China, was extensive reclaimed into agricultural land. To assess the effects of marshland reclamation on Collembola, we investigated collembolan communities in a chronosequence of soybean plantations (2, 15, and 25 years) in Sanjiang marshland, Northeastern China. We found that: 1) the densities and species richness of Collembola were promoted after short-term (2 years) cultivation of soybean, but significantly decreased after medium-term cultivation (15 years); 2) the densities of epi-edaphic Collembola increased while the densities of hemi-edaphic Collembola decreased as the elongation of soybean cultivation; 3) compared with S0, two species of Collembola appeared while five species disappeared in S25. The changes of plant communities and the soil traits were supposed to be the key factors affecting the composition of soil Collembola. We thus suggest that original marshland should be saved for preserving high diversity and densities of Collembola in the Sanjiang Plain.

     

Nationwide survey on the natural radionuclides in industrial raw minerals in South Korea

A Nationwide survey on the natural radioactivity in industrial raw mineral commodities (17 kinds of domestic and 18 kinds of imported) that are representative minerals used in production and consumption in South Korea was conducted. The target industrial minerals can be categorized into two groups. The first group covers non-metallic and metallic raw minerals with low levels of radioactivity such as clay, silica sand, carbonates, bituminous and anthracite coal, iron ores, ilmenite, rutile, and phosphate ore. The other group comprises minerals with high levels of radioactivity including zircon and monazite. One hundred and sixty-four domestic and imported samples were analysed by gamma-ray spectroscopy using an HPGe detector. The (40)K content ranges from <0.00131 to 2.69Bq g(-1), and (226)Ra and (232)Th range over <0.0006 to 0.630 and <0.0008 to 0.474Bq g(-1), respectively. There was no anthropogenic radioactive signal in any of the samples.     

A temporal trend study (1972-2008) of perfluorooctanesulfonate, perfluorohexanesulfonate, and perfluorooctanoate in pooled human milk samples from Stockholm, Sweden

The widespread presence of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) in human general populations and their slow elimination profiles have led to renewed interest in understanding the potential human neonatal exposures of perfluoroalkyls (PFAs) from consumption of human milk. The objective of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of PFOS, PFHxS, and PFOA in pooled human milk samples obtained in Sweden between 1972 and 2008 (a period representing the most significant period of PFA production) and to see whether the time trend of these analytes parallels that indicated in human serum. Chemical analysis of PFOS, PFHxS, and PFOA was performed on pooled Swedish human milk samples from 1972 to 2008 after methodological refinements. The 20 samples which formed the 2007 pool were also analyzed individually to evaluate sample variations. Analyses were performed by HPLC-MS/MS. Due to the complexities of the human milk matrix and the requirement to accurately quantitate low pg/mL concentrations, meticulous attention must be paid to background contamination if accurate results are to be obtained. PFOS was the predominant analyte present in the pools and all three analytes showed statistically significant increasing trends from 1972 to 2000, with concentrations reaching a plateau in the 1990s. PFOA and PFOS showed statistically significant decreasing trends during 2001-2008. At the end of the study, in 2008, the measured concentrations of PFOS, PFHxS, and PFOA in pooled human milk were 75 pg/mL, 14 pg/mL, and 74 pg/mL, respectively. The temporal concentration trends of PFOS, PFHxS, and PFOA observed in human milk are parallel to those reported in the general population serum concentrations.     

自然权利的批判与辩护

环境伦理的突出功能表现在对人与自然关系的调整上。从法学视角切入．以“权利”作为分析文本．论述了人类中心主义与非人类中心主义在“自然权利”上的理论分歧．人类中心主义者从权利的一人性、权利义务的不对等性、主张自然权利的非现实性以及自然权利的不可操作性四个方面对自然的权利提出了批判．而非人类中心主义者指出权利撅念的在不断地扩展．人类中心主义不可能完全解决好人与自然的关系,自然权利存在着转化为在法律上具有可操作性的可能．并且自然权利理论已在法律实践领域拓展．对自然的权利进行了辩护。由此提出了“非人类中心主义”、“自然的权利”的环境伦理定位。     

杭州城区春节PM2.5中水溶性离子在线观测

利用大气细颗粒物水溶性组分在线连续监测分析系统(AIM-URG9000D),考察了杭州城区春节期间PM2.5中无机水溶性离子的浓度变化范围,探讨了这些离子的日变化特征和影响因素,同时分析了集中燃放烟花爆竹对水溶性离子浓度的影响。结果表明,SO2-4、NO-3、NH+4是PM2.5中水溶性离子的主要成分,分别占全部水溶性组分的33.3%、28.4%、19.4%;强致癌物质NO-2浓度为2.07μg/m3,远大于膜采样结果;NO-3与SO2-4的质量比为0.85,表明机动车尾气排放导致的大气污染正逐步加重;各水溶性离子有着各自不同的日变化规律。相关性分析表明,NH+4与NO-3、SO2-4的相关系数分别为0.92、0.81;K+、Cl-、Mg2+3者之间的相关系数均在0.9以上。烟花爆竹燃放期间,PM2.5浓度急剧上升,Cl-、SO2-4、K+、Mg2+浓度分别达到燃放前的18、6、53、76倍。     

杭州无车日大气细颗粒物化学组成形成机制及光学特性

在世界无车日期间对PM2.5化学组分、光学参数及气态污染物进行同步监测,评估机动车尾气排放对杭州市细颗粒物污染及能见度的影响.结果表明:管制期间NO2、NOx、CO和PM2.5浓度分别为45.0, 50.8, 1119, 85.8μg/m3,比平日分别下降了17.5%、23.3%、20.6%和32.6%.管制期间PM2.5中OC、EC和二次无机组分浓度为8.58, 4.29, 25.95μg/m3,比管制前下降了13.8%、12.6%和15.7%,管制后则达到20.24, 10.85, 27.39μg/m3,上升了136.0%、152.7%和5.5%.管制期间较高的NO3-/PM2.5和NOR(0.15)表明PM2.5的形成更多受二次无机转化影响,管制后PM2.5中上升的OC、EC比例和较低的NOR(0.07)则说明PM2.5主要来自机动车排放的碳质组分的贡献.硫酸盐、硝酸盐、有机气溶胶和EC是最主要的消光组分,共解释了总消光系数的74.0%~89.7%.管制后,机动车排放的有机物和EC消光比例达到26.6%和24.6%,大气消光系数则达到438.7Mm-1,比管制期间上升了60.5%,表明机动车污染排放已成为影响杭州大气细颗粒物污染和能见度下降的重要因素.     

Assessment of China's economic loss resulting from the degradation of agricultural land in the end of 20th century

Land degradation is a consequence stemming from both natural processes and social economic activities. On the bases of analyzing general situation of agricultural land degradation in China, the monetary estimating methods such as market value method and shadow engineering method were used to quantitatively assess the economic loss resulting from land deterioration. Results showed that the economic loss in 1999 was 326.8l billion RMB Yuan, which accounted for 4.1% of GDP in the same year of China. If taking five items namely farmland conversion, soil erosion, salinization, decline in reservoir functions, and siltation in waterways and, comparing with that in 1992, the percentage of economic loss to GDP has increased by 1.5 in the only 7 years.