Levels and body distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in freshwater fishes from the Yangtze River, China

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) were determined in muscle, liver and eggs of freshwater fishes from the lower reach of the Yangtze River, China. The present study is the first to report HBCD concentrations in the environment of China. The concentrations of PBDEs and HBCDs in muscle of freshwater fishes from the Yangtze River ranged from 18 to 1100ng/g and 12 to 330ng/g lipid weight (wt.), respectively. When compared with other regions of the world, the contamination of PBDEs in biota could be regarded as moderate, whereas contamination of HBCDs in biota was relatively high. The PBDE congener profiles in fishes of the present study were markedly different from those observed in freshwater and marine fishes from other regions of the world. In the present study, BDE-15, BDE-28 and BDE-47 were the predominant congeners in the fishes. This particular congener profile in fishes from the Yangtze River revealed that a specific commercial PBDE formulation (probably made in China) might have been used in the Yangtze River Delta region.     

Arsenic release from flooded paddy soils is influenced by speciation, Eh, pH, and iron dissolution

Arsenic (As) is highly mobilized when paddy soil is flooded, causing increased uptake of As by rice. We investigated factors controlling soil-to-solution partitioning of As under anaerobic conditions. Changes in As and iron (Fe) speciation due to flooded incubation of two paddy soils (soils A and B) were investigated by HPLC/ICP-MS and XANES. The flooded incubation resulted in a decrease in Eh, a rise in pH, and an increase in the As(III) fraction in the soil solid phase up to 80% of the total As in the soils. The solution-to-soil ratio of As(III) and As(V) (R_L/S) increased with pH due to the flooded incubation. The R_L/S for As(III) was higher than that for As(V), indicating that As(III) was more readily released from soil to solution than was As(V). Despite the small differences in As concentrations between the two soils, the amount of As dissolved by anaerobic incubation was lower in soil A. With the development of anaerobic conditions, Fe(II) remained in the soil solid phase as the secondary mineral siderite, and a smaller amount of Fe was dissolved from soil A than from soil B. The dissolution of Fe minerals rather than redox reaction of As(V) to As(III) explained the different dissolution amounts of As in the two paddy soils. Anaerobic incubation for 30 d after the incomplete suppression of microbial activity caused a drop in Eh. However, this decline in Eh did not induce the transformation of As(V) to As(III) in either the soil solid or solution phases, and the dissolution of As was limited. Microbial activity was necessary for the reductive reaction of As(V) to As(III) even when Eh reached the condition necessary for the dominance of As(III). Ratios of released As to Fe from the soils were decreased with incubation time during both anaerobic incubation and abiotic dissolution by sodium ascorbate, suggesting that a larger amount of As was associated with an easily soluble fraction of Fe (hydr) oxide in amorphous phase and/or smaller particles.     

Brominated flame retardants in the environment of Asia-Pacific: an overview of spatial and temporal trends

In this paper, we summarize spatial and temporal trends of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) in coastal and marine biota, and further assess human exposure to these brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in Asia-Pacific. The review is based mainly on the studies that were conducted in our laboratory and utilized samples archived in the environmental specimen bank (es-BANK) of Ehime University, Japan. The studies suggest that the target BFRs are ubiquitous in the environment of Asia-Pacific. Examination of spatial trends reveals that concentrations of these contaminants are relatively high in samples from Korea, South China and Japan. In general, the magnitude of environmental contamination by PBDEs in Asia-Pacific, as well as human exposure to these contaminants, seem to be comparable to or slightly higher than in Europe, but lower than in North America. Evaluation of temporal trends in concentrations of BFRs in marine mammals from the coastal waters of Japan and China showed drastic increase during the last 30 years. These changes in BFR levels in samples from Japan were in line with trends in production/use of the commercial formulations. Since the withdrawal of some PBDE products from the Japanese market in the 1990s, concentrations of HBCDs appear to exceed those of PBDEs, reflecting increasing usage of HBCDs over PBDEs. The increasing environmental contamination by BFRs in Chinese coastal waters indicates that contamination by BFRs has already become evident, even in developing countries. In view of the rising environmental levels and the high consumption volume of BFRs in Asia, further efforts should be made to monitor environmental contamination by these chemicals in order to identify sources and reduce emissions.     

Evaluation of the physiology of miniature pig fed Shochu distillery waste using mRNA expression profiling

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Shochu distillery waste is the discarded material generated during Shochu production, and it has been used as feed for livestock. In this study, we...     

Cycling of rare earth elements in the atmosphere in central Tokyo

Concentrations of 14 rare earth elements (REEs) in six size classes of airborne particulate matter (APM) (<0.43, 0.43-0.65, 0.65-1.1, 1.1-2.1, 2.1-11, and >11 μm) and in two different phases (suspended particulate and dissolved) in rainwater were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Positive Eu and Tb anomalies were observed in size-classified APM. These anomalies may be due to large emissions of Eu and Tb to the atmosphere resulting from the recent change in Japan from the use of cathode-ray tubes to plasma displays in television sets (Eu and Tb) and from the widespread use of magneto-optical disks (Tb). The light REEs were enriched in fine APM particles (diameter < 1.1 μm). Because compositions of La/Ce/Sm in fine APM (diameter < 1.1 μm) were similar to those in automobile catalyst, the light REE enrichment was attributed to automobile emissions. In contrast, the REE distribution pattern in the suspended particulate phase in rainwater was similar to that in coarse APM (diameter > 2.1 μm), and a positive Tb anomaly was observed, suggesting that coarse particles easily become trapped in rain droplets. A negative Eu anomaly was observed in the dissolved phase in rainwater, but not in APM or in the suspended particulate phase in rainwater. Unlike other REEs, Eu can exist as both bivalent and trivalent ions in nature, and Eu-selective dissolution from or adsorption onto the trapped particles of Eu might account for the negative anomaly. These results show that atmospheric REE cycling is affected by the physico-chemical properties of APM.     

Phthalic acid esters (PAEs) in workplace and house dust from Vietnam: concentrations,profiles, emission sources,and exposure risk

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The occurrence of nine phthalic acid esters (PAEs) were determined in indoor dust samples collected from vehicle repair shops, waste processing...     

Percutaneous exposure incidents among Australian hospital staff.

We investigated all reported Percutaneous exposure incidents (PEI) among staff from a large Australian hospital in the 3-year period, 2001-2003. There were a total of 373 PEI, of which 38.9% were needlestick injuries, 32.7% were cutaneous exposures and 28.4% sharps-related injuries. Nurses were the most commonly affected staff members, accounting for 63.5% of the total, followed by doctors (18.8%) and other staff (17.7%). Needlestick injuries were responsible for the majority of nurses' PEI (44.7%). Sharps injuries constituted the major category for doctors (44.3%). Most needlestick injuries (67.6%) were caused by hollow-bore needles, while the majority of cutaneous exposures involved blood or serum (55.8%). Most sharps injures were caused by unknown devices (35.9%) or suture needles (34.9%). Overall, our investigation suggests that PEI is a considerable burden for health care workers in Australia. Further research is now required to determine the relationships, if any, between workers who suffer PEI and those who do not.     

Exploring the Use of Online Platforms for Climate Change Policy and Public Engagement by NGOs in Latin America

The engagement of environmental non-governmental groups in collaborative communication efforts and decision-making about climate change remains a significant challenge. In Latin America, the website Intercambio Climático was set up to attempt to play a breakthrough role in the region's discussion of climate change. This case study focuses on the development, accomplishments, and challenges of this unique online communication initiative among non-governmental organizations working in climate change issues in Latin America with a US-based partner, as a vehicle to achieve their goals. We used secondary data and in-depth interviews to examine this platform's role in disseminating information and influencing decision-making. The results suggest that generally the participants perceive the website positively, but there are also problematic aspects of the collaboration that are not fully recognized by the members, which prevents a more functional and effective communication strategy.     

Identification of sources of lead in the atmosphere by chemical speciation using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy

Sources of Pb pollution in the local atmosphere together with Pb species, major ions, and heavy metal concentrations in a size-fractionated aerosol sample from Higashi-Hiroshima(Japan) have been determined by X-ray absorption near-edge structure(XANES) spectroscopy, ion chromatography, and ICP-MS/AES, respectively. About 80% of total Pb was concentrated in fine aerosol particles. Lead species in the coarse aerosol particles were PbC2O4, 2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2, and Pb(NO3)2, whereas Pb species in the fine aerosol particles were PbC2O4, PbSO4, and Pb(NO3)2. Chemical speciation and abundance data suggested that the source of Pb in the fine aerosol particles was different from that of the coarse ones. The dominant sources of Pb in the fine aerosol particles were judged to be fly ash from a municipal solid waste incinerator and heavy oil combustion. For the coarse aerosol particles, road dust was considered to be the main Pb source. In addition to Pb species, elemental concentrations in the aerosols were also determined. The results suggested that Pb species in size-fractionated aerosols can be used to identify the origin of aerosol particles in the atmosphere as an alternative to Pb isotope ratio measurement.