Genotoxicity in adult residents in mineral coal region—a cross-sectional study

The present study assessed the DNA damage in environmentally exposed volunteers living in seven municipalities in an industrial coal region, through the use of the comet assay with blood cells and the micronucleus test with buccal cells. Blood and buccal smears were collected from 320 male volunteers living in seven cities inserted in a coal region. They were ages of 18 and 50 years and also completed a questionnaire intended to identify factors associated with DNA damage through a Poisson regression analysis. The comet assay detected significant differences in DNA damage in volunteers from different municipalities, and neighboring cities (Pedras Altas, Aceguá, and Hulha Negra) had a higher level of DNA damage in relation to control city. Some of the risk factors associated with identified DNA lesions included residence time and life habits. On the other hand, the micronucleus test did not identify differences between the cities studied, but the regression analysis identified risk factors such as age and life habits (consumption of mate tea and low carbohydrates diet). We conclude that there are differences in the DNA damage of volunteers from different cities of the carboniferous region, but the presence of micronuclei in the oral mucosa does not differ between the same cities. Furthermore, we alert that some related factors may increase the risk of genotoxicity, such as residence location and time, and living and food habits. Finally, we suggest the need for continuous biomonitoring of the population, as well as for investing in health promotion in these vulnerable populations.

     

基于层次分析法的古村落旅游资源评价——以世界遗产地西递、宏村为例

以世界遗产地皖南古村落——西递、宏村为研究区域,从研究区域的资源价值和区位条件两个方面,选取了5个Ⅰ级指标：历史文化价值、科学价值、艺术价值、区域规模、交通便利程度,12个Ⅱ级指标：年代久远程度、民俗代表性、历史事件名人影响度、科学考察、科普教育、完整性、典型性、观赏性、地域组合、环境容量、通达性与服务中心距离,建立评价指标体系,并结合YAAHP软件对该指标体系进行层次分析,得出了各指标的相对权重。结果表明,西递、宏村的历史文化价值与艺术价值在其旅游资源评价中具有重要地位。在此基础上对其进行了分析并提出了相应的保护措施和对策,以期达到对西递、宏村旅游资源合理保护与开发的目的。     

固定床中粒状脱硫剂除尘效率的研究

建立了非稳态过滤下的固定床颗粒层除尘效率模型.该模型尽可能地包含了影响固定床颗粒层除尘的参数,反映了沉积粉尘对除尘效率的影响;研究了以粒状脱硫剂为滤料的固定床在不同颗粒层厚度、空床气速、粒径下的除尘效率.结果表明,在颗粒层厚度为400～800 cm、空床气速≤0.4 m/s的条件下,颗粒层的除尘效率可达90％以上.     

Sustainable graywater reuse for residential landscape irrigation – a critical review

The demand for potable water is rising rapidly due to an ever-increasing population, economic activities, and dwindling water supplies. To provide adequate water supplies in the future, understanding the issues and challenges in the reuse of water and developing appropriate strategies for reuse will be critical. One way to augment water supplies for residential use is to reuse graywater – the wastewater from kitchens, bathrooms, and laundries. In this article, we critically review the evolution of water reuse, the definition of graywater, graywater reuse practices, volumes and flow in different situations, and graywater characteristics. We then examine the issues associated with different graywater treatment methods and how using graywater for irrigation around homes affects soil quality and plant growth. The study concludes that graywater treatment costs, human health risks, and its effect on soil quality are some of the challenges that need to be addressed in the future for widespread and sustainable reuse of graywater for irrigation around homes.     

Simulation and life cycle assessment of process design alternatives for biodiesel production from waste vegetable oils

This study uses the process simulator ASPEN Plus^® and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to compare three process design alternatives for biodiesel production from waste vegetable oils that are: the conventional alkali-catalyzed process including a free fatty acids (FFAs) pre-treatment, the acid-catalyzed process, and the supercritical methanol process using propane as co-solvent. Results show that the supercritical methanol process using propane as co-solvent is the most environmentally favorable alternative. Its smaller steam consumption in comparison with the other process design alternatives leads to a lower contribution to the potential environmental impacts (PEI’s). The acid-catalyzed process generally shows the highest PEI’s, in particular due to the high energy requirements associated with methanol recovery operations.     

EGG PRODUCTION AND HATCHING SUCCESS IN NORTH ADRIATIC SEA POPULATIONS OF THE COPEPOD Acartia clausi

Egg production, fecal pellet production and hatching success are reported for Acartia clausi females sampled during three cruises in February 1997, 1998 and June 1997 at 20-24 stations along 4 transects in the North Adriatic Sea. Dramatically low hatching rates were recorded during both diatom bloom events in February as opposed to much higher rates during post-bloom conditions in June, even though A. clausi productivity during the bloom was apparently high. These results are discussed in the light of recent findings on the negative impact of diatoms on copepod reproductive potential.     

Sediment preferences and oil contamination in the Pacific sand lance Ammodytes hexapterus

Sand lance, Ammodytes hexapterus Pallas, forage for zooplankton in the water column and are under heavy predation from fish, marine birds and marine mammals. To avoid predation, these fish bury themselves in soft bottom sediments when not foraging and during overwintering. We collected sand lance in Sequim Bay, Washington State, USA, in 1982. In three experiments we presented the fish with: (1) four different sediment types (fine sand, coarse sand, gravel, silt) to determine their sediment preferences; (2) clean and oil-contaminated preferred sediment to determine whether the fish would avoid the contamination; and (3) clean unpreferred and oil-contaminated preferred sediment to determine whether the contamination would alter their sediment preferences. In the first experiment, sand lance preferred to bury in fine and coarse sands and avoided gravel and silt. In the second experiment, sand lance avoided sand contaminated with Prudhoe Bay crude oil (116 and 1050 ppm). In the third experiment, sand lance avoided the oiled sand (131 and 1041 ppm) and buried in clean gravel, and also avoided both oiled sand (113 and 1004 ppm) and clean silt, and chose to remain in the water column. The sediment particle size and the way it affects water flow through the sediment seemed to be responsible for the preferences. We suggest that the sediment type, the sediment distribution, the nutritional state of the fish, and the predation pressure influence how sand lance use the sediment as a refuge and how they respond to contamination of that refuge.Contribution No. 1392 of the School of Oceanography, University of Washington     

Potential of Eucalyptus globulus for the phytoremediation of metals in a Moroccan iron mine soil—a case study

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The contamination left by abandoned mines demands sustainable mitigation measures. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the phytoremediator...