Fungal bioconversion of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP)

Ninety strains of fungi from the collection of our mycology laboratory were tested in Galzy and Slonimski (GS) synthetic liquid medium for their ability to degrade the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and its by-product, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) at 100 mg l(-1), each. Evolution of the amounts of each chemical in the culture media was monitored by HPLC. After 5 days of cultivation, the best results were obtained with Aspergillus penicilloides and Mortierella isabellina for 2,4-D and with Chrysosporium pannorum and Mucor genevensis for 2,4-DCP. The data collected seemed to prove, on one hand, that the strains responses varied with the taxonomic groups and the chemicals tested, and, on the other hand, that 2,4-D was less accessible to fungal degradation than 2,4-DCP. In each case, kinetics studies with the two most efficient strains revealed that there was a lag phase of 1 day before the onset of 2,4-D degradation, whereas there was none during 2,4-DCP degradation. Moreover, 2,4-DCP was detected transiently during 2,4-D degradation. Finally, M. isabellina improved its degradation potential in Tartaric Acid (TA) medium relative to GS and Malt Extract (ME) media.     

Status of trace elements in paddy soil and sediment in Taihu Lake region

Thirteen paddy soil profiles and river sediments which are sources of irrigation water were collected around the Taihu Lake, and the trace elements were estimated. The content of La and Ce in paddy soil and sediment were 39.3 and 68.6 mg/kg soil and 36.9 and 65.1 mg/kg soil, being within the range of background values. The values for Pb, Cu, Ni, Cr, Co, Mn, Zn, Se in paddy soil were 23.3, 27.8, 25.5, 63.5, 10.2, 386, 68.7 and 0.25 mg/kg soil respectively, all below the national permission level. There was a decline of Zn in paddy soil. Some of the river sediments were seriously polluted. The river in Yangjin site was most contaminated with 5.47 g Cu/kg and 7.4 g Zn/kg. The high concentration of Pb and Ni also was observed in this sediment. River in Weitang, Huashi, Xinzhuang and Meiyan were contaminated with Pb, Cu and Ni to some extent. Zn, Cu and Pb were the main pollutants in present experiment sites. The fast development of village/township industries have caused severe environmental pollution in the Taihu Lake region, especially irrigation river sediments. Se content in plant and seed was 0.04 and 0.03 mg/kg respectively, showed Se-deficiency in paddy soil in the Taihu Lake region.     

Cadmium contamination in orchard soils and fruit trees and its potential health risk in Guangzhou, China

This study examines cadmium (Cd) contamination in orchard soils and fruit trees in Guangzhou, China, and assesses its potential health risk. Soils and tissues samples of three species of fruit trees were collected from three orchards. The average soil Cd concentration was 1.27, 1.84 and 0.68 mg/kg in orchards I, II, and III, respectively. The carambola (Averrhoa carambola) accumulated exceptionally high concentrations of Cd (7.57, 10.84, 9.01 and 2.15 mg/kg dw in root, twig, leaf and fruit, respectively), being 6.0-24 times and 4.0-10 times the corresponding tissue Cd in the longan (Dimocarpus longan) and wampee (Clausena lansium), respectively. Furthermore, all Cd concentrations (0.04-0.25 mg Cd/kg fw) of the fruits exceeded the tolerance limit of cadmium in foods of PR China (0.03 mg/kg fw). Our results indicate that the carambola tree has high Cd accumulation capacity and might be a Cd accumulator; and its fruit, among the three species of fruits studied, also poses the highest potential health risk to local residents.     

Organochlorinated contaminants in decapod crustaceans from the coasts of Brittany and Normandy (France)

The contamination and distribution of organochlorinated compounds were considered in three crustacean species (edible crab, Cancer pagurus; spider crab, Maja brachydactyla; velvet swimming crab, Necora puber) from five sites along the coasts of Brittany and Normandy (Western and North-Western France). PCBs (16 single congeners), pp'-DDE and HCB were measured in hepatopancreas, gonads and muscle: in all, 175 samples were analysed. The spider crab was the only species found in the five sampling sites, thus enabling comparison between areas. Specimens from Antifer were much more contaminated (summation operator 16 PCBs in hepatopancreas=2000-4000 ng g(-1) dry weight) than those from other sites (50-1000 ng g(-1) d.w.). Among all the three species, the spider crab appeared more contaminated by PCBs than the edible crab, by a factor 2-3, probably in relation with specific differences in their life cycle. There was no difference due to the gender of the species. Within the different analysed tissues, contamination levels increased from muscle to gonads and hepatopancreas in relation with the fat content. A very similar PCB composition was observed in all samples, PCB fingerprints being characterised by the relative importance of the more persistent PCB congeners: CB153, 138, 180, 187, and 118. Finally, these results were compared to recent food regulations first of maximum marker PCB intake and secondly of maximum dioxin-like PCB intake. By considering the muscle, all samples were far below the regulatory limits; for hepatopancreas and gonads, however, some samples were unfit for human consumption.     

Heavy metal and Pb isotopic compositions of aquatic organisms in the Pearl River Estuary, South China

The accumulation of trace metals in aquatic organisms may lead to serious health problems through the food chain. The present research project aims to study the accumulation and potential sources of trace metals in aquatic organisms of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE). Four groups of aquatic organisms, including fish, crab, shrimp, and shellfish, were collected in the PRE for trace metal and Pb isotopic analyses. The trace metal concentrations in the aquatic organism samples ranged from 0.01 to 2.10 mg/kg Cd, 0.02 to 4.33 mg/kg Co, 0.08 to 4.27 mg/kg Cr, 0.15 to 77.8 mg/kg Cu, 0.17 to 31.0 mg/kg Ni, 0.04 to 30.7 mg/kg Pb, and 8.78 to 86.3 mg/kg Zn (wet weight). High concentrations of Cd were found in crab, shrimp and shellfish samples, while high concentration of Pb was found in fish. In comparison with the baseline reference values in other parts of the world, fish in the PRE had the highest elevated trace metals. The results of Pb isotopic compositions indicated that the bioaccumulation of Pb in fish come from a wide variety of food sources and/or exposure pathways, particularly the anthropogenic inputs.     

Multivariate statistical study of heavy metal enrichment in sediments of the Pearl River Estuary

The concentrations and chemical partitioning of heavy metals in the sediment cores of the Pearl River Estuary were studied. Based on Pearson correlation coefficients and principal component analysis results, Al was selected as the concentration normalizer for Pb, while Fe was used as the normalizing element for Co, Cu, Ni and Zn. In each profile, sections with metal concentrations exceeding the upper 95% prediction interval of the linear regression model were regarded as metal enrichment layers. The heavy metal accumulation mainly occurred at sites in the western shallow water areas and east channel, which reflected the hydraulic conditions and influence from riparian anthropogenic activities. Heavy metals in the enrichment sections were evaluated by a sequential extraction method for possible chemical forms in sediments. Since the residual, Fe/Mn oxides and organic/sulfide fractions were dominant geochemical phases in the enriched sections, the bioavailability of heavy metals in sediments was generally low. The 206Pb/207Pb ratios in the metal-enriched sediment sections also revealed the influence of anthropogenic sources. The spatial distribution of cumulative heavy metals in the sediments suggested that the Zn and Cu mainly originated from point sources, while the Pb probably came from non-point sources in the estuary.     

潜流湿地对典型选控性有机污染物去除的预测

建立潜流湿地有机污染物迁移转化模型,采用多孔介质模型描述潜流湿地的水力特性,并引入Monod方程相耦合,实现对湿地系统内部流场及水质浓度的同时模拟。通过实验,校核模型参数,并验证模型。结果表明,该模型能较好模拟潜流湿地中有机污染物的去除效果;计算条件下,在不同基质填料的潜流湿地中都会出现滞水区和快速通道,影响水力效率与污染物去除效果;预测了不同填料系统中7种典型选控性有机污染物的去除效果,其处理效率:苯胺苯酚二甲苯甲苯苯硝基苯氯苯,可通过优选填料提高吸附量和延长停留时间来提高选控性有机物的处理效果。     

沉积方向对珊瑚砂动剪切模量及阻尼比的影响∗

复杂地质赋存环境下珊瑚砂具有显著的各向异性特征,颗粒的沉积方向显著影响其动力特性。对南沙岛礁珊瑚砂开展均等固结的共振柱试验,探究了珊瑚砂颗粒的沉积方向角 φ（沉积面与水平面的夹角）和初始有效固结围压对其动剪切模量 G 和阻尼比 λ 的影响。在给定 φ 下,G 随剪应变幅值 γ_a增大而减小的速率随 的增大而增加;给定 下,G 随 γ_a增大而减小的速率随 φ 增大呈现先减后增的趋势,φ = 60°时 G—γ_a曲线位于最下方。最大动剪切模量 G₀随 φ 的增大表现出先减后增的现象,且 φ 对 G₀的影响随 的增大而降低。建立了考虑 φ 和 影响的修正 Hardin 模型,预测和量测的 G₀值偏差小于 10%。动剪切模量比 G/G₀—γ_a曲线对 φ 不敏感,结合修正 Hardin 模型和 Davidenkov 骨架曲线预测和量测的 G 值偏差小于 15%。在陈国兴等（2006）提出的阻尼比经验模型中引入 φ 影响的修正项,预测和量测的 λ 值偏差小于 20%。     

Occurrence of 222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra and U in groundwater in Fujian Province, China

222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra and U were determined in a total of 552 groundwater samples collected throughout Fujian Province of China. The geometric mean concentrations of 222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra and total U in the groundwater were 147.8 kBq m-3, 12.7 Bq m-3, 30.2 Bq m-3 and 0.54 microgram kg-1, respectively. High groundwater 222Rn was explained by the predominantly granitic rock aquifers in Fujian. A lifetime risk of 1.7 x 10(-3) was estimated for the ingestion of groundwater 222Rn. High ratios of 228Ra to 226Ra contents (geometric mean of 2.4) and their disproportion suggest that 228Ra should also be measured in the assessment of population doses from drinking water in the regions of high rock or soil 232Th. No significant correlation between the 222Rn concentrations in groundwater and air was found.     

煤矿环境对矿工个体行为的影响机制研究

为了研究煤矿环境对矿工个体行为的影响机制,基于计划行为理论与文献研究法,建立了3个维度个体因素与7个维度环境因素之间的假设关系,编制了矿工不安全行为影响因素测量量表.构建了环境因素与个体因素影响关系结构方程模型,通过分析结构方程模型的路径系数和拟合数据,得出矿工不安全行为中环境因素对个体因素的影响关系.结果 表明:个体行为态度受安全氛围、物理因素正向影响效果较大,受生活事件、工作性质负向影响效果较大;主观规范受教育培训、安全氛围正向影响效果较大;知觉行为控制受安全氛围、教育培训及安全监管正向影响效果较大.3类个体因素共同作用于矿工意向,从而影响其生产行为.