MOSESS: A New Emission Model for the Compilation of Model-Ready Emission Inventories—Application in a Coal Mining Area in Northern Greece

Over the last years, the capabilities of chemical transport models have been greatly improved and the need for more accurate emission data has increased as well. In the past, a number of emission models have been developed and present different functionalities and applications. The majority of these though cover very specific needs. This paper describes the development of a new emission model namely computer model for the construction of model-ready emission inventories (MOSESS) which is used to compile high-resolution emission inventories or improve existing ones, utilizing complex GIS techniques. The model aims in helping chemical modelers to obtain a better overview of their modeling application by having a comprehensive understanding of the emission input. MOSESS incorporates more than 70 different emission calculation methodologies, and it is capable of handling external emission databases (such as EMEP and EPER) from which emissions can be extracted. The temporal variation (annual/daily and diurnal processing), chemical speciation of NMVOCs and particles, vertical distribution and point source treatment, as well as the spatial disaggregation of emissions (utilizing numerous spatial proxies including high-resolution landuses) can help create model-ready emission inventories which can be used for contemporary modeling applications.     

Fate of arsenic in swine waste from concentrated animal feeding operations

Swine diets are often supplemented by organoarsenicals, such as 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (roxarsone) to treat animal diseases and promote growth. Recent work reported roxarsone degradation under anaerobic conditions in poultry litter, but no such data exist for swine wastes typically stored in lagoons nearby concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). The objectives of this study were to: (i) characterize a suite of swine wastes collected from 19 randomly selected CAFOs for soluble arsenate [As(V)], arsenite [As(III)], dimethylarsenic acid (DMA), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), 3-amino-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (3-HPPA), p-arsanilic acid, and roxarsone, and (ii) determine the geochemical fate of roxarsone in storage lagoons nearby CAFOs. Swine waste suspensions were spiked with roxarsone and incubated under dark/light and aerobic/anaerobic conditions to monitor roxarsone degradation kinetics. Arsenic speciation analysis using liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICPMS) illustrated the prevalence of As(V) in swine waste suspensions. Roxarsone underwent degradation to either organoarsenicals (3-HPPA) or As(V) and a number of unidentified metabolites. Roxarsone degradation occurred under anaerobic conditions for suspensions low in solids content, but suspensions higher in solids content facilitated roxarsone degradation under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Increased solids content enhanced roxarsone degradation kinetics under aerobic conditions. According to current waste storage and sampling practices, arsenic in swine wastes stored in lagoons has been overlooked as a possible environmental health issue.     

High uptake of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by vetiver grass--potential for phytoremediation?

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a potent mutagen, and a Group C human carcinogen that has been widely used to produce munitions and explosives. Vast areas that have been previously used as ranges, munition burning, and open detonation sites are heavily contaminated with TNT. Conventional remediation activities in such sites are expensive and damaging to the ecosystem. Phytoremediation offers a cost-effective, environment-friendly solution, utilizing plants to extract TNT from contaminated soil. We investigated the potential use of vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) to effectively remove TNT from contaminated solutions. Vetiver grass plants were grown in hydroponic systems containing 40 mg TNTL(-1) for 8d. Aqueous concentrations of TNT reached the method detection limit ( approximately 1 microg L(-1)) within the 8-d period, demonstrating high affinity of vetiver for TNT, without any visible toxic effects. Results from this preliminary hydroponic study are encouraging, but in need of verification using TNT-contaminated soils.     

Discussion of the paper "Cost effective policies for alternative distributions of stochastic water pollution" by Gren, Destouni and Tempone

This discussion addresses some aspects of a recent paper appearing in this journal which investigates cost effective coastal water management based on different assumptions of the probability distributions (normal and log-normal) of pollutant transport. We also suggest an alternative approach to overcome the technical problems of using the theoretical correct distribution for characterising environmental data (log-normal) within a probabilistic programming framework.     

Assessment of toxic metals in waste personal computers

Considering the enormous production of waste personal computers nowadays, it is obvious that the study of their composition is necessary in order to regulate their management and prevent any environmental contamination caused by their inappropriate disposal. This study aimed at determining the toxic metals content of motherboards (printed circuit boards), monitor glass and monitor plastic housing of two Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors, three Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors, one LCD touch screen monitor and six motherboards, all of which were discarded. In addition, concentrations of chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) were compared with the respective limits set by the RoHS 2002/95/EC Directive, that was recently renewed by the 2012/19/EU recast, in order to verify manufacturers’ compliance with the regulation. The research included disassembly, pulverization, digestion and chemical analyses of all the aforementioned devices. The toxic metals content of all samples was determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results demonstrated that concentrations of Pb in motherboards and funnel glass of devices with release dates before 2006, that is when the RoHS Directive came into force, exceeded the permissible limit. In general, except from Pb, higher metal concentrations were detected in motherboards in comparison with plastic housing and glass samples. Finally, the results of this work were encouraging, since concentrations of metals referred in the RoHS Directive were found in lower levels than the legislative limits.     

Improved liquid chromatographic photo diode array mass spectrometric determination of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and related furfurals in honey

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural is found in several food commodities, including honey. Its concentration is used as one of honey's quality indicators since elevated 5-hydroxymethylfurfural levels indicate overheating and aging of the product. In this context, the European Commission and Codex Alimentarius established the maximum tolerable level for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, for general type honeys intended for human consumption, at 40 mg kg^?1. In this study, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 2-furfural, and the furfuralic derivative 5-methyl-2-furfural were investigated in Greek honey samples, through a high performance liquid chromatographic photo diode array mass spectrometric method developed and validated. Sample preparation was based on a modification of the ‘Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe’ procedure. The method was sensitive, exhibiting limit of detection for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural at 0.1 mg kg^?1, far below the permissible level of 40 mg kg^?1. Levels of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural in 28 honey samples varied from 0.5 to 23.5 mg kg^?1, thus, not worrying for consumers. Traces of 2-furfural were detected in limited samples.     

Biomarkers of end of shift exposure to disinfection byproducts in nurses

Increased disinfectant use commonly takes place in hospitals and other health care settings. A cross-sectional study among active nurses in two Cypriot public hospitals (n = 179) was conducted to examine the prevalence of exposure to disinfection byproducts (DBPs), such as trihalomethanes (THMs) using both self-reported information and biomarker measurements. The objectives of this study were to: i) quantify the magnitude and variability of occupational exposure to disinfectants/DBPs in nurses, ii) generate job exposure matrices (JEM) and job task exposure matrices (JTEM) for disinfectants, and iii) assess the major determinants of urinary THMs in nurses. End of shift urinary total THM values showed high variability among the nurses, but did not differ between hospitals. The disinfectant group of alcohols/phenols was used by > 98% of nurses, followed by octenidine (82%), iodine and chlorine (39%, each), chlorhexidine (25%), formaldehyde (12%), hydrogen peroxide (11%), and peracetic acid/ammonia/quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), all being < 8% each. Chlorine use during the past 24 hr was associated with significantly (p < 0.05) lower brominated THMs (BrTHMs) after adjusting for age, gender and BMI, while a positive association was shown for TCM and the sum of all THMs (TTHMs), albeit not significant. Nurses were exposed to nearly double the levels of TTHMs and BrTHMs (median and IQR, 1027 [560, 2475] ng/g and 323 [212, 497] ng/g, respectively) when compared to those of the general population (552 [309,989] ng/g and 152 [87,261] ng/g, respectively). This was the first occupational health dataset reporting measurements of biomarkers of end of shift exposures to disinfectants/DBPs.     

Diversity of cyanobacterial phylotypes in a Mediterranean drinking water reservoir (Marathonas, Greece)

The structure of the cyanobacterial community in a large drinking water reservoir (Marathonas, Greece) was investigated in October 2007 and September 2008. Cyanobacteria-specific primers were used for the PCR amplification of cyanobacterial 16S rDNAs from three water column sites and the water collection tank. In total, 199 clones were sequenced representing 52 unique cyanobacterial, including chloroplast-related, and 11 non-cyanobacterial phylotypes. All cyanobacterial phylotypes belonged to the order Chroococcales. Cluster analysis showed that the cyanobacterial communities in 2007 in the three water column sites showed high similarity between the stations and low diversity (H?=?1.17???1.44), due to the occurring common phylotypes, while all sites in 2008 had very low similarities between them and higher diversity (H?=?1.56???2.40). Some of the most abundant phylotypes were closely related (>98%) to members of the genus Gloeocapsa and a potentially toxin-producing strain of Microcystis aeruginosa. The non-cyanobacterial phylotypes were either unaffiliated or belonged to the Verrucomicrobia, and were related with sequences originating from lake water habitats.     

Antibiotic resistance patterns of Salmonella and Escherichia coli in the groundwater of Cyprus

In addition to diet-based vectors of disease, the contribution of water-borne zoonotic agents to gastrointestinal illnesses may be significant, but this has yet to be investigated for Cyprus. Our main objective was to evaluate antibiotic resistance patterns of Salmonella and Escherichia coli in groundwater samples collected at confined animal feeding operations. This is the first report on the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella and E. coli strains in the groundwater of Cyprus. Most of Salmonella isolates belonged to the subgroup enterica, whereas none of the E. coli isolates expressed the verotoxin-encoding gene. Out of 27 isolated Salmonella strains, nearly half of them were resistant to at least one or more antibiotic, whereas the highest resistance was exhibited by sulphamethoxazole (85%), followed by streptomycin (39%), and tetracycline (31%). For the E. coli isolates, nearly a third of them showed resistance to at least one antibiotic, whereas the selection of antibiotic resistance was equal among sulphamethoxazole, tetracycline and streptomycin (20%). This study demonstrated that Salmonella and E. coli in groundwater could pose a public health risk via oral ingestion of contaminated water. Best management practices are needed for overexploited groundwater supplies of rural areas, minimizing human exposure to antibiotic-resistant pathogens.