Trends of brominated diphenyl ethers in fresh and archived Great Lakes fish (1979-2005)

While few environmental measurements of brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) were completed prior to the mid-1990s, analysis of appropriately archived samples might enable the determination of contaminant trends back to the introduction of these chemicals. In this paper, we first investigate the stability of BDEs in archived frozen and extracted fish samples, and then characterize trends of these chemicals in rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in each of the Great Lakes between 1979 and 2005. We focus on the four most common congeners (BDE-47, 100, 99 and 153) and use a change-point analysis to detect shifts in trends. Analyses of archived fish samples yielded precise BDE concentration measurements with only small losses (0.8% per year in frozen fish tissues, 2.2% per year in refrigerated extracts). Trends in fish from all Great Lakes showed large increases in BDE concentrations that started in the early to mid-1980s with fairly consistent doubling times (generally 2-4 years except in Lake Erie smelt where levels increased very slowly), though concentrations and trends show differences by congener, fish species and lake. The most recent data show that accumulation rates are slowing, and concentrations of penta- and hexa-congeners in trout from Lakes Ontario and Michigan and smelt from Lake Ontario started to decrease in the mid-1990s. Trends in smelt and trout are evolving somewhat differently, and trout concentrations in the five lakes are now ranked as Michigan>Superior=Ontario>Huron=Erie, and smelt concentrations as Michigan>Ontario>Huron>Superior>Erie. The analysis of properly archived samples permits the reconstruction of historical trends, congener distributions, biomagnification and other information that can aid the understanding and management of these contaminants.     

Maternal and cord serum exposure to PCB and DDE methyl sulfone metabolites in eastern Slovakia

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were commercially produced between 1959 and 1984 in eastern Slovakia. Improper handling led to a highly contaminated local environment and high levels of PCBs in humans and wildlife in the Michalovce area. The aim of this study was to analyse serum for methylsulfonyl metabolites of PCB (MeSO(2)-PCBs) and DDE (3-MeSO(2)-DDE) in serum samples from pregnant women and in a selected number of paired cord blood samples to assess maternal sulfone levels and patterns, and transplacental transfer of these metabolites. The donating women were from two districts in eastern Slovakia. A liquid-liquid extraction method together with separation of substance groups and further clean-up on silica gel columns were applied prior to analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. 3-MeSO(2)-DDE was the major methyl sulfone in most of the samples followed by a yet not identified MeSO(2)-hexaCB, 4'-MeSO(2)-CB101, 4'-MeSO(2)-CB87 and 4-MeSO(2)-CB149. The women from the contaminated area had three times higher concentrations of the MeSO(2)-PCBs than women from the reference area. This is the first report on methyl sulfone metabolites of PCB and DDE in human cord serum. It is shown that these metabolites are transported through the placenta. The levels of MeSO(2)-PCBs in the maternal serum were about 1.5 times higher than in the corresponding cord serum on a lipid weight basis. For 3-MeSO(2)-DDE, the levels were about the same in maternal and cord serum. The difference in the maternal:cord ratio, comparing MeSO(2)-PCBs with 3-MeSO(2)-DDE might be due to differences in transport through the placenta caused by their different affinities for lipoproteins and plasma proteins.     

The relationship between perceived risk of being ticketed and self-reported seat belt use

PROBLEM: Twenty-nine percent of Americans failed to use their seat belts in 2000. Efforts to improve safety belt usage can be enhanced by identifying specific factors that motivate belt use. METHOD: Motorist survey data were used to examine the effect of Perceived Risk of being Ticketed (PRT) for a seat belt infraction on self-reported seat belt use. RESULTS: Analyses indicated that individuals and groups of individuals who have higher PRT typically report higher belt usage. Factorial analyses indicated that this perceived risk to belt use relationship holds both within groups with generally high (e.g., upper income) and generally low (e.g. young men) overall self-reported belt use. DISCUSSION: Applications of PRT to improve seat belt use are discussed. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Enforcement of existing laws, perhaps through selective traffic enforcement programs, and strengthening laws to create a higher perception of being ticketed by motorists should increase safety belt use thereby saving lives and reducing cost for individuals, government, and industry.     

Evaluation of California's safety belt law change from secondary to primary enforcement

Some states allow an officer to stop a vehicle for an observed belt law violation alone (primary). Most require that the initial stop be made for some other violation before a belt law citation can be issued (secondary). On January 1, 1993, California became the first state to implement an uninterrupted change from secondary to primary belt law enforcement. In six study communities, the percentage of drivers observed wearing seat belts increased from 58% prior to the law change to 76% soon thereafter. Drivers surveyed at DMV offices indicated that they had knowledge of the new law and were more likely to wear their belts now than in the past.     

The Influence of Human Activity Patterns on Personal PM Exposure: A Comparative Analysis of Filter-Based and Continuous Particle Measurements

ABSTRACT

Particulate matter (PM) exposure data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-sponsored 1998 Baltimore and 1999 Fresno PM exposure studies were analyzed to identify important microenvironments and activities that may lead to increased particle exposure for select elderly (>65 years old) subjects. Integrated 24-hr filter-based PM_2.5 or PM₁₀ mass measurements [using Personal Environmental Monitors(PEMs)] included personal measurements, indoor and outdoor residential measurements, and measurements at a central indoor site and a community monitoring site. A subset of the participants in each study wore passive nephelometers that continuously measured (1-min averaging time) particles ranging in size from 0.1 to ~10 um. Significant activities and locations were identified by a statistical mixed model (p < 0.01) for each study population based on the measured PM_2.5 or PM₁₀ mass and time activity data. Elevated PM concentrations were associated with traveling (car or bus), commercial locations (store, office, mall, etc.), restaurants, and working.

The modeled results were compared to continuous PM concentrations determined by the nephelometers while participants were in these locations. Overall, the nephelometer data agreed within 6% of the modeled PM_2.5 results for the Baltimore participants and within ~20% for the Fresno participants (variability was due to zero drift associated with the nephelometer). The nephelom-eter did not agree as well with the PM₁₀ mass measurements, most likely because the nephelometer optimally responds to fine particles (0.3–2 um). Approximately one-half (54 ± 31%; mean ± standard deviation from both studies) of the average daily PM_2.5 exposure occurred inside residences, where the participants spent an average of 83 ± 10% of their time. These data also showed that a significant portion of PM_2.5 exposure occurred in locations where participants spent only 4–13% of their time.     

Practical actions for applied systematic conservation planning

Systematic conservation planning is intended to inform spatially explicit decision making. Doing so requires that it be integrated into complex regulatory and governance processes, and there are limited instances where this has been achieved effectively. South Africa is a global leader in the application of conservation plans, the outputs of which are widely used for spatial planning and decision making in many spheres of government. We aimed to determine how conservation planning in the country progressed from theory to implementation, and to identify practical actions that enabled this transition, by assessing temporal trends in the characteristics of conservation plans (1990–2017, n = 94). Since 2010 conservation planning has entered an operational period characterized by government leadership of plans, administrative rather than ecological planning domains, decreasing size of planning units, increasing emphasis on end-user products, and scheduled revision of plans. Key actions that enabled this progression include transitioning leadership of plans from scientists to practitioners, building capacity within implementing agencies, creating opportunities to integrate plans in legislative processes, establishing a strong community of practice, adopting implementation-focused methods, and balancing standardization with innovation. Learning from this model will allow other countries, particularly those with a similar megadiverse, developing context, to operationalize conservation planning into spatial planning and decision making.     

The areal extent of brown shrimp habitat suitability in Mobile Bay, Alabama, USA: targeting vegetated habitat restoration

The availability of wetlands and shallow water habitats significantly influences Gulf of Mexico (GOM) penaeid shrimp fishery productivity. However, the GOM region has the highest rate of wetland loss in the USA. Protection and management of these vital GOM habitats are critical to sustainable shrimp fisheries. Brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus) are a major component of GOM fisheries. We present an approach for estimating the areal extent of suitable habitat for post-larval and juvenile brown shrimp in Mobile Bay, Alabama, using an existing habitat suitability index model for the northern GOM calculated from probabilistic survey of water quality and sediment data, land cover data, and submerged aquatic vegetation coverages. This estuarine scale approach is intended to support targeted protection and restoration of these habitats. These analyses indicate that approximately 60% of the area of Mobile Bay is categorized as suitable to near optimal for post-larval and juvenile shrimp and 38% of the area is marginally to minimally suitable. We identify potential units within Mobile Bay for targeted restoration to improve habitat suitability.     

Photocatalytic Production of Methane and Hydrogen Through Reduction of Carbon Dioxide with Water Using Titania Pellets

This paper presents an experimental study on employing a pellet form of catalyst in photo-reduction of carbon dioxide with water. Water was first absorbed into titania pellets. Highly purified carbon dioxide gas was then discharged into a reactor containing the wet pellets, which were then illuminated continuously for 65 hours using UVC lamps. Analysing the products accumulated in the reactor confirmed that methane and hydrogen were produced through photo-reduction of carbon dioxide with water. No other hydrocarbons were detected. Increasing the temperature in the reactor has showed little change on the amount of methane produced.     

A Strategy for Prioritizing Threats and Recovery Actions for At-Risk Species

Ensuring the persistence of at-risk species depends on implementing conservation actions that ameliorate threats. We developed and implemented a method to quantify the relative importance of threats and to prioritize recovery actions based on their potential to affect risk to Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii). We used assessments of threat importance and elasticities of demographic rates from population matrix models to estimate the relative contributions of threats to overall increase in risk to the population. We found that urbanization, human access, military operations, disease, and illegal use of off highway vehicles are the most serious threats to the desert tortoise range-wide. These results suggest that, overall, recovery actions that decrease habitat loss, predation, and crushing will be most effective for recovery; specifically, we found that habitat restoration, topic-specific environmental education, and land acquisition are most likely to result in the greatest decrease in risk to the desert tortoise across its range. In addition, we have developed an application that manages the conceptual model and all supporting information and calculates threat severity and potential effectiveness of recovery actions. Our analytical approach provides an objective process for quantifying threats, prioritizing recovery actions, and developing monitoring metrics for those actions for adaptive management of any at-risk species.