Genotoxic evaluation of different doses of inorganic lead (PbII) in Hoplias malabaricus

Different genetic biomarkers have been used to evaluate the pollution effects of mutagenic agents such as metals and also a great variety of chemicals delivered on the environment by human activities. This way, the aim of the present report was to evaluate the effects of inorganic lead in fishes through the frequency of piscine micronuclei and nuclear morphological alterations in peripheral cells, chromosomal aberration frequency and comet assays in blood and kidney cells. Specimens of Hoplias malabaricus received different doses of lead by intra-peritoneal injections at time of 96 h. There was not a significant difference between control and treated groups for the piscine micronucleus and chromosomal aberration assays. In the comet assays there was a significant difference between control and contaminated groups. However, a significant difference between the applied doses was not observed. The results obtained with the comet assays also show that blood presented a higher sensibility than the kidney tissue, possibly due to the acute contamination. Although the results showed the genotoxic potential of lead at the 21 and 63 microg Pb(2 + )/g doses for both tissues, the lowest dose is considered more appropriate for future bioassays.     

An assessment of acute biomarker responses in the demersal catfish Cathorops spixii after the Vicuña Oil Spill in a harbour estuarine area in Southern Brazil

The Vicuña oil tanker exploded in Paranaguá Bay (South of Brazil), during methanol unloading operations in front of Paranaguá Harbour, on November 15th, 2004, releasing a large amount of bunker oil and methanol. Two weeks after the accident, the acute effects of the Vicuña Oil Spill (VOS) were evaluated in the demersal catfish Cathorops spixii, comparing a contaminated (at the spill site) and a reference site inside the Bay. Data were compared to previous measurements, taken before the accident, in the same species, from the same sites. The physiological biomarkers were the ones that best reflected acute effects of the spill: plasma osmolality, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Morphological (liver and gill histopathology) and genetic (piscine micronucleus and DNA strand breaks) biomarkers revealed that damage was already present in fishes from both reference and contaminated sites inside the Bay. Thus, the reference site is not devoid of contamination, as water circulation tends to spread the contaminants released into other areas of the Bay. Acute field surveys of oil spill effects in harbour areas with a long history of contamination should thus be viewed with caution, and whenever possible previous evaluations should be considered for proper appraisal of biomarker sensitivity, especially in mobile bioindicators such as fish.     

环境空气质量指数在应用中存在的问题及建议

随着空气质量新标准的实施,环境空气质量指数已应用于我国部分城市环境空气质量的评价,并在环境空气质量信息发布中发挥了重要作用,但其在应用过程中也显现出一些问题。通过对颗粒物实时报反映不及时、臭氧评价结果有矛盾、臭氧8 h浓度计算时段不明确、部分环境空气质量指数类别划分不合理、城市空气质量缺少总体评价等问题的分析,提出了相应的改进建议。     

土著厌氧菌修复有机氯污染土壤的方法探索

针对工业场地有机氯污染土壤探索微生物修复的方法,试验表明:添加土著厌氧菌菌液及营养液的试验组,污染物去除率比空白组明显提高。基因测定结果显示,试验土壤中至少存在具有降解有机氯污染物能力的3种菌种。     

污染场地修复工程环境监理的实践与探索

环境监理是污染场地修复过程中不可或缺的关键环节,在我国起步相对较晚,可供借鉴的实例很少。以苏州市某化工厂遗留场地污染土壤和地下水修复工程为例,阐述了不同阶段环境监理的工作内容,突出了原位和异位修复技术的环境监理工作要点,并提出建立污染土壤和地下水修复效果质量控制体系和原位修复效果长期跟踪监测机制等建议。     

各国环境空气质量评价中污染物浓度表示方法比较

对不同国家在环境空气质量评价中主要污染物浓度表示方法进行了比较和分析,发现各国对于气态污染物浓度的表示方法主要有体积比浓度和质量浓度2种方法,对于颗粒物浓度的表示方法则普遍采用了质量浓度;颗粒物的质量浓度有标况浓度和实况浓度2种表示方法,在中国标况浓度和实况浓度的数值存在较大差异,在不同地区和不同季节此差异大小亦不同,一般情况下,实况浓度低于其标况浓度,且实况浓度能够更加客观反映颗粒物污染状况;建议修订中国环境空气质量标准中颗粒物浓度的表示方法,使用实际状况下的质量浓度来表示空气中颗粒物的浓度,以保证中国与其他国家之间监测数据的可比性。     

pH对混合污泥水解酸化的影响

pH对剩余污泥和初沉污泥水解酸化的影响已有报道,但pH对混合污泥水解酸化的影响尚鲜见报道。为此对厌氧环境,(20±1)℃,pH=4～11以及不控制pH条件下混合污泥的水解酸化特征进行了研究。研究发现:对pH调控有利于污泥SCOD的溶出,在较强的碱性条件下污泥溶出的SCOD要大于其他条件下的,特别是pH=10和11条件下污泥溶出的SCOD要远高于其他条件下。碱性环境和酸性环境以及中性环境相比更有利于混合污泥产酸,最佳产酸pH条件为pH=10。在酸性和极端碱性条件下均有利于混合污泥中氨氮和磷的释放。碱性环境利于挥发性悬浮固体(VSS)的去除,但不利于总悬浮固体(TSS)的去除。在不同pH条件下将混合污泥的发酵特征和剩余污泥和初沉污泥发酵特征比较,发现3种污泥水解和产酸均在碱性条件下最好,且在20～22℃的条件下,产酸量均在pH=10的条件下达到最大。     

“跨工业化”经济增长模式分析——来自印度经济增长模式的启示

本文以印度经济增长模式为例,以竞争优势理论为分析框架,研究了跨工业化经济增长模式的内涵、生成机制与优劣势。研究表明,"基础设施薄弱、精英人才涌现"的资源禀赋结构、社会内部消费需求拉动、相关产业支撑、龙头企业带动、自由化的政策改革环境以及技术进步推动,促进了印度"跨工业化"经济增长模式的生成。基于此,通过中印两国经济增长模式的比较,指出"跨工业化"经济增长模式具有资源环境友好特征、能借助服务业的发展反向刺激工业发展等优势;并揭示了"跨工业化"增长模式的劣势,即难以提高就业率、服务业持续发展缺乏基础设施和制造业支撑等。鉴于我国服务业发展滞后,工业发展面临资源与环境高消耗的困境,我国应借鉴印度经验,培养服务业人才队伍、提高社会消费需求、优化服务业产业结构、培育服务业龙头企业、加快服务业自由化改革、提高服务业创新能力,以加快服务业的发展,增强服务业对工业的反哺效应,保障我国工业化进程在"资源与环境双约束下"又快又好地和谐推进。     

Adsorption of pharmaceutical compounds and an endocrine disruptor from aqueous solutions by carbon materials

Adsorption has been used to study the removal of atenolol, caffeine, diclofenac and isoproturon, pharmaceutical compounds as emerging contaminants and an endocrine disruptor from ultrapure water and a municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent with three carbonaceous materials: activated carbon, multiwalled carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers. The adsorption capacities were studied in the temperature range of 25-65°C and pH range from 3 to 9. Several model isotherms were used to model the adsorption equilibrium data. Also, the competitive adsorption was evaluated.     

Modeling biodegradation and kinetics of glyphosate by artificial neural network

An artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to simulate the biodegradation of herbicide glyphosate [2-(Phosphonomethylamino) acetic acid] in a solution with varying parameters pH, inoculum size and initial glyphosate concentration. The predictive ability of ANN model was also compared with Monod model. The result showed that ANN model was able to accurately predict the experimental results. A low ratio of self-inhibition and half saturation constants of Haldane equations (< 8) exhibited the inhibitory effect of glyphosate on bacteria growth. The value of K(i)/K(s) increased when the mixed inoculum size was increased from 10(4) to 10(6) bacteria/mL. It was found that the percentage of glyphosate degradation reached a maximum value of 99% at an optimum pH 6-7 while for pH values higher than 9 or lower than 4, no degradation was observed.