Occurrence and toxicity of antimicrobial triclosan and by-products in the environment

Introduction and aims  

A review was undertaken on the occurrence, toxicity, and degradation of triclosan (TCS; 5-chloro-2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol) in the environment. TCS is a synthetic, broad-spectrum antibacterial agent incorporated in a wide variety of household and personal care products such as hand soap, toothpaste, and deodorants but also in textile fibers used in a range of other consumer products (e.g., toys, undergarments and cutting boards among other things).     

Passive air sampling of DDT, chlordane and HCB in the Pearl River Delta, South China: implications to regional sources

The Pearl River Delta (PRD) is one of the largest fast-developing economic zones in China. Hong Kong and the mainland part of the PRD differed in socio-economic development history and chemical management policies. Polyurethane foam (PUF)-passive air sampling (PAS) was deployed at 21 regional air quality monitoring stations across the PRD in summer and winter, respectively. Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT), chlordane and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) were analyzed with GC-MS. High total DDT (240-3700 pg m(-3)) and chlordane (100-2600 pg m(-3)) concentrations were observed. Concentrations of DDTs and chlordane were higher in summer than winter; HCB vice versa. Spatially, the mainland part of the PRD generally displayed higher DDT concentrations than Hong Kong. Antifouling paint for fishing ships in coastal China was suggested to be an important current DDT source in the coast. The reason is unknown for the very low trans-/cis-chlordane (TC/CC) ratios (0.27) found in the mainland in winter. HCB concentrations were relatively uniform across the PRD, and long range transport of HCB from inland/North China to the PRD in winter was suggested.     

Degradation of phenols in olive oil mill wastewater by biological,enzymatic, and photo-Fenton oxidation

Background, aim, and scope  

Olive oil mill wastewater (OOMW) environmental impacts minimization have been attempted by developing more effective processes, but no chemical or biological treatments were found to be totally effective to mitigate their impact on receiving systems. This work is the first that reports simultaneously the efficiency of three different approaches: biological treatment by two fungal species (Trametes versicolor or Pleurotus sajor caju), enzymatic treatment by laccase, and chemical treatment by photo-Fenton oxidation on phenols removal.     

On the preconditions for large-scale collective action

Ambio - The phenomenon of collective action and the origin of collective action problems have been extensively and systematically studied in the social sciences. Yet, while we have substantial...     

Pregnancy outcome following prenatal diagnosis of an isodicentric X chromosome: first case report

An isodicentric X chromosome, idic (X)(q27) was found in a female fetus during cytogenetic studies performed on amniotic cells due to advanced maternal age. No mosaicism was observed. Although segmental inversion duplications have been described for several other chromosomes, isodicentric chromosomes are reported only for gonosomes. Genetic counselling was based on ultrasound findings, cytogenetic replication studies and published cases of X chromosomes duplications ascertained pre- and postnatally. The pregnancy resulted in the birth of a healthy female infant. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling interactions between scavenger behaviour and farming practices: Impacts on scavenger population and ecosystem service efficiency

Long term conservation of ecosystem services requires a deep understanding of their basic processes and the development of tools to assess the effects of human practices on their efficiency. As an example of recycling service, we focus on the consumption of livestock carcasses by obligate scavengers, taking the case of vultures which face a dramatic decline worldwide. We investigate whether maintaining this recycling service through individual feeding stations called light feeding stations in contrast to aggregated resource on heavy feeding stations can meet the double objectives of vulture conservation and service efficiency. We built a spatially explicit multi-agent model to investigate the long term effects of livestock farmers practices on both the recycling service efficiency for farmers and vulture population carrying capacity including: (i) carcass disposal practices that drive the quantity and spatial distribution of resources for vultures and (ii) temporal distribution of livestock mortality due to economic choices that drive the dynamics of resources for vultures. In addition, we examine various scenarios related to vulture feeding behaviour - i.e. central place vs. random foraging and contest vs. scramble intraspecific competition - that may play a role in the vulture carrying capacity and recycling service efficiency. When accounting for vulture central place foraging, we found that favouring the use of light feeding stations instead of heavy feeding station does not affect vulture population carrying capacity and increases the number of farmer for which vulture service is optimal. The increase of light feeding station users poorly affects the number of farmers for which vulture service is optimal in contrast to results obtained with a vulture random foraging behaviour. Both of the recycling service efficiency and the vulture carrying capacity vary with the kind of intraspecific competition and with the seasonal distribution of livestock mortality. Livestock mortality distributions with a seasonal peak of mortality result in a mismatch between vulture food requirement and farmers needs for carcass removal. Finally we raise several points on the relevance of light feeding stations as a sustainable management for vulture conservation and for the recycling service and discuss the potential implications of seasonal scarcity of resources due to farming economic constraints.     

Effects of ultraviolet light (315 nm), temperature and relative humidity on the degradation of polylactic acid plastic films

The influence of temperature (30, 45 and 60 degrees C) and relative humidity (RH) (30%, 50% and 100%) on the degradation of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLA) films were studied. In addition, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) light (315 nm) on the degradation of PLA films were also analyzed. Various analytical techniques were applied to observe changes in the properties of PLA polymer films. FTIR spectroscopy was used as semi-quantitative method to get information about the chemistry of the degradative process. The degradation rate of PLA was enhanced by increasing temperature and RH, factors responsible for a faster reduction of the weight-average molecular weight (M(W)), of the glass transition temperature (Tg) and of the percentage of elongation at break. Moreover, UV treatment accelerated these phenomena.     

Estimation of Critical Loads of Acidity for Lakes in Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada

The New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) adopted the Acid Rain Action Plan in June 1998, and issued a series of action items to support its work toward a reduction of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions in northeastern North America. One of these action items was the preparation of an updated critical load map using data from lakes in the NEG/ECP area. Critical load maps provide a more complete index of the surface water sensitivity to acidification. Combined sulfur and nitrogen critical loads and deposition exceedances were computed using Henriksen's Steady-State Water Chemistry (SSWC) model. Results show that 28% of all 2053 lakes studied have a critical load of 20 kg/ha/year or less, making them vulnerable to acid deposition. Emission reductions, and more specifically SO₂ emission reductions have proven beneficial because critical loads were exceeded in 2002 for 12.3% of all studied lakes. Those lakes are located in the more sensitive areas where geology is carbonate-poor. Of these lakes, 2.9% will never recover even with a complete removal of SO₄ deposition. Recovery from acidification for the remaining 9.4% of the lakes will require additional emission SO₂ reductions.