Identification of Selected Hormonally Active Agents and Animal Mammary Carcinogens in Commercial and Residential Air and Dust Samples

ABSTRACT

In order to characterize typical indoor exposures to chemicals of interest for research on breast cancer and other hormonally mediated health outcomes, methods were developed to analyze air and dust for target compounds that have been identified as animal mammary carcinogens or hormonally active agents and that are used in commercial or consumer products or building materials. These methods were applied to a small number of residential and commercial environments to begin to characterize the extent of exposure to these classes of compounds. Phenolic compounds, including nonylphenol, octylphenol, bisphenol A, and the methoxychlor metabolite 2,2-bis (p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (HPTE), were extracted, derivatized, and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)–selective ion monitoring (SIM). Selected phthalates, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were extracted and analyzed by GC/MS-SIM. Residential and workplace samples showed detectable levels of twelve pesticides in dust and seven in air samples. Phthalates were abundant in dust (0.3524 μg/g) and air (0.005-2.8 μg/m³). Nonylphenol and its mono- and di-ethoxylates were prevalent in dust (0.82-14 μg/g) along with estrogenic phenols such as bisphenol A and o-phenyl phenol. In this 7-sample pilot study, 33 of 86 target compounds were detected in dust, and 24 of 57 target compounds were detected in air. In a single sample from one home, 27 of the target compounds were detected in dust and 15 in air, providing an indication of chemical mixtures to which humans are typically exposed.     

Rubber and pulp plantations represent a double threat to Hainan's natural tropical forests

Hainan, the largest tropical island in China, belongs to the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot and harbors large areas of tropical forests, particularly in the uplands. The Changhua watershed is the cradle of Hainan's main river and a center of endemism for plants and birds. The watershed contains great habitat diversity and is an important conservation area. We analyzed the impact of rubber and pulp plantations on the distribution and area of tropical forest in the watershed, using remote sensing analysis of Landsat images from 1988, 1995 and 2005. From 1988 to 1995, natural forest increased in area (979-1040?sq?km) but decreased rapidly (763?sq?km) over the next decade. Rubber plantations increased steadily through the study period while pulp plantations appeared after 1995 but occupied 152?sq?km by 2005. Rubber and pulp plantations displace different types of natural forest and do not replace one another. Because pulp is not as profitable as rubber and existing pulp processing capacity greatly exceeds local supply, considerable pressure exists on remaining upland forests. We recommend for future management that these plantation forests be reclassified as 'industrial', making a clear policy distinction between natural and industrial forestry. Additionally, the local government should work to enforce existing laws preventing forest conversion on marginal and protected areas.     

德国环境设备责任制度初探

德国《民法典》确定了一般环境侵权的规则——行为责任,再以《环境责任法》确立了特殊的环境侵权的规则——设备责任。设备侵权是危险责任的一种,其构成要件有两个:设备运营对环境产生不良影响进而导致损害;人身、财产受侵害。设备责任的承担不要求设备运营人的过错。设备责任归责采用因果关系推定原则。     

Fenton试剂降解PAM催化剂的研究

采用Fenton试剂氧化降解含油废水中的聚丙烯酰胺,研究了H2O2用量、催化剂种类及用量对降解聚丙烯酰胺效果的影响。结果表明,H2O2用量为聚丙烯酰胺的20%为宜;CuCl2具有和FeSO4、Fe(NO3)3、FeCl3相近的催化效果,并且可以作为一种在较高pH值条件下应用的催化剂;在优选条件下该氧化体系可以使聚丙烯酰胺黏度大大降低。     

Seawater Intrusion and Sustainable Yield of Basal Aquifers1

Liu, Clark C.K. and John J. Dai, 2012. Seawater Intrusion and Sustainable Yield of Basal Aquifers. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(5): 861‐870. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00659.x Abstract: Basal aquifers, in which freshwater floats on top of saltwater, are the major freshwater supply for the Hawaiian Islands, as well as many other coastal regions around the world. Under unexploited or natural conditions, freshwater and the underlying seawater are separated by a relatively sharp interface located below mean sea level at a depth of about 40 times the hydraulic head. With forced draft, the hydraulic head of a basal aquifer would decline and the sharp interface would move up. It is a serious problem of seawater intrusion as huge amounts of freshwater storage is replaced by saltwater. Also, with forced draft, the sharp interface is replaced by a transition zone in which the salinity increases downward from freshwater to saltwater. As pumping continues, the transition zone expands. The desirable source‐water salinity in Hawaii is about 2% of the seawater salinity. Therefore, the transition zone expansion is another serious problem of seawater intrusion. In this study, a robust analytical groundwater flow and salinity transport model (RAM2) was developed. RAM2 has a simple mathematical structure and its model parameters can be determined satisfactorily with the available field monitoring data. The usefulness of RAM2 as a viable management tool for coastal ground water management is demonstrated by applying it to determine the sustainable yield of the Pearl Harbor aquifer, a principal water supply source in Hawaii.     

Catalytic destruction of pentachlorobenzene in simulated flue gas by a V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalyst

Pentachlorobenzene (PeCB) in simulated flue gas was destructed by a commercial V₂O₅-WO₃/TiO₂ catalyst in this study. The effects of reaction temperature, oxygen concentration, space velocity and some co-existing pollutants on PeCB conversion were investigated. Furthermore, a possible mechanism for the oxidation of PeCB over the vanadium oxide on the catalysts was proposed. Results show that the increase of gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) and the decrease of operating temperature both resulted in the decrease of PeCB removal over the catalyst, while the effect of the oxygen content in the range of 5-20% (v/v) on PeCB conversion was negligible. PeCB decomposition could be obviously affected by the denitration reactions under the conditions because of the positive effect of NO but negative effect of NH₃. The introduction of SO₂ caused the catalyst poisoning, probably due to the sulfur-containing species formed and deposited on the catalyst surface. The PeCB molecules were first adsorbed on the catalyst surface, and then oxidized into the non-aromatic acyclic intermediates, low chlorinated aromatics and maleic anhydride.     

Determination and potential importance of diterpene (kaur-16-ene) emitted from dominant coniferous trees in Japan

Reactive volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are known to affect atmospheric chemistry. Biogenic VOCs (BVOCs) have a significant impact on regional air quality due to their large emission rates and high reactivities. Diterpenes (most particularly, kaur-16-ene) were detected in all of the 205 enclosure air samples collected over multiple seasons at two different sites from Cryptomeria japonica and Chamaecyparis obtusa trees, the dominant coniferous trees in Japan,. The emission rate of kaur-16-ene, was determined to be from 0.01 to 7.1 μg dwg⁻¹ h⁻¹ (average: 0.61 μg dwg⁻¹ h⁻¹) employing branch enclosure measurements using adsorbent sampling followed by solid phase-liquid extraction techniques. The emission rate was comparable to that of monoterpenes, which is known major BVOC emissions, collected from the same branches. In addition, total emission of kaur-16-ene at 30 °C was estimated to exceed that of total anthropogenic VOC emissions.     

Identification of priority pharmaceuticals in the water environment of China

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the trace-level contamination of pharmaceuticals in the water environment all over the world. Considering a large number of pharmaceuticals used, it is crucial to establish a priority list of pharmaceuticals that should be monitored and/or treated first. In the present study, we developed a ranking system based on the pharmaceutical consumption, removal performance in the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and potential ecological effects, and applied to the situation of China. 39 pharmaceuticals, which had available consumption data and also been reported previously in the WWTPs of China, were selected as candidate pharmaceuticals. Among them, seventeen pharmaceuticals were considered as priority pharmaceuticals, out of which, erythromycin, diclofenac acid and ibuprofen, had the high priority. Compared with other literatures, we found that some pharmaceuticals given concerns to globally should also be included in the priority list in China; while some pharmaceuticals, not mentioned in other literatures, such as cefalexin, ketoconazole, should be also given prior consideration in China. Among all the therapeutic classes, antibiotics, which were grossly abused in China, contributed the most to the priority pharmaceuticals. However, priority antibiotics accounted for only 32% of candidate antibiotics, while 71% and 100% of the candidate anti-inflammatory and antilipidemic respectively were identified as the priority pharmaceuticals, indicating that antibiotics might be overanxiously considered in the previous studies on their behaviors in the WWTPs of China.     

厌氧池-复合型人工湿地系统污水处理效果的季节变化

利用厌氧池-复合型人工湿地(AT-ICW)系统处理农村生活污水,探讨工艺系统不同季节对污水的处理效果。结果表明,该工艺系统春、夏、秋季对氨氮(NH4+-N)、总磷(TP)表现出稳定且较好的去除效果,去除率分别为92.8%～97.0%和56.4%～65.9%,冬季去除率相对较差,平均去除率分别为67.1%和42.5%。NO3--N的去除效果差,四季均出现积累,累积率达到71.5%～342.9%。系统春、夏季对总氮(TN)去除效果较好,去除率为57.3%～68.9%,秋、冬季去除效果相对较差,为24.5%～35.8%。系统夏季COD去除效果好,平均去除率达到78.3%,冬、春季去除效果较差,为37.8%～43.5%。各项污水排放指标均达到城镇污水处理厂污染物排放一级A类标准。AT-ICW系统不仅处理效果好,而且运行费用低,适用于农村分散型生活污水处理。