Spatial distribution of ciguateric fish in the Republic of Kiribati

Ciguatera is food poisoning caused by human consumption of reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs). The expanding international trade of tropical fish species from ciguatera-endemic regions has resulted in increased global incidence of ciguatera, and more than 50 000 people are estimated to suffer from ciguatera each year worldwide. The Republic of Kiribati is located in the Pacific Ocean; two of its islands, Marakei and Tarawa, have been suggested as high-risk areas for ciguatera. The toxicities of coral reef fish collected from these islands, including herbivorous, omnivorous and carnivorous fish (24% [n = 41], 8% [n = 13] and 68% [n = 117], respectively), were analyzed using the mouse neuroblastoma assay (MNA) after CTX extraction. The MNA results indicated that 156 fish specimens, or 91% of the fish samples, were ciguatoxic (CTX levels >0.01 ng g⁻¹). Groupers and moray eels were generally more toxic by an order of magnitude than other fish species. All of the collected individuals of eight species (n = 3-19) were toxic. Toxicity varied within species and among locations by up to 10 000-fold. Cephalapholis argus and Gymnothorax spp. collected from Tarawa Island were significantly less toxic than those from Marakei Island, although all individuals were toxic based on the 0.01 ng g⁻¹ threshold. CTX concentrations in the livers of individuals of two moray eel species (Gymnothorax spp., n = 6) were nine times greater than those in muscle, and toxicity in liver and muscle showed a strong positive correlation with body weight. The present study provides quantitative information on the ciguatoxicity and distribution of toxicity in fish for use in fisheries management and public health.     

Determination of o-phthalic acid in snow and its photochemical degradation by capillary gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection

Phthalic acid and its photochemical degradation has been determined in snow and rainwater samples collected during winters (2003-2010) in the Southeast of Massachusetts using capillary gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization and mass spectrometric detection. Water samples were dried using a rotary evaporator and derivatized with a 14% BF₃/methanol reagent before GC analysis. The developed method proved simple and accurate. Phthalic acid was found in snow samples collected in a concentration range of 7.22-76.5 nM. The photodegradation of phthalate was carried out under 300 nm UV light. The direct photodecomposition of the acid is slow (5% h⁻¹). However, the addition of dissolved Fe(III) species at 2.0 μM accelerated the light-induced degradation of phthalic acid by 3.5 times in the atmospheric water samples. Photodegradation rates of phthalic acid increases with decreasing pH value of water samples in the range of pH 2.8-4.5.     

Probability of intellectual disability is associated with soil concentrations of arsenic and lead

Background

The association between metals in water and soil and adverse child neurologic outcomes has focused on the singular effect of lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As). This study describes the complex association between soil concentrations of As combined with Pb and the probability of intellectual disability (ID) in children.

Methods

We used a retrospective cohort design with 3988 mother child pairs who were insured by Medicaid and lived during pregnancy and early childhood in South Carolina between 1/1/97 and 12/31/02. The children were followed until 6/1/08, using computerized service files, to identify the diagnosis of ID in medical records and verified by either school placement or disability service records. The soil was sampled using a uniform grid and analyzed for eight metals. The metal concentrations were interpolated using Bayesian Kriging to estimate concentration at individual residences.

Results

The probability of ID increased for increasing concentrations of As and Pb in the soil. The Odds Ratio for ID, for one unit change in As was 1.130 (95% confidence interval 1.048-1.218) for Pb was 1.002 (95% confidence interval 1.000-1.004). We identified effect modification for the infants based on their birth weight for gestational age status and only infants who were normal size for their gestational age had increased probability of ID based on the As and Pb soil concentrations (OR for As at normal weight for gestational age = 1.151 (95% CI: 1.061-1.249) and OR for Pb at normal for gestational age = 1.002 (95% CI: 1.002-1.004)). For normal weight for gestational age children when As = 22 mg kg⁻¹ and Pb = 200 mg kg⁻¹ the risk for ID was 11% and when As = 22 mg kg⁻¹and Pb = 400 mg kg⁻¹ the probability of ID was 65%.

Conclusion

The probability of ID is significantly associated with the interaction between Pb and As for normal weight for gestational age infants.     

Analysis of pesticide residues using the Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) pesticide multiresidue method in traditional Chinese medicine by gas chromatography with electron capture detection

The Quick Easy Cheap Effective Rugged and Safe multiresidue method (QuEChERS) has been validated for the extraction of 15 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in completely different matrices of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The method employed a rapid, simple and cost-effective procedure. The spiking levels for the recovery experiments were 0.1, 0.5 and 2.0 mg kg⁻¹. Mean recoveries mostly ranged between 76.0% and 114.0% (96.0% on average), and relative standard deviations (RSD) were generally below 10% (4.72% on average). Based on these results, the methodology has been proven to be highly efficient and robust and thus suitable for monitoring the MRL compliance of a wide range of commodity. The contamination status of 15 OCPs on 80 different TCMs marketed in China, and a total of 400 samples were also performed using a previously validated method. 15 OCPs were benzene hexachloride (BHC, including α-BHC, β-BHC, γ-BHC, δ-BHC), hexachlorobenzene, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, aldrin, p, p′-DDE, p, p′-DDD, o, p′-DDT, p, p′-DDT, mirex, endrin, dieldrin. This study indicates that the proposed method is useful for analyzing OCPs in TCM.     

The dissipation rates of trichlorfon and its degradation product dichlorvos in cabbage and soil

The residual levels and dissipation rate of trichlorfon, and its degradation product, dichlorvos, in cabbage crops and the soil in which these were grown, were determined by gas chromatography at two geographically distant experimental sites, one in Kunming and one in Beijing, China. Trichlorfon was applied at two dosages (900 g ai ha⁻¹ and 1350 g ai ha⁻¹). Maximum final residues of trichlorfon in soil and cabbage were 1.23 mg kg⁻¹ and 1.81 mg kg⁻¹ respectively at Kunming, and 0.35 mg kg⁻¹ and 0.70 mg kg⁻¹ respectively at Beijing. However, the final residues of dichlorvos in both cabbage and soil was only 0.04 mg kg⁻¹ at Kunming, and only 0.03 mg kg⁻¹, or “not detectable”, at Beijing. The mean half-life of trichlorfon in cabbage was 1.80 d with a dissipation rate of 90% over 5 d, while that in soil was 3.05 d with a dissipation rate of 90% over 14 d at one experimental site. The dissipation rates of trichlorfon and its degradation product dichlorvos at the two experimental sites were different, suggesting that degradation of these pesticides was affected by local soil characteristics and climate. When applied at both the recommended dosage and at 1.5 times this, no detectable residues of either trichlorfon or dichlorvos were found in soil or cabbage at harvest. Although trichlorfon can easily degrade into dichlorvos, which is highly toxic to humans and other animals, the observed low residual levels of dichlorvos suggest that trichlorfon is safe when applied at the recommended dosage.     

Spatial distribution of organochlorine contaminants in soil, sediment, and fish in Bikini and Enewetak Atolls of the Marshall Islands, Pacific Ocean

Several nuclear tests were performed at Enewetak and Bikini Atolls in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958. The events at Bikini Atoll involved several ships that were tested for durability during nuclear explosions, and 24 vessels now rest on the bottom of the Bikini lagoon. Nine soil samples were collected from different areas on the two islands of the atoll, and eighteen sediment, nine fish, and one lobster were collected in the vicinity of the sunken ships. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polychlorinated terphenyls (PCTs) in these samples were analyzed using gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry (GC/ITMS). The average recoveries ranged from 78% to 104% for the different PCB congeners. The limits of detection (LOD) for PCBs, PCTs, DDE, DDT, and dieldrin ranged 10-50 pg g⁻¹. Some fish from Enewetak contained PCBs at a concentration range of 37-137 ng g⁻¹, dry weight (dw), and most of the soils from Enewetak showed evidence of PCBs (22-392 ng g⁻¹ dw). Most of the Bikini lagoon sediment samples contained PCBs, and the highest was the one collected from around the Saratoga, an aircraft carrier (1555 ng g⁻¹ dw). Some of the fish samples, most of the soil samples, and only one of the sediment samples contained 2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethylene (DDE) and PCBs. In addition to PCBs, the soils from Enewetak Atoll contained PCTs. PCTs were not detected in the sediment samples from Bikini Atoll. The results suggest local pollution sources of PCBs, PCTs, and OCPs.     

Quantification and analysis of airborne bacterial characteristics in a nursing care institution

Indoor air quality has become a critical issue because people spend most of their time in the indoor environment. The factors that influence indoor air quality are very important to environmental sanitation and air quality improvement. This study focuses on monitoring air quality, colony counts, and bacteria species of the indoor air of a nursing care institution. The regular colony counts in two different wards range from 55 to 600 cfu m(-3) Regression analysis results indicate that the bacterial colony counts have close correlation with relative humidity or carbon dioxide (CO2) but not with carbon monoxide (CO) or ozone (O3). Real-time PCR was used to quantify the bacterial pathogens of nosocomial infection, including Acinetobacter baumannii, Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. The most abundant bacteria species in the air of the nursing care institution is E. coli.     

Fenton-双泥SBR工艺深度处理难降解反渗透浓缩液

采用Fenton试剂处理反渗透浓缩渗滤液(简称浓缩液),并探讨了双泥SBR工艺对Fenton处理后浓缩液与人工配水混合处理的可行性.结果表明,Fenton氧化对COD、TN和NH3-N的平均去除率分别为43.5%、22.5%和19.5%.对溶解性有机物(DOMs)的去除率为52.5%,其中胡敏酸(HA)、富里酸(FA)...     

人工湿地基质的筛选及其对猪场废水厌氧消化液中氨氮吸附性能研究

采用静态吸附实验,对比了岷江砂、沱江砂、青衣江砂、沸石、活性炭对猪场废水厌氧消化液中氨氮的吸附去除效率,基于氨氮去除能力、购买成本与运费的比较,筛选出性价比较高的基质--岷江砂作为四川地区人工湿地的基质处理猪场废水厌氧消化液.吸附实验表明,砂对氨氮的去除率随振荡时间和投加量的增加而增加.通过吸附等温曲线Langmuir...     

改性硅藻土用于巢湖水脱磷研究

采用改性硅藻土强化混凝处理巢湖水,以达到除磷的目的.研究了改性硅藻土除磷最适操作条件,并将改性硅藻土同几种常规混凝剂的处理效果和其经济性进行了对比.结果表明:改性硅藻土和水的混合搅拌速度梯度为260 s-1左右,絮凝反应速度梯度为20 s-1左右,絮凝时间15 min,沉淀时间1 h,改性硅藻土投加量50～100 mg...