Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace metals in mosque’s carpet dust of Riyadh,Saudi Arabia,and their health risk implications

The main objectives of this work were to identify and determine the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and trace metals in carpet dust samples from various mosques of the city of Riyadh and to assess the health risks associated with the exposure to these pollutants. Therefore, 31 samples of mosque’s carpet dust from Riyadh were collected. The results showed that 14 PAHs were present in the dust samples with concentrations ranged from 90 to 22,146 ng g^?1 (mean = 4096 ± 4277 ng g^?1) where low molecular weight compounds were dominant. The presence of PAHs were in the order of naphthalene > chrysene and benzo(b)fluoranthene > benzo(a)pyrene > acenaphthene and benzo(k)fluoranthene > pyrene and the absence of indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene and dibenz(a,h)anthracene. The diagnostic ratio coupled with principle component analysis (PCA) revealed mix sources of petrogenic from traffic, stack emission, and pyrogenic inputs from essence and perfumed wood burning. Trace metals were significant in the dust samples, and their concentrations decrease in the order of Zn, Mn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni, and V where Zn being the highest (94.4 ± 91.5 μg g^?1) and indium was the lowest (1.9 ± 9.3 μg g^?1). The trace metals were major in southern and central parts of Riyadh and followed the order of central Riyadh > southern Riyadh > western Riyadh > eastern Riyadh > northern Riyadh. Estimated risk based on the total PAHs was found to be 4.30 × 10^?11 for adult and 1.56 × 10^?11 for children. Elemental non-cancer risk for adults ranged from 7.9 × 10^?4 for Co to 7.58 × 10^?1 for Li and for children ranged from 3.70 × 10^?3 for Co to 3.54 for Li. Policy implication and mitigations of PAHs in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia were highlighted.     

Analysis of waste management issues arising from a field study evaluating decontamination of a biological agent from a building

The Bio-response Operational Testing and Evaluation (BOTE) Project was a cross-government effort designed to operationally test and evaluate a response to a biological incident (release of Bacillus anthracis [Ba] spores, the causative agent for anthrax) from initial public health and law enforcement response through environmental remediation. The BOTE Project was designed to address site remediation after the release of a Ba simulant, Bacillus atrophaeus spp. globigii (Bg), within a facility, drawing upon recent advances in the biological sampling and decontamination areas. A key component of response to a biological contamination incident is the proper management of wastes and residues, which is woven throughout all response activities. Waste is generated throughout the response and includes items like sampling media packaging materials, discarded personal protective equipment, items removed from the facility either prior to or following decontamination, aqueous waste streams, and materials generated through the application of decontamination technologies. The amount of residual contaminating agent will impact the available disposal pathways and waste management costs. Waste management is an integral part of the decontamination process and should be included through “Pre-Incident” response planning. Overall, the pH-adjusted bleach decontamination process generated the most waste from the decontamination efforts, and fumigation with chlorine dioxide generated the least waste. A majority of the solid waste generated during pH-adjusted bleach decontamination was the nonporous surfaces that were removed, bagged, decontaminated ex situ, and treated as waste. The waste during the two fumigation rounds of the BOTE Project was associated mainly with sampling activities. Waste management activities may represent a significant contribution to the overall cost of the response/recovery operation. This paper addresses the waste management activities for the BOTE field test.Implications: Management of waste is a critical element of activities dealing with remediation of buildings and outdoor areas following a biological contamination incident. Waste management must be integrated into the overall remediation process, along with sampling, decontamination, resource management, and other important response elements, rather than being a stand-alone activity. The results presented in this paper will provide decision makers and emergency planners at the federal/state/tribal/local level information that can be used to integrate waste management into an overall systems approach to planning and response activities.     

Reducing the risk of invasive forest pests and pathogens: Combining legislation,targeted management and public awareness

Intensifying global trade will result in increased numbers of plant pest and pathogen species inadvertently being transported along with cargo. This paper examines current mechanisms for prevention and management of potential introductions of forest insect pests and pathogens in the European Union (EU). Current European legislation has not been found sufficient in preventing invasion, establishment and spread of pest and pathogen species within the EU. Costs associated with future invasions are difficult to estimate but past invasions have led to negative economic impacts in the invaded country. The challenge is combining free trade and free movement of products (within the EU) with protection against invasive pests and pathogens. Public awareness may mobilise the public for prevention and detection of potential invasions and, simultaneously, increase support for eradication and control measures. We recommend focus on commodities in addition to pathways, an approach within the EU using a centralised response unit and, critically, to engage the general public in the battle against establishment and spread of these harmful pests and pathogens.     

PCB exposure and potential future cancer incidence in Slovak children: an assessment from molecular finger printing by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA®) derived from experimental and epidemiological investigations

The risk of cancer due to PCB exposure in humans is highly debated. In eastern Slovakia, high exposure of the population to organochlorines (especially PCBs) was associated with various disease and disorder pathways, viz., endocrine disruption, metabolic disorder & diabetes, and cancer, thereby disturbing several cellular processes, including protein synthesis, stress response, and apoptosis. We have evaluated a Slovak cohort (45-month children, at lower and higher levels of PCB exposure from the environment) for disease and disorder development to develop early disease cancer biomarkers that could shed new light on possible mechanisms for the genesis of cancers under such chemical exposures, and identify potential avenues for prevention.

Microarray studies of global gene expression were conducted from the 45-month-old children on the Affymetrix platform followed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA®) to associate the affected genes with their mechanistic pathways. High-throughput qRT-PCR TaqMan low-density array (TLDA) was performed to further validate the selected genes on the whole blood cells of the most highly exposed children from the study cohort (n = 71).

TP53, MYC, BCL2, and LRP12 differential gene expressions suggested strong relationships between potential future tumor promotion and PCB exposure in Slovak children. The IPA analysis further detected the most important signaling pathways, including molecular mechanism of cancers, prostate cancer signaling, ovarian cancer signaling, P53 signaling, oncostatin M signaling, and their respective functions (viz., prostate cancer, breast cancer, progression of tumor, growth of tumor, and non-Hodgkin’s disease). The results suggest that PCB exposures, even at the early age of these children, may have lifelong consequences for the future development of chronic diseases.

     

Past,present, and future use of phosphorus in Chinese agriculture and its influence on phosphorus losses

Large inputs of phosphorus (P) in chemical fertilizers and feed supplements since 1978 have improved soil P status in arable land in China, but have also created challenges by increasing P concentrations in manure and exacerbating water quality degradation. Arable land in China can be divided into five management zones based on soil P chemistry, with 15–92 % of arable land having lower P status than the agronomic optimum and 0.3–7.2 % having severe risks of P leaching losses. A scenario analysis of soil P budget and agronomic P demand during 2011–2030 highlighted the great pressure China faces in sustainable P management and the need for drastic changes in current practices. This includes new policies to reduce P supplementation of feed and improved P use efficiency by livestock and programs to expand the adoption of appropriate fertilization, soil conservation, and drainage management practices to minimize P losses.     

Developing an analytical framework for assessing progress toward ecosystem-based management

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) has become a key instrument of contemporary environmental policy and practice. Given the increasingly important role of EBM, there is an urgent need for improved analytical approaches to assess if and to what extent EBM has been accomplished in any given case. Drawing on the vast literature on EBM, we identify five key ecosystem aspects for assessment. By linking these aspects to four phases of management, we develop an interdisciplinary, analytical framework that enables a high-resolution and systematic assessment of the degree of specificity and integration of ecosystem aspects in an EBM. We then apply the framework to evaluate five coastal EBM initiatives in Sweden, four on the Baltic coast and one on the west coast. Our results demonstrate our framework’s usefulness for in-depth and continuous assessments of processes aiming for EBM, and also provide an empirical basis for inferences about the key challenges for successful EBM.     

Nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria stimulates production in Baltic food webs

Filamentous, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria form extensive summer blooms in the Baltic Sea. Their ability to fix dissolved N₂ allows cyanobacteria to circumvent the general summer nitrogen limitation, while also generating a supply of novel bioavailable nitrogen for the food web. However, the fate of the nitrogen fixed by cyanobacteria remains unresolved, as does its importance for secondary production in the Baltic Sea. Here, we synthesize recent experimental and field studies providing strong empirical evidence that cyanobacterial nitrogen is efficiently assimilated and transferred in Baltic food webs via two major pathways: directly by grazing on fresh or decaying cyanobacteria and indirectly through the uptake by other phytoplankton and microbes of bioavailable nitrogen exuded from cyanobacterial cells. This information is an essential step toward guiding nutrient management to minimize noxious blooms without overly reducing secondary production, and ultimately most probably fish production in the Baltic Sea.     

Geogenic Distribution of Arsenic (As) and Antimony (Sb) in Soils of the Murcia Region in Spain

The objective of this study was to determine the As and Sb contents in soils from the Murcia Region of Spain and the possible relationship between the mineralogical composition, soil properties, and As and Sb concentrations. In this study, 490 samples were selected from areas with different characteristics in order to study As and Sb variability. Results show that As and Sb concentrations are positively correlated with the phyllosilicate and quartz content but negatively correlated with the calcite content. The generic reference level (GRL) for these elements was determined according to the Spanish legislation. Established GRL values vary according to the established mineralogical groups, suggesting that GRL has to be determined considering the lithological characteristics of the study area.