Passive airborne dust sampling to assess mite antigen exposure in farming environments

The aim of this study was to estimate mite antigen exposure in farming environments by passive sampling of airborne dust. Antigen concentrations were measured with enzyme immunoassays specific for three storage mites (SM): Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Tyrophagus putrescentiae and the house dust mite (HDM) Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. Dust samples were collected with electrostatic dust fall collectors (EDCs) in three different areas of cattle farms. EDCs were placed in cow stables (working area), in changing rooms (transit area) and in different rooms of farmer dwellings (living area). Mite concentrations in the living area of farm homes were compared to those of urban homes. In dust samples from stables, antigens of all four mite species could be detected. The highest exposure level was to L. destructor (median 56.7 μg/m(2)), the lowest to A. siro (median 14.4 μg/m(2)). Mite concentrations of different species showed no correlation within the cow stables. In comparison to stables, the median mite concentrations in farm homes were significantly lower, ranging from below the detection limit to 1.5 μg/m(2). Antigens of SM were predominantly found in changing rooms and kitchens, and HDM antigens were mainly detected in bedrooms. Antigens of all mites were measured the least often in living rooms. T. putrescentiae was the most prevalent mite in all room types, and the exposure levels correlated strongly between different rooms. The number of SM positive samples in farm homes was considerably higher than in urban homes, while the percentage of HDM positive samples did not differ significantly.     

Bewertung von Umweltwirkungen gentechnisch veränderter Organismen (GVO)

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can have effects on the environment in a variety of ways. The Genetic Engineering Act (Gen TG) stipulates that, before a GMO may be used, its characteristics have to be assessed and its behaviour in the environment has to be estimated and evaluated. The Federal Environmental Agency is the first and hitherto only authority involved in the implementation of the Genetic Engineering Act to have presented a risk assessment concept, in order to ensure that consent decisions taken in the enforcement of the Act are comprehensible and comparable. This concept is presented, as are proposals for the envisaged revision which results from changes in the legal framework, notably the adoption of the Biosafety Protocol, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the new EU Deliberate Release Directive 2001/18/EC. In addition, the contribution discusses the role of the precautionary principle and possible implications for decision-making by the authorities. The precautionary principle demands that environmental risks and damage should be avoided as far as possible, or prevented from arising at the outset. A particular challenge when refining assessment concepts is the integration of nature conservation principles. These have been given insufficient attention to date. The contribution presents the results of a workshop on this subject, which was jointly organised by the Federal Environmental Agency and the Federal Nature Conservation Agency. Those participating in the workshop identified aspects which go beyond the scope of the Genetic Engineering Act and are derivee from the specific objective of biotope and species protection. Furthermore, the contribution addresses the provisions of the new Deliberate Release Directive 2001/18/EC on environmental risk assessment (e.r.a.). The aim of e.r.a., on a case-by-case basis is, to identify and evaluate potential adverse effects of the GMO, either direct and indirect, immediate or delayed, on human health and the environment, which the deliberate release or the placement of GMOs on the market may have. There exists a link to the definition of goals for a sustainable agriculture which have to be considered when assessing the impact of GMOs.     

Spatial gradients of OCPs in European butter—integrating environmental and exposure information

The Stockholm Convention and the Global Monitoring Plan encourage the production of monitoring data to effectively evaluate the presence of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in all regions, in order to identify changes in levels over time, as well as to provide information on their regional and global environmental transport. Here, we report the first step of two to investigate whether butter is a feasible matrix to screen with the purpose to reflect regional ambient atmospheric air levels of POPs. The first step described here is to generate monitoring data; the second is to investigate the relationship between the two matrixes, i.e., POP concentrations in air and butter, which will be reported in another article published in this journal. Here, the 27 organochlorine pesticides listed under the Stockholm Convention have been analyzed in 75 butter samples from Europe. The general conclusions were as follows: Total organochlorine pesticide concentration is lower in butter from northern and central Europe. The spatial gradient of 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-di(4-chlorophenyl)ethane and hexachlorocyclohexane is increasing in the eastern region of Europe (Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine), dieldrin towards France, and endosulfan levels were elevated on the Azores Island in the Atlantic Ocean. One butter sample from Romania exceeded the European Maximum Residue Limit value for lindane, but the other butter pesticide levels were all below the limit values. The dataset reported here can be used for the calibration of the air–grass–dairy products model, which would support the feasibility to use butter as biomonitor for measuring POP levels in ambient air.     

Levels, profile and pattern of PCDDs and PCDFs in samples related to the production and use of chlorine

Analyses of sludge from graphite electrodes used in the chloralkali process show total levels of PCDFs as high as 650000 pg/g sludge. The levels of tetra-, penta-and hexaCDFs were found to be approximately the same. The levels for the corresponding PCDDs were below the detection level. The dominating congeners within each group are the toxic 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDFs at levels of 340000 pg/g, This typical pattern, called the “chloralkali pattern” can also be found in soil samples taken at another chloralkali plant. The typical pattern can also be identified in a solution of ferric chloride. Traces of “chloralkali pattern” are identified in a sludge sample from the drinking water purification plant, the source for PCDFs in the sludge is unknown.