Human viral pathogens are pervasive in wastewater treatment center aerosols

Wastewater treatment center(WTC) workers may be vulnerable to diseases caused by viruses, such as the common cold, influenza and gastro-intestinal infections. Although there is a substantial body of literature characterizing the microbial community found in wastewater, only a few studies have characterized the viral component of WTC aerosols,despite the fact that most diseases affecting WTC workers are of viral origin and that some of these viruses are transmitted through the air. In this study, we evaluated in four WTCs the presence of 11 viral pathogens of particular concern in this milieu and used a metagenomic approach to characterize the total viral community in the air of one of those WTCs. The presence of viruses in aerosols in different locations of individual WTCs was evaluated and the results obtained with four commonly used air samplers were compared.We detected four of the eleven viruses tested, including human adenovirus(h Ad V),rotavirus, hepatitis A virus(HAV) and Herpes Simplex virus type 1(HSV1). The results of the metagenomic assay uncovered very few viral RNA sequences in WTC aerosols, however sequences from human DNA viruses were in much greater relative abundance.     

Ranging of songs with the song type on use of different cues in Carolina wrens: effects of familiarity

Male territorial song birds are usually spaced far apart and most often hear conspecific song after it has been degraded by propagation through the environment. Their ability to use the degradation of songs to assess the distance of a singing rival without approaching (called ranging) presumably increases the efficiency of defending a territory. In order to assess degradation in a song the receiver needs to compare the characteristics of the received song to its characteristics at the source or at different distances. Earlier experiments on ranging in species with song repertoires have suggested that prior familiarity with the particular song type is necessary for ranging. Here I show that male Carolina wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) can use either temporal or spectral characteristics for ranging song types which they were unlikely to have heard previously. Playbacks consisting of only one song prevented subjects' close-range experience with the loudspeaker, and flights beyond the loudspeaker provided direct evidence for over-assessment of distance when songs were degraded. Because ranging of songs was not affected by the degree of familiarity with the song type, this experiment provides no evidence that song repertoires hinder ranging in Carolina wrens, as suggested by Morton's ranging hypothesis. Instead, at least approximate ranging of songs is evidently possible by assessment of degradation in general features of a species' songs. Received: 9 August 1996 / Accepted after revision: 15 February 1997     

Reconciliation and interpretation of Big Bend National Park particulate sulfur source apportionment: results from the Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational Study--part I

The Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational (BRAVO) study was an intensive monitoring study from July through October 1999 followed by extensive assessments to determine the causes and sources of haze in Big Bend National Park, located in Southwestern Texas. Particulate sulfate compounds are the largest contributor of haze at Big Bend, and chemical transport models (CTMs) and receptor models were used to apportion the sulfate concentrations at Big Bend to North American source regions and the Carbón power plants, located 225 km southeast of Big Bend in Mexico. Initial source attribution methods had contributions that varied by a factor of > or =2. The evaluation and comparison of methods identified opposing biases between the CTMs and receptor models, indicating that the ensemble of results bounds the true source attribution results. The reconciliation of these differences led to the development of a hybrid receptor model merging the CTM results and air quality data, which allowed a nearly daily source apportionment of the sulfate at Big Bend during the BRAVO study. The best estimates from the reconciliation process resulted in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from U.S. and Mexican sources contributing approximately 55% and 38%, respectively, of sulfate at Big Bend. The distribution among U.S. source regions was Texas, 16%; the Eastern United States, 30%; and the Western United States, 9%. The Carbón facilities contributed 19%, making them the largest single contributing facility. Sources in Mexico contributed to the sulfate at Big Bend on most days, whereas contributions from Texas and Eastern U.S. sources were episodic, with their largest contributions during Big Bend sulfate episodes. On the 20% of the days with the highest sulfate concentrations, U.S. and Mexican sources contributed approximately 71% and 26% of the sulfate, respectively. However, on the 20% of days with the lowest sulfate concentrations, Mexico contributed 48% compared with 40% for the United States.     

Metal accumulation in intertidal litter through decomposing leaf blades, sheaths and stems of Phragmites australis

Metal contents of decomposing leaf blades, leaf sheaths and stems of common reed (Phragmites australis) were monitored by a litter bag method on the sediment of an intertidal brackish marsh in the Scheldt estuary (The Netherlands). On monthly intervals, two litter bags were retrieved from the marsh during 9 months for both leaf blades and sheaths and during 16 months for stems. All samples were dried, weighed and analysed for ash and Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn contents. Most concentrations increased considerably during the decomposition. Generally, also a very important net metal inflow into the litter bags could be observed. The inflow was highest for leaf blades. High correlations between ash contents and metal concentrations for leaf blades suggest that the increase of leaf blade metal contents can be due to physicochemical sorption of dissolved metals and an important infiltration of mud particles, which were not removed by rinsing the leaf blades with distilled water preceding the analyses. For stems, smaller amounts of inflowing ash and even outflowing ash amounts were found, which suggests that inflow of inorganic particles is not the major factor determining metal accumulation by stems on medium term. Ergosterol concentrations in stem tissue however proved to be correlated with metal contents, which suggests a significant role of fungal litter colonizers in metal accumulation. For leaf sheaths, the effects of physicochemical sorption, infiltration of mud particles and incorporation by microbial litter colonizers do not seem to be as pronounced as for stems and leaf blades.     

Uptake and transformation of phenol and chlorophenols by hairy root cultures of Daucus carota, Ipomoea batatas and Solanum aviculare

Hairy root cultures of Daucus carota L., Ipomoea batatas L. and Solanum aviculare Forst were investigated for their susceptibility to the highly toxic pollutants phenol and chlorophenols and for the involvement of inherent peroxidases in the removal of phenols from liquid media. Roots of D. carota grew normally in medium containing 1000 micromol l(-1) of phenol, whilst normal growth of roots of I. batatas and S. aviculare was only possible at levels up to 500 micromol l(-1). In the presence of chlorophenols, normal root growth was possible only in concentrations not exceeding 50 micromol l(-1), except for I. batatas which was severely affected at all concentrations. Despite the reduction in biomass, the growth of S. aviculare cultures was sustained in medium containing up to 2000 micromol l(-1) of phenol or 2-chlorophenol, and up to 500 micromol l(-1) of 2,6-dichlorophenol. The amounts of phenol removed by the roots within 72 h of treatment were 72.7%, 90.7% and 98.6% of the initial concentration for D. carota, I. batatas and S. aviculare, respectively. For the removal of 2,6-dichlorophenol the values were, respectively, 83.0%, 57.7% and 73.1%. Phenols labelled with 14C were absorbed by the root tissues and condensed with highly polar cellular substances as well as being incorporated into the cell walls or membranes. The results suggest that S. aviculare, an ornamental plant, would be best suited for remediation trials under field conditions.     

Assessment of ecotoxicological risks related to depositing dredged materials from canals in northern France on soil

The implementation of an ecological risk assessment framework is presented for dredged material deposits on soil close to a canal and groundwater, and tested with sediment samples from canals in northern France. This framework includes two steps: a simplified risk assessment based on contaminant concentrations and a detailed risk assessment based on toxicity bioassays and column leaching tests. The tested framework includes three related assumptions: (a) effects on plants (Lolium perenne L.), (b) effects on aquatic organisms (Escherichia coli, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Ceriodaphnia dubia, and Xenopus laevis) and (c) effects on groundwater contamination. Several exposure conditions were tested using standardised bioassays. According to the specific dredged material tested, the three assumptions were more or less discriminatory, soil and groundwater pollution being the most sensitive. Several aspects of the assessment procedure must now be improved, in particular assessment endpoint design for risks to ecosystems (e.g., integration of pollutant bioaccumulation), bioassay protocols and column leaching test design.     

Evaluating Management of Protected Areas: Integrating Planning and Evaluation

/ An approach to evaluating the effectiveness of management of protected areas is proposed. This approach has been used in developing an evaluation strategy for the Fraser Island World Heritage Area in Australia. The main component of the strategy is built upon the desired outcomes specified in the management plan for the area and thus provides a basis for assessing the extent to which the plan's objectives are being achieved. A series of monitoring programs have been proposed to enable this assessment. Examples of monitoring programs developed as part of the evaluation strategy are presented. A second component of the strategy monitors the implementation of the management plan. A management information system has been developed to record and report on the extent to which the specific actions specified in the management plan have been implemented. The strategy is discussed in relation to seven objectives set for the evaluation program in its design phase.KEY WORDS: Planning; Evaluation; Monitoring; Management; Protected areas     

An Integrated Model of Public Contact Planning for Conservation Management

/ Public contact is a vital component of any program to manage natural resources. A well-planned public contact program uses a variety of strategies to create a sympathetic and environmentally aware public and to meet specific management-related objectives. A methodology is proposed that can be applied to planning public contact at any level, from media design for a specific project to corporate strategies for communication. The methodology integrates management-driven, client-driven and resource-driven planning to provide the connections essential to effective communication.KEY WORDS: Planning; Public contact; Interpretation; Conservation; Management     

Dangerous chemicals

Council Regulation (EEC) No 2455/92 has been adopted by the Council of the European Communities, in 1992, to improve information exchange on certain dangerous chemicals with third countries, particularly developing countries. To implement the notification procedure in accordance with the Regulation, a database has been developed to manage and simplify the procedure. The software exists in three versions; one adapted for use by the Designated Authorities of the Member States, another for the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) and the third one is an information version aimed at Designated National Authorities outside the European Union and Industry. The database “EDEXIM” is currently working in a PC environment and is being developed as an on-line system with a stand-alone client/server architecture.     

Valuing deaths or years of life lost? Economic benefits of avoided mortality from early heat warning systems

The study aims to explore the main drivers influencing the economic appraisal of heat warning systems by integrating epidemiological modelling and benefit-cost analysis. To shed insights on heat wave mortality valuation, we consider three valuation schemes: (i) a traditional one, where the value of a statistical life (VSL) is applied to both displaced and premature mortality; (ii) an intermediate one, with VSL applied for premature mortality and value of a life year (VOLY) for displaced mortality; and (iii) a conservative one, where both premature and displaced mortality are quantified in terms of loss of life expectancy, and then valued using the VOLY approach. When applying these three schemes to Madrid (Spain), we obtain a benefit-cost ratio varying from 12 to 3700. We find that the choice of the valuation scheme has the largest influence, whereas other parameters such as attributable risk, displaced mortality ratio, or the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the heat warning system are less influential. The results raise the question of which is the most appropriate approach to value mortality in the context of heat waves, given that the lower bound estimate for the benefit-cost ratio (option iii using VOLY) is up to two orders of magnitude lower than the value based on the traditional VSL approach (option i). The choice of the valuation methodology has significant implications for public health authorities at the local and regional scale, which becomes highly relevant for locations where the application of the VOLY approach could lead to benefit-cost ratios significantly lower than 1. We propose that specific metrics for premature and displaced VOLYs should be developed for the context of heat waves. Until such values are available, we suggest testing the economic viability of heat warning systems under the three proposed valuation schemes (i–iii) and using values for VOLY commonly applied in air pollution as the health end points are similar. Lastly, periodical reassessment of heat alert plans should be performed by public health authorities to monitor their long-term viability and cost-effectiveness.