Short-term effects of gaseous pollutants on cause-specific mortality in Wuhan, China

In Asia, limited studies have been published on the association between daily mortality and gaseous pollutants of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Our previous studies in Wuhan, China, demonstrated long-term air pollution effects. However, no study has been conducted to determine mortality effects of air pollution in this region. This study was to determine the acute mortality effects of the gaseous pollutants in Wuhan, a city with 7.5 million permanent residents during the period from 2000 to 2004. There are approximately 4.5 million residents in Wuhan who live in the city's core area of 201 km2, where air pollution levels are highest, and pollution ranges are wider than the majority of the cities in the published literature. We used the generalized additive model to analyze pollution, mortality, and covariate data. We found consistent NO2 effects on mortality with the strongest effects on the same day. Every 10-microg/m3 increase in NO2 daily concentration on the same day was associated with an increase in nonaccidental (1.43%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87-1.99%), cardiovascular (1.65%; 95% CI: 0.87-2.45%), stroke (1.49%; 95% CI: 0.56-2.43%), cardiac (1.77%; 95% CI: 0.44-3.12%), respiratory (2.23%; 95% CI: 0.52-3.96%), and cardiopulmonary mortality (1.60%; 95% CI: 0.85-2.35%). These effects were stronger among the elderly than among the young. Formal examination of exposure-response curves suggests no-threshold linear relationships between daily mortality and NO2, where the NO2 concentrations ranged from 19.2 to 127.4 microg/m3. SO2 and O3 were not associated with daily mortality. The exposure-response relationships demonstrated heterogeneity, with some curves showing nonlinear relationships for SO2 and O3. We conclude that there is consistent evidence of acute effects of NO2 on mortality and suggest that a no-threshold linear relationship exists between NO2 and mortality.     

Well water contaminated by acidic mine water from the Dabaoshan Mine, south China: chemistry and toxicity

An investigation into well water quality was carried out in a rural area subject to irrigation with acidic mine water from the Guangdong Dabaoshan Mine, southern China. The results of water pH measurements from 112 wells in two different seasons suggest that the well water has been contaminated to varying degrees in the investigated Shangba floodplain (approximately 11km south of the Guangdong Dabaoshan Mine). There is a trend that well water pH increased southwards, suggesting that the impacts of acidic irrigation water on groundwater decreased with increasing distance to the entry point of acidic irrigation water. Water quality monitoring results of the selected wells show that Cu and Cd in the water exceeded the limits set in the Chinese National Standards for Drinking Water (GB 5749-85) for the wells close to the irrigation water source. If the World Health Organization (WHO) standard was considered, Cd in some wells was almost 10 times as high as the WHO guideline value (0.003mg l(-1)). Water collected from the location closest to the acidic irrigation water source was acutely toxic to the test organism (Daphnia carinata) even after 51 time dilution. It is likely that the extremely high mortality rate of the local population reported for the study area is at least partly related to the high levels of heavy metals, particularly Cd in the drinking well water.     

Life cycle assessment of fuel selection for power generation in Taiwan

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to performance data from 1997-2002 to evaluate the environmental impacts of the energy input, airborne emission, waterborne emission, and solid waste inventories for Taiwan's electric power plants. Eco-indicator 95 was used to compare the differences among the generation processes and fuel purification. To better understand the environmental trends related to Taiwan's electric power industry, three fuel scenarios were selected for LCA system analysis. Results indicate that there are differences in characteristic environmental impact among the 13 power plants. Scenario simulation provided a basis for minimizing environmental impacts from fuel selection targets. Fuel selection priority should be a gas-fired combined cycle substituted for a coal-fired steam turbine to be more environmentally friendly, particularly in the areas of the greenhouse effect, acidification, winter smog, and solid waste. Furthermore, based purely on economic and environmental criteria, it is recommended that the gas-fired combined cycle be substituted for the oil-fired steam turbine.     

Effect of typhoon on atmospheric particulates in autumn in central Taiwan

Previous studies have suggested that the ongoing global climate change will likely increase the intensity and frequency of extreme weather, such as typhoons. Since the beginning of global warming, it has become necessary to understand the influence of typhoons on air quality. Rare data, especially particulate measurements data could be used to establish the relationship between the air pollution and typhoons. One of main limiting factors is that most of the previous chemical analyses of particulates used a relatively long sampling time, which could dilute the temporal impact of particulate characteristics and their sources. This work, depending more time-resolved measurements, focus on the characteristics and sources of high particulate matter levels and the influence of typhoons and the Pacific high system. Depending on the measurements, two pollutant groups were clearly identified in this work. The first pollutant group was the emissions from neighboring riverbeds under the strong circulation of the typhoon in the driest season and characterized as high coarse particle concentrations with high mass fraction of Ca²⁺. The second pollutant group was characterized as the formation and transport of secondary particles with prevalent ions of NH₄⁺, NO₃^?, and SO₄^2? and occurred in the sea-land breeze circulation under the influence the Pacific high system.     

伊犁地区矿泉水中无机成分分析

通过对伊犁地区部分矿泉水水质分析,展示了该地区矿泉水中微量元素含量及其分布的特点,为今后开发和利用水地区的矿泉资源提供了一定的科学依据.     

一株贫营养异养硝化-好氧反硝化菌的筛选及脱氮特性

为了探究并优化菌剂应用于微污染水源水体修复的机制和条件,主要针对水库沉积物内筛选出的贫营养好氧反硝化菌进行了菌种鉴定及脱氮特性研究,考察菌株在不同环境条件下的脱氮效果,明确了该菌株的最适宜生长条件,并基于水库水体中贫营养条件对菌株进行水源水库原水的驯化培养试验研究,以期实现该菌株对微污染水源水库原水中氮源污染物的脱除,为原位投菌技术实际工程应用提供理论依据。从微污染水源水库沉积物中驯化筛分出一株高效异养硝化-好氧反硝化菌A14,通过扫描电镜观察、生理生化特征、16S rRNA基因测序和Biolog GenⅢ鉴定,确定该菌株为革兰氏阴性短杆菌,鉴定为皮特不动杆菌（Acinetobacter pittii）。在好氧条件下,菌株细胞内表达反硝化功能基因napA,以NO3-为唯一氮源进行反硝化作用时,36 h时NO3-去除率为78.89%。以NH4+为唯一氮源时,48 h NH4+去除率为95.25%,TN去除率达80.42%,TOC去除率达98.30%,表明该菌株具有异养硝化-好氧反硝化特性。在改变环境条件过程中,该菌株在以乙酸钠为碳源,温度为30℃,C/N为12,pH为7,接种量为10%时,NO3-去除率最高为86.62%,并且在10℃下脱氮率达到40.18%。在水源水库原水脱氮实验中,接种处理TN去除率为50.95%,NO3-去除率为80.25%。结果表明,菌株A14在微污染水源水体菌剂脱氮修复中具有良好的应用潜力。     

抗生素对微生物的联合与低剂量毒性研究进展

目前抗生素已成为一类不可忽视的环境污染物,它在环境中呈"混合-持久-低剂量"的暴露特征。因此,研究抗生素毒性效应,特别是它的联合毒性以及低剂量下毒性兴奋效应,对抗生素污染物生态风险的评价极其重要。以抗生素联合毒性的研究进展为主线,重点概述了抗生素二元混合物的急性和慢性联合毒性研究,指出了抗生素混合物间存在相互作用,它们的联合毒性并非表现为简单的加和或独立效应,且抗生素急性-慢性联合表现出的毒性效应也存在差异;发现了不仅单一抗生素具有Hormesis效应,低剂量抗生素二元混合物也具有Hormesis作用。但目前低剂量抗生素二元混合物对微生物的毒性兴奋效应研究较少,其毒性兴奋效应的预测和评价还有待进一步完善,以期为环境中抗生素的联合生态研究和风险评价提供理论依据。     

Probability distributions of arsenic in soil from brownfield sites in Beijing (China): statistical characterization of the background populations and implications for site assessment studies

A probabilistic analysis was performed on soil arsenic concentration data from 4 brownfield sites at Beijing (Chaoyang and Haidian Districts), involved in environmental assessment studies. The available data sets were processed to provide a statistical characterization of the background populations and differentiate “anomalous data” from the natural range of variation of arsenic concentrations in soil. The site-specific background distributions and the existing wide-scale background values defined for the Beijing area were compared, discussing related implications for the definition of metal contamination soil screening levels (SSLs) in site assessment studies. The statistical analysis of As data sets discriminated site-specific background populations, encompassing 88% to 94% of the sample data, from outliers values, associated with either subsoil natural enrichments or possible anthropogenic releases. Upper Baseline Concentration (UBC) limits (+ 2σ level), including most of the site-specific metal background variability, were derived based on the statistical characterization of the background populations. Sites in the Chaoyang South District area had UBC values in the range 10.4–12.6 mg·kg^-1. These ranges provide meaningful SSL values to be adopted for As in local site assessment studies. Using the wide-scale background value for the Beijing area would have erroneously classified most of the areas in the subject sites as potentially contaminated.     

Sorption of tetracycline to sediments and soils: assessing the roles of pH,the presence of cadmium and properties of sediments and soils

Batch sorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the sorption behavior of tetracycline (TC, H₃L) on sediments and soils in the presence and absence of cadmium (Cd), as affected by pH and properties of sediments and soils. The results indicated stronger nonlinearity and higher capacity of TC sorption on sediments than on soils. Sorption of TC also strongly depended on environmental factors and sediment/soil properties. Lower pH facilitated TC sorption through a cation exchange mechanism, which also took place at pH values above 5.5, where TC existed as a zwitterion (H₂L⁰) or anions (HL^- and L^2-). When pH was above 7, however, ligand-promoted dissolution of TC might occur due to TC weakening the Al-O bond of aluminum oxide and the Fe-O bond of iron oxide. Natural organic matter (NOM) plays a more important role in TC sorption than cation exchange capacity (CEC) and clay contents. The presence of Cd (II) increased TC sorption on both sediments and soils, which resulted from the decrease of equilibrium solution pH caused by Cd²⁺ exchange with H⁺ ions of sediment/soil surfaces. The increase of TC sorption was also related to the formation of TC-Cd complexes, where Cd²⁺ acted as a bridge between the sediment/soil and TC.     

镉对花生苗期的毒害效应及其品种间差异

重金属在籽粒中的积累与植物对镉的生物学耐性和吸收特性有一定的内在联系。本研究通过比较不同花生（Arachis hypogaea L.）品种对镉胁迫的生物学耐性,旨在为进一步揭示花生籽粒镉积累的种内差异形成机制提供实验参数。在人工气候箱控制环境下的含镉的营养液砂培试验中,花生苗期对镉胁迫的反应具有显著的品种间遗传差异。基于植株生物量变化,可将花生的镉胁迫反应分为3种类型,即镉钝感型,品种有平度01、花育23和莱农13;敏感型,品种有中花4号、花育20、丰花3号、莱农29、豫花15和祁阳小籽;普通型,品种有湘农3010-w、湘农312、湘农55、丰花2号和湘农小果w2-7等。钝感型品种在5个加Cd水平下的茎叶干物量比对照平均降低22.8%,全株生物量平均降低11.7%;敏感型品种茎叶干物量平均降低38.0%,全株生物量降低29.2%;普通型品种茎叶干物量平均降低33.2%,全株生物量降低25.1%。随着Cd质量浓度提高和暴露时间延长,花生叶片的叶绿素质量分数显著降低,叶片和根系丙二醛质量分数及细胞膜透性显著提高,与钝感型品种相比,敏感型品种的上述生理指标变化速率较高,而且随着镉暴露时间延长,两者之间的差异性持续扩大。