Long-term associations of morbidity with air pollution: A catalog and synthesis

I searched the National Institutes of Health MEDLINE database through January 2017 for long-term studies of morbidity and air pollution and cataloged them with respect to cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer, diabetes, hospitalization, neurological, and pregnancy-birth endpoints. The catalog is presented as an online appendix. Associations with PM_2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm), PM₁₀ (PM with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm), and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) were evaluated most frequently among the 417 ambient air quality studies identified. Associations with total suspended particles (TSP), carbon, ozone, sulfur, vehicular traffic, radon, and indoor air quality were also reported. I evaluated each study in terms of pollutant significance (yes, no), duration of exposure, and publication date. I found statistically significant pollutant relationships (P < 0.05) in 224 studies; 220 studies indicated adverse effects. Among 795 individual pollutant effect estimates, 396 are statistically significant. Pollutant associations with cardiovascular indicators, lung function, respiratory symptoms, and low birth weight are more likely to be significant than with disease incidence, heart attacks, diabetes, or neurological endpoints. Elemental carbon (EC), traffic, and PM_2.5 are most likely to be significant for cardiovascular outcomes; TSP, EC, and ozone (O₃) for respiratory outcomes; NO₂ for neurological outcomes; and PM₁₀ for birth/pregnancy outcomes. Durations of exposure range from 60 days to 35 yr, but I found no consistent relationships with the likelihood of statistical significance. Respiratory studies began ca. 1975; studies of diabetes, cardiovascular, and neurological effects increased after about 2005. I found 72 studies of occupational air pollution exposures; 40 reported statistically significant adverse health effects, especially for respiratory conditions. I conclude that the aggregate of these studies supports the existence of nonlethal physiological effects of various pollutants, more so for non–life-threatening endpoints and for noncriteria pollutants (TSP, EC, PM_2.5 metals). However, most studies were cross-sectional analyses over limited time spans with no consideration of lag or disease latency. Further longitudinal studies are thus needed to investigate the progress of disease incidence in association with air pollution exposure.

Implications: Relationships of air pollution with excess mortality are better known than with long-term antecedent morbidity. I cataloged 489 studies of cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer, and neurological effects, diabetes, and birth outcomes with respect to 12 air pollutants. About half of the studies reported statistically significant relationships, more frequently with noncriteria than with criteria pollutants. Indoor and cumulative exposures, coarse or ultrafine particles, and organic carbon were seldom considered. Significant relationships were more likely with less-severe endpoints such as blood pressure, lung function, or respiratory symptoms than with incidence of cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, or diabetes. Most long-term studies are based on spatial relationships; longitudinal studies are needed to link the progression of pollution-related morbidity to mortality, especially for the cardiovascular system.     

A review of regulations and guidelines related to winter manure application

Winter manure application elevates nutrient losses and impairment of water quality as compared to manure applications in other seasons. In conjunction with reviewing global distribution of animal densities, we reviewed worldwide mandatory regulations and voluntary guidelines on efforts to reduce off-site nutrient losses associated with winter manure applications. Most of the developed countries implement regulations or guidelines to restrict winter manure application, which range from a regulative ban to guidelines based upon weather and field management conditions. In contrast, developing countries lack such official directives, despite an increasing animal production industry and concern over water quality. An analysis of five case studies reveals that directives are derived from a common rationale to reduce off-site manure nutrient losses, but they are also affected by local socio-economic and biophysical considerations. Successful programs combine site-specific management strategies along with expansion of manure storage to offer farmers greater flexibility in winter manure management.     

N deposition as a threat to the World's protected areas under the Convention on Biological Diversity

This paper combines the world’s protected areas (PAs) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), common classification systems of ecosystem conservation status, and current knowledge on ecosystem responses to nitrogen (N) deposition to determine areas most at risk. The results show that 40% (approx. 11% of total area) of PAs currently receive >10 kg N/ha/yr with projections for 2030 indicating that this situation is not expected to change. Furthermore, 950 PAs are projected to receive >30 kg N/ha/yr by 2030 (approx. twice the 2000 number), of which 62 (approx. 11,300 km²) are also Biodiversity Hotspots and G200 ecoregions; with forest and grassland ecosystems in Asia particularly at risk. Many of these sites are known to be sensitive to N deposition effects, both in terms of biodiversity changes and ecosystem services they provide. Urgent assessment of high risk areas identified in this study is recommended to inform the conservation efforts of the CBD.     

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) in riverine and marine sediments of the Laizhou Bay area, North China

PCN congeners were analyzed in marine and riverine sediments of the Laizhou Bay area, North China. Concentrations of PCNs ranged from 0.12 to 5.1 ng g⁻¹ dry weight (dw) with a mean value of 1.1 ng g⁻¹ dw. The levels of PCNs varied largely, with industrial group approximately ten folds higher than those of the rural in riverine sediment. A strong impact by direct discharge from local factories was suggested. Similar compositional profiles were found within groups. High resemblance of compositional profiles between industrial samples and Halowax 1014 was observed. It was indicated that PCNs in riverine sediments were mainly from release of industrial usage, with additional contributions from industrial thermal process at certain sites. In marine sediments, it was suggested that PCNs along the coast of Laizhou Bay were mainly controlled by riverine input. While in the central bay, PCN distributions were possibly impacted by combined multiple factors.     

浅议保险对企业安全监督管理之作用

通过开展适合于保险和安全监管工作的风险评估体系的研究,充分发挥保险于安全监管的作用,从而为降低职工、企业乃至全社会的风险水平,为经济的可持续发展和社会稳定提供必要的保证。     

硫化锰纳米颗粒高效去除重金属镉

中国镉污染问题日益严峻,开发高效的镉吸附剂,是解决环境镉污染问题的重要技术手段。采用共沉淀方法合成了硫化锰纳米颗粒,研究了其对重金属镉的吸附行为,并采用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、高分辨透射电镜(HR-TEM)、比表面积(BET)等技术手段探究了硫化锰纳米颗粒的形貌、化学组分以及镉的去除机制。结果表明,MnS纳米颗粒呈球状,平均粒径100 nm,比表面积30.56 m²·g⁻¹。MnS纳米颗粒对Cd²⁺的吸附动力学数据较好地符合伪二级动力学模型;吸附等温线数据较好地符合Langmuir模型,说明MnS对Cd²⁺的吸附是以化学吸附为主的单分子层吸附。使用Langmuir拟合的MnS饱和最大镉吸附量为349.6 mg·g⁻¹,在众多镉吸附材料中处于前列。对于模拟工厂重金属废水的处理,MnS纳米颗粒可以在5 h内使镉的浓度由60 mg·L⁻¹降至国家规定排放线以下(<0.1 mg·L⁻¹),且吸附过程中水体pH稳定,对水体干扰小。在多种重金属离子共存的情况下,仍可以达到接近100%的Cd²⁺去除率。硫化锰相对稳定,在空气中放置30 d仍有80%的镉去除率。较高的离子交换量形成CdS沉淀是MnS高效去除镉的主要原因。     

CASS工艺园区污水处理厂提标改造为AAO+三级处理工艺后的运行效果对比分析

为深入落实长江大保护政策,对南京经济技术开发区污水处理厂实施了提标改造。提标工艺为粗细格栅+曝气沉砂池+AAO+高效沉淀池+滤布滤池+消毒。结果表明：在该工艺运行过程中,进水可部分选择性地或全部越过厌氧池进入缺氧池,从而强化反硝化脱氮;在好氧池池末端前置投加除磷药剂,不仅可去除一定的COD和TP,还有强化二沉池污泥压缩、泥水分离的效果;借助碳源投加可提高来水可生化性;增加一套占地面积小、处理效果稳定的高效沉淀池+滤布滤池+消毒三级处理工艺,可控制出水水质,使其持续稳定达标;提标后出水COD、TP、TN、NH₃-N、SS的平均质量浓度分别由37.9、0.323、11.18、1.94、19 mg·L⁻¹降低至22.3、0.029、4.55、0.08、3 mg·L⁻¹,污水直接处理成本由0.47元·t⁻¹增加到0.78元·t⁻¹;提标后出水水质稳定达到《城镇污水处理厂污染物排放标准》(GB 18918-2002)一级A标准,部分指标满足《地表水环境质量标准》(GB 3838-2002)Ⅳ类水标准要求。该提标改造项目的实施经济效益可行、社会效益显著,可为同类型污水处理厂提标改造工作提供参考。     

基于三角随机模拟和ArcGIS的河流水环境健康风险评价模型

基于河流水环境系统中随机性、模糊性等多种不确定性共存或交叉存在的特性,将三角模糊数与随机模拟方法相耦合,构建了三角随机模拟模型,并将其应用到湘江(长沙段)的健康风险评价中。通过将各参数浓度进行三角模糊化和随机模拟,结果表明,各断面污染物造成的健康风险的变化趋势,总体沿湘江上游至下游逐步降低,表现为昭山 > 猴子石 > 五一桥 > 橘子洲 > 乔口 > 三汊矶,且昭山、三汊矶断面和乔口断面均有恶化趋势。相对于常规的确定性方法,本模型能够得出评价区域健康风险的可能值区间及其相应的概率水平等定量信息,更加客观、全面地表征评价区域的风险状态及其空间分布差异,为决策者提供更多有用的信息。     

Upgrading food wastes by means of bromelain and papain to enhance growth and immunity of grass carp (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ctenopharyngodon idella</Emphasis>)

The fast growing of global aquaculture industry accompanied with increasing pressure on the supply and price of traditional feed materials (e.g., fish meal and soy bean meal). This circumstance has urged the need to search alternative sources of feed stuff. Food waste was used as feed stuff in rearing fish which possess substantial protein and lipid. Grass carp are major species reared in Hong Kong with lower nutritional requirements; it is also an ideal species for investigating the feasibility of using food waste as fish feeds for local aquaculture industry. The growth and immunity, reflected by total protein, total immunologlobulin (IgI), and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) activity of grass carp blood, were depressed when feeding with food waste feeds without enzymes. However, the supplementation of bromelain and papain in fish feed enhanced the efficient use of food waste by grass carp, which in turn improved the fish immunity. The present results indicated that the addition of those enzymes could enhance the feed utilization by fish and hematological parameters of grass carp, and the improvement on growth and immunity superior to the control (commercial feed) was observed with the addition of bromelain and papain supplement. Addition of 1 and 2 % mixture of bromelain and papain could significantly enhance the lipid utilization in grass carp.