Bioaccessibility of polychlorinated biphenyls in workplace dust and its implication for risk assessment

Human exposure to bioaccessible PCBs via indoor dust is limited around the world. In the present study, the workplace dust sample from commercial office, hospital, secondary school, shopping mall, electronic factory and manufacturing plant were collected from Hong Kong for PCBs analyses. Total PCBs concentrations ranged from 46.8 to 249 ng g⁻¹, with a median of 107 ng g⁻¹. Manufacturing plant showed the highest concentration among all of sampling sites. PCB 77 was found as the dominant congeners. The bioaccessibility of PCBs in small intestinal juice ranging from 8.3% to 26.0% was significantly higher than that in gastric condition, ranging from 4.8% to 12.4%. In addition, significant negative correlations (p < 0.05) were observed between K_OW and bioaccessibility for all workplace dust samples. Risk assessment indicated that the averaged daily dose of dioxin-like PCBs via non-dietary intake of workplace dust, considering the bioaccessibility of PCBs, were much lower than the TDI of dioxins (2.3 pg WHO-TEQ kg bw⁻¹ d⁻¹) established by Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives.     

Phosphine in paddy fields and the effects of environmental factors

Ambient levels of phosphine (PH₃) in the air, phosphine emission fluxes from paddy fields and rice plants, and the distribution of matrix-bound phosphine (MBP) in paddy soils were investigated throughout the growing stages of rice. The relationships between MBP and environmental factors were analyzed to identify the principal factors determining the distribution of MBP. The phosphine ambient levels ranged from 2.368 ± 0.6060 ng m⁻³ to 24.83 ± 6.529 ng m⁻³ and averaged 14.25 ± 4.547 ng m⁻³. The highest phosphine emission flux was 22.54 ± 3.897 ng (m² h)⁻¹, the lowest flux was 7.64 ± 4.83 ng (m² h)⁻¹, and the average flux was 14.17 ± 4.977 ng (m² h)⁻¹. Rice plants transport a significant portion of the phosphine emitted from the paddy fields. The highest contribution rate of rice plants to the phosphine emission fluxes reached 73.73% and the average contribution was 43.00%. The average MBP content of 111.6 ng kg⁻¹fluctuated significantly in different stages of rice growth and initially increased then decreased with increasing depth. The peak MBP content in each growth stage occurred approximately 10 cm under the surface of paddy soils. Pearson correlation analyses and stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that soil temperature (Ts), acid phosphatase (ACP) and total phosphorus (TP) were the principal environmental factors, with correlative rankings of Ts > ACP > TP.     

SO2 inhalation causes synaptic injury in rat hippocampus via its derivatives in vivo

SO₂ remains a common air pollutant, almost half of the world’s population uses coal and biomass fuels for domestic energy. Limited evidence suggests that exposure to SO₂ may be associated with neurotoxicity and increased risk of hospitalization and mortality of many brain disorders. However, our understanding of the mechanisms by which SO₂ causes harmful insults on neurons remains elusive. To explore the molecular mechanism of SO₂-induced neurotoxic effects in hippocampal neurons, we evaluated the synaptic plasticity in rat hippocampus after exposure to SO₂ at various concentrations (3.5 and 7 mg m⁻³, 6 h d⁻¹, for 90 d) in vivo, and in primary cultured hippocampal neurons (DIV7 and DIV14) after the treatment of SO₂ derivatives in vitro. The results showed that SYP, PSD-95, NR-2B, p-ERK1/2 and p-CREB were consistently inhibited by SO₂/SO₂ derivatives in more mature hippocampal neurons in vivo and in vitro, while the effects were opposite in young hippocampal neurons. Our results indicated that in young neurons, SO₂ exposure produced neuronal insult is similar to ischemic injury; while in more mature neurons, SO₂ exposure induced synaptic dysfunctions might participate in cognitive impairment. The results implied that SO₂ inhalation could cause different neuronal injury during brain development, and suggested that the molecular mechanisms might be involved in the changes of synaptic plasticity.     

Factors influencing on the bioaccessibility of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in size-specific dust from air conditioner filters

Size-specific concentrations and bioaccessibility of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in dust from air conditioner filters were measured, and the factors influencing the PBDE bioaccessibility were determined. Generally, the PBDE concentrations increased with decreasing dust particle size, and BDE209 (deca-BDE) was generally the predominant congener. The bioaccessibility ranged from 20.3% to 50.8% for tri- to hepta-BDEs, and from 5.1% to 13.9% for BDE209 in dust fractions of varied particle size. The bioaccessibility of most PBDE congeners decreased with increasing dust particle size. The way of being of PBDE (adsorbed to dust surface or incorporated into polymers) in dust significantly influenced the bioaccessibility. There was a significant negative correlation between the tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility and organic matter (OM) contents in dust. Furthermore, tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility increased with increasing polarity of OMs, while with decreasing aromaticity of OMs. The tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility significantly positively correlated with the surface areas and pore volumes of dust. Using multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that the OM contents and pore volumes of dust were the most important factors to influence the tri- to hepta-BDE bioaccessibility and they could be used to estimate the bioaccessibility of tri- to hepta-BDEs according to the following equation: bioaccessibility (%) = 45.05 − 0.49 × OM% + 1.79 × pore volume. However, BDE209 bioaccessibility did not correlate to any of these factors.     

Dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene using lead–iron bimetallic particles

Synthesized lead–iron (Pb/Fe) bimetallic particles were applied to dechlorinate hexachlorobenzene (HCB) under various conditions (e.g. bimetal amount, initial pH value, reaction temperature, and reaction duration). The results showed that adding Pb onto Fe benefited the dechlorination of HCB and the bimetal with 1.4% Pb content performed best. The degradation rate decreased regularly as the initial pH value of the aqueous increased from 1.9 to 11.1 except for pH 7.0 where the fastest dechlorination rate emerged. The dechlorination could be enhanced by increasing the amount of Pb/Fe or the reaction temperature. The dechlorination ratio of HCB within 15 min increased from 24.3% to 81.3% when Pb/Fe amount increased from 0.1 g to 0.8 g. The dechlorination followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the dechlorination rate constants were 0.0027, 0.0064, 0.0157, and 0.0321 min^?1 at 25, 50, 70, and 85 °C, respectively, and the activation energy (E_a) of the dechlorination by Pb/Fe was 37.86 kJ mol^?1.     

Partitioning and bioaccumulation of metals from oil sands process affected water in indigenous Parachlorella kessleri

This paper studies the partitioning and bioaccumulation of ten target metals (⁵³Cr, Mn, Co, ⁶⁰Ni, ⁶⁵Cu, ⁶⁶Zn, As, ⁸⁸Sr, ⁹⁵Mo and Ba) from oil sands tailings pond water (TPW) by indigenous Parachlorella kessleri. To determine the role of extracellular and intracellular bioaccumulation in metal removal by P. kessleri, TPW samples taken from two oil sands operators (Syncrude Canada Ltd. and Albian Sands Energy Inc.) were enriched with nutrient supplements.Results indicate that intracellular bioaccumulation played the main role in metal removal from TPW; whereas extracellular bioaccumulation was only observed to some extent for Mn, Co, ⁶⁰Ni, ⁶⁵Cu, ⁸⁸Sr, ⁹⁵Mo and Ba. The FTIR scan and titration of functional groups on the cell surface indicated low metal binding capacity by indigenous P. kessleri. However, it is believed that the dissolved cations and organic ligand content in TPW (such as naphthenic acids) may interfere with metal binding on the cell surface and lower extracellular bioaccumulation. In addition, the total bioaccumulation and bioconcentration factor (BCF) varied during the cultivation period in different growth regimes.     

超临界水氧化处理煤气化废水的响应面优化

采用响应面法对超临界水氧化处理煤气化废水的工艺参数进行了优化.运用中心复合设计,建立了COD、NH3-N去除率与温度、压强、氧化系数、反应时间4因素的二次回归模型,分析了各因素的显著性及交互作用.结果表明,各因素对COD、NH3-N去除率影响大小为:温度＞氧化系数＞反应时间＞压强.温度和氧化系数对COD去除率交互影响显著;温度和氧化系数、温度和反应时间、氧化系数和反应时间对NH3-N去除率交互影响显著.以COD、NH3-N去除率最大化,温度最低为目标条件,获得试验范围内最佳工艺条件:温度520℃,压强27.00 MPa,氧化系数3.0,反应时间10 min.该条件下3次验证试验的COD、NH3-N平均去除率分别为99.92％、99.54％,与预测值99.89％、99.51％无显著差异,表明所建模型切实可行.     

响应面法和神经网络优化Acinetobactersp．DNS32发酵基质

为了提高阿特拉津降解菌Acinetobactersp．DNS32的产量,分别采用响应曲面法和基于人工神经网络的遗传算法对阿特拉津降解菌DNS32发酵培养基中3个重要基质成分（玉米粉、豆饼粉、K：HPO。）进行优化研究。响应曲面法确定3种成分的含量为玉米粉39．494g／L,豆饼粉25．638g／L和K。HPO。3．265g／L时,预测发酵活菌最大生物量为7．079×10^8CFU／mL,实测量为7．194×10^8CFU／mL;人工神经网络结合遗传算法优化确定3种主要成分含量为玉米粉为39．650g／L,豆饼粉为25．500g／L,K2HPO4为2．624g／L时,预测最大值为7．199×10^8CFU／mL,实测量为7．244×10。CFU／mL;最终确定培养基配方：玉米粉为39．650g／L,豆饼粉为25．500g／L,K2HPO4为2．624g／L,CaCO3为3．000g／L,MgSO4·7H2O和NaCl均为0．200g／L;优化后阿特拉津降解菌DNS32发酵生物量比优化前提高了36．6％。结果表明,在阿特拉津降解菌DNS32发酵培养基组分优化方面,响应面法和基于人工神经网络的遗传算法都是可行的,基于人工神经网络的遗传算法具有更好的拟合度和预测准确度。     

采用数值风洞模型对热电厂烟塔合一大气污染扩散的研究

随着城市的快速建设,城市建筑的高度和体量不断增加,同时大气污染源的排放方式和排放状态也与从前发生了很大的变化,特别是热电厂采用烟塔合一排放方式的出现,对常规应用的稳态远距离以统计学为基础理论的高斯大气预测方法提出了挑战。目前国内外广泛使用的大气污染物预测模式——德国模式在烟塔合一排放方式的预测上存在着许多关键性问题,如大风下洗条件下,冷却塔附近空腔区的大小和范围、空腔区污染物最高地面浓度等无法给出准确的预测结果。为准确预测烟塔合一排放方式的大气污染物扩散情况,采用一种新的大气污染物扩散的预测模式——数值风洞模型进行模拟预测研究,预测结果表明,在烟塔合一排放方式下,大气污染物最高地面浓度随风速增加而增加,同时在冷却塔下风向存在负压区,污染物在该区域高浓度聚集。且在夏季6.0m/s风速下,冷却塔下风向最高地面浓度出现峰值,属于最不利的气象条件。数值风洞模型可利用图形化手段实现对空腔区产生、变化、破碎至再生成的全过程描述,从而建立了一种大气污染预测的重要手段。     

畜禽沼液中抗生素和激素的微波处理

通过间歇处理和连续处理实验,探讨微波技术对沼液中四环素类抗生素和激素喹乙醇去除的效果。结果表明,沼液在微波间歇处理中,最优反应时间为40min。此条件下沼液中喹乙醇、土霉素、四环素和金霉素的去除率分别达到26％、49％、48％和70％;微波可显著提高可生化性,BOD5／COD值达到0．37。微波一好氧处理系统中COD与氨氮的去除率分别达到91％和93％,明显优于单独好氧处理。沼液微波连续处理中,最优HRT为90min,此时喹乙醇、土霉素、四环素和金霉素的去除率分别达到24％、45％、50％和74％;BOD5／COD值达到0．34。微波．好氧处理系统中COD与氨氮的去除率均为90％,优于单独好氧处理效果。