Detection and assessment of dust mite allergens in an indoor environment in Anhui,China

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Dust in the home environment is thought to be a potential trigger for increasing allergic diseases, such as allergic rash, rhinitis, asthma, and other...     

Cost–benefit analysis of construction waste source reduction: a system dynamics approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Construction waste (CW) source reduction is a crucial strategy to address the sustainability issue of the construction industry. The economic benefit...     

Characteristics and management modes of domestic waste in rural areas of developing countries: a case study of China

A huge accumulation of domestic waste has caused serious environmental contamination in rural areas of developing countries (RADIC). The characteristics and management of domestic waste are carefully discussed, based on field surveys and a literature review. The results indicate that the generation in most of RADIC is less than the median of 0.521 kg day⁻¹ per capita in China, and much smaller than in rural areas of developed countries (RADEC). Organic waste and inert waste with an accumulative mass percentage of 72.31% are dominant components of domestic waste in the rural areas of China. There are trends of increasing amounts of kitchen waste, paper/cardboard, and plastic/rubber and a decreasing trend of ash waste. The RADIC composition of domestic waste had a high content of organic waste and a low content of recyclable waste compared to the RADEC. Domestic waste has good compressibility and a light bulk density ranging from 40 to 650 kg m⁻³. The moisture, ash, combustible, and calorific values of domestic waste were 53.31%, 18.03%, 28.67%, and 5368 kJ kg⁻¹, respectively. The domestic waste has an abundance of nutrients including organic matter (39.05%), nitrogen (1.02%), phosphorus (0.50%), and potassium (1.42%). In RADIC, domestic waste can be used as an agricultural manure only after it has been collected and sorted for the potential risk of heavy metal accumulation. Based on these characteristics of domestic waste and the different situations of rural areas, four waste management modes including centralized treatment, decentralized treatment, group treatment, and mobile treatment are designed and discussed.

     

Fine particulate matter alters the microecology of the murine respiratory tract

Fine particulate matter is a global challenge to human health. We investigated the effects and potential mechanisms of fine particulate matter on respiratory tract microecology in a lung injury mouse model. BALB/c mice were randomized into exposed and control groups. We found that the levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I was increased following the PM2.5 exposure. 16S rRNA sequencing of respiratory tract lavage fluid confirmed that the composition of the respiratory tract microecology was altered by the exposure. Lactobacillus was the most abundant of bacterial species present. Collectively, these results establish a link between exposure to fine particulate matter and alterations to the respiratory tract microecology. Elucidation of the underlying mechanisms may lead to treatment strategies in lung injury.

     

Distribution of perfluorinated alkyl substances in marine shellfish along the Chinese Bohai Sea coast

Perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are emerging persistent organic pollutants, which pose a threat to human health primarily by dietary exposure, especially through seafood. Bohai Sea (a semi-closed sea located north of China) is an important shellfish aquaculture area that is possibly highly-polluted with PFASs. In this study, we first evaluated contamination by PFASs in a total of 230 samples of marine shellfish from the Bohai Sea. Samples included five important shellfish species, collected from important aquaculture spots distributed around the Bohai Sea. Samples were analyzed by an ultra-fast liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method, which could simultaneously detect 23 PFASs in shellfish. Our research verified that PFASs have become a threat to the safety of shellfish products in this area. Furthermore, contamination by PFASs in shellfish changed depending on the components of PFASs, the species of shellfish, and the sampling sites. Many of the 23 target compounds contributed to the high detection ratio (>50%) as follows: perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)?>?perfluorononanoic acid?>?perfluorodecanesulfonic acid?>?perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). Compared with other dominant components, PFOA not only had the highest detection percentage in shellfish samples (98.3%), but its detection level contributed to 87.2% of total PFASs concentrations, indicating that PFOA is the major threat to the safety of shellfish products. The highest level of PFAS was found in clams (62.5?ng?g^?1 wet weight of PFOA). The concentration of total PFAS in different shellfish species showed the following trend: clams?>?mussels?>?scallops?>?whelks?>?oysters. The maximum concentration of total PFAS or PFOA was found in Shouguang. The total concentration of PFOS and its precursor were highest in Cangzhou, possibly due to local industrial activities. The results presented in this paper provide new data on the contamination of marine shellfish along the Bohai Sea coasts in China, and constitute a reference for future monitoring of contamination by emerging contaminants in Bohai coast.     

辐射制冷技术在安全帽上的应用研究*

为缓解夏季配戴安全帽导致的头部高温不适,采用具有光谱选择特性的辐射降温涂料对安全帽表面光学性能进行改性,经光学测试,安全帽的太阳辐射反射率由45%提升至89%,大气窗口发射率由92%提升至95%。对安全帽进行降温效果测试,并基于测试结果建立热力学模型。结果表明:在阳光直射下,改性安全帽内部温度低于普通白色安全帽,温差最大12.2 ℃;在热力学模型中,即使在夏季最热时间段（12∶00～14∶00）,改性安全帽内部温度仍可比普通安全帽低8 ℃,预测平均评价值由普通安全帽的3.5降低至1.0,预测不满意百分比从100%降低至20%。     

Investigation of three system shut-down strategies alongside optimization suggestion for proton exchange membrane fuel cells via in-situ measurements

ABSTRACT

Carbon corrosion caused by H₂/O₂ interface during the shut-down process is one of the factors that exacerbate the overall degradation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) in automotive applications. Numerous studies have shown that system strategies are beneficial for reducing the duration of H₂/O₂ interface and alleviating performance degradation. In this paper, three different shut-down strategies are investigated and compared based on the internal behaviors acquired by in-situ measurements. For the three shut-down strategies, reverse current and high potential are mainly observed in a lower constant current and constant power strategy. Comparatively speaking, the internal uniformity of the cell under constant current and power load is better than that with constant voltage strategy when the shut-down time is about the same. The results suggest that adopting a higher constant power load followed by a larger voltage load during the shut-down process can effectively shorten the shut-down time and relieve carbon corrosion. These results add significant new insights into the shut-down process and will be of practical importance in directing design of combined shut-down strategy that can withstand carbon corrosion.     

2014—2018年某铁路企业职工死亡特征分析

分析某铁路企业职工死因构成和顺位情况,为制定工作场所健康促进策略提供依据。收集20142018年某铁路企业职工死因监测资料和人口数据,按照国际疾病分类标准(ICD-10)进行死因编码,计算死亡率、死因构成指标,进行统计分析。结果表明,20142018年该铁路企业职工年均死亡率为190.22/10万;男性、女性年均死亡率分别为214.56/10万、60.49/10万,男性死亡率高于女性(χ^2=74.83,P<0.001);死因前5位依次为恶性肿瘤、心脏病、脑血管病、伤害和中毒、呼吸系统疾病。进而结合该企业职工死亡以恶性肿瘤居首、心脑血管疾病次之,男性死亡率高于女性,死亡职工绝大多数发生在40~60岁之间等特征,提出制定针对不同人群的综合性防治措施、开展健康管理与健康促进是治本之策。     

短链氯化石蜡研究现状

作为一种潜在的持久性有机污染物,短链氯化石蜡(Short chain chlorinated paraffins,SCCPs)近年来正在接受斯德哥尔摩公约的审查。它具有持久性、生物富集性,长距离迁移、高毒性等特点,可能会对生态环境和人体健康造成威胁,目前许多国家已经对SCCPs推出了禁令。中国生产的氯化石蜡(CPs)由于没有相关产品标准的限制,其成份多少都会含有一定SCCPs,中国每年都会消费大量的CPs,在消耗的同时会产生较大的排放量,这些排放所造成的潜在环境污染风险是不可估量的。本文通过查阅相关文献,对短链氯化石蜡研究现状进行了整理。     

南京市水环境区域流域生态补偿模式与改进对策研究

通过回顾南京市开展水环境区域流域生态补偿工作历程,对南京市流域生态补偿实施模式及存在问题进行分析,指出在南京市水环境流域生态补偿实践过程中存在的关键问题,并提出相应对策,为今后其他城市和地区开展此项工作提供借鉴。