Concentrations of phthalate esters and identification of other additives in PVC children’s toys

This study was intended to provide data on the composition of soft PVC toys, addressing the widest practicable range of chemical additives and including non-phthalate additives. The study also included toys from as many countries as possible, since for many, no data were available. A total of 72 toys were purchased in 17 countries. The majority (64) were PVC or had PVC sections. In almost all the soft PVC toys analysed, phthalates comprised a sizeable proportion (most frequently 10–40%) of the total weight of the toy. The predominant phthalates detected were diisononyl phthalate (DINP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Other phthalates identified in high concentrations in some toys include isomeric mixes of diisooctyl phthalate (DIOP) and diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP). The estrogenic chemical nonylphenol was isolated from 13 toys, while 2 toys were found to contain the fungicide Fungitrol 11 (Folpet). 78% of PVC toys contained one or more extractable organic compounds in addition to those reported above. Some of these data have been released previously by Greenpeace and made available on the internet.This report, however, which is intended for a technically expert audience, has been peer reviewed and contains further analytical data that have not been published before.     

A multispecies study to assess the toxic and genotoxic effect of pharmaceuticals: furosemide and its photoproduct

Pharmaceutical products for humans and animals, as well as their related metabolites end up in the aquatic environment after use. Recent investigations show that concentrations of pharmaceuticals are detectable in the order of ng/l-mug/l in municipal wastewater, groundwater and also drinking water. Little is known about the effects, and the hazard of long-term exposure to low concentrations of pharmaceuticals for non-target aquatic organisms. This study was designed to assess the ecotoxicity of furosemide, a potent diuretic agent, and its photoproduct in the aquatic environment. Bioassays were performed on bacteria, algae, rotifers and microcrustaceans to assess acute and chronic toxicity, while the SOS Chromotest and the Ames test were utilized to detect the genotoxic potential of the investigated compounds. A first approach to risk characterization was to calculate the environmental impact of furosemide by measured environmental concentration and predicted no effect concentration ratio (MEC/PNEC). To do so we used occurrence data reported in the literature and our toxicity results. The results showed that acute toxicity was in the order of mg/l for the crustaceans and absent for bacteria and rotifers. Chronic exposure to these compounds caused inhibition of growth population on the consumers, while the algae did not seem to be affected. A mutagenic potential was found for the photoproduct compared to the parental compound suggesting that byproducts ought to be considered in the environmental assessment of drugs. The risk calculated for furosemide suggested its harmlessness on the aquatic compartment.     

Rapid prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell diseases using oligonucleotide ligation assay coupled with laser-induced capillary fluorescence detection

Prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell diseases has been available for several years, and our laboratory has performed over 1000 prenatal diagnoses. However, currently available techniques are labor-intensive and time-consuming, and thus the diagnosis is delayed, making the mother's decision difficult. We describe a rapid, high-throughput technique based on the ligation assay coupled with automated capillary fluorescence detection. This new approach allows the diagnosis of both Hgb S and Hgb C to be available in a few hours. We have utilized this technique in 30 prenatal diagnoses and found it to be in complete agreement with the standard diagnoses. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Handling of dioxin measurement data in the presence of non-detectable values: overview of available methods and their application in the Seveso chloracne study

Exposure measurements of concentrations that are non-detectable or near the detection limit (DL) are common in environmental research. Proper statistical treatment of non-detects is critical to avoid bias and unnecessary loss of information. In the present work, we present an overview of possible statistical strategies for handling non-detectable values, including deletion, simple substitution, distributional methods, and distribution-based imputation. Simple substitution methods (e.g., substituting 0, DL/2, DL/ radical2, or DL for the non-detects) are the most commonly applied, even though the EPA Guidance for Data Quality Assessment discouraged their use when the percentage of non-detects is >15%. Distribution-based multiple imputation methods, also known as robust or "fill-in" procedures, may produce dependable results even when 50-70% of the observations are non-detects and can be performed using commonly available statistical software. Any statistical analysis can be conducted on the imputed datasets. Results properly reflect the presence of non-detectable values and produce valid statistical inference. We describe the use of distribution-based multiple imputation in a recent investigation conducted on subjects from the Seveso population exposed to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), in which 55.6% of plasma TCDD measurements were non-detects. We suggest that distribution-based multiple imputation be the preferred method to analyze environmental data when substantial proportions of observations are non-detects.     

Ozone exposure induces the activation of leaf senescence-related processes and morphological and growth changes in seedlings of Mediterranean tree species

Four Mediterranean tree taxa, Quercus ilex subsp. ilex, Quercus ilex subsp. ballota, Olea europaea cv. vulgaris and Ceratonia siliqua, were exposed to different ozone (O(3)) concentrations in open top chambers (OTCs) during 2 years. Three treatments were applied: charcoal-filtered air (CF), non-filtered air (NF) and non-filtered air plus 40 ppb(v) of O(3) (NF +). The photochemical maximal efficiency, Fv/Fm, decreased in NF + plants during the second year of exposure, especially during the most stressful Mediterranean seasons (winter and summer). An increase of delta(13)C was found in three of the four studied species during the first year of exposure. This finding was only maintained in C. siliqua during the second year. Decreases in the chlorophyll content were detected during the first year of fumigations in all the species studied, but not during the second year. The NF + treatment induced changes in foliar anatomical characteristics, especially in leaf mass per area (LMA) and spongy parenchyma thickness, which increased in some species. A reduction in N content and an increase in delta(15)N were found in all species during the second year when exposed in the NF + OTCs, suggesting a change in their retranslocation pattern linked to an acceleration of leaf senescence, as also indicated by the above mentioned biochemical and anatomical foliar changes. The two Q. ilex subspecies were the most sensitive species since the changes in N concentration, delta(15)N, chlorophyll, leaf area, LMA and biomass occurred at ambient O(3) concentrations. However, C. siliqua was the most responsive species (29% biomass reduction) when exposed to the NF + treatment, followed by the two Q. ilex subspecies (14-20%) and O. europaea (no significant reduction). Ozone resistance of the latter species was linked to some plant traits such as chlorophyll concentrations, or spongy parenchyma thickness.     

Renewable hydrogen production: a technical evaluation based on process simulation

An evaluation of different hydrogen production technologies based on renewable raw materials and/or renewable energy is presented. The evaluation comprises alkaline electrolysis, steam reforming of both biogas and gasification gas, the coupled dark and photo fermentation as well as the coupled dark and biogas fermentation. Each technology is investigated with different plant layouts and/or different raw materials. All examined technologies are designed to produce hydrogen in a quality suitable for the use in mobile fuel cells. The presented evaluation is based on the hydrogen production efficiency and the energy efficiency of the processes.     

镇江市古运河和金山湖河湖上覆水体和沉积物氮及有机质分布特征及污染评价

镇江市位于长江和京杭大运河"十字黄金水道"的交汇处,是我国历史上最为重要的水上交通枢纽之一,区域内水量充沛、河网密布.近年来,该区域水环境存在不同程度的退化,故调查镇江市主要河湖水体及沉积物污染现状,将为当地水环境质量的改善提供重要的基础数据.基于此,本研究选择镇江市典型河湖水体共21个点位（金山湖10个点位,古运河及其支流共11个点位）,在冬夏两季采集上覆水及沉积物样品测定其理化指标和氮素含量,并通过有机指数及有机氮对沉积物污染程度进行评价.结果表明：①上覆水总氮（TN）浓度在冬夏季节分别介于1.95~15.71 mg·L^-1和0.64~12.09 mg·L^-1之间,平均值为4.01 mg·L^-1和4.07 mg·L^-1,平均值浓度高于地表水Ⅴ类标准.上覆水氨氮（NH₄⁺-N）浓度在季节上均表现为冬季<夏季,空间上则表现为河流>湖泊;②沉积物TN含量在冬夏两季分别介于394.61~3288.09 mg·kg^-1和869.21~3598.04 mg·kg^-1之间,平均值为1928.58 mg·kg^-1和2068.40 mg·kg^-1.湖泊沉积物TN、NH₄⁺-N、硝态氮（NO₃^--N）和有机氮（Org-N）含量均表现为冬季>夏季,而河流沉积物TN平均含量为冬季<夏季,NH₄⁺-N和NO₃^--N则表现为冬季>夏季,表明河流沉积物在季节上的分布规律更为复杂;空间上,冬夏两季沉积物NO₃^--N表现为湖泊>河流,NH₄⁺-N含量则表现为湖泊<河流.C/N结果表明研究区域沉积物有机质主要来源于内源污染;③湖泊和河流沉积物超过60%点位属于有机氮污染Ⅳ水平,即存在有机氮污染,而超过70%和54.55%的湖泊和河流沉积物处于有机指数Ⅱ类水平,即较清洁水平,表明镇江市河湖沉积物主要为氮素污染.以上研究结果将为镇江市河流水体及沉积物氮素控制提供重要的基础数据.     

Quantitative modelling of Ostracod bioassay: assigning toxicity index to potentially chemical contaminated swimming pools

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - One of the primary objectives of any public health programme is to design a protocol that will curtail a population from being predisposed to toxic...