Understanding the effectiveness of precursor reductions in lowering 8-hr ozone concentrations

Analyses of ambient measured ozone data were used in conjunction with the application of photochemical modeling to determine the technical feasibility of attaining the federal 8-hr ozone standard in central California. Various combinations of volatile organic compound (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emission reductions were effective in lowering modeled peak 1-hr ozone concentrations. However, VOC emissions reductions were found to have only a modest impact on modeled peak 8-hr ozone concentrations. NOx emission reductions generally lowered 8-hr ozone concentrations, but their effectiveness was partially or, in some cases, wholly offset by the increase in the number of NO cycles and, hence, in the ozone produced per NO. As a result, substantial NOx emission reductions--70 to 90%--were required to reduce peak 8-hr ozone concentrations to the level of the standard throughout the modeling domain. These modeling results provide a possible physical explanation for recent analyses that have reported more prominent trends in peak 1-hr ozone levels than in peak 8-hr ozone concentrations or in occurrences of mid-level (60-90 parts per billion by volume) ozone concentrations. The findings also have serious implications for the feasibility of attaining the 8-hr ozone standard in central California. Further efforts are needed to clarify the applicability of the modeling results to the full set of days with ozone levels exceeding the 8-hr ozone standard, as well as their applicability to other geographical areas.     

Differences between weekday and weekend air pollutant levels in southern California

Ambient air quality data were analyzed to empirically evaluate the effects of reductions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions on weekday and weekend levels of ozone (O3; 1991-1998) and particulate NO3- (1980-1999) in southern California. Despite significantly lower O3 precursor levels on weekends, 20 of 28 South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) sites (28 of all 78 southern California sites) showed statistically significant higher mean O3 levels on Sundays than on weekdays (p < 0.01); 49 of the remaining 50 sites showed no significant differences between mean weekday and Sunday peak O3 levels. We also observed no statistically significant differences between mean weekday and weekend concentrations of particulate NO3- or nitric acid (HNO3, the precursor of particulate NO3-). Averaged over sites, the mean Sunday NOx and nonmethane hydrocarbon concentrations were 25-41% and 16-30% lower, respectively, than on weekdays. Site-to-site differences between weekend and weekday mean peak hourly O3 levels were related to whether O3 formation was limited by the availability of NOx. A thermodynamic equilibrium model predicts that particulate NO3- levels would decrease in response to a reduction of HNO3, and that particulate ammonium NO3- formation was not limited by the availability of ammonia. The similarity of mean weekday and weekend levels of NO3- therefore did not result from limitations on the formation of particulate NO3- from its precursor, HNO3.     

The influence of untreated wastewater to aquatic communities in the Balatuin River,The Philippines

A risk assessment of chemical constituents in rivers that receive untreated wastewater should take into account the adverse effects of increased biological oxygen demand (BOD), ammonia and reduced dissolved oxygen (DO). This concept was tested via a field study in the Balatuin River, The Philippines, where the influence of physical and chemical factors, including the consumer product chemical linear alkylbenezene sulfonate (LAS), to aquatic communities (algae, invertebrates, fish) was determined. Periphytic algae were found to be insensitive to high BOD (>10 mg/l) and ammonia (>0.01 mg unionized NH(3)/l), concentrations from organically enriched untreated wastewater discharges. However, taxa richness and abundance of macroinvertebrates were influenced greatly by the discharges. Where BOD and ammonia concentrations were elevated, the dominant taxa were oligochaete worms and chironominds. Fish and crustaceans (freshwater crabs and prawns) were found only in sites with the least BOD concentrations (furthest upstream and downstream). The maximum concentration of LAS (0.122 mg/l) was less than that expected to affect 5% of taxa (0.245 mg/l), whereas exceedences of DO and ammonia criteria were observed in several sites. The lack of recovery observed was attributed to influences of low DO, high ammonia and poor colonization from upstream and downstream reaches due to organically-enriched discharges     

A mini review of bisphenol A (BPA) effects on cancer-related cellular signaling pathways

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Bisphenol A (BPA) is a plasticizer used widely in many industrial products and is now well established as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC). BPA...     

Guarana improves behavior and inflammatory alterations triggered by methylmercury exposure: an in vivo fruit fly and in vitro neural cells study

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Methylmercury (MeHg) is a well-known environmental pollutant associated with neurological and developmental deficits in animals and humans. However,...     

Toxicity of chemical components of fine particles inhaled by aged rats: effects of concentration

This study tested the hypothesis that exposure to mixtures containing fine particles and ozone (O3) would cause pulmonary injury and decrements in functions of immunological cells in exposed rats (22-24 months old) in a dose-dependent manner. Rats were exposed to high and low concentrations of ammonium bisulfate and elemental carbon and to 0.2 ppm O3. Control groups were exposed to purified air or O3 alone. The biological end points measured included histopathological markers of lung injury, bronchoalveolar lung fluid proteins, and measures of the function of the lung's innate immunological defenses (macrophage antigen-directed phagocytosis and respiratory burst activity). Exposure to O3 alone at 0.2 ppm did not result in significant changes in any of the measured end points. Exposures to the particle mixtures plus O3 produced statistically significant changes consistent with adverse effects. The low-concentration mixture produced effects that were statistically significant compared to purified air but, with the exception of macrophage Fc receptor binding, exposure to the high-concentration mixture did not. The effects of the low- and high-concentration mixtures were not significantly different. The study supports previous work that indicated that particle + O3 mixtures were more toxic than O3 alone.     

A reproducible approach to the reporting of organochlorine compounds in epidemiologic studies

A growing body of research indicates that the most biologically active PCB congeners and organochlorines are not the most abundant components in human and wildlife samples. As researchers attempt measurement on a wider pool of less abundant compounds, they inevitably face quantification problems. To address this problem and enhance comparability across studies, we propose a standardized approach to report organochlorines that is based on a reproducible method to determine the limit of quantification (LQ). Two statistical methods are incorporated into our approach, one by Gibbons termed the Alternative Minimum Level (AML), and one based on determining a region of stable relativestandard deviation in instrument response (RSD). We illustrate our approach using historical samples collected during the 1960s from a cohort of pregnant women enrolled in the Child Health and Development Study. The results are applicable to determining the LQ of any method, and are of utmost importance to environmental scientists conducting trace organic analyses of complex mixtures. Our results demonstrate that: (1) precision as measured by RSD is the most important criterion in determining LQ; (2) the AML routinely isolates a region of constant RSD; and (3) the precision of the instrument detector response as measured with pure standards locates the LQ applicable for real samples - that is, the true limits of quantification reside in the detector, not the matrix effects or analyte recoveries associated with real samples. A corollary of these findings is that bias due to matrix effects and analyte recoveries can be assessed separately from precision and LQdetermination. Previous approaches involved spiking matrix blanks to determine LQ, a problematic strategy for real world, complex matrices. We have now validated the use of pure standards in LQ determination, an approach that is practical and accessible to most analysts.     

Sequential anaerobic-aerobic treatment of an aquifer contaminated by halogenated organics: field results

In situ, sequential, anaerobic to aerobic treatment of groundwater removed perchloroethene (PCE, 1.1 microM) and benzene (0.8 microM) from a contaminated aquifer. Neither aerobic nor anaerobic treatment alone successfully degraded both the chlorinated and non-chlorinated organic contaminants in the aquifer. After the sequential treatment, PCE, trichloroethene (TCE), vinyl chloride (VC), chloroethane (CA), and benzene were not detectable in groundwater. Desorption of residual aquifer contaminants was tested by halting the groundwater recirculation and analyzing the groundwater after 3 and 7 weeks. No desorption of the chlorinated contaminants or daughter products was observed in the treated portion of the aquifer. Sequential anaerobic to aerobic treatment was successful in remediating the groundwater at this test site and may have broad applications at other contaminated sites. Over the 4-year course of the project, the predominant microbial environment of the test site varied from aerobic to sulfate-reducing, to methanogenic, and back to aerobic conditions. Metabolically active microbial populations developed under all conditions, demonstrating the diversity and robustness of natural microbial flora in the aquifer.     

When experts disagree: the need to rethink indicator selection for assessing sustainability of agriculture

Sustainability indicators are well recognized for their potential to assess and monitor sustainable development of agricultural systems. A large number of indicators are proposed in various sustainability assessment frameworks, which raises concerns regarding the validity of approaches, usefulness and trust in such frameworks. Selecting indicators requires transparent and well-defined procedures to ensure the relevance and validity of sustainability assessments. The objective of this study, therefore, was to determine whether experts agree on which criteria are most important in the selection of indicators and indicator sets for robust sustainability assessments. Two groups of experts (Temperate Agriculture Research Network and New Zealand Sustainability Dashboard) were asked to rank the relative importance of eleven criteria for selecting individual indicators and of nine criteria for balancing a collective set of indicators. Both ranking surveys reveal a startling lack of consensus amongst experts about how best to measure agricultural sustainability and call for a radical rethink about how complementary approaches to sustainability assessments are used alongside each other to ensure a plurality of views and maximum collaboration and trust amongst stakeholders. To improve the transparency, relevance and robustness of sustainable assessments, the context of the sustainability assessment, including prioritizations of selection criteria for indicator selection, must be accounted for. A collaborative design process will enhance the acceptance of diverse values and prioritizations embedded in sustainability assessments. The process by which indicators and sustainability frameworks are established may be a much more important determinant of their success than the final shape of the assessment tools. Such an emphasis on process would make assessments more transparent, transformative and enduring.