A review on the usage of POP pesticides in China, with emphasis on DDT loadings in human milk

This article attempts to review the usage of nine pesticides included in the 12 Stockholm Convention persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in China and to examine the extent of DDT contamination in human milk, focusing on the Chinese populations. By comparing all the data available concerning DDTs in human milk from 19 countries, it is revealed that the Chinese populations exhibit rather high concentrations of DDTs, due to the fact that China has been a major producer and consumer of DDTs in the past, and also uses DDT for vector control, resulting in higher background levels of DDTs in different ecological compartments. The high body loading of DDT in Chinese populations is also related to the high dietary intake due to contamination of food. When comparing the data obtained recently (1998-2002), the coastal populations such as Guangzhou (DDE+DDT 2.13 microgg(-1) fat), Hong Kong (2.87 microgg(-1) fat) and Dalian (2.13 microgg(-1) fat) contain higher concentrations of DDTs which may reflect the dietary difference of consuming more meat and fish, than other Chinese populations (Beijing 1.96 microgg(-1) fat; Shenyang 0.87 microgg(-1) fat). In general, the rather low ratio of DDE/DDT (e.g., 4.07 for Guangzhou) of the Chinese milk samples reflected the more recent releases of DDT. It is recommended to impose a tighter control on the use of DDT for vector control as well as for agricultural application, conduct regular monitoring of DDT concentrations in different ecological compartments which include air, water, sediment and biota. Human milk is a preferred indicator reflecting human body loadings of POPs including DDTs, as well as the risk which may impose on our next generation. A national wide survey is needed to investigate the intake of POPs, including POP pesticides, due to dietary differences, with a strong focus on the more sensitive populations, e.g., coastal residents who consume a large amount of fish.     

不同燃料汽车排放超细微粒特性的实验研究

利用底盘测功机和粒径范围0.015~0.7 m的扫描迁移微粒测定仪 SMPS,对柴油出租车、柴油小巴车、汽油私家车和LPG出租车进行了高低怠速和10 kmh-1到70 kmh-1不同运行工况条件下排放的超细微粒粒径分布试验研究。研究表明：不同燃料车在不同工况条件下排放的细微粒尤其是超细微粒特征呈现显著的不同。柴油车贡献更多的是粒径在30～150 nm的核模态和积聚模态微粒,LPG和汽油车贡献更多的是15～30 nm的核模态微粒。总体上,柴油车比汽油车和LPG燃料车排放更多的微粒数和微粒质量;柴油车、汽油车和LPG车排放的SMPS可测细微粒总数、总质量分别约为(0.3~3.6) 108 cm-3,0.03~0.6 gcm-3;2.3×104~1.2×107 cm-3,8×10-5~0.1 gcm-3; 8.2×103~8.8×106 cm-3, 1.7×10-5~0.09 gcm-3;对所有测试汽车,在低怠速和低行驶速度时,排放微粒数少,在高怠速和高行驶速度时,排放微粒数多。     

北京PM2.5化学物种的质量平衡特征

以北京2个采样点连续采集的样品对PM2.5中的元素、水溶性离子和含碳组分进行分析．车公庄和清华园PM2.5中有机物的含量分别为27．8％和30．9％,是含量最丰富的物种,其次是二次无机粒子、土壤尘、元素碳和微量元素．PM2.5中约有24％的质量未能鉴别成分,相关性分析表明,含碳物种的估算所引起的偏差可能是主要的原因．采暖期重污染周和春季沙尘周PM2.5的化学物种构成悬殊,反映了季节性变化的源排放和特殊气象条件的综合作用．     

Removal of heavy metals from anaerobically digested sewage sludge by isolated indigenous iron-oxidizing bacteria

The removal of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni and Pb) from anaerobically digested sludge from the Yuen Long wastewater treatment plant, Hong Kong, has been studied in a batch system using isolated indigenous iron-oxidizing bacteria. The inoculation of indigenous iron-oxidizing bacteria and the addition of FeSO4 accelerated the solubilization of Cr, Cu, Zn, Ni and Pb from the sludge. pH of the sludge decreased with an increase in Fe2+ concentrations and reached a low pH of 2-2.5 for treatments receiving both bacterial inoculation and FeSO4. After 16 days of bioleaching, the following heavy metal removal efficiencies were obtained: Cr 55.3%, Cu 91.5%, Zn 83.3%, Ni 54.4%, and Pb 16.2%. In contrast, only 2.6% of Cr, 42.9% of Cu, 72.1% of Zn, 22.8% of Ni and 0.56% of Pb were extracted from the control without the bacterial inoculation and addition of FeSO4. The residual heavy metal content in the leached sludge was acceptable for unrestricted use for agriculture. The experimental results confirmed the effectiveness of using the isolated iron-oxidizing bacteria for the removal of heavy metals from sewage sludge.     

Characterization of ambient volatile organic compounds at a landfill site in Guangzhou,South China

Ambient air monitoring was conducted at Datianshan landfill, Guangzhou, South China in 1998 to investigate the seasonal and horizontal variations of trace volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Twelve sampling points over the Datianshan landfill were selected and samples were collected simultaneously using Carbontrap(TM) adsorption tubes. Thirty eight VOCs were detected in the winter, whereas 60 were detected in the summer. The VOC levels measured in summer were alkanes, 0.5-6.5 microg/m(3); aromatics, 2.3-1667 microg/m(3); chlorinated species, 0.2-31 microg/m(3); terpines, 0.1-34 microg/m(3); carbonyl species, 0.3-5.6 microg/m(3) and naphthalene and its derivatives, 0.4-27 microg/m(3). Compared to the summer samples the VOC levels in winter were much lower (mostly 1-2 orders of magnitude lower). The aromatics are dominant VOCs in landfill air both in winter and summer. High levels of alkylbenzene and terpines such as methyl-isopropylbenzene (max 1667 microg/m(3)) and limonene (max 162 microg/m(3)) cause undesirable odor. The similar correlation coefficients of BTEX in summer and winter suggest VOCs emissions were from landfill site sources. The variation of BTEX ratio at landfill site is different from that in the urban area of Guangzhou. It shows that the ambient VOCs at landfill site were different from the urban areas.     

Bioaccessibility of polychlorinated biphenyls in different foods using an in vitro digestion method

Bioaccessibility of organic pollutants in food is important for exposure estimation and risk assessment. An in vitro enzyme digestion experiment was carried out to analyze the bioaccessibility of PCBs in different foods including freshwater fish (bighead carp and oriental weather fish) and vegetables (spinach and cabbage). The results indicated that the bioaccessibility of PCBs in freshwater fish (3%) was much lower than that in leafy vegetables (25%). Based on field survey, the daily exposure TEQ value from these two types of food was 17.9 pg/kg bw/day. However, when bioaccessibility was taken into consideration, the value decreased to 0.61 pg/kg bw/day. Therefore, the forms of PCBs existing in food strongly influenced the bioavailability for humans, which may have important implications on dietary exposure. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to illustrate the bioaccessibility of PCBs in different foods using an in vitro digestion method.     

Redundant Measurements of Urban Air Monitoring Networks in Air Quality Reporting

Abstract

This paper describes a statistical method to assess site redundancy of urban air monitoring networks in reporting daily Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), average concentrations, and the number of exceedances. Such a statistical method has identified significant redundancy in monitoring sites for one-year measurements of two air monitoring networks in Taiwan. There are five redundant sites out of 15 monitoring sites in the Taipei area and eight redundant sites out of 18 monitoring sites in the Kaohsiung area. By using the statistical method presented in this paper to downsize the monitoring networks, we can determine not only the number of redundant sites but also the priority of site removals. The derived sub-networks can maintain consistency in reporting air quality without significant changes in the spatial variations of air measurements for an existing air monitoring network.     

Tissue-based environmental quality benchmarks and standards

Although the use of tissue concentrations (residues) of chemical contaminants as the dose metric to characterize chemical toxicity to aquatic organisms has been gaining acceptance over the past 20 years, tissue concentrations are less commonly used in water quality management and have yet to be formally adopted as benchmarks or environmental quality standards (EQS). This synthesis paper addresses advantages and disadvantages for the development and application of tissue-based EQS as an alternative and supplement to exposure-based EQS determined with water and sediment concentration data. Tissue-based EQS can be readily developed in parallel with conventional toxicity tests, and achieved by quantification of chemical concentrations in tissue alongside traditional concentration-response toxicity testing. Tissue-residue toxicity metrics can be used as benchmarks for screening and monitoring water and sediment quality, to derive equivalent water or sediment EQS, and for ecological risk assessments and weight of evidence approaches for assessing ecosystem impairment. Tissue-based toxicity metrics and associated EQS provide several advantages; however, there are some limitations to consider and key knowledge gaps to fill.     

Source apportionment of PAHs and n-alkanes in respirable particles in Tehran,Iran by wind sector and vertical profile

The vertical concentration profiles and source contributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes in respirable particle samples (PM₄) collected at 10, 100, 200 and 300-m altitude from the Milad Tower of Tehran, Iran during fall and winter were investigated. The average concentrations of total PAHs and total n-alkanes were 16.7 and 591 ng/m³, respectively. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was applied to the chemical composition and wind data to apportion the contributing sources. The five PAH source factors identified were: ‘diesel’ (56.3 % of total PAHs on average), ‘gasoline’ (15.5 %), ‘wood combustion, and incineration’ (13 %), ‘industry’ (9.2 %), and ‘road soil particle’ (6.0 %). The four n-alkane source factors identified were: ‘petrogenic’ (65 % of total n-alkanes on average), ‘mixture of petrogenic and biomass burning’ (15 %), ‘mixture of biogenic and fossil fuel’ (11.5 %), and ‘biogenic’ (8.5 %). Source contributions by wind sector were also estimated based on the wind sector factor loadings from PMF analysis. Directional dependence of sources was investigated using the conditional probability function (CPF) and directional relative strength (DRS) methods. The calm wind period was found to contribute to 4.4 % of total PAHs and 5.0 % of total n-alkanes on average. Highest average concentrations of PAHs and n-alkanes were found in the 10 and 100 m samples, reflecting the importance of contributions from local sources. Higher average concentrations in the 300 m samples compared to those in the 200 m samples may indicate contributions from long-range transport. The vertical profiles of source factors indicate the gasoline and road soil particle-associated PAHs, and the mixture from biogenic and fossil fuel source-associated n-alkanes were mostly from local emissions. The smaller average contribution of diesel-associated PAHs in the lower altitude samples also indicates that the restriction of diesel-fueled vehicle use in the central area of Tehran has been effective in reducing the PAHs concentration.     

稠油降解微生物的筛选鉴定及其降解特性

从二连油田原油和油层水中筛选驯化出3株能够降解稠油的细菌DS1、DS2和DS3,通过16S rRNA基因序列比对发现DS1、DS2和DS3分别与溶血不动杆菌(Acinetobacter haemolyticus)、鹑鸡肠球菌(Enterococcus gallinarum)和耳炎短杆菌(Brevibacterium otitidis)相似度最高,分别为99%、99%和98%。研究结果表明,DS1对温度和pH有较强耐受性,DS3对盐度的适应性较好,2株菌最适的降解条件为温度35~40℃、盐度2%~5%(W/V)、pH为7~10。在5%的原油浓度下,复合菌对原油的30 d降解率达89.2%。经GC-MS分析,微生物降解作用后,除C29其他烃类几乎被全部降解。3株菌在7d内对500 g/L粘度为1 746 mPa·s(50℃)的稠油降粘率分别为49.1%、46.6%和49.0%,而复合菌对稠油的降粘效果高于单一菌株,其降粘率达到57.0%。