Bioaccumulation of PAHs from creosote-contaminated sediment in a laboratory-exposed freshwater oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus

The oligochaete, Lumbriculus variegatus, was used for a bioaccumulation assay in the creosote-contaminated sediment of Lake J?ms?nvesi in a 28-day experiment. The PAH concentrations of the whole body tissue of worms, sediments and water samples were determinated by GC-MS. Chemical analyses showed that benzo(k)fluoranthene, anthracene and fluorene were the main PAH compounds present in the tissue of oligochaetes, just as in the sediment. The biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) of the individual PAHs varied from 1.2 to 5.7. It is concluded that oligochaetes have a marked ability to accumulate and retain PAHs from creosote-contaminated sediment.     

Polychlorinated biphenyls in diseased lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus fuscus) chicks from the Gulf of Finland

Diseases due to the degeneration of the liver and various other internal organs were the major cause of the exceedingly high chick mortality in lesser black-backed gulls (Larus fuscus fuscus) in the central Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea, during 1991-1993. The same symptoms were found in chicks of common gulls (Larus canus) and herring gulls (Larus argentatus) from the same focal area, although at a much lower frequency. We found disproportionately high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in liver relative to leg muscle in lesser black-backed chicks compared with common gull and herring gull chicks. The causality between PCB residues and chick diseases remains unknown. No signs of chick edema disease or abnormal frequency of embryonic deaths, commonly associated with organochlorines in biota, were found. It is concluded that studies made in a very small geographical area may not give a good correlation between dose and effect due to an even greater variation in tolerance. Another explanation is that the diseases may not have been PCB-induced.     

Variation in ozone sensitivity among clones of Betula pendula and Betula pubescens

Forty clones of Betula pendula and 6 clones of Betula pubescens, originating from southern and central Finland, were ranked in order of ozone sensitivity according to visible injuries, growth and leaf senescense under low ozone exposure. The plants were fumigated in natural climatic conditions using an open-air exposure system during two growing seasons. Control plants were grown under ambient air, and the elevated-ozone exposures were 1.6x the ambient in 1994 and 1.7x the ambient in 1995. The differences in ozone sensitivity among clones were large. Ozone tolerance was related to thicker leaves and higher stomatal density as compared to sensitive clones. Ultrastructural ozone-induced symptoms were found in chloroplasts of sensitive clones. Increased number of visibly injured leaves on fumigated plants was correlated with reduced leaf formation, foliage area, shoot dry wt and number of stomata, and increased yellowing of leaves. The results suggest that a considerable proportion of birch trees, showing high sensitivity to ozone, are at risk if ambient ozone exposures increase.     

Airborne PCB as a contamination risk on freeze-drying of sediment

In a study of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) in freeze-dried sediments from Swedish lakes, the samples were found to contain unexpectedly high concentrations of PCBs. In one of the lakes (Bj?rken), e.g. the concentration of PCB-28 was found to be 189 ng/g dw after freeze-drying compared to 7 ng/g dw after air-drying of the sediment and therefore our hypothesis was that the contamination had occurred during the freeze-drying procedure. Hence, a dry reference sediment (RS) was used in order to identify potential sources of PCB contamination. The investigation included freeze-drying of the dry RS in five different laboratories, exposure to the air in the freeze-drying room, storage at room temperature and air-drying in a certain fume hood and in a laminar flow clean bench. The pattern and concentrations of PCBs detected in the exposed RS were strongly influenced by low chlorinated PCB congeners under all of these conditions with exception for air-drying in the fume hood. Storage in the laboratory air resulted in a slight elevation in the concentrations of low chlorinated PCB congeners, whereas higher concentrations of all PCB congeners were observed after freeze-drying. In all experiments the contamination appeared to be due to adsorption of PCB from the laboratory air. On the basis of these findings we recommend that reference material be subjected to the entire procedure, including sample preparation, in order to monitor contamination and that a procedure involving solvent extraction of wet sediment samples is used, whenever possible, instead of procedures involving dry samples.     

Fine particle (PM2.5) measurement methodology, quality assurance procedures, and pilot results of the EXPOLIS study

EXPOLIS is a European multicenter (Athens, Basel, Grenoble, Helsinki, Milan, and Prague) air pollution exposure study. It is the first international, population-based, large-scale study, where personal exposures to PM2.5 aerosol particles (together with volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide) are being monitored. EXPOLIS is performed in six different centers across Europe, the sampled aerosol concentrations vary greatly, and the microenvironmental samples are not collected with the same equipment as the personal samples. Therefore careful equipment selection, methods development and testing, and thorough quality assurance and quality control (QA & QC) procedures are essential for producing reliable and comparable PM2.5 data. This paper introduces the equipment, the laboratory test results, the pilot results, the standard operating procedures, and the QA & QC procedures of EXPOLIS. Test results show good comparability and repeatability between personal and microenvironmental monitors for PM2.5 at different concentration levels measured across Europe in EXPOLIS centers.     

Antioxidant responses to simulated acid rain and heavy metal deposition in birch seedlings

This study measured the responses of different anti-oxidants in 2-year-old birch (Betula pendula Roth) seedlings subjected to simulated acid rain (pH 4.0) and heavy metals (Cu/Ni), applied alone or in combination for 2 months. The applied concentrations of pollutants did not significantly affect seedling biomass or total glutathione levels. Acid rain alone increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity both in leaves and roots, while heavy metals alone inhibited SOD activity in roots. Both acid rain and heavy metals applied singly increased ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) activities in leaves but decreased activities in roots. In contrast, acid rain and heavy metal treatments increased glutathione reductase (GR) activity in roots but not in leaves. Spraying birch seedlings with a mixture of acid rain and heavy metals increased SOD, APX and GPX activities in leaves and GR activity in roots. However, the effects of mixed pollutants on enzyme activities usually were less than the summed effects of individual pollutants. Enzyme responses also depended on where pollutants were applied: spraying pollutants onto the shoots initiated higher responses in SOD, APX and GPX than did application to the soil surface, while the opposite was true for GR.     

First trimester diagnosis of Wolman's disease

Wolman's disease was diagnosed in the first trimester of pregnancy by the direct demonstration of acid lipase deficiency in chorionic villi. The diagnosis was confirmed by studies on cultured chorionic villus cells and fetal skin fibroblasts. Acid lipase activity was assayed with both 4-methylumbelliferyl-palmitate and radiolabelled cholesterol oleate as substrates. The higher specificity of the enzyme for the latter, natural, substrate makes it superior in prenatal diagnosis.     

Losses of nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural and forest areas in Finland during the 1980s and 1990s

The temporal changes and spatial variability of phosphorus andnitrogen losses and concentrations in Finland during the period1981–1997 were studied in 15 small agricultural and forestedcatchments. In addition, four coastal river basins with highagricultural land use located in southern Finland were includedin the study in order to assess the representativeness ofagricultural loss estimates from small agricultural catchments.The mean annual loss specific for agricultural land was estimatedto be on average 110 kg km^-2 a^-1 for total phosphorusand 1500 kg km^-2 a^-1 for total nitrogen. The resultsfrom small agricultural catchments were in agreement with thecorresponding loss estimates from rivers, with an average of137 kg km^-2 a^-1 for total phosphorus and 1800 kg km^-2a^-1 for total nitrogen. The results from the studiedagricultural catchments and rivers during the period 1981–1997suggest that weather-driven fluctuation in discharge was usuallythe main reason for changes in nutrient losses, and little or noimpact of changes in agricultural production or managementpractises can be observed. In forested areas the total phosphorusloss (average 9 kg km^-2 a^-1) and total nitrogen loss(average 250 kg km^-2 a^-1) were lower than inagricultural areas. In forested catchments the impact of forestryoperations, such as clear-cutting and fertilization, and theimpact of atmospheric nitrogen deposition can be seen in changesin nutrient losses.     

Exposure to airborne isocyanates and other thermal degradation products at polyurethane-processing workplaces

The thermal degradation products of polyurethanes (PURs) and exposure to isocyanates were studied by stationary and personal measurements in five different occupational environments. Isocyanates were collected on glass fibre filters impregnated with 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine (2MP) and in impingers containing n-dibutylamine (DBA) in toluene. connected to a glass fibre postfilter. The derivatives formed were analysed by liquid chromatography: 2MP derivatives with UV and electrochemical detection and DBA derivatives with mass spectrometric detection. The release of aldehydes and other volatile organic compounds into the air was also studied. In a comparison of the two sampling methods, the 2MP method yielded about 20% lower concentrations for 4,4'-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) than did the DBA method. In car repair shops, the median concentration of diisocyanates (given as NCO groups) in the breathing zone was 1.1 microg NCO m(-3) during grinding and 0.3 microg NCO m(-3) during welding, with highest concentrations of 1.7 and 16 pg NCO m(-3), respectively. High concentrations of MDI, up to 25 and 19 microg NCO m(-3), respectively, were also measured in the breathing zone during welding of district heating pipes and turning of a PUR-coated metal cylinder. During installation of PUR-coated floor covering, small amounts of aliphatic diisocyanates were detected in the air. A small-molecular monoisocyanate, methyl isocyanate, and isocyanic acid were detected only during welding and turning operations. The diisocyanate concentrations were in general higher near the emission source than in the workers' breathing zone. A sampling strategy to evaluate the risk of exposure to isocyanates is presented.     

Diurnal variations of abiotic parameters in a stream,recipient for drainage water in Ranstad,southwest Sweden

During 24 h, water samples were taken for determination of a number of key parameters in a water system containing high concentrations of FeII at circumneutral pH. None of the major constituents (Ca, Mg, Na, K and sulfate) showed diurnal variations, while dissolved oxygen and pH increased during the night. This increase could entirely be explained by the decrease in water temperature. However, the concentration of FeII slightly increased at constant concentration of total Fe during the night, opposite to earlier observations in other systems where the presence of FeII was shown to be controlled by photoreduction. Nocturnal peaks of FeII have also been observed in other systems with high iron concentrations, however, at acidic pH, but without obvious explanation. The mechanisms for this process therefore need further investigation.