Towards a multidisciplinary and integrated strategy in the assessment of adverse health effects related to air pollution: the case study of Cracow (Poland) and asthma

Complex interaction between anthropogenic activities, air quality and human health in urban areas, such as in Cracow sustains the need for the development of an interdisciplinary and integrated risk-assessment methodology. In such purpose, we propose a pilot study performed on asthmatics and based on a combined use of a biomarker, such as metallothionein 2A (MT-2A) in the characterization of human exposure to one or a mixture of pollutants and of Geographical Information Systems (G.I.S.) which integrates climatic and urban anthropogenic parameters in the assessment of spatio-temporal dispersion of air pollutants. Considering global incidence of air pollution on asthma and on peripheral blood lymphocytes MT-2A expression should provide a complementary information on biological risks linked to urban anthropogenic activities. Such study would help for the establishment of a sustainable development in urban areas that can maintain the integrity of air quality and preserve human health.     

Fate of a stilbene-type fluorescent whitening agent (DSBP) in the presence of Fe(III) aquacomplexes: from the redox process to the photodegradation

The behaviour of 4,4′-bis(2-sulfostyryl)biphenyl (DSBP), a fluorescent whitening agent, was investigated in the presence of Fe(III) aquacomplexes at room temperature. In the dark, a two-step reaction was observed when adding Fe(III) to a solution of DSBP: an initial fast redox reaction between DSBP and the monomeric species Fe(OH)²⁺ and a slower reaction leading to the coagulation of oxidised DSBP and iron. This phenomenon is due to the formation of a complex or an ion-pair between Fe(II) and/or Fe(III) with oxidised DSBP and it probably occurs by charge neutralisation in our experimental conditions. The precipitation of DSBP depends on the initial concentration in Fe(OH)²⁺ and is achieved for a ratio [Fe(OH) ²⁺]/[DSBP] of 5 approximately. Under irradiation at 365 nm, a complicated behaviour was observed: a complexation of iron by oxidised DSBP favoured by irradiation and a degradation of DSBP induced by an intramolecular electron transfer in the complex or by a photoredox of Fe(OH)²⁺ species generating OH radicals in the supernatant. The complete degradation of DSBP is reached four times faster in the presence of Fe(III) with respect to the direct photolysis of DSBP alone. Moreover, the total mineralization of DSBP obtained in less than 120 h upon irradiation at 365 nm is only observed in the presence of the ferric ions, enlightening the efficiency of the method involving Fe(III) and UV irradiation.     

Development of rearing and testing protocols for a new freshwater sediment test species: the gastropod Valvata piscinalis

This paper aimed at proposing rearing and testing protocols for Valvata piscinalis, a new potential species for sediment toxicity testing. Such tests were developed since this species reliably represents the bio/ecological characteristics of other gastropods. It may thus be representative of their sensitivity to chemicals. V. piscinalis was successfully cultured in our laboratory for six generations. Cultures provided a high productivity for a low working time and low costs. The tests conditions we proposed seemed to be relevant for the development of reliable tests with this species. Indeed, hatching probability of egg-capsules, as well as embryo, newborn and juvenile survival rates, were close to 100%. Moreover, growth rates and fecundity were significantly higher than in field and in other laboratory studies. Partial life-cycle tests on clean sediments were achieved for various feeding levels to determine survival, growth and reproduction patterns, ad libitum feeding level and life cycle parameters values. Ad libitum feeding levels for newborn, juveniles and adults were 0.1, 0.4 and 0.8 mg Tetramin/individual/working day. Growth tests with zinc-spiked sediments provided a no-effect concentration and a lowest effect concentration of respectively 200 and 624 mg zinc/kg dry sediment. Other growth tests on spiked sediments we ran at our laboratory with second, third and fourth instars larvae of Chironomus riparius pointed out that V. piscinalis was more sensible to zinc than the chironomid, which is a routine test species in ecotoxicology. According to these results, V. piscinalis is a promising candidate species for sediment toxicity testing.     

A new bacterial strain mediating As oxidation in the Fe-rich biofilm naturally growing in a groundwater Fe treatment pilot unit

A bacterial strain B2 that oxidizes arsenite into arsenate was isolated from the biofilm growing in a biological groundwater treatment process used for Fe removal. This strain is phylogenetically and morphologically different from the genus Leptothrix commonly encountered in biological iron oxidation processes. T-RFLP fingerprint of the biofilm revealed that this isolated strain B2 corresponds to the major population of the bacterial community in the biofilm. Therefore, it is probably one of the major contributors to arsenic removal in the treatment process.     

Alteration of steroid hormone profile in juvenile turbot (Psetta maxima) as a consequence of short-term exposure to 17alpha-ethynylestradiol

The synthetic estrogen 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2) is among the most potent xenoestrogens found in treated sewage. Adverse effects have been reported in fish exposed to this chemical, such as vitellogenin induction or alteration of gonad structure. In this study, the effects of EE2 on sex steroid profile in juvenile turbot (Psetta maxima) were investigated in a 15-day in vivo experiment. An analytical method was developed for the simultaneous gas chromatography/mass spectrometry determination of 14 steroids in gonads, plasma and bile. The impact of EE2 on the endocrine status of juvenile turbot was sex-dependent, since males were much more sensitive than females. Even at very low concentration (3.5 ng l(-1)), EE2 depressed androgen production as well as plasma levels in males. Androstenedione and 11-ketotestosterone were highly affected by EE2-exposure, since their production was suppressed in EE2-treated males. Furthermore, testis estrogen production and conjugation increased as a consequence of EE2 exposure. Overall, the ratio of androgens to estrogens in EE2-exposed males dropped in testis and plasma and reached values observed in females. These results indicate that juvenile male turbots are susceptible to hormonal imbalance as a consequence of short-term exposure to environmentally relevant EE2 levels.     

Future wave-driven coastal sediment transport along the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean)

In the context of climate change, this study evaluates the impact on the long-shore and cross-shore sediment transport (LST and CST) along the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean Sea) derived from climate projections obtained from five combinations of regional and global circulation models (RCMs and GCMs). Special emphasis is given to how inter-model variability translates from wave projections to wave-driven coastal impacts, which is still poorly known. Results show that the uncertainty is in general larger, especially for LST, for which the discrepancies among regional models are more relevant than those associated with the forcing wave parameters. Such increase in the uncertainty can be explained by the nonlinear processes involved, and the role of the forcing wave parameters having sometimes competing effects (e.g. wave height vs. wave direction). This illustrates that the performance of each RCM–GCM can vary from forcing to impact parameters; hence, the suitability of a particular RCM–GCM to evaluate a certain impact should be assessed based on its ability to properly simulate such impact. In this regard, LST and CST rates computed using empirical formulae that integrate several wave climate parameters, as in this study, can be used as a non-computationally expensive tool to assess the suitability of a given RCM–GCM to project changes in coastal dynamics.