Leaching of oryzalin and diuron through undisturbed vineyard soil columns under outdoor conditions

Field studies monitoring herbicide pollution in the vineyards of Burgundy (France) have revealed that drinking water reservoirs are contaminated with several pre-emergence herbicides. An assessment of the leaching of two such herbicides, diuron and oryzalin, was therefore performed using lysimeters, under outdoor conditions, from May 2001 to May 2002. Four vineyard soils from Vosne-Romanée (Burgundy) were chosen along a topolithosequence: a rendosol and three calcosols. After 673 mm of rainfall, greater amounts of diuron than oryzalin were measured in percolates: respectively 0.10-0.84% and 0.02-0.43% of applied herbicide, depending on soils. Measurements for diuron metabolites detected greater amounts of DCPMU than DCPU in the percolates: respectively 0.05-0.13% and 0-0.04% of the applied diuron. At the end of the monitoring period, more residues of diuron than oryzalin were recovered in the soil profiles: respectively 4.6-9% and 1.4-4.4%. The oryzalin residues were found mainly in the upper 10 cm of soil columns, whereas diuron residues were present in the whole core. The mobility of both oryzalin and diuron seems fairly well-related to soil organic carbon content; the mobility of diuron is also related to soil texture (sand and coarse material contents). Under such experimental conditions, this study confirms that diuron leaching, and therefore potential groundwater contamination, is greater than that of oryzalin.     

A morphological investigation of soot produced by the detonation of munitions

The morphology of three different detonation soot samples along with other common soot materials such as carbon black, diesel soot and chimney soot was studied by elemental and proximate analysis, X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. The goal of this study was to better define the morphology of the detonation soot in order to better assess the interactions of this type of soot with explosive residues. The detonation soot samples were obtained by the detonation of artillery 155mm projectiles filled with either pure TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) or composition B, a military explosive based on a mixture of TNT and RDX (trimethylentrinitramine). The carbon content of the soot samples varied considerably depending on the feedstock composition. Detonation soot contains less carbon and more nitrogen than the other carbonaceous samples studied, due to the molecular structure of the energetic materials detonated such as TNT and RDX. The ash concentration was higher for detonation soot samples due to the high metal content coming from the projectiles shell and to the soil contamination which occurred during the detonation. By X-ray diffraction, diamond and graphite were found to be the major crystalline carbon forms in the detonation soot. Two electron microscopy techniques were used in this study to visualise the primary particles and to try to explain the formation mechanism of detonation soot samples.     

Distribution of carbon 14 in the terrestrial environment close to French nuclear power plants

For 10 years, (14)C measurements have been performed around French nuclear power plant sites, both in zones influenced and zones not influenced by gaseous releases. Examining the results from these measurements in the terrestrial environment shows that the discharges have a very slight impact on the radiocarbon level (with a relative increase in the specific activity of the order of 3 Bqkg(-1)C in the influenced areas). In correlation, there is a near-negligible increase in dose, on average less than 0.1 microSvyr(-1), with reference to a dose from background radiation, which is of the order of 10 microSvyr(-1). The deltaC13 values are very similar between the influenced zone and the non-influenced zone, with a mean of -27 per thousand. The mean DeltaC14 varies from 101 per thousand in the non-influenced zone to 123 per thousand in the influenced zone. Moreover, a general reduction in (14)C concentration was found, with a time constant of the order of 95 years. The current level of (14)C specific activity in terrestrial environment is estimated to be 242+/-6 Bqkg(-1)C.     

Prevalence of Human Noroviruses in Frozen Marketed Shellfish,Red Fruits and Fresh Vegetables

Noroviruses (NoVs), currently recognised as the most common human food-borne pathogens, are ubiquitous in the environment and can be transmitted to humans through multiple foodstuffs. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of human NoV genogroups I (GI) and II (GII) in 493 food samples including soft red fruits (n = 200), salad vegetables (n = 210) and bivalve mollusc shellfish (n = 83), using the Bovine Enterovirus type 1 as process extraction control for the first time. Viral extractions were performed by elution concentration and genome detection by TaqMan Real-Time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR). Experimental contamination using hepatitis A virus (HAV) was used to determine the limit of detection (LOD) of the extraction methods. Positive detections were obtained from 2 g of digestive tissues of oysters or mussels kept for 16 h in seawater containing 2.0–2.7 log₁₀ plaque-forming units (PFU)/L of HAV. For lettuces and raspberries, the LOD was, respectively, estimated at 2.2 and 2.9 log₁₀ PFU per 25 g. Of the molluscs tested, 8.4 and 14.4 % were, respectively, positive for the presence of GI NoV and GII NoV RNA. Prevalence in GI NoVs varied from 11.9 % for the salad vegetables samples to 15.5 % for the red soft fruits. Only 0.5 % of the salad and red soft fruits samples were positive for GII NoVs. These results highlight the high occurrence of human NoVs in foodstuffs that can be eaten raw or after a moderate technological processing or treatment. The determination of the risk of infection associated with an RT-qPCR positive sample remains an important challenge for the future.     

A design of experiments for statistically predicting risk of adverse health effects on drivers exposed to vertical vibrations

An injury risk factor (IRF), which indicates the risk of adverse health effect to lumbar rachis arising from mechanical vibrations, is developed. Experiments have been conducted that consider acceleration levels at the seat of drivers, posture, morphology, density, damping rate and body mass as independent variables. A parametric finite-element model of the lumbar rachis has been generated. It is shown that the IRF increases with ageing and an IRF of 30% is proposed as a threshold for fatigue purposes. This level is reached if a peak acceleration level greater than 3 m/s2 is applied to a light (55 kg) and an old driver with a low bone density and a damping rate of 20%. This vibration threshold must be reduced to 2.7 m/s2 if the driver?s weight increases to 75 kg and to 2 m/s2 if the driver is heavy (98 kg).     

Impact of peri-urban landscape on the organic and mineral contamination of pond waters and related risk assessment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Ponds are important for their ecological value and for the ecosystem services they provide to human societies, but they are strongly affected by human...     

Allowing for MSD prevention during facilities planning for a public service: an a posteriori analysis of 10 library design projects.

Research was conducted to identify an ergonomics-based intervention model designed to factor in musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) prevention when library projects are being designed. The first stage of the research involved an a posteriori analysis of 10 recent redesign projects. The purpose of the analysis was to document perceptions about the attention given to MSD prevention measures over the course of a project on the part of 2 categories of employees: librarians responsible for such projects and personnel working in the libraries before and after changes. Subjects were interviewed in focus groups. Outcomes of the analysis can guide our ergonomic assessment of current situations and contribute to a better understanding of the way inclusion or improvement of prevention measures can support the workplace design process.