Spatial and temporal variations and possible sources of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites in rivers in Tianjin, China

Water, suspended solid (SS) and sediment samples were collected from nine water courses in Tianjin, China and analyzed for dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites (DDXs, including o,p'-,p,p'-DDT, DDD and DDE). The average DDX concentrations in water, SS and sediment were 59+/-30 ng l(-1), 2690+/-1940 ng g(-1)dry wt. and 340+/-930 ng g(-1)dry wt., respectively. Due to the termination of the extensive agricultural application and industrial manufacture, DDXs in river sediment decreased by one order of magnitude since 1970's and low DDT fractions in these sediments were observed. Still, DDXs in the sediments near the outlets of the major manufacturers remained relatively high attributed to the historic input. DDXs in sediment were also positively correlated with organic matter content. Spatial distributions of DDXs in SS and water was different from that in sediment. For SS, a negative correlation between DDX concentration and SS content indicated a dilution effect in many rivers. Dissolved organic carbon content was the major factor affecting DDX concentrations in water phase. Wastewater discharged from dicofol manufacturers and likely illegal agricultural application were the primary reasons causing high DDT (DDE+DDD) ratios in SS and water.     

计算毒理学在内分泌干扰物筛选上的应用和展望

内分泌干扰物通过干扰内分泌系统导致多种疾病,如生殖疾病、肥胖症甚至癌症。然而,面对环境中大量潜在的内分泌干扰物,传统的体外、体内评估方法由于成本高、耗时长等问题,难以实现内分泌干扰物的高通量筛查。计算毒理学逐渐发展成为被美国环保局(Environmental Protection Agency,EPA)、经济合作与发展组织(Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,OECD)等机构所推荐的内分泌干扰物筛选与预测方法。本文综述了计算毒理学在内分泌干扰物筛选上的进展,主要包括分子对接和分子动力学模拟的应用,并对有害结局路径(adverse outcome pathway,AOP)的方法进行介绍和展望。     

Future of global governance and climate change action in a changing political landscape

<正>1.Editor's note On 30 November 2016,the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy(BTC),Caixin Video,and Columbia Global Centers(Beijing)jointly hosted a Seminar on the Future of Global Governance and Climate Change Action in a Changing Political Landscape.Leading experts on China's environmental policy and climate     

Characterization of the interactions between tetracycline antibiotics and microbial extracellular polymeric substances with spectroscopic approaches

The antibiotics have attracted global attentions for their impact on aquatic ecosystem. The knowledge about the fate of antibiotics encountering extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) is, however, limited. In this study, we investigated the interacting mechanisms of tetracycline (TC) to EPS extracted from aerobic activated sludge. The contributions of the main components of EPS, extracellular proteins, and polysaccharides were evaluated using bovine serum albumin and alginate sodium, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that hydroxyl, carboxyl, and amino groups were the domain chemical groups involved in the interaction between TC and EPS, and the binding of TC onto EPS changed the structure of these chemical groups, thus causing shifts in their UV–visible absorption spectra. In addition, we found that extracellular proteins, rather than polysaccharides, were the major active contents involved in the interaction. Three-dimensional excitation–emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the fluorophores in EPS were clearly quenched by TC and the static quenching process was observed, implying the complex formation of TC and EPS. Furthermore, thermodynamic analysis indicated that the binding of TC with EPS is spontaneous and dominated by electrostatic forces.     

The Wind-Frequency Allocation Method on Discharge Loading of Function Zones

Abstract

This paper introduces a new allocation method on discharge loading of each function zone in a total emission control region. The wind frequency, the position of each district, and the pollutant’s influence area were taken into account in this new method. The concept of “average downwind distance” was brought forward in this paper. The method here is more reasonable than the original method of area distribution, which was proposed by the “A-value” method in regulation of total emissions in China, by means of the simulation of annual average concentration in the total emission control region.     

Molecular and physiological characterization of fluoroquinolone resistance in relation to uropathogenicity among Escherichia coli isolates isolated from Wenyu River, China

Increasing antibacterial resistance and pathogenicity in the environment is of growing concern due to its potential human risk. In the present study, 236 Escherichia coli isolates were collected from Wenyu River in China on drugless (48 isolates) and quinolone-containing plates (189 isolates). Their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined ranging from 0.125 μg mL⁻¹ to 128 μg mL⁻¹. Mutation points related to fluoroquinolone resistance were observed at S83 to L and D87 to N or Y in the GyrA subunit and S80 to R or I and E84 to G in the ParC subunit. Generally, MICs of LEV and GAT are dependent on the patterns of these mutation points. The profile with three mutation points was related to LEV-resistant E. coli isolates, and the (S83L, D87N + S80I) mutation profile was most prevalent (65.7%) in LEV-resistant isolates, while a large proportion of isolates, even those with three mutation points, were susceptive to GAT. The incidence of virulence factors in LEV-resistant isolates (44.7%, 59/132) was much higher than in nonresistant isolates (23.1%, 24/104) (χ² = 11.925, 1° of freedom, p < 0.001) indicating that fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli would pose a potential risk. A similar distribution was also found in isolates resistant to GAT (χ² = 7.843, 1° of freedom, p = 0.0079).     

Photodegradation of quinestrol in waters and the transformation products by UV irradiation

Quinestrol is synthetic estrogen used in contraceptive and hormone replacement therapy and occasionally for treating breast cancer and prostate cancer. It can make its way into the environment through sewage discharge and waste disposal produced by human excretions. In this study, the photodegradation kinetics of quinestrol in various conditions was investigated by UV and solar irradiation. The affecting factors were studied including concentration of hydrogen peroxide, different water types, and the initial concentrations of quinestrol. Concurrently, the transformation products and presumed pathways of quinestrol in distilled water by UV irradiation were identified and proposed. The results showed that the degradation of quinestrol in both irradiation conditions followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics. More rapid degradation was observed by UV irradiation (k = 0.018 min⁻¹) than solar irradiation (k = 0.004 h⁻¹), and the photodegradation rate of quinestrol depended on the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the initial concentration of quinestrol and water types. The transformation products of quinestrol in distilled water were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. When exposed to UV irradiation, quinestrol in aqueous solution was rapidly degraded, giving at least ten photodegradation products. The chemical structures of ten degradation products were identified on the basis of mass spectrum interpretation and literature data.     

我国电子废弃物回收体系建设的思路与保障措施

随着电子信息产业的高速发展和人民生活水平的不断提高,电子废弃物的数量也不断增长,成为21世纪增长最快的固体废弃物。从我国电子废弃物的回收利用现状入手进行分析,提出建设一套专业回收利用体系,形成以城市社区回收点为基础,中转交投中心为纽带,资源循环利用为目的,点面结合、三位一体的电子废弃物回收利用体系,逐步提高回收、集散、循环利用能力,促进行业健康、有序发展。     

颗粒物对无电压作用下离子交换膜分离去除铜离子的影响

在无外加电压条件下研究了颗粒物对阳离子交换膜分离去除铜离子效果的影响。选用硅酸、二氧化硅、氧化铝和水杨酸等4种物质作为颗粒物分别进行实验,其添加量均为50 mg/L。Cu2+及其补偿离子K+的浓度分别为0.0787mmol/L(5 mg/L)和0.787 mmol/L,水温为25±1℃,搅拌强度为600 r/min,水力停留时间为12 h。在所述实验条件下运行96 h后,水中无颗粒物干扰时,铜离子去除率为84%;水中存在带负电荷颗粒物(硅酸)和不带电荷颗粒物(二氧化硅和氧化铝)时,铜离子去除率略为下降至81%;而当水中存在带正电荷颗粒物(水杨酸)时,铜离子的去除率进一步下降为79%。研究结果表明带正电荷颗粒物对铜离子的交换去除影响较带负电荷或不带电荷颗粒物大,因为带正电荷颗粒物更易迁移至阳离子交换膜表面甚至进入膜内,并与膜表或膜内离子交换基团结合,从而导致铜离子交换去除明显下降。