Indoor pollutant exposure among children with and without asthma in Porto,Portugal, during the cold season

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Considering the time spent in enclosed spaces, indoor air pollutants are of major interest because of its possible impact on health. However, to date,...     

Energy rating methodology for light-duty vehicles: geographical impact

The aim of this paper was to describe a new energy dependency score methodology and its consequent application to cars sold in twelve regions: Europe (EU-28) and eleven specific countries worldwide (Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and USA). This methodology was developed as a potential tool to inform consumers of their choice impact on the country’s economy. This methodology is based on primary energy assessments and origins for each energy pathway associated with a gasoline-, diesel-, natural gas (used for H₂ production)- or electricity (balanced with country electricity mix)-powered vehicle. An energy dependency index was attributed to the best-case (100 % endogenous production) and worst-case (0 % endogenous production) scenarios and consequently weighted with vehicle fuel consumption. This enabled obtaining an energy dependency index (10–0). This index could be assigned to an environmental and social index to provide a sustainability index and therefore complement a road vehicle environmental rating system, providing a combined index rating. Internal combustion engine vehicles and hybrid vehicles (that have oil products as energy source) rate the lowest for almost all locations, with the exception of regions that are energy independent (Norway, Saudi Arabia or Russia). Electric vehicles rank higher when comparing to the other technologies analyzed for all locations in this study. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle shows generally a rank in an intermediate place, except for Japan where it scores lower than all other technologies.     

Influence of different abiotic and biotic factors on the metalaxyl and carbofuran dissipation

Metalaxyl and carbofuran dissipation was studied in response to different factors (soil bacterial communities, light irradiation, presence of an inorganic culture medium and presence of soil) and combinations of these factors in short-term experiments (48 h). The soil microbial communities have no effect on metalaxyl or carbofuran dissipation in the time scale employed. Light irradiation and soil promote metalaxyl and carbofuran dissipation by photodegradation and adsorption, respectively. However, photodegradation has a stronger effect on metalaxyl and carbofuran dissipation than the adsorption of the pesticides in the soil. The addition of the culture medium have no direct effect on pesticide dissipation, degradation by microbial communities or adsorption but its presence greatly increased photodegradation.     

Analytical methods and validation for determining trace elements in red wines

The objective of this work is to quantify As, Hg, Cd, Ni and Pb in Portuguese red wines. First, the methods for the quantification of trace elements in red wines were validated. Several pre-treatments were compared, namely a pre-digestion process with HNO₃, a pre-oxidation step with H₂O₂, and a spiking step of wine samples with a known concentration of the trace elements analyzed. Except for As, it was determined that the quantification of the trace elements does not require a pre-digestion process with HNO₃. For all of the trace elements analyzed, a pre-oxidation step with H₂O₂ may enable an accurate quantification. The techniques chosen for the quantification of trace elements were hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS) for As and Hg, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) for Cd, and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) for Ni and Pb. In the second stage of this work, 25 Portuguese red wines spanning all of the red wine-producing regions were analyzed for all of the five trace elements referred to above. Only Cd and Pb have shown concentrations above the limit values defined by the “Organization Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin.” The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) equation was used to determine in which wine-producing regions that wine consumption can be a problem for public health in terms of the concentrations of the five trace elements analyzed. THQ values have indicated that for the universe of the 25 red wines analyzed no region produces wines that can pose problems for public health, when the Portuguese red wine standard consumption is considered.     

BIOAMBIENT.ES study protocol: rationale and design of a cross-sectional human biomonitoring survey in Spain

Human biomonitoring (HBM), defined as the measurement of concentrations of chemicals or of their metabolites in human biological matrices, is considered the method of choice for determining internal exposures in individuals. HBM is part of environmental exposure surveillance systems in several countries. In 2007, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment promoted BIOAMBIENT.ES project, a national-level HBM study on environmental pollutants carried out in Spain to estimate levels of heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and other substances on the Spanish active workforce. BIOAMBIENT.ES is a nationwide cross-sectional study, with a stratified cluster sampling designed to cover all geographical areas, sex and occupational sectors, and aimed to obtain a representative sample of the Spanish workforce. Participants were recruited among people residing in Spain for 5 years or more, which underwent their annual occupational medical check-up in the health facilities of the Societies for Prevention of IBERMUTUAMUR, MUTUALIA, MC-PREVENCIÓN, MUGATRA, UNIMAT PREVENCIÓN, and PREVIMAC (March 2009–July 2010). A total of 1,892 subjects fulfilled the criteria for inclusion, donated biological samples (1,880 blood, 1,770 urine, and 577 hair) and completed a short self-administrated epidemiological questionnaire on environmental and lifestyle-related exposures. Additionally, clinical information from participant’s health exams was obtained. This project will provide a first overview of the body burden of selected pollutants in a representative sample of the Spanish-occupied population. This information will be useful to establish reference values of the studied population and, eventually, to evaluate temporal trends and the effectiveness of environmental and health policies.     

Behavior of pyrimethanil,pyraclostrobin, boscalid,cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos residues on raspberry fruit and leaves of Laszka variety

The purpose of the research conducted was to investigate and evaluate the behavior of pyrimethanil, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos, the active ingredients of selected fungicides and insecticides, on ripe fruit and in fully developed leaves of raspberry of the Laszka variety. The field trial was carried out in the period of one month starting from the first fruit picking. The results obtained indicated that residue levels on the day of the first crop picking did not even approximate the corresponding EU-MRLs (http://ec.europa.eu/sanco_pesticides). Individual substances in raspberry fruits and leaves disappeared at a similar rate. As a result of chlorpyrifos application to the soil, its residue in fruits and leaves occurred for the whole period of fruit bearing, though in fruit they dropped successively. To produce raspberries with residues below or equal to 0.01 μg g^?1, the application of pesticides should be stopped at least 2–3 weeks before the first crop picking, and on condition that an appropriate preparation (active in low doses) is applied to the last treatments.     

Comparison of Emission of Dioxins and Furans from Gasohol- and Ethanol-Powered Vehicles

ABSTRACT

The exhaust emissions of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were investigated in two spark-ignition light-duty vehicles, one gasohol-fueled and a flexible-fuel one fueled with hydrated ethanol. Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and 22% ethanol. The influence of fuel type and quality, lubricant oil type, and use of fuel additives on the formation of these compounds was tested using standardized U.S. Federal Test Procedure (FTP)-75 cycle tests. The sampling of the PCDD/Fs followed the recommendations of a modified U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 23 (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/emc/promgate/m-23.pdf) and the analysis basically followed the U.S. EPA Method 8290 (http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/testmethods/sw846/pdfs/8290a.pdf). Results showed that emission factors of PCDD/Fs for the gasohol vehicle varied from undetected to 0.068 pg international toxic equivalency (I-TEQ) km^?1 (average of 0.0294 pg I-TEQ km^?1), whereas in the ethanol vehicle they varied from 0.004 to 0.157 pg (I-TEQ) km^?1 (average of 0.031 pg I-TEQ km^?1). In the gasohol-powered vehicle, the use of fuel additive diminished the emission of Octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) significantly, whereas in the ethanol vehicle no significant associations were observed between the investigated variables and the emissions.

IMPLICATIONS The objective of this work was to analyze differences in emissions from a traditional fossil fuel (gasoline) and an alternative renewable fuel (ethanol from sugarcane), and the influence of fuel additives and lubricant oils on the formation of chlorinated dioxins and furans in spark-ignition light-duty gasohol and ethanol vehicles. Renewable fuels are very important in terms of climate change but the risk to the population's health must not increase. Thus the results of this work could help in the development of environmental impact studies as well as orienting policy-makers in formulating strategies for air pollution control.     

Comparison of emission of dioxins and furans from gasohol- and ethanol-powered vehicles

The exhaust emissions of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) were investigated in two spark-ignition light-duty vehicles, one gasohol-fueled and a flexible-fuel one fueled with hydrated ethanol. Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and 22% ethanol. The influence of fuel type and quality, lubricant oil type, and use of fuel additives on the formation of these compounds was tested using standardized U.S. Federal Test Procedure (FTP)-75 cycle tests. The sampling of the PCDD/Fs followed the recommendations of a modified U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 23 (www.epa.gov/ttn/ emc/promgate/m-23.pdf) and the analysis basically followed the U.S. EPA Method 8290 (http://www.epa.gov/osw/ hazard/testmethods/sw846/pdfs/8290a.pdf). Results showed that emission factors of PCDD/Fs for the.gasohol vehicle varied from undetected to 0.068 pg international toxic equivalency (I-TEQ) km(-1) (average of 0.0294 pg I-TEQ km(-1)), whereas in the ethanol vehicle they varied from 0.004 to 0.157 pg (I-TEQ) km(-1) (average of 0.031 pg I-TEQ km(-1)). In the gasohol-powered vehicle, the use of fuel additive diminished the emission of Octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) significantly, whereas in the ethanol vehicle no significant associations were observed between the investigated variables and the emissions.     

The spectroscopic studies of humic acid extracted from sediment collected at different seasons

Gocza?kowice Reservoir is the biggest water reservoir in the south of Poland. For our studies bottom sediments were collected from eight different places of the reservoir at various seasons of the year.EPR spectroscopy was applied to analyse both quantitatively and qualitatively the humic acids (HA) present in the samples. EPR spectra of the extracted HA exhibited broad lines from the paramagnetic metal ions and narrow lines from free radicals. The values of the free radical concentration obtained for HA amounted to 1.14-13.6 × 1016 spin g⁻¹ depending on the season and the place of sample collection. The values of the g factor obtained for HA were of the range 2.0027-2.0035.The EPR studies show that HA extracted from bottom sediment collected at various points of the Gocza?kowice Reservoir exhibit similar physical-chemical properties. It was also observed that the depth of the reservoir affects the content of the oxygen functional groups as well as the free radical concentration in HA.The identification of the functional groups was done by means of IR. UV/VIS spectroscopy was used to estimate the maturity of the HA.