Endocrine modulation and toxic effects of two commonly used UV screens on the aquatic invertebrates Potamopyrgus antipodarum and Lumbriculus variegatus

The two UV screens 3-benzylidene-camphor (3-BC) and 3-(4'-methylbenzylidene)-camphor (4-MBC) were tested regarding their toxicity and estrogenic activity. The Yeast Estrogen Screen (YES) and two sediment assays with the freshwater invertebrates Lumbriculus variegatus and Potamopyrgus antipodarum were performed. In the YES, both substances activated the human estrogen receptor alpha with EC50 values of 44.2 microM for 3-BC and 44.3 microM for 4-MBC, whereby 4-MBC attained only 8% of the maximal response of 17beta-estradiol. For P. antipodarum embryo production increased after exposure to both substances (EC50 of 4.60 microM 4-MBC=1.17 mg kg(-1)dw) while mortality increased at high concentrations. The reproduction of L. variegatus was decreased by 3-BC with an EC50 of 5.95 microM (=1.43 mg kg(-1)dw) and also by 4-MBC, where no EC50 could be calculated. While reproduction decreased, the worms' weight increased after exposure to 3-BC with an EC50 of 26.9 microM (=6.46 mg kg(-1) dw), hence the total biomass remained unaffected.     

The effect of anaerobic digestion and storage on indicator microorganisms in swine and dairy manure

The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate the influence of anaerobic digestion and storage on indicator microorganisms in swine and dairy excreta. Samples were collected every 90 days for 15 months at eight farms, four pig, and four dairy farms, four of them having a biogas plant. Moreover, to evaluate storage effects on samples, 20 l of manure and slurry taken at each farm (digested manure only in farms with a biogas plant) were stored in a controlled climatic chamber at 18 °C, for 6 months. The bacterial load and the chemical-physical characteristics of excreta were evaluated at each sampling time, stored slurry, and manure were sampled and analyzed every 2 months. A high variability of the concentration of bacteria in the different excreta types was observed during the experiment, mainly depending on the type and time of treatment. No sample revealed either the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 or of Salmonella, usually linked to the temporary rearing of infected animals in facilities. Anaerobic digestion and storage affected in a significant way the reduction of indicator bacteria like lactobacilli, coliforms, and streptococci. Anaerobic digestion lowered coliforms in pig slurry (? 2.80 log, P < 0.05), streptococci in dairy manure (? 2.44 log, P < 0.001) and in pig slurry (? 1.43 log, P < 0.05), and lactobacilli in pig slurry (? 3.03 log, P < 0.05). Storage lowered coliforms and the other indicators counts, in particular in fresh wastes, while clostridia did not show a reduction in concentration.     

PCBs and HCHs in a salt-marsh sediment record from South-Central Chile: use of tsunami signatures and 137Cs fallout as temporal markers

This paper documents the occurrence of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) deposition inferred from a sedimentary record exposed in a salt-marsh trench in South-Central Chile. Sediments were carefully collected every 1 cm from the trench wall. The samples were analyzed for PCBs, HCHs, 137Cs, organic carbon and grain size. The 137Cs fallout and the sedimentary signature left by the 1960 Chilean tsunami were used as temporal markers to estimate the stratigraphic chronology and the sedimentation rates. PCBs were quantified by gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD), and positive samples were confirmed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry detection (GC-MS). Based on these results, PCBs and HCHs deposition over the last 40 years was estimated. No PCBs were detected below the tsunami signature. Total concentrations ranged from undetectable (ND) to 32 ng/g d.w. for PCBs and from undetectable (ND) to 1.29 ng/g d.w. for HCHs. The highest PCB concentrations were found in the upper 7 cm of the core. Even though PCBs were banned in 1982 as electrical fluids in Chile, total estimated PCB fluxes have increased approximately 20 times during the last 40 years: from undetectable values to 102.6 ng/cm2/year, reflecting that PCBs are still in use and being released into the environment.     

Reconstructed mass-spectrometric pattern for characterization of carbon compounds in smoker's lung in situ

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoke is a major anthropogenic pollutant and contributes to the permanent load of ambient particulate matter in the air, particularly indoors. It is the leading risk factor for premature loss of life due to chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer. Smoker's lung and graphite pneumoconiosis are pathological states characterized by the deposition of carbonaceous particles. METHODS: Mass spectrometry was used to evaluate unstained lung sections obtained in vivo from a heavy smoker and a patient with occupationally acquired graphite pneumoconiosis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The composition of carbon compounds deposited in lung tissue samples is demonstrated here for the first time. Thirty carbonaceous-containing microareas from ten biopsies (three areas per biopsy) of lung tissues were analyzed mass-spectrometrically. In each case, the samples were taken from a smoker's lung or those demonstrating a graphite pneumoconiosis. The lung-tissue samples were selected by light microscopy before they were evaporated for mass spectrometry. First-order criteria were anionic and cationic mass peaks which occur within the mass patterns in lung tissues of smoker's lung, although not in graphite pneumoconiosis. Second-order criteria were mass peaks from smoker's lung with standard deviations SD < or = 14% of the mean value. First and second-order mass peaks matched the mass peaks of experimental cigarette-smoke condensate in 9 out of 11 peaks. A software program was developed that enabled fast, automated recognition of the typical mass peaks, and thereby confirmed the histological diagnosis of smoker's lung. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of carbonaceous particles within lung biopsies from a heavy smoker corresponded to the spectra of tobacco condensate and not to the investigated biopsies of graphite peneumoconiosis. RECOMMENDATION AND OUTLOOK: The analyses were performed in order to find out whether mass-spectrometric criteria exist for the differentiation of carbonaceous lung-tissue deposits. Mass spectrometry may be a valuable tool in determining the composition of carbon compounds deposited in human lung tissue. So far, qualitative assessment of the composition of deposits in lung tissue is only possible after the patient is deceased (autopsy).     

Detection of Hepatitis E Virus in Livers and Muscle Tissues of Wild Boars in Italy

Food and Environmental Virology - In industrialized countries, hepatitis E is now recognized as an emerging zoonosis. Autochthonous cases have been increased over recent years in Europe and are...     

Ultrastructural and chemical characterization of egg surface of honeybee worker and queen-laid eggs

Summary. Worker policing in honeybees predicts the evolution of a mechanism to discriminate between queenand worker-born eggs. Although it has been postulated that this discrimination is based on an egg recognition pheromone, neither the chemistry nor the glandular source were elucidated. To verify whether egg discrimination might be based on structural differences, we compared the ultrastructure surface of queen-laid diploid and haploid eggs to that of worker-laid eggs using SEM. Only small differences between the different types of eggs were found. Thus, at least based on the fine structure of the egg surface, queen eggs are indistinguishable from worker-laid eggs.To explore the chemosensory hypothesis for egg discrimination, we conducted a detailed comparative chemical analysis of the different egg types. The coating of all egg types was dominated by linear alkanes, but queen eggs, diploid and haploid, differed from those of workers on two accounts: 1. The diversity of compounds found on queenlaid eggs was much greater than found on worker-laid eggs, mainly due to the number of hydrocarbons. 2. Acetates of some fatty alcohols, alkenes and especially monomethylalkanes were characteristic to queen eggs. The origin of the two latter substances and the acetates is still unknown. Whether these compounds constitute the signal that enables police workers to discriminate between queen- and workerborn eggs remains to be investigated.     

Reaction of spruce cells toward heavy metals and the influence of culture conditions

BACKGROUND: Plant cell cultures may serve as biosensors for the detection of heavy metals and other toxic substances. Standard culture media and protocols are frequently utilised, but in these media no care is usually taken to control the influence of hormones and nutrients on the reaction of the enzymes or m under consideration as parts of the sensor. The present paper investigates the influence of media composition on the reaction of spruce cells towards heavy metals. METHODS: Spruce cell cultures were grown in a standard medium, either i) alone, ii) containing 0.3% sucrose or iii) containing 3% sucrose and the hormones BAP and NAA. The cell cultures were then incubated in medium with fungal elicitor, H2O2, CdSO4 (50 to 500 microM), or, alternatively, with a standard heavy metal mixture containing 80 microM Na2HAsO4, 150 microM CdSO4 and 200 microM PbCl2. RESULTS: Depending on the nutrient status and hormone availability, large differences in glutathione contents and the GSH/GSSG ratio were observed. However, the cellular redox state seemed to remain more or less constant. Glutathione S-transferase activity was determined with four substrates, and high induction rates for the conjugation of three substrates were observed when hormones were omitted from the media. 1,2-epoxy-nitrophenoxy-propane conjugation was highest in starving cell in the presence of hormones, showing a transient GST induction, with highest rates occurring after 16 hrs following incubation; the induction effect was lost after 24 hrs. CONCLUSION: A medium containing 3% sucrose and both hormones (BAP and NAA) appears to be most favourable for cellular growth as well as the expression of a basis level of detoxification enzymes and antioxidants. With this combination, early responses towards heavy metals at low concentration can be monitored. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVE: Plant cell cultures are valuable tools for the bioindication of heavy metals and toxic xenobiotics. If standard media and protocols are utilised, the influence of hormones and nutrients on the reaction of the biosensor have to be evaluated thoroughly.     

Indicators for Chemicals: Sources,impacts and policy performance (5 pp)

Background Different types of indicators have been developed to describe the impact of chemicals on society and environment. Due to the high number of substances and their different types of use, most of these indicators are directed to specific areas of interest – regarding workplace safety, environmental health or consumer health. They address a specific subset of chemicals and can be used for monitoring enterprise-specific, national or international management measures. Main Features A survey of existing indicators for chemicals has shown that indicators already exist for a remarkable number of problem fields. As soon as the release and the environmental fate of chemicals are taken into account, the complexity of the approaches increases considerably. The distinction between indicators for drivers, pressures, state, impacts and responses, as proposed by the European Environmental Agency, supports the identification of proper indicators for a specific type of problem. Discussion and Conclusions. No single indicator exists which is able to cover the whole range of chemicals and their applications. Several indicator approaches cover at least a subset of the most relevant substances. If they are intended to be used for European monitoring, robust data must be provided by EU Member States. Chemicals in enterprises (ancillary inputs as well as process chemicals) are an important element of in-plant material flow management – in terms of occupational safety and health as well as environmental protection. Existing indicators for hazardous chemicals can be a valuable tool for process and product refinement regarding hazardous chemicals, especially for enterprises. Outlook Indicators for production and impact of chemicals, as well as policy performance indicators, are essential elements in order to monitor the management of chemicals. They have to be established for the national and for the EU level.     

Monitoring trace metals in urban aerosols from Buenos Aires city. Determination by plasma-based techniques

A study was undertaken, within the framework of a 3 years national project, to assess the content of 13 elements in airborne particulate matter collected in representative zones of the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires. The sampling strategy followed consisted in collecting simultaneously 67 samples of PM10 particulate matter in 9 sampling sites covering an area of about 30 km2 during one week. The collection was performed on ash-free fibre-glass filters using high volume samplers. A combination of aqua regia and perchloric acid was used for leaching metals from filters. Key elements, namely Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, S, Sb, Sn, Zn and Zr, were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) at micro g g(-1) and ng g(-1) levels. Analyte concentration varied from 130 ng g(-1)(Mo) to over 30%(Ca). Multivariate statistical analysis was performed on the data set including the measured elemental compositions for the monitored period. The atmospheric concentration found for Pb confirms the decreasing levels of this element since the introduction of unleaded gasoline in 1995: 88 ng m(-3)(2001) < 220 ng m(-3)(1997) < 3900 ng m(-3)(1994). The average S concentration above 3 microg m(-3) is somehow unexpectedly high for Buenos Aires since the relatively low S content of liquid fuels and the massive usage of natural gas imply low emissions of this element from combustion activities. To the best of our knowledge, S concentrations are reported for the first time for this city.